GB2346472A

GB2346472A - Providing proof of reception of media transmission

Info

Publication number: GB2346472A
Application number: GB0000813A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neal Jon Alewine; Martin Kienzle
Original assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Current assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Priority date: 1999-02-03
Filing date: 2000-01-17
Publication date: 2000-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2020-01-17
Also published as: JP2000236306A; KR100380830B1; KR20000076573A; GB0000813D0; GB2346472B

Abstract

In a convenient and efficient mechanism for proving that a particular piece of media has been received by a destination from a source, proof of reception involves three steps: 1) embedding at least one media identifier at the media source directly into a piece of media 2) at the destination, combining the at least one media identifier with a destination identifier to produce at least one combined identifier, and 3) transmitting the combined identifier to one or more collection points for processing. Due to the fact that the identifier is associated not with a channel or the source, but with the piece of media whose reception needs to be proven, the inventive mechanism produces little extraneous data, as compared to an active trace of user behaviour. The mechanism is fine grained and can be attached to one or all of the beginning, middle and end of the media transmission with as much detail as is required for observation of the viewer's behaviour (e.g. including monitoring a viewer's switching of channels during commercials). The mechanism supports tracking of a media segment from its source across multiple distributors, allowing multiple evaluations, for example, by source, by distributor, by media, etc. based on whoever has added to the media identifier. The combined identifier can also easily be associated with a time of reception. Broadly applicable to all kinds of media, the mechanism is extensible in conjunction with other technology to avoid tampering, and reveal proof of viewing.

Description

PROVIDING PROOF OF RECEPTION OF MEDIA TRANSMISSION Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of media delivery systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for establishing that a particular piece of media (audio, video, image, text, etc.) has been received by the intended system.

Background of the Invention In the various venues for media delivery, it is becoming increasingly desirable to have a mechanism for proving that someone has received and viewed a particular piece of media. In television, and in Internet services, an advertiser wants to find out how many individuals, or demographically which groups of people having certain shared characteristics, have watched a commercial. In addition, an advertiser wants to be sure that a provider station has transmitted their advertisement. In education, a person who is required to have viewed mandatory training material may need to prove to a third party that he/she has reviewed the material. Across multiple media formats, a content owner may wish to prove that somebody has viewed material, triggering a payment and that somebody received material, showing fulfilment of an order.

In television, accounting for the number of viewers of a program or a commercial is important, since both measures are used to determine the value of the advertisements that support the programming. The current methods for obtaining viewing statistics, such as installing special devices in selected households to record viewers in those households, followed by extrapolating to all viewers, are cumbersome, expensive, and somewhat inaccurate. With increased numbers of media delivery channels, the number of samples required must be increased to maintain accuracy.

Behaviours, such as viewers switching channels when a commercial appears, are difficult to monitor. One proposed method to improve this situation is to record all the viewers'actions (e. g., turning a television set on, switching channels, etc.) and to analyze these actions to obtain a precise history of viewer behaviour. This method involves very large amounts of data, and is rather complex and tedious. What is desirable is a fine-grained, focused method which produces only the desired data.

Distance learning using digital media in a distributed computer environment is becoming increasingly important in the areas of continuing education, and in licensing of professionals. In other networked computer applications, such as corporate communication, it is also becoming important to determine who has obtained access to certain digital media, including both authorized and unauthorized viewers.

Moreover, the sheer numbers of viewers visiting a given site (e. g., on the Internet) is often highly valuable information.

Finally, as delivery of digital information products over a network infrastructure, becomes more pervasive, it is important for the seller to gather viewer information, for example for showing that an order has been fulfilled and for detecting and identifying all people receiving the information, to gather demographic data and to ensure payment.

Currently, there is no direct solution to the problem of media delivery tracking in the domain of distributed computing. An indirect solution is to build complex authentication and non-repudiation algorithms into the various applications. However, the high complexity and indirectness of the approach make this a cumbersome solution with limited proof value.

Disclosure of the Invention The present invention provides a convenient and efficient mechanism for proving that a particular piece of media has been received by a destination from a source. This proof of reception involves three steps: 1) embedding at least one media identifier at the media source directly into a piece of media 2) at the destination, combining the at least one media identifier with a destination identifier to produce at least one combined identifier, and 3) transmitting the combined identifier to one or more collection points for processing. Due to the fact that the identifier is associated not with a channel or the source, but with the piece of media whose reception needs to be proven, the inventive mechanism produces little extraneous data, as compared to an active trace of user behaviour. The mechanism is fine grained and can be attached to one or all of the beginning, middle and end of the media transmission with as much detail as is required for observation of the viewer's behaviour (e. g., including monitoring a viewer's switching of channels during commercials). The mechanism supports tracking of a media segment from its source across multiple distributors, allowing multiple evaluations, for example, by source, by distributor, by media, etc. based on whoever has added to the media identifier. The combined identifier can also easily be associated with a time of reception. Broadly applicable to all kinds of media, the mechanism is extensible in conjunction with other technology to avoid tampering, and reveal proof of viewing only to authorized parties.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the relationship between a media program, a media segment and a media unit ; Figure 2 shows the media marking facility that inserts the media identifiers into the media units; Figure 3 shows the components of a video distribution system; and Figure 4 shows the identifier processing facility at the destination device.

Detailed Description of the Invention The inventive mechanism provides for tracking of transmitted content in any media which can be appended to include media identifiers to be transmitted with the media content. The media identifier segment of the media transmission must include additional bandwidth so that destination sites can append the segment to include destination identifiers, thereby producing combined identifiers which are returned to collection points. Appropriate media for implementing the invention include, but are not limited to, analog video (which has the vertical blanking interval available to insert media identifiers), digital video, analog audio, digital audio, etc. whether delivered by infrared (IR) means, cable or other terrestrial television programming delivery, radio transmission, Internet posting, satellite transmission, etc. For the sake of clarity, only the television embodiment will be detailed hereinafter, although it is clearly intended that the invention not be limited to only a television implementation.

A television environment has many types of media sources, including film studios for entertainment material, news studios for news shows, advertising agencies for commercials, and freelance producers for feature films. These sources pass the media over channels to distributors, such as television networks, that either transmit the media directly to the consumer, or to another distributor, such as a cable television head-end, that transmits the media to the consumer.

The key to tracking the reception of transmissions under the present invention is that the source and each distributor may insert into the media a new element: one or more media identifiers. At the ultimate destination where the media is viewed, the destination device combines the media identifier with its own destination identifier. Then, the destination device transmits the combined media and destination identifiers (hereinafter referred to as"combined identifiers") over a back channel to a collection point for processing to create proof-of-reception reports. Each intermediary entity may add to the media identifier, thereby providing tracking of each entities'"value add", and each may generate intermediate combined identifiers which are sent to one or more collection points. Depending upon the content of the media transmission, it may be desirable to insert multiple media identifiers at various locations in the media transmission, as further detailed below.

The process by which the media is marked with media identifiers will first be detailed; followed by a description of the overall operation of the invention; and, finally, by examples of the use of the invention by several applications. For purposes of the ensuing description, the following terms will be used: Media: information to be transmitted, such as information comprising video, audio, image, text or animation; it can be in analog or digital form.

Media Segment: a logically self-contained piece of media, such as a scene of a movie, a commercial, etc.

Media unit: a unit of media to be transmitted. This is the unit to be marked and whose reception is to be tracked.

Media identifier: a digital identifier for a media segment, or a subset of a media segment. A media identifier is always associated with one media unit. A media identifier may be unique to a media unit, or it may be shared between media units/segments that form a class (e. g., all advertisements originating from a particular consumer products company) Media marking facility: facility to attach a media identifier to a media unit Marked media unit: a unit of media that has been marked with a media identifier Marked media segment: a media segment that contains one or more marked media units; Source: origin of the media Destination: device for display of the media; Destination identifier: a unique identifier for a destination Viewer: person who watches the destination device Channel: transmission medium for the media Back channel: channel over which the destination transmits the identifier groups to the collection point (s) Distributor point : where the media content is received from a source and transmitted to destinations or other distributors. At a distributor, media from several channels/sources may be combined Combined Identifiers: set of identifiers consisting of a destination identifier and one or more media identifiers Collection point: a system to which destination devices can occasionally connect and transmit identifier groups for further processing.

With reference to Figure 1, a logical unit of media is called a media segment (10A through 10E). Examples of media segments are movies, commercials, or video clips of news events. A sequence of media segments forms a media program (5). For transmission purposes, and for purposes of processing, media segments are divided into media units (15A-15N).

Media units may be very small. For video, a media unit may be a single video frame, or a small set of video frames, such as a Group of Pictures (GOP) in an MPEG encoded video. Figure 1 shows the relationship of media units, media segments, and media programs.

A media unit (e. g., 15C) may be marked with none, one, or more media identifiers (20A-20C). The media identifier can be inserted into the media unit in many formats, with the specific format depending upon the particular media representation. Digital media tend to have a well-defined stream syntax with extension options, making digital media particularly well-suited for this method. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the media is digital video, and that the video is encoded using the MPEG standard. The MPEG standard allows the addition of data to the video and audio streams in a way that does not interfere with the transmission and display of the media. Whether the media is in digital or analog form, there is an assigned syntax according to which a media identifier can be inserted into a stream, and easily recognized, read and/or removed by the destination device. Furthermore, the identifiers are ideally embedded in a way that does not interfere with the operation of those destination devices which are not adapted to identify and remove the media identifiers from the media.

A media unit, (specifically 15C in Figure 1) that has at least one associated media identifier (20A-20C) will be hereinafter referred to as a"marked media unit". Similarly, a media segment (10B of Figure 1) containing one or more marked media units will be referred to as a "marked media segment". If a marked media segment is handled by multiple parties, each party may add a media identifier to one or more media units, so that the entire path of the media segment from the source to the destination device can be determined by inspecting the media identifiers. For instance, the original creator of content (e. g., a movie studio), an initial distributor (e. g., a television network), and the final distributor (e. g., a cable television operator), all may add media identifiers to some or all of the media units prior to the media being delivered to the ultimate destination (i. e., the viewer location) at which another destination identifier will be added and a combined identifier generated for delivery to one or more collection points. As noted above, combined identifiers may be generated by each of the intermediary entities, as appropriate for tracking purposes.

Figure 2 shows the media marking facility (125) that inserts media identifier (20) into one of the media units (15X-15Z). An unmarked media segment enters the facility. Meta information (120) describes which media units are to be marked by insertion of media identifiers. The meta information may be customized by a commercial scheduling system (not shown), for example, which coordinates when and where commercials may be inserted into a stream for display. The media marking facility (125) reads the meta information while it processes the stream of media units.

Whenever it encounters a media unit that, according to the meta information, is to be marked (e. g., 15Y in Figure 2), the marking facility (125) obtains a media identifier (20) to mark the unit. The marking facility may obtain this identifier from the media id generator (110), from the meta-information (120), from some other source, or from any combination of the foregoing; and, may modify the media identifier according to the meta information. Next, the marking facility adds the media identifier (20Y) to the media content (25) of the media unit (15Y), and inserts the newly marked media unit (15Y') back into the media segment which now becomes a marked media segment. A media marking facility may, if specified by the meta information (120), add more than one media identifier to a media unit.

Media identifiers can be static, that is, particular media segments obtain their identifiers and maintain them for their entire lifetime.

For such an implementation, the marking system can"permanently"mark the media segments and store the marked media segments for later transmission. Alternatively, media identifiers can be inserted dynamically, for instance, at the time of transmission for each particular broadcast, or when the media is shipped to a particular distributor or destination. This allows the tracking of particular copies of the media, or of particular uses. Static and dynamic media identifiers need not be distinguishable other than by their use.

The media identifiers used may be unique to a particular media segment, or they may be unique to a particular transmission of a media segment. On the other hand, if only general reception statistics are to be reported that apply to classes of media rather than to individual media segments, the media identifiers may be unique to an entire media classes. For instance, a media identifier may identify all transmissions or all content emanating from a particular source.

A media identifier preferably includes the address of one or more collection points, or the name (s) indicating the address (es) of the collection point (s), to which the combined identifier is to be routed.

This way, reception information can be sent to more than one collection point, thereby supporting more than one application.

The use of marked media will now be detailed with reference to Figure 3. Media producers, such as TV studios or news studios, are the sources (210J-210L) of the media. The producers insert media identifiers into the media, and then transmit it over a channel to a distributor (e. g., 230A and 230B). A distributor (e. g., 230A), such as a TV network, combines media from different sources into a media program and transmits this media program over a channel, either to a further distributor (230B), or to the final destination (240A or 240B) such as the set-top box that a viewer uses to receive digital television. As each of the distributors transmits the program, they may insert additional identifiers into the segments.

In the case of a cable distribution system, the cable head-end is a distributor (230B), which receives the program over a channel (not shown) from the TV network, which is also a distributor (230A). The cable head-end acts as a second distributor. It may add additional commercials into the program, and insert its own media identifiers, so as to allow calculation of its viewer share, and proof of transmission. The cable distributor then transmits the program over its channel, the cable distribution system, to the destination (240A and/or 240B). Each intermediate entity, for example the distributors of Figure 3, may have both a media marking facility (Figure 2) for inserting media identifiers and an identifier processing facility (Figure 4) for reading media identifiers and adding destination identifiers thereby creating combined identifiers, or the two functions may be combined into a single facility having all relevant functionality.

The destinations (240A and 240B of Figure 3) are the TV set-top-boxes (STBs) that are needed to receive and decode digital TV transmissions. The STBs are enhanced to include an identifier processing facility (310 of Figure 4) to process the media identifiers. The STBs may additionally be provided with a"back channel"for providing combined identifiers to the collection points without having to wait for their main reception channel to be free. Each destination device has a destination identifier (320). Figure 4 shows a representative identifier processing facility in a destination device. When the destination device (240A) receives a marked media unit (15Y'), the identifier processing facility (310) automatically reads and/or removes the media identifier (20Y) from the marked media unit. Removal of the media identifier from the bit stream may not be absolutely necessary, depending upon whether the ultimate display device can ignore the extraneous information. Once the media identifier has been read and/or removed, the identifier processing facility automatically combines the media identifier with the destination identifier (320) to form a combined identifier (330). If a particular marked media segment has more than one media identifier, more than one media identifier and one copy of the destination identifier (320) may form one or a plurality of combined identifiers (330). A combined identifier (330) contains at least one destination identifier (320) and one or more media identifiers. Combining several media identifiers with one destination identifier in a destination will result in more efficient transmission and processing of the combined identifiers, if all are destined for the same collection point. When a combined identifier (330) is ready for transmission, the destination (240) preferably transmits it over the aforementioned back channel to the collection point (260). The back channel may be a telephone connection which the set-top-box establishes with the collection point, or it may be a return channel that is part of the cable television infrastructure.

Reporting to a collection point may be done periodically (e. g., every 20 minutes), based on a threshold amount of collected information (e. g., once the system has aggregated 10MB of combined identifier data for a given collection point), or individually for each received transmission.

In many cases, the destination identifier is unique to the destination. For instance, in pay-per-view applications, the destination identifiers should be unique to a particular household or a particular set-top-box. However, if privacy concerns are important, or if the goal is to obtain only demographic data, the destination identifiers can be unique to any group as defined by the entity that assigns destination identifiers to set-top-boxes.

The collection point is the place where the combined identifiers are evaluated according to various criteria, and where proof-of-reception reports are generated. Examples of some of the applications evaluating combined identifiers are listed below. A collection point may be operated by the source (210) or by one of the distributors (230), or it may be an independent agency, such as the television ratings company.

The collection point (260) need not be on the path of channels over which the media is transmitted from the source (210) to the destination (240). The collection point collects the combined identifiers (330), and either processes and stores them, or aggregates them to build information on demographic groups.

Several specific implementations will now be described: Pay-per-view: All pay per view material is encoded to contain unique media identifiers. The set-top box collects the media identifiers, combines them with the destination identifier, and transmits the combined identifier to the collection point to generate a billing record. This permits easy impulse buying. The act of viewing triggers the charge, with no administrative action such as a phone call needed.

To insure that the viewer willingly incurs the charge, a confirmation action local to the set-top box can be generated, such as showing a message on the screen when the set-top box encounters the first media identifier, and requesting that the viewer acknowledge acceptance of the charge by pressing a key on the remote control. The viewer could even be asked to enter a password to identify the viewer, rather than just the set-top box, for example, when only one person can authorize payment for entertainment material. If a particular viewer has to be identified, this invention can be combined with prior art, such as smart cards to reliably identify a particular viewer.

Proof-of-transmission for commercials: For this implementation, ideally, the beginning and the end of each commercial contains a media identifier. In each over-the-air broadcast market, or in each cable television area served by a head-end, at least one set-top box is set up to collect the media identifiers, create combined identifiers, and transmit them to a collection point. The collection point compares the media identifiers from the combined identifiers with a list of commercials and sends messages to the advertisers, confirming that the commercials have been run. In this case the destination identifier indicates the particular broadcast domain to which the commercial has been transmitted.

Collection of Viewing Statistics: The collection of viewing statistics which are today collected more or less manually can be automated using the present invention. Media identifiers are periodically included with all material transmitted. The set-top boxes either return combined identifiers immediately over the back channel, or store the combined identifiers and transmit them periodically. By analyzing the combined identifiers it can be determined what was watched on each of the televisions. This information can either be aggregated into statistics on viewer groups, or used individually by viewer. In any case, the information of who saw what can be associated with other information about the viewers to yield better target advertising. The advertising agency providing the commercials can add multiple media identifiers to a particular commercial, for instance, one media identifier at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end of the commercial. By analyzing which of these identifiers have been included in a returned combined identifier, the agency can determine how many people switched channels during the commercial, and whether they switched in the first half or the second of the commercial, by comparing the number of combined identifiers received from each of the three positions.

Tell-me-more buttons: In this implementation, when the viewer wants to know more about an advertised product, or anything else in a TV show, he/she just needs to press a single key on the remote control. The combined identifier identifies both the viewer and the material. The collection point can automatically cause additional information to be sent to the user, through means such as printed material, e-mail, or by opening a window on the television screen to a web site.

Many other applications can be based on knowledge of when a particular user has watched what media material. If a user wishes to store the received information for later viewing and/or repeated usage, the inventive mechanism will provide that the media identifier be maintained with the media content, rather than removed from same upon receipt, so that a new combined identifier can be created each time the stored media is accessed, thereby providing long-term tracking of usage for both statistical and billing purposes. While all the above examples used video, the method applies to audio material and to graphics material as well.

In order to record the time at which the material was received, the destination device can attach a time stamp to the identifier group.

Alternatively, in the case where the combined identifier is transmitted immediately upon reception to the collection point, the collection point can note the time at which it has received the material.

In order to avoid tampering with the media identifiers, they can be encrypted at the point of insertion. The encryption keys must be transmitted to the collection point for successful decryption and processing. In this way, it can be assured that the distributors or the destination do not modify the media identifier. If it is important to avoid tampering with the destination identifiers, the destination identifier can be stored in the STB in encrypted form. This will prohibit a destination to masquerade as another destination. Also, it can ensure that the proof-of-reception information is revealed only to authorized parties.

This invention can be used to show proof of reception of any kind of data, not just media data. For instance, it can be used in the context of information distribution or software distribution to show that a particular party has received any kind of information. The data received are not confined to use within an STB. The STB can serve as a gateway, and provide proof of reception, while transmitting the data to other devices, such as PCs, for use.

The media identifier can contain the network address of collection point. This way different collection points can serve for different applications. For instance, a movie studio may want to receive proof of reception any time its movies are shown. Simultaneously, a rating agency may want to receive viewing statistics of a particular transmission. By embedding the network address of each collection point into appropriate media identifiers, different collection points can serve these different applications.

Another embodiment of this invention is possible in the domain of a computer infrastructure. As more and more video is created in digital form, it is increasingly distributed from computer servers as sources over computer networks to computer clients. Examples of applications in this domain are computer-based education and training, computer-based information distribution and advertisement. Examples of applications in the computer domain include the following: an insurance company providing a discount in malpractice insurance to physicians who can show that they viewed certain continuing education material; a web advertiser wanting to collect independent viewing statistics; a store wanting to show that a customer viewed product information to avoid liability suits; and, a software distributor wanting to prove that a particular user has received a piece of software, such that the media identifier is automatically transmitted to the collection point as part of the software installation process.

It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the invention can be applied using a client/server system in a computer environment. The server computer acts as the source, the computer network acts as the channel, and the client acts as the destination device. All the technical extensions described above can be operated in a computer environment as well.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A method for providing verification of receipt of a media transmission at one of a plurality of destinations comprising the steps of: providing at least one media identifier to the transmission; transmitting said transmission with said at least one media identifier to at least one of said plurality of destinations; and automatically generating at least one receipt identifier at said at least one destination for delivery to at least one collection point.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of destinations has a unique destination identifier and wherein said automatically generating at least one receipt identifier comprises combining said at least one media identifier and said destination identifier.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said at least one of said destinations comprises an intermediate location for transmitting said transmission to another of said at least one destinations and wherein said method further comprises inserting at least one additional media identifier into said transmission.
4. A method for providing automatic tracking of a media transmission to at least one of a plurality of locations comprising the steps of: providing at least one media identifier to the ; transmitting said transmission with said at least one media identifier; receiving said transmission with said at least one media identifier in at least one of said plurality of locations; and automatically generating at least one receipt identifier based on said at least one media identifier at said at least one of a plurality of locations.
5. A method as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of locations has a unique location identifier and wherein said automatically generating at least one receipt identifier comprises combining said at least one media identifier and said location identifier.
6. A method as claimed in Claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of locations has a unique location identifier and wherein said automatically generating at least one receipt identifier comprises including said unique location identifier as a successive media identifier.
7. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 4 further comprising the step of transmitting said at least one receipt identifier to at least one collection point.
8. A method as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 5 wherein said automatically generating is preceded by removing said at least one media identifier from said transmission.
9. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 4 wherein said providing comprises including more than one different media identifier to said transmission.
10. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 4 wherein said providing comprises including at least one identifier in more than one location in said transmission.
11. A system for providing tracking of a transmission comprising: a plurality of media marking components for generating marked transmissions by providing at least one media identifier to each of said transmissions; a plurality of identifier processing components each of which is adapted for automatically creating at least one receipt identifier upon receipt of one of said marked transmission based upon said at least one media identifier.
12. A system as claimed in Claim 11 wherein a first of said plurality of media marking components is located at the source of said transmission.
13. A system as claimed in Claim 12 wherein at least one successive media marking component is located at a site between said source of said transmission and a destination for said transmission.
14. A system as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said site additionally comprises one of said plurality of identifier processing components.
15. A system as claimed in Claim 11 further comprising at least one collection point for said at least one receipt identifier.
16. A system as claimed in Claim 15 wherein said of said identifier processing components is associated with at least one communication component for providing said at least one receipt identifier to said at least one collection point.