IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,451,867
Granted Patent B2
US 11,451,867 · App. 17/135,983 · Granted Sep 20, 2022

Methods and apparatus to monitor digital media

Inventors: Bo Qiang (Lutz, FL); Jone M. Burr (Palm Harbor, FL); Lois Price (Tampa, FL); Scott L. Brown (Clearwater, FL); Chris Nicotra (Holiday, FL); Arun Ramaswamy (Tampa, FL); Matthew M. Campbell (Tampa, FL); Kevin K. Gaynor (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04N21/44213H04N21/44224H04N21/812
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,451,867
App. No.
17/135,983
Granted
Sep 20, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to monitor media are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an orderer to order metadata according to timing information, the metadata corresponding to digital media from a media provider; a data shifter to adjust the ordered metadata using a plurality of offsets to generate a plurality of adjusted ordered metadata; a comparator to perform a plurality of comparisons by comparing the plurality of adjusted ordered metadata to reference data; and compute a plurality of errors corresponding to the plurality of comparisons; and the data shifter to identify an offset of the plurality of offsets corresponding to a lowest computed error of the plurality of errors; and adjust the ordered metadata using the offset.

Claims (33)

1. An apparatus to increase an accuracy of inaccurate timing information of metadata, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a plurality of errors by comparing (a) a plurality of ordered metadata adjusted using a plurality of offsets and (b) reference data, the adjusted ordered metadata corresponding to metadata with inaccurate timing information for media; and

means for adjusting timing information to:

identify an offset of the plurality of offsets based on the plurality of errors; and

adjust the timing information of the metadata using the offset to increase an accuracy of the timing information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metadata is included in an ID3 tag encoded in the media.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the ID3 tag includes the inaccurate timing information due to an inaccurate clock of a media device.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the timing information corresponds to a sum of a transcoding time of the ID3 tag and a second offset of the metadata.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metadata corresponds to ancillary codes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the means for generating is to calculate an error of the plurality of errors by determining a difference between a first code in the adjusted ordered metadata and a second code in the reference data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including means for performing a validation process based on the adjusted ordered metadata and a commercial pod corresponding to an agreement.

8. An apparatus to increase an accuracy of inaccurate timing information of metadata, the apparatus comprising:

memory;

instructions in the apparatus; and

a processor to execution the instructions to:

generate a plurality of errors by comparing (a) a plurality of ordered metadata adjusted using a plurality of offsets and (b) reference data, the adjusted ordered metadata corresponding to metadata with inaccurate timing information for media;

identify an offset of the plurality of offsets based on the plurality of errors; and

adjust timing information of the metadata using the offset to increase an accuracy of the timing information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the metadata is included in an ID3 tag encoded in the media.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the ID3 tag includes the inaccurate timing information due to an inaccurate clock of a media device.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the timing information corresponds to a sum of a transcoding time of the ID3 tag and a second offset of the metadata.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the metadata corresponds to ancillary codes.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to calculate an error of the plurality of errors by determining a difference between a first code in the adjusted ordered metadata and a second code in the reference data.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to perform a validation process based on the adjusted ordered metadata and a commercial pod corresponding to an agreement.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

generate a plurality of errors by comparing (a) a plurality of ordered metadata adjusted using a plurality of offsets and (b) reference data, the adjusted ordered metadata for metadata with inaccurate timing information corresponding to media;

identify an offset of the plurality of offsets based on the plurality of errors; and

adjust timing information of the metadata using the offset to increase an accuracy of the timing information.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the metadata is included in an ID3 tag encoded in the media.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the ID3 tag includes the inaccurate timing information due to an inaccurate clock of a media device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the timing information corresponds to a sum of a transcoding time of the ID3 tag and a second offset of the metadata.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the metadata corresponds to ancillary codes.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to calculate an error of the plurality of errors by determining a difference between a first code in the adjusted ordered metadata and a second code in the reference data.

Assignments (4)
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 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2021
From: QIANG, BO; BURR, JONE M.; PRICE, LOIS; BROWN, SCOTT L.; NICOTRA, CHRIS; RAMASWAMY, ARUN; CAMPBELL, MATTHEW M.; GAYNOR, KEVIN K.
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 055941/0884 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16234528 · Dec 27, 2018
Related Publication 20210195287A1 · Jun 24, 2021