Granted Patent B2

US 12,368,524 · App. 18/105,759 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Inventors: Dyon Anniballi (Wayne, PA); Philippe Generali (Scarsdale, NY)

Assignee: iHeart Media Management Services, Inc.

H04H60/37H04H60/64H04H60/65H04H2201/90

Abstract

Claims (64)

1. A method of identifying a media item included in a broadcast, the method comprising: receiving, at a processing device including a processor, a first recorded representation of a first media broadcast transmitted via a known media station at a first time, wherein the first recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a first media item included in the first media broadcast;

receiving, at the processing device, a second recorded representation of a second media broadcast transmitted via an unknown media station at substantially the first time, wherein the second recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a media-item-of-interest included in the second media broadcast; and

identifying, at the processing device, the media-item-of-interest based on an identity of the known media station and a block-by-block comparison of the first recorded representation to the second recorded representation, wherein the block-by-block comparison includes comparing first blocks included in the first recorded representation against second blocks included in the second recorded representation on a frame by frame basis.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the block-by-block comparison includes:

comparing a particular first block included the first recorded representation against a plurality of test blocks included in the second recorded representation.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the block-by-block comparison further includes:

forming the particular first block to include a predetermined number of first frames from the first recorded representation; forming a test block including a predetermined number of second frames from the second recorded representation; and

comparing the particular first block to the test block.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the block-by-block comparison further includes:

iteratively forming next test blocks by:

removing a leading frame from the test block;

appending a subsequent frame to the test block so that a number of second frames included in the test block remains constant at the predetermined number of second frames; and

iteratively comparing each next test block to the particular first block until a matching block is identified.

5. The method of claim 4 , further includes:

attempting to grow the matching block by comparing a block adjacent to the particular first block in the first recorded representation, to a corresponding block

adjacent to the matching block in the second recorded representation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the block-by-block comparison includes:

determining a hamming distance between the first blocks included in the first recorded representation and the second blocks included in the second recorded representation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the media-item-of-interest includes: determining that the media-item-of-interest is an instance of the first media item based on

the block-by-block comparison.

8. A device comprising:

a processor;

memory operably associated with the processor;

a network interface coupled to the processor and the memory;

a program of instructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to receive a first recorded representation of a first media broadcast transmitted via a known media station at a first time, wherein the first recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a first media item included in the first media broadcast;

at least one instruction to receive a second recorded representation of a second media broadcast transmitted via an unknown media station at substantially the first time, wherein the

second recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a media-item-of-interest included in the second media broadcast; and

at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on an identity of the known media station and a block-by-block comparison of the first recorded representation to the second recorded representation, wherein the block-by-block comparison includes comparing first blocks included in the first recorded representation against second blocks included in the second recorded representation on a frame by frame basis.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison includes:

at least one instruction to compare a particular first block included the first recorded representation against a plurality of test blocks included in the second recorded representation.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison further includes:

at least one instruction to form the particular first block to include a predetermined number of first frames from the first recorded representation;

at least one instruction to form a test block including a predetermined number of second frames from the second recorded representation; and

at least one instruction to compare the particular first block to the test block.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison further includes:

at least one instruction to iteratively form next test blocks by: removing a leading frame from the test block;

appending a subsequent frame to the test block so that a number of second frames included in the test block remains constant at the predetermined number of second frames; and

at least one instruction to iteratively compare each next test block to the particular first block until a matching block is identified.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the program of instructions further includes:

at least one instruction to attempt to grow the matching block by comparing a block adjacent to the particular first block in the first recorded representation, to a corresponding block adjacent to the matching block in the second recorded representation.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the block-by-block comparison includes:

at least one instruction to determine a hamming distance between the first blocks included in the first recorded representation and the second blocks included in the second recorded representation.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein identifying the media-item-of-interest includes:

at least one instruction to determine that the media-item-of-interest is an instance of the first media item based on the block-by-block comparison.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions to be stored in a memory and executed by a processor, the program of instructions including:

at least one instruction to receive a first recorded representation of a first media broadcast transmitted via a known media station at a first time, wherein the first recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a first media item included in the first media broadcast;

at least one instruction to receive a second recorded representation of a second media broadcast transmitted via an unknown media station, wherein the second recorded representation includes a recording of at least a portion of a media-item-of-interest included in the second media broadcast; and

at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on an identity of the known media station and a block-by-block comparison of the first recorded representation to the second recorded representation, wherein the block-by-block comparison includes comparing first blocks included in the first recorded representation against second blocks included in the second recorded representation on a frame by frame basis.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison includes:

at least one instruction to compare a particular first block included the first recorded representation against a plurality of test blocks included in the second recorded representation.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison further includes:

at least one instruction to form the particular first block to include a predetermined number of first frames from the first recorded representation;

at least one instruction to form a test block including a predetermined number of second frames from the second recorded representation; and

at least one instruction to compare the particular first block to the test block.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the at least one instruction to identify the media-item-of-interest based on a block-by-block comparison further includes:

at least one instruction to iteratively form next test blocks by: removing a leading frame from the test block;

appending a subsequent frame to the test block so that a number of second frames

included in the test block remains constant at the predetermined number of second frames; and

at least one instruction to iteratively compare each next test block to the particular first block until a matching block is identified.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the program of instructions further includes:

at least one instruction to attempt to grow the matching block by comparing a block adjacent to the particular first block in the first recorded representation, to a corresponding block adjacent to the matching block in the second recorded representation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the block-by-block comparison includes:

at least one instruction to determine a hamming distance between the first blocks included in the first recorded representation and the second blocks included in the second recorded representation.

Assignments (8)

Continuity (7)

References Cited (53)