IP Library Granted Patent US 12,141,197
Granted Patent B2
US 12,141,197 · App. 16/698,900 · Granted Nov 12, 2024

Methods and apparatus to identify media based on historical data

Inventors: Markus Kurt Cremer (Orinda, CA); Todd Hodges (Oakland, CA)
Assignee: GRACENOTE, INC.
G06F16/683G06F16/632G06F16/634G06F16/65G06F16/685G06F16/686G06F18/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,141,197
App. No.
16/698,900
Granted
Nov 12, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify media based on historical data. An example method includes: comparing (a) a pitch shifted fingerprint, (b) a time shifted fingerprint, or (c) a resampled fingerprint to a reference fingerprint; in response to a match between any of (a) the pitch shifted fingerprint, (b) the time shifted fingerprint, or (c) the resampled fingerprint and the reference fingerprint, generating indications of (a) a pitch shift value, (b) a time shift value, or (c) a resample ratio that caused the match; in response to collecting broadcast media for a threshold period of time, processing the one or more indications; and in response to a request for a recommendation for information associated with a query, transmitting the recommendation including one or more frequencies of occurrence of (a) the pitch shift value, (b) the time shift value, or (c) the resample ratio.

Claims (104)

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving broadcast media, wherein the broadcast media comprises a plurality of received media samples;

analyzing each received media sample of the plurality of received media samples by:

generating at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint based on the received media sample, wherein each of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint comprises at least one of (a) a pitch shift, (b) a time shift, or (c) a resample of the received media sample;

identifying at least one match based on comparing the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint to at least one reference media fingerprint; and

updating a frequency of occurrence of each of (a) a pitch shift value, (b) a time shift value, or (c) a resample ratio corresponding to each of the at least one match of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint;

receiving, after collecting the broadcast media for a threshold period of time,

a request for information associated with a query corresponding to a suspected alteration to an audio signal; and

transmitting, in response to the received request, a report, wherein the report includes the frequency of occurrence of at least one of (a) the pitch shift value, (b) the time shift value, or (c) the resample ratio.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of operations further comprises:

determining whether the pitch shift value increases a pitch of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the pitch shift value increasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, decreasing one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value;

in response to the pitch shift value decreasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, increasing the one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value; and

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of operations further comprises:

selecting the resample ratio;

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to a sample media fingerprint; and

generating a resampled sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to the pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the report includes (a) one or more pitch shift values or (b) one or more resample ratios that have a higher frequency of occurrence than (a) one or more additional pitch shift values or (b) one or more additional resample ratios, respectively.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4 , wherein the query is a first query, and the set of operations further comprises, in response to a second query including the report, comparing a sample media fingerprint to the (a) the one or more pitch shift values or (b) the one or more resample ratios.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of operations further comprises:

determining whether the time shift value increases a playback speed of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the time shift value increasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, adding a first frame to the sample media fingerprint at a position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value;

in response to the time shift value decreasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, deleting a second frame of the sample media fingerprint at the position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value; and

generating a time shifted sample media fingerprint.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processor to:

analyze each received media sample of a plurality of received media samples by:

generating at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint based on the received media sample, wherein each of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint comprises at least one of (a) a pitch shift, (b) a time shift, or (c) a resample of the received media sample;

identifying at least one match based on comparing the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint to at least one reference media fingerprint; and

updating a frequency of occurrence of each of (a) a pitch shift value, (b) a time shift value, or (c) a resample ratio corresponding to each of the at least one match of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint; and

a network interface to:

receive broadcast media, wherein the broadcast media comprises a plurality of received media samples;

receive, after collecting the broadcast media for a threshold period of time, a request for information associated with a query corresponding to a suspected alteration to an audio signal; and

transmit, in response to the received request, a report, wherein the report includes the frequency of occurrence of at least one of (a) the pitch shift value, (b) the time shift value, or (c) the resample ratio.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further including:

a fingerprint pitch tuner to:

determine whether the pitch shift value increases a pitch of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the pitch shift value increasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, decrease one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value;

in response to the pitch shift value decreasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, increase the one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value; and

generate a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus further includes:

the network interface to select the resample ratio;

a fingerprint pitch tuner to generate a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to a sample media fingerprint; and

at least one of a fingerprint speed tuner or a fingerprint pitch tuner to generate a resampled sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to the pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the report includes (a) one or more pitch shift values or (b) one or more resample ratios that have a higher frequency of occurrence than (a) one or more additional pitch shift values or (b) one or more additional resample ratios, respectively.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the query is a first query, and the processor is configured to, in response to a second query including the report, compare a sample media fingerprint to the (a) the one or more pitch shift values or (b) the one or more resample ratios.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , further including:

a fingerprint speed tuner to:

determine whether the time shift value increases a playback speed of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the time shift value increasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, add a first frame to the sample media fingerprint at a position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value;

in response to the time shift value decreasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, delete a second frame of the sample media fingerprint at the position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value; and

generate a time shifted sample media fingerprint.

13. A method comprising:

receiving broadcast media, wherein the broadcast media comprises a plurality of received media samples;

analyzing each received media sample of the plurality of received media samples by:

generating at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint based on the received media sample, wherein each of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint comprises at least one of (a) a pitch shift, (b) a time shift, or (c) a resample of the received media sample;

identifying at least one match based on comparing the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint to at least one reference media fingerprint; and

updating a frequency of occurrence of each of (a) a pitch shift value, (b) a time shift value, or (c) a resample ratio corresponding to each of the at least one match of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint;

receiving, after collecting the broadcast media for a threshold period of time

a request for information associated with a query corresponding to a suspected alteration to an audio signal; and

transmitting, in response to the received request, a report, wherein the report includes the frequency of occurrence of (a) the pitch shift value, (b) the time shift value, or (c) the resample ratio.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including:

determining whether the pitch shift value increases a pitch of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the pitch shift value increasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, decreasing one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value;

in response to the pitch shift value decreasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, increasing the one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value; and

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further includes:

selecting the resample ratio;

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to a sample media fingerprint; and

generating a resampled sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to the pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the report includes (a) one or more pitch shift values or (b) one or more resample ratios that have a higher frequency of occurrence than (a) one or more additional pitch shift values or (b) one or more additional resample ratios, respectively.

17. The method of claim 13 , further including:

determining whether the time shift value increases a playback speed of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the time shift value increasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, adding a first frame to the sample media fingerprint at a position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value;

in response to the time shift value decreasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, deleting a second frame of the sample media fingerprint at the position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value; and

generating a time shifted sample media fingerprint.

18. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving broadcast media, wherein the broadcast media comprises a plurality of received media samples;

analyzing each received media sample of the plurality of received media samples by:

generating at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint based on the received media sample, wherein each of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint comprises at least one of (a) a pitch shift, (b) a time shift, or (c) a resample of the received media sample;

identifying at least one match based on comparing the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint to at least one reference media fingerprint; and

updating a frequency of occurrence of each of (a) a pitch shift value, (b) a time shift value, or (c) a resample ratio corresponding to each of the at least one match of the at least one adjusted media sample fingerprint;

receiving, after collecting the broadcast media for a threshold period of time,

a request for information associated with a query corresponding to a suspected alteration to an audio signal; and

transmitting, in response to the received request, a report, wherein the report includes the frequency of occurrence of at least one of (a) the pitch shift value, (b) the time shift value, or (c) the resample ratio.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the set of operations further comprises:

determining whether the pitch shift value increases a pitch of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the pitch shift value increasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, decreasing one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value;

in response to the pitch shift value decreasing the pitch of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, increasing the one or more bin values associated with the sample media fingerprint based on the pitch shift value; and

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein set of operations further comprises:

selecting the resample ratio;

generating a pitch shifted sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to a sample media fingerprint; and

generating a resampled sample media fingerprint by applying the resample ratio to the pitch shifted sample media fingerprint.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the report includes (a) one or more pitch shift values or (b) one or more resample ratios that have a higher frequency of occurrence than (a) one or more additional pitch shift values or (b) one or more additional resample ratios, respectively.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the query is a first query, and the set of operations further comprises, in response to a second query including the report, comparing a sample media fingerprint to (a) the one or more pitch shift values or (b) the one or more resample ratios.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the set of operations further comprises:

determining whether the time shift value increases a playback speed of an audio signal associated with a sample media fingerprint;

in response to the time shift value increasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, adding a first frame to the sample media fingerprint at a position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value;

in response to the time shift value decreasing the playback speed of the audio signal associated with the sample media fingerprint, deleting a second frame of the sample media fingerprint at the position in the sample media fingerprint that corresponds to the time shift value; and

generate a time shifted sample media fingerprint.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: GRACENOTE, INC.; A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, 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 Feb 13, 2020
From: CREMER, MARKUS KURT; HODGES, TODD
To: GRACENOTE, INC.
Reel/Frame 051816/0028 →