JP2000236306A - System and method for applying reception proof of medium communication - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for yielding the reception proof of medium communication. SOLUTION: The system is useful for proving the reception of a specified medium product at a supply destination from a supply source and provides an effective mechanism. This reception proof directly gives at least one medium identifying part 20Y in the medium product and in the supply source, and forms at least one connection identifying part 330 by connecting at least one medium identifying part 20Y and a supply destination identifying part 320, and processing is performed by communicating this connection identifying part 330 to at least one integration point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of media supply systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for a particular media product (audio, video, image, text, etc.) to be received by a desired system. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In various places for supplying media,
It is becoming increasingly desirable to have a mechanism for proving who has received and viewed a particular media product. In television and Internet services, the advertiser needs to find out how many individuals, or groups of people with statistically predetermined assigned characteristics, have seen the commercial. is there. In addition, the advertiser wishes to confirm that the provider station has communicated the advertiser's promotion. In education, those who are required to watch a monthly training program may need to prove to a third party that they have already watched the program. Across multiple media formats, content owners have the ability to see who sees the program, triggers payment, and who receives and satisfactorily orders the program,
You may want to make that clear.

In television, it is important to take into account the number of viewers of a program or commercial, since both programs or commercials are used as a measure to determine the value of the advertisement in order to maintain the program. Current methods of obtaining audience statistics, e.g. installing special equipment in selected homes, recording the audience in these homes, and then extrapolating to all audiences are labor intensive. Costly and somewhat inaccurate. As the number of media supply channels increases, it becomes necessary to increase the number of samples required to maintain accuracy. The behavior of the viewer switching channels when a commercial appears is difficult to monitor. A method proposed to improve this is to record the actions of all viewers, for example turning on a television, switching channels, etc., and to obtain these actions as an accurate viewer action history. This method involves a very large amount of data and is rather complex and tedious. Distance learning using digital media in a distributed computing environment where only the desired data is generated and a detailed and focused method is desired is becoming increasingly important in the field of lifelong learning and qualification. I have. In other networked computer applications, such as communications in a business, it has become important to determine who has access to a given digital medium, both for authorized and unauthorized viewers. Furthermore, for example, the number of times that a viewer who wants to browse a predetermined site on the Internet selects information often having high value.

[0004] Finally, as the supply of digital information products over the network infrastructure becomes more abused, merchants, for example, indicate that an order is appropriate or obtain information. It is important to collect viewer information such as determining and identifying people, collect statistical data, and secure payment.

In the area of distributed computing systems in recent years, the problem of media supply tracking has been
No direct response has been found. Indirect approaches introduce complex authentication and non-rejection algorithms for various applications. However, this approach is highly complex and indirect, making the solution cumbersome and limiting the value of the proof.

[0006]

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a general mechanism for verifying receipt of a media communication.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a media supply tracking system which enables the monitoring of the recipient's behavior in addition to receiving the underlying communication.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated means for tracking between multiple media in the delivery of media content to its final destination.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other objects of the present invention provide a convenient and effective method for proving that a particular media product from a source has been received at a destination. It is to provide a mechanism. Proof of receipt is: 1) At the media supplier into one media product,
Directly including at least one media identifier, 2) combining the at least one media identifier and the destination identifier at the destination to generate one or more combined identifiers, 3). 3. sending and processing the binding identifier to one or more collection points;
Includes two steps. Because this identifier is not associated with the channel or source, but rather with the media product for which proof of receipt is required, the mechanism of the present invention compares to actively tracking the user's behavior. Generates very little extra data. This mechanism is refined and can be provided at one or all of the beginning, middle, and end of media communication, and can be used to, for example, monitor a viewer's channel switching between commercials. With the same level of detail as required to observe the behavior of the person. This mechanism supports tracking media segments from multiple sources through multiple distributors, allowing multiple evaluations by source, distributor, media, etc., depending on who granted the media identifier. I do. The connection identifier can also easily include the reception time. As it has the potential to be widely applied to all types of media, deploy this mechanism in combination with other technologies to prevent fraudulent transactions and prove that it was viewed only by authorized parties It is possible to do.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The mechanism of the present invention provides for tracking the content of any communicated media capable of including and communicating with a media identifier along with the media content. The media identification segment of media communication is
It is necessary to include additional bandwidth, so that the destination site can attach a destination identifier to the segment, so that the combined identifier sent to the collection point can get. Suitable media to which the present invention can be applied include media provided by infrared (IR) means, cable, or another terrestrial television program provider, radio communication, Internet posting, satellite communication, etc. Examples include, but are not limited to, analog video, digital video, analog audio, digital audio, and the like, having a virtual blank space that can be used to insert the identifier. For the purpose of clarity, described in detail below in the form of television, the present invention,
It is not intended only to apply to television.

[0010] The television environment has many types of media sources, such as filming studios for entertainment programs, news studios for news shows, advertising agencies for commercials, and free filming for future filming. Lance's producer can be mentioned. These sources pass media over multiple channels to distributors, such as television networks,
This distributor communicates the media directly to the consumer or to another distributor, such as a cable television pick-up station that communicates the media to the consumer.

Tracking the receipt of a communication according to the present invention
In essence, this is done by the source and each distributor adding one or more new elements to the media, one or more media identifiers. At the final destination at which the media is viewed, the destination device couples the media identifier with the destination-specific identifier. The destination device then communicates the combined media identifier and destination identifier (hereinafter "coupled identifier") via a return channel to an integration point for generating a received report proof. I do. Each group intervening between the media adds a media identification unit, and “adds value” by each group
Tracing, each generating an intermediate joint identifier that is transmitted to one or more collection points. Depending on the content of the media communication, it may be desirable to insert multiple media identifiers at various locations in the media communication, which will be described in detail below.

The process of marking a medium with a medium identification unit will be described first in detail, then the overall operation of the present invention will be described, and finally an embodiment of the present invention applied to some applications will be described. The following terms are used to clarify the explanation.

[0013] The medium refers to information to be communicated, such as information including video, audio, images, text or animation, and the medium may be in analog or digital form.

[0014] The medium segment is a logically included part of the medium, such as a movie scene or a commercial.

A media unit refers to a unit of media to be communicated. This is the unit to be marked and whose reception is to be tracked.

Media identifier refers to a digital identifier for a media segment or a subset of media segments. The media identification is always associated with one media unit. The media identifier may be unique to the media unit, or may be distributed between media units / segments forming a class (eg, all advertisements provided by a particular consumer product company). It is.

The medium marking function is a function of adding a medium identification unit to a medium unit.

The marked medium unit is a medium unit marked by the medium identification unit.

A marked media segment is a media segment that includes one or more marked media units.

The source is the starting point of the medium.

The supply destination is a device for displaying a medium.

The destination identification unit is an identification unit unique to the destination.

The viewer is a person who views the destination device.

A channel is a communication medium for a medium.

A return channel refers to a channel through which a destination communicates a group of identifiers to a collection point or collection points.

Distributor points are points that receive media content from a source and communicate with the destination or another distributor. At the distributor, media from several channels / suppliers may be combined.

[0027] The combination identification unit is a set of identification units including a supply destination identification unit and one or more medium identification units.

The accumulation point is a system in which supply destination devices are intermittently connected, communicate identification group, and perform further processing.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown logical units (10A to 10E) of a medium called a medium segment. The media segment may include, for example, a movie, a commercial, or a video fragment of a news incident. The sequence of the media segments becomes the media program (5). For communication purposes and for processing, the media segment is split into media units (15A-15N). The media unit can be very small. For video, the media unit is
It can be a single video frame or a small set of video frames, such as a group of pictures (GOP) of video encoded in MPEG. FIG.
Indicates a relationship between a medium unit, a medium segment, and a medium program.

The medium unit (for example, 15C) has no medium identification unit, one medium identification unit,
Marks can be provided as indicated by one or more provided ones (20A-20C). The medium identification section can be inserted into the medium as many formats, and the specific format at that time is in accordance with the specific medium expression. Digital media is particularly preferred for the method of the present invention because digital media tends to have well-defined stream rules that allow for a wide range of options. In this aspect, the medium is
Digital video, which is coded using the MPEG standard. The MPEG standard allows data to be added to video and audio streams without interfering with media communication and display. Depending on whether the media is in digital or analog form, there are rules that allow the media identifier to be inserted into the stream, easily recognized, readable, and / or removed from the destination device. In addition, the identifier may ideally be embedded in a manner that is not adapted to identify and remove the media identifier from the medium, but which does not interfere with the operation of the destination device described above.

At least one medium identification unit (20A-2)
0C) (in particular, 15C in FIG. 1) is hereinafter referred to as a “marked media unit”. Similarly,
A media segment (10B in FIG. 1) that includes one or more marked media units is referred to as a "marked media segment." If a marked media segment is handled by multiple groups, each group can have a media identifier added to one or more media units,
The entire path of the media segment from the source to the destination device will be determined by examining the media identifier. For example, the original creator of the content, such as a movie studio, the first distributor, such as a television network, the final distributor, such as a cable television operator, may all have some or all of them before the media is delivered to the final destination, i. A media identifier can be added to all media units, with a separate source identifier added to form a combined identifier and sent to one or more collection points. As described above, the joint identifier may be formed by each intervening population between the media for appropriate tracking purposes.

FIG. 2 shows a medium unit (15X-15Z).
A media marking function (125) for inserting a media identifier. Unmarked media segments are input to the marking function. Meta information (1
20) describes which media should be marked by inserting the media identification. This meta-information is customized by a commercially available scheduling system (not shown), for example, in conjunction with the time and place at which commercials are inserted into the stream for display. The media marking function (125) reads the meta information and processes the stream of media units. When the medium marking function (125) finds the medium unit, marking is performed according to the meta information (for example, 15Y in FIG. 2), and the marking function (125) receives the medium identification unit (20) to be marked. The marking function is
This medium identification unit is connected to a medium id generator (110),
It can be obtained from the meta-information (120), some other source, or any combination thereof, and have the media identifier changed according to the meta-information. Then, the marking function adds the media identification unit (20Y) to the media content (25) of the media unit (15Y),
The newly marked media unit (15Y ') is returned to the media segment, which is now the marked media segment. The media marking function may add one or more media identifiers to the media unit if specified by the meta information (120).

The media identifier can be static, that is, a particular media segment gets its identifier and retains it for its entire lifetime. In such a case, the marking system marks the media segment "permanently" and stores the marked media segment for later communication. Alternatively, the media identifier may be dynamically inserted, for example, during each particular broadcast communication or when the media is transmitted to a particular distributor or destination. In this way, it is possible to track a particular copy or a particular use of the medium. Static and dynamic media identifiers need not be identified other than their use.

The media identifiers that can be used can be specific to a particular media segment, or they can be specific to a particular communication of a media segment. On the other hand, if the general reception statistics are reported to apply to a class of media rather than to individual media segments, the media identifier may be unique to an entire media class. it can. For example, the medium identification unit:
All communications sent from a particular source or all content may be identified.

[0035] The medium discriminating unit is used to transmit the binding discriminating unit 1
May include the address of one or more collection points,
Alternatively, a name or a plurality of names indicating the address of the accumulation point or the plurality of addresses may be included. By sending the received information to one or more collection points in this manner, one or more applications can be supported.

The use of the marked medium is illustrated in detail with reference to FIG. A media creator such as a TV studio or a news studio is a media supplier (210J-210L). The creator inserts the media identifier into the media and then communicates the media identifier to the distributor (eg, 230A, 230B) via a channel. Distributors such as TV networks (eg 230
A) is a combination of media from different sources into a media program that can be used as a final distributor, such as a further distributor (230B) via a channel, or a set-top box used by viewers to receive digital television. Communicate to the destination (240A or 240B). As each distributor communicates the program, the distributor inserts an additional identifier into the segment.

In the cable supply system, the cable collection and distribution station is a distributor (230B),
This distributor is connected via a channel (not shown) and also to the distributor (230A) TV
Receive programs from the network. The cable collection and distribution station functions as a second distributor. This second distributor adds additional commercials to the program and inserts a unique identifier so that it can plan its audience distribution and communication proof. The cable distributor then communicates the program via its channel and the cable supply system to the destination (240A and / or 240B). Each intermediary, for example the distributor of FIG. 3, has a media marking function (FIG. 2) for inserting the media identifier and an identifier for reading the media identifier and adding a destination identifier to generate a combined identifier. It may have a single function including both of the unit processing functions (FIG. 4) or all the mutual functions of the two functions.

Supply destination (240A and 240B in FIG. 3)
Is the TV set-top box (STB) required to receive and decode digital TV communications.
s). The STBs have been modified to include an identifier processing function (310 in FIG. 4) for processing the medium identifier. In addition, a "return channel" may be added to the STBs to transmit the binding identifier to the collection point free of charge without burdening those main receive channels. Each destination device has a destination identification unit (320). FIG. 4 shows a typical identification unit processing function in the supply destination device. When the supply destination device (240A) is the media unit (15
Y '), the identification unit processing function (310) automatically converts the media identification unit (20Y) from the marked media unit.
Is read and / or removed. Removal of the media identifier from the bitstream is not absolutely required and depends on whether the final display device can ignore the extra information. Once the media identifier has been read and / or removed, the identifier processing function includes:
The medium identifier is automatically coupled to the destination identifier (320) to form a coupled identifier (330). If the particular marked media segment includes one or more media identifiers, one or more media identifiers and a destination identifier (320)
It is possible to form one or a plurality of connection identification portions (330) with one copy of The connection identification unit (330) includes at least one destination identification unit (32).
0) and one or more media identifiers (20Y). By combining several media identifiers at one destination identifier and destination, more efficient communication of the combined identifiers and the same collection point is specified if all the identifiers are designated the same integration point. Processing can be performed. When communication is prepared for the bond identifier (330), the destination (240) preferably communicates the bond identifier (330) to the collection point (260) via the return channel described above. This return channel can be a telephone connection that the set-top box establishes with the collection point, or it can be a return channel provided as part of the cable television infrastructure. The report to the accumulation point is based on a threshold amount of the accumulated information (for example, when the system has completed the statistical processing of 10 MB of the binding identification unit data for a predetermined accumulation point, etc.), for example, every 20 minutes. It can be done periodically.

In many cases, the destination identification unit is unique to the destination. For example, in an application in which a fee is charged each time the content is viewed, the destination identification unit needs to be unique to a specific home or a specific set-top box. However, if privacy issues are important or only statistical data are to be obtained, the destination identifier should be defined by the population whose source identifier is designated on the set-top box. Be unique to all groups.

The accumulation point is where the binding identifier is evaluated according to various criteria and where the reception proof report is formed. Some examples of applications for evaluating the supply identifier are provided below. The accumulation point can be operated by the supplier (210) or the distributor (230), or the accumulation point can be an independent agent such as a television rating company. The collection point (260) need not be on the path of the channel where the media is communicated from the source (210) to the destination (240). The accumulation point is determined by the connection identification unit (3
30) is accumulated, and a plurality of connection identification units are processed and accumulated, or statistical processing is performed on the connection identification units in order to establish information on statistical groups.

Some specific cases are described below.

Billing per view: All programs billed per view are coded to include a unique media identifier.
The set-top box collects the media identifiers and combines them with the destination identifier and communicates the combined identifier to the collection point to generate a billing record. By doing so, it is possible to easily make a purchase at any time.
What triggers the billing is the act of watching, and no conscious act such as calling is required. To confirm that the viewer is willing to be billed, for example, when the set box finds the first media identifier, a message is displayed on the screen and the viewer presses a key on the remote control to charge. A confirmation operation of the set-top box is performed, such as presenting the user to acknowledge. The viewer may be required to enter a password to identify the viewer, as described for the set box, for example, if only one person is allowed to pay for the entertainment program. It could be. In the case of identifying a specific viewer, the present invention can be combined with the conventional technology using various cards such as a smart card for reliably identifying the specific viewer.

Communication proof for commercials: In this case, ideally a media identifier is incorporated at the beginning and end of each commercial. In each market that broadcasts over the air, or in each cable television area provided by a pickup and delivery station, at least one set-top box is provided to collect the media identifiers and generate a combined identifier. And communicates these binding identifiers to the collection point. This accumulation point compares the media identifier from the combined identifier to the list of commercials and sends a message to the advertiser to confirm that the commercial has been broadcast. In this case, the supply destination identification unit indicates a specific broadcast area in which commercials are communicated.

Aggregation of audience statistics: The accumulation of audience statistics, which is more or less manually collected today, can be automated using the present invention. A media identifier is provided periodically to all programs communicated. The set-top box is adapted to return the connection identifier immediately via the return channel, or to store the connection identifier and communicate the connection identifier periodically. By analyzing the connection identifier, it is possible to determine what has been viewed on each television. This information can be statistically processed into statistics for a group of viewers or used for individual viewers. In each case, the information of who saw what will be accompanied by other information that allows better targeted advertising to the viewer. Advertising agencies that offer commercials add multiple media identifiers to a particular advertisement, such as one media identifier at the start of the advertisement, another identifier at the middle, and another at the end. It becomes possible.
By analyzing the identifiers included in the transmitted combined identifiers of these identifiers, the agency can determine how many people switched channels during the commercial and how viewers can Whether the channel is switched in the first half or the second half can be determined by comparing the coupling identification units obtained from each of the above three time points.

Thermy More Button: In this case, it is only necessary for the viewer to press one key on the remote control if the viewer wants to know more about the advertised product or about any of the TV shows Becomes The connection identification unit identifies a viewer and a program. At the collection point, by opening a window to the website on a print, e-mail, or television screen,
Automatically generate additional information to send to the user.

Many other applications can be based on knowledge of what media programs are being watched by a particular user and when. If the user wishes to store the information received for later viewing, repeated use, or both, the mechanism of the present invention may be removed from the media content upon receipt. Rather, the media identifier is retained in the media content, and a new combined identifier is generated each time the stored media is accessed, resulting in a length used for both statistical and billing purposes. Period tracking may be performed. Although all the embodiments described above use video, the method of the present invention is equally applicable to audio and graphic programs.

To record the time that the program was received,
The destination device can also record the time for the identification unit group. Alternatively, if the connection identifier is communicated to the collection point immediately after reception, the collection point can record the reception time of the program.

To avoid fraud by the media identifier, the media identifier can be coded at the insertion point. This encoding key needs to be communicated to the collection point for good decoding and processing.
According to this method, it is possible to reliably prevent the distributor or the supply destination from changing the medium identification unit. If it is important to avoid fraud using the destination identifier, the destination identifier can be stored in coded form in the STB. By doing so, 1
It is possible to prevent one supplier from being impersonated as if it were another supplier. In addition, it is possible to make the reception proof information browsed only to the group that is surely permitted.

The present invention can be used to present a proof of data reception of any kind, not just media data. For example, the invention can be used to provide information or software to indicate what type of information a particular population has received. The received data is not limited to being used in the STB. The STB can be used as a gateway to provide a reception proof while performing data communication to another device for use in PCs or the like.

The medium identification unit may include the network address of the accumulation point. In this way, different collection points can be provided for different applications. For example, a movie studio may want to receive a receive proof at any time the movie is showing. At the same time, the evaluation agency may want to receive rating statistics for a particular communication. By including the network address of each collection point in the appropriate media identifier, different collection points can be provided for different applications.

Another aspect of the present invention is the possibility in the field of computer infrastructure. As video becomes created in a more digital form, it will be increasingly supplied from computer servers as sources to computer clients. Applications in this field include, for example, computer-based education and training, computer-based information provision and advertising. Examples of applications in the computer field include insurance companies that provide discounts on medical accidents by indicating that physicians watch a given series of educational programs, and collect individual audience rating statistics, as listed below. Web advertisers who want to do so, retailers who want to show product information viewed by consumers and want to avoid product liability trials, media identification is automatically added to a collection point as part of the software installation process By communicating with a software provider, there may be software suppliers who want to prove that a particular user has received the software product.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be applied in a computer environment using a client / server system. The server computer is the source, the computer network functions as the channel, and the client functions as the destination device. The technical scalability described above can work in a computer environment as well. Changes to the mechanism of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be summarized. (1) including at least one medium identification unit in the communication, transmitting the communication including the at least one medium identification unit to at least one of a plurality of destinations, Automatically generating at least one reception identifier at at least one of said destinations for transmission to an accumulation point. (2) The plurality of the supply destinations each use a unique supply destination identification unit, and the step of automatically generating at least one reception identification unit includes the steps of: at least one of the medium identification unit and the supply destination identification unit; The method according to (1), further comprising the step of: (3) The method of (1), further comprising transmitting at least one of the reception identifiers to at least one of the collection points. (4) The method of (2), wherein the at least one media identifier is removed from the communication prior to the automatic occurrence. (5) at least one of the destinations includes a relay location for transmitting the communication to another one of the at least one of the destinations, the method further comprising: The method of (1), including the step of adding one media identifier. (6) The method of (1), wherein providing the media identifier comprises adding one or more different media identifiers to the communication. (7) The method of (2), wherein providing the media identifier comprises adding at least one media identifier to the communication at one or more relay locations. (8) including at least one medium identifier in a communication; transmitting the communication with at least one medium identifier; at least one medium identifier at one of a plurality of locations; Receiving said communication comprising: automatically generating at least one reception identifier by at least one of said media identifiers in at least one of said plurality of locations. Automatic tracking of media communications to at least one of the following. (9) The plurality of positions each use a unique position identification unit, and the step of automatically generating at least one reception identification unit includes combining at least one of the medium identification unit and the position identification unit. Including the step of causing
The method according to (9). (10) The plurality of positions each use a unique position identification unit, and the step of automatically generating at least one reception identification unit includes the unique position identification unit as a continuous medium identification unit. The method according to (8), comprising a step. (11) The method according to (8), further comprising transmitting at least one of the reception identification units to at least one of the accumulation points. (12) The method of (9), wherein the at least one media identifier is removed from the communication prior to the automatic occurrence. (13) The method of (8), wherein providing the media identifier comprises providing one or more different media identifiers to the communication. (14) The method of (8), wherein the step of providing a medium identifier comprises adding at least one identifier at one or more locations in the communication. (15) A plurality of medium marking means for generating a marked communication by including at least one medium identifying unit in each communication, and at least one medium identifying unit upon receiving one of the marked communication, A plurality of identification unit processing means for automatically generating one reception identification unit, respectively. (16) The system according to (15), wherein a first medium marking unit of the plurality of medium marking units is arranged at a source of the communication. (17) The system according to (16), wherein at least one associated media marking means is located at a site between the source of the communication and the destination of the communication. (18) The system according to (17), wherein the site includes one of the plurality of identification unit processing units. (19) The system according to (15), further including at least one integration point for at least one of the reception identification units. (20) The identification unit processing unit includes at least one communication unit for transmitting at least one of the reception identification units to at least one of the accumulation points.
The system according to 9).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a relationship between a medium program, a medium segment, and a medium unit.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a medium marking function for inserting a medium identification unit into a medium unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing each unit of the video supply system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an identification unit processing function in a supply destination device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10A to 10E: Medium segment 15A to 15N: Medium unit 15X to 15Z: Medium unit 15Y ': Newly marked medium unit 20: Medium identification unit 20A to 20C: Medium identification unit 20Y: Medium identification unit 25: Medium content 110 ... id generator 120 ... meta information 125 ... medium marking function 210J-210L ... supply source 230A, 230B ... distributor 240A, 240B ... final supply destination

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04L 9/32 G06F 15/401 320A H04N 7/173 620 H04L 9/00 675Z (72) Inventor Martin G Keenzl United States 10510, New York, Barriercliff Manor, Woodfield Road 19

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. Include at least one medium identifier in a communication; transmitting the communication including at least one medium identifier to at least one of a plurality of destinations; Automatically generating at least one reception identifier at at least one of said destinations for transmission to one collection point, the method of certifying receipt of media communication to one of a plurality of destinations. 2. The method according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of destinations uses a unique destination identification unit, and the at least one reception identification unit is automatically generated. The method of claim 1, comprising coupling to an identification. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one of said reception identifiers to at least one of said collection points. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said media identifiers is removed from said communication prior to said automatic occurrence.
The method described in. 5. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one of the destinations includes a relay location for transmitting the communication to another one of the at least one of the destinations, the method further comprising: The method of claim 1 including adding at least one media identifier. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a media identifier comprises adding one or more different media identifiers to the communication. 7. The step of providing the medium identification unit comprises the steps of:
The method of claim 1, comprising adding at least one media identifier to the communication at one or more relay locations. 8. Include at least one medium identifier in a communication; transmitting the communication with at least one medium identifier; at least one of the media at one of a plurality of locations. Receiving the communication including an identification unit; and automatically generating at least one reception identification unit by at least one of the medium identification units at at least one of the plurality of locations. Automatic tracking of media communications to at least one of the locations of the media. 9. The method according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of positions uses a unique position identification unit, and the step of automatically generating at least one reception identification unit includes the steps of: at least one of the medium identification unit and the position identification unit; 9. The method of claim 8, comprising combining 10. The plurality of positions each using a unique position identification unit, and the step of automatically generating at least one reception identification unit includes the step of automatically identifying the position identification unit as a continuous medium identification unit. Including the step of including
The method according to claim 8. 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting at least one said reception identifier to at least one said collection point. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the media identifiers is removed from the communication prior to the automatic occurrence. 13. The step of providing a medium identification unit,
9. The method of claim 8, comprising providing one or more different media identifiers to the communication. 14. The step of providing the medium identification unit,
At least one at one or more locations in said communication
9. The method of claim 8, comprising adding two identifiers. 15. A plurality of medium marking means for generating a marked communication by including at least one medium identifying unit in each communication, and at least one medium identifying unit upon receiving one of the marked communication. A plurality of identification unit processing means for automatically generating at least one reception identification unit. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein a first media marking means of the plurality of media marking means is located at a source of the communication. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one associated media marking means is located at a site between the source of the communication and the destination of the communication. 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the site includes one of a plurality of the identification unit processing units. 19. The system of claim 15, further comprising at least one integration point for at least one said reception identifier. 20. The identification unit processing means includes at least one
20. The system of claim 19, comprising at least one communication means for transmitting at least one said reception identifier to one said collection point.