IP Library Granted Patent US 10,681,399
Granted Patent B2
US 10,681,399 · App. 15/880,227 · Granted Jun 9, 2020

Digital data insertion apparatus and methods for use with compressed audio/video data

Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy (Tampa, FL); Venugopal Srinivasan (Tarpon Springs, FL)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04N21/2362B63G8/00H04H20/28H04H20/33H04H60/37H04N7/173H04N21/235H04N21/236H04N21/252H04N21/25891H04N21/435H04N21/44222H04N21/6582H04H20/14H04H20/95H04H60/43H04H60/73
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,681,399
App. No.
15/880,227
Granted
Jun 9, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and apparatus for inserting audience measurement data or interactive data into a compressed data bitstream are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a parser to access compressed audio data packets from a compressed data bitstream, a time shifter to time shift the compressed audio data packets in data frames of the compressed data bitstream to occupy locations of the data frames from which skip bytes are eliminated, and an inserter to insert at least one of audience measurement data or interactive data into auxiliary data fields of the data frames that increase in size due to the time shifting the compressed audio data.

Claims (31)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

memory including computer readable instructions; and

processor circuitry to execute the computer readable instructions stored in the memory, the processor circuitry to:

access compressed audio data packets from a compressed data bitstream;

shift the compressed audio data packets in data frames of the compressed data bitstream to enlarge auxiliary data fields of the data frames, the compressed audio data packets to be shifted to occupy locations of the data frames from which skip bytes are eliminated; and

insert at least one of audience measurement data or interactive data into the auxiliary data fields of the data frames.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further to re-compute an error checking value after the at least one of the audience measurement data or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the error checking value is a cyclical redundancy check value.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the compressed audio data packets are compliant with an AC-3 format.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the interactive data includes at least one of a uniform resource locator, internet protocol data, an applet, or a script.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further to generate the audience measurement data from extracted program information, the extracted program information included in the compressed data bitstream.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further to update program information associated with the compressed data bitstream after the at least one of the audience measurement data or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

8. A method comprising:

accessing, by executing an instruction with a processor, compressed audio data packets from a compressed data bitstream;

shifting, by executing an instruction with the processor, the compressed audio data packets in data frames of the compressed data bitstream to enlarge auxiliary data fields of the data frames, the compressed audio data packets to be shifted to occupy locations of the data frames from which skip bytes are eliminated; and

inserting, by executing an instruction with the processor, at least one of audience measurement data or interactive data into the auxiliary data fields of the data frames.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 , further including re-computing an error checking value after the at least one of the audience measurement data or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the error checking value is a cyclical redundancy check value.

11. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein the compressed audio data packets are compliant with an AC-3 format.

12. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein the interactive data includes at least one of a uniform resource locator, internet protocol data, an applet, or a script.

13. The method as defined in claim 8 , further including generating the audience measurement data from extracted program information, the extracted program information included in the compressed data bitstream.

14. The method as defined in claim 8 , further including updating program information associated with the compressed data bitstream after the at least one of the audience measurement or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

15. A machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

access compressed audio data packets from a compressed data bitstream;

shift the compressed audio data packets in data frames of the compressed data bitstream to enlarge auxiliary data fields of the data frames, the compressed audio data packets to be shifted to occupy locations of the data frames from which skip bytes are eliminated; and

insert at least one of audience measurement data or interactive data into the auxiliary data fields of the data frames.

16. The machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to re-compute an error checking value after the at least one of the audience measurement data or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

17. The machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 16 , wherein the error checking value is a cyclical redundancy check value.

18. The machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15 , wherein the compressed audio data packets are compliant with an AC-3 format.

19. The machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15 , wherein the interactive data includes at least one of a uniform resource locator, internet protocol data, an applet, or a script.

20. The machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to update program information associated with the compressed data bitstream after the at least one of the audience measurement or the interactive data has been inserted into the auxiliary data fields.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2018
From: RAMASWAMY, ARUN; SRINIVASAN, VENUGOPAL
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 045155/0240 →