US 11,991,403 B2
Dynamic watermarking of media based on transport-stream metadata, to facilitate action by downstream entity
Shashank C. Merchant, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Benjamin J. Ropke, Rochelle, NY (US); and John S. Stavropoulos, Edison, NJ (US)
Assigned to The Nielsen Company (US), LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed by The Nielsen Company (US), LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/296,542.
Application 18/296,542 is a continuation of application No. 17/823,420, filed on Aug. 30, 2022, granted, now 11,653,044.
Application 17/823,420 is a continuation of application No. 17/305,759, filed on Jul. 14, 2021, granted, now 11,463,751, issued on Oct. 4, 2022.
Application 17/305,759 is a continuation of application No. 15/929,218, filed on Feb. 6, 2020, granted, now 11,095,927, issued on Aug. 21, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/882,202, filed on Aug. 2, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/809,360, filed on Feb. 22, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0247240 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04N 21/2389 (2011.01); H04N 21/234 (2011.01); H04N 21/236 (2011.01); H04N 21/43 (2011.01); H04N 21/8545 (2011.01); H04N 21/8547 (2011.01)
CPC H04N 21/23892 (2013.01) [H04N 21/23418 (2013.01); H04N 21/23424 (2013.01); H04N 21/23614 (2013.01); H04N 21/4305 (2013.01); H04N 21/8545 (2013.01); H04N 21/8547 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, into a computing system, a packet-based transport stream carrying a media stream that defines media content and carrying metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein the metadata specifies a content-revision time point in the media stream as a time-offset value measured from a point in the media stream where the metadata is carried;
obtaining, by the computing system, from the transport stream, the metadata that is not watermarked in the media stream, wherein obtaining the metadata from the transport stream comprises obtaining the specified content-revision time point from the transport stream;
computing, by the computing system, an absolute time point in the media stream, based on the obtained content-revision time point;
modifying, by the computing system, the media stream by at least (i) encoding in a watermark in the media stream the computed absolute time point and a code that directs a downstream entity to obtain, from local storage at the downstream entity, replacement content to be inserted into the media stream at the absolute time point and (ii) encoding at a specific time point in the media stream a timestamp of the specific time point, whereby the timestamp is usable by the downstream entity as a basis to establish synchronous lock in order to map the absolute time point to a time point according to a clock of the downstream entity; and
outputting from the computing system, for transmission to the downstream entity, at least the modified media stream.