Signature retrieval and matching for media monitoring

1. An apparatus comprising:

means for querying a first table to perform a first query of the first table using a hash corresponding to a first site signature, the first site signature obtained from a monitored site, the first table including hash keys corresponding to respective reference signatures, the first query to obtain, from the first table, first qualifier data descriptive of a first reference signature corresponding to a first hash key that matches the hash corresponding to the first site signature;

means for querying a second table to perform a second query of the second table using the first qualifier data obtained from the first query of the first table, the second query to obtain, from the second table, a plurality of blocks of reference signatures, the second table different than the first table;

means for comparing a first block of site signatures with a portion of the plurality of blocks of reference signatures, the first block of site signatures to include the first site signature; and

means for crediting media, monitored at the monitored site, as corresponding to reference media represented by the first reference signature when the first block of site signatures matches the portion of the plurality of blocks of reference signatures.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first qualifier data includes a first timestamp associated with a first block of reference signatures including the first reference signature, the first qualifier data also including first media identification data identifying first reference media represented by the first reference signature.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the plurality of blocks of reference signatures obtained from the second query of the second table using the first qualifier data include:

the first block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with the first timestamp;

a second block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with a second timestamp preceding the first timestamp; and

a third block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with a third timestamp following the first timestamp.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the first qualifier data further includes a first offset specifying a position of the first reference signature in the first block of reference signatures, the first block of site signatures includes neighboring site signatures of the first site signature, and the means for comparing is further to:

align the first block of site signatures with a portion of the first, second and third blocks of reference signatures based on the first offset; and

compare the first block of site signatures with the portion of the first, second and third blocks of reference signatures.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first reference signature is representative of first reference media, the plurality of blocks of reference signatures is a first plurality of blocks of reference signatures representative of the first reference media, and:

the means for querying the second table is to query the second table using second qualifier data obtained from the first query of the first table, the second qualifier data descriptive of a second reference signature corresponding to a second hash key determined to match the hash corresponding to the first site signature, the second reference signature being representative of second reference media; and

the means for comparing is to compare the first block of site signatures with a second plurality of blocks of reference signatures obtained from the query of the second table using the second qualifier data, the second plurality of blocks of reference signatures representative of the second reference media.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the means for querying the first table is to obtain the first hash key, the first qualifier data and first value data associated with the first hash key in response to the first query of the first table, and further including means for qualifying the first value data to prequalify the first hash key as a candidate for subsequent signature processing associated with the first site signature.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein:

the means for querying the first table is to obtain a second hash key, second qualifier data and second value data associated with the second hash key in response to the first query of the first table, the second hash key having been determined to match the first site signature, the second qualifier data descriptive of a second reference signature corresponding to the second hash key; and

the means for querying the second table is to:

query the second table using the second qualifier data in response to a successful prequalification of the second hash key based on the second value data; and

not query the second table using the second qualifier data in response to an unsuccessful prequalification of the second hash key based on the second value data.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein the first reference signature is representative of first reference media, the first value data includes a second hash key and a third hash key both representative of the first reference media, the second hash key preceding the first hash key in time and the third hash key following the first hash key in time, and the means for qualifying is to:

determine prequalification of the first hash key is successful in response to the second hash key having matched a second site signature preceding the first site signature in time and the third hash key having matched a third site signature following the first site signature in time; and

determine prequalification of the first hash key is unsuccessful in response to at least one of the second hash key having not matched the second site signature or the third hash key having not matched the third site signature.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for populating a hash table to:

store hash keys representative of respective reference signatures included in a first reference signature block associated with first reference media in respective entries of a hash table in a database; and

store first qualifier data in a first entry of the hash table corresponding to a first hash key, the first qualifier data to include a timestamp, a first offset, and an identifier associated with a first reference signature represented by the first hash key; and

means for populating a block table to:

store a first block table key corresponding to the first reference signature block in a first entry of a block table in the database, the first block table key to include the timestamp and the identifier; and

store the first reference signature block, a preceding reference signature block relative to the first reference signature block and a subsequent reference signature block relative to the first reference signature block in the first entry of the block table; and

means for accessing the hash table and the block table to retrieve candidate reference signatures to compare with site signatures representative of monitored media to identify the monitored media.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the means for populating the hash table is to store, in the first entry of the hash table, a second hash key representative of a second reference signature preceding the first reference signature in the first reference signature block and a third hash key representative of a third reference signature following the first reference signature in the first reference signature block.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the first offset corresponds to a position of the first reference signature in the first reference signature block.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the hash table is stored in a first type of memory and the block table is stored in a second, different type of memory.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein the first type of memory is volatile memory and the second type of memory is non-volatile memory.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , further including means for processing to:

perform hash table compaction to purge out-of-date reference data from the hash table; and

perform block table compaction to purge out-of-date reference data from the block table.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 , wherein the means for processing is to perform at least one of the hash table compaction or the block table compaction based on a time-to-live value.

16. An apparatus comprising:

memory to include machine executable instructions; and

processor circuitry to execute the machine executable instructions to at least:

perform a first query at a first table using a hash corresponding to a first site signature, the first site signature obtained from a monitored site, the first table including hash keys corresponding to respective reference signatures, the first query to obtain, from the first table, first qualifier data descriptive of a reference signature corresponding to a first hash key that matches the hash corresponding to the first site signature;

perform a second query at a second table using the first qualifier data obtained from the first query of the first table, the second query to obtain, from the second table, a plurality of blocks of reference signatures, the second table different than the first table;

compare a first block of site signatures with a portion of a plurality of blocks of reference signatures, the first block of site signatures to include the first site signature; and

credit media, monitored at the monitored site, as corresponding to reference media represented by the first reference signature when the first block of site signatures matches the portion of the plurality of blocks of reference signatures.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 16 , wherein the first qualifier data includes a first timestamp associated with a first block of reference signatures including the first reference signature, the first qualifier data also including first media identification data identifying first reference media represented by the first reference signature.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of blocks of reference signatures obtained from the second query of the second table using the first qualifier data include:

the first block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with the first timestamp;

a second block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with a second timestamp preceding the first timestamp; and

a third block of reference signatures representative of the first reference media and associated with a third timestamp following the first timestamp.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 , wherein the first qualifier data further includes a first offset specifying a position of the first reference signature in the first block of reference signatures, the first block of site signatures includes neighboring site signatures of the first site signature, and the processor circuitry is to:

align the first block of site signatures with a portion of the first, second and third blocks of reference signatures based on the first offset; and

compare the first block of site signatures with the portion of the first, second and third blocks of reference signatures.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 16 , wherein the first reference signature is representative of first reference media, the plurality of blocks of reference signatures is a first plurality of blocks of reference signatures representative of the first reference media, and the processor circuitry is to:

query the second table using second qualifier data obtained from the first query of the first table, the second qualifier data descriptive of a second reference signature corresponding to a second hash key determined to match the hash corresponding to the first site signature, the second reference signature being representative of second reference media; and

compare the first block of site signatures with a second plurality of blocks of reference signatures obtained from the querying of the second table using the second qualifier data, the second plurality of blocks of reference signatures representative of the second reference media.