Electronic apparatus and controlling method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a memory, a communication interface, and a processor that controls the communication interface to transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device, and when a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request is received from an external device, obtains a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request, controls the communication interface to transmit a second tracking log request to an external device at any time, identifies whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from an external device, and identifies whether the content is played normally based on at least one of the first ratio value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same, and more specifically, to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same that request a tracking log from an external device to identify whether content is being provided normally on an external device that exposes content to a consumer. Background Technology

[0002] Ad-Tech can refer to advertising techniques that incorporate IT technology, or it can refer to online advertising matching platforms. Ad-Tech can refer to technology applied to connect advertisers and publishers to expose advertisements to consumers.

[0003] Advertisers can select one of multiple media by using a Demand Side Platform (DSP). Additionally, the Demand Side Platform (DSP) is connected to an Ad Exchange, an Ad Network, and a Supply Side Platform (SSP), allowing the advertiser to select a media that is advantageous to them.

[0004] Media can receive advertising fees from advertisers by directly exposing advertisements to consumers. Here, media receive advertising fees based on the exposure time and number of times advertisements are exposed, but there was a problem where the media or intermediate platforms manipulated the exposure time and number of times advertisements are exposed.

[0005] A method of requesting tracking logs can be used to prevent manipulation of ad exposure time and number of impressions, but there was a problem with media or intermediate platforms manipulating these tracking logs. The problem to be solved

[0006] The present disclosure is designed to improve upon the aforementioned problem, and the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device and a control method thereof that identify whether content is being played normally by receiving a tracking log response corresponding to a predetermined event occurrence from an external device and a tracking log response occurring at any time. means of solving the problem

[0007] An electronic device according to the present embodiment for achieving the above-described purpose includes a memory, a communication interface, and a processor that controls the communication interface to transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device; when a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request is received from the external device, the processor obtains a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request, and controls the communication interface to transmit a second tracking log request to the external device at any time; identifies whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device; and identifies whether the content is played normally based on at least one of the first ratio value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

[0008] Meanwhile, the processor can obtain a second ratio value between the time the second tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first ratio value and the second ratio value.

[0009] Meanwhile, the processor can identify that the content is played normally on the external device if the first ratio value is a first threshold range and the second ratio value is a second threshold range, and the second threshold range may be wider than the first threshold range.

[0010] Meanwhile, the first tracking log request may include a control command requesting the transmission of a tracking log regarding whether a predetermined event occurred on the external device, and the predetermined event may include at least one of a content start event, a content playback event, a content completion event, a pause event, a playback input event, a forced termination event, a mute event, a volume change event, a screen size change event, a picture quality change event, and a playback speed change event.

[0011] Meanwhile, if the processor identifies that the first trace log response is a trace log generated based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, it can count the occurrence of the predetermined event to obtain an accumulated value, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained accumulated value.

[0012] Meanwhile, the processor may determine any time to transmit the second trace log request based on a predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request.

[0013] Meanwhile, the processor can control the communication interface to transmit a first tracking log request including a plurality of detailed requests to the external device, and when a plurality of first tracking log responses corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests are received from the external device, it can obtain an average value of a plurality of first ratio values ​​between the time when the plurality of first tracking log responses were received and a predetermined time corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained average value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

[0014] Meanwhile, the processor can obtain a first distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a first period, and can obtain a second distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a second period, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0015] Meanwhile, the processor may control the communication interface to transmit a first tracking log request, including content and a plurality of detailed requests, to a plurality of external devices, and may obtain a degree of change corresponding to each of the plurality of external devices based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received from the plurality of external devices during the first period and the second period, and if the degree of change corresponding to one of the plurality of external devices is within a third threshold range, it may be identified that the content has been played normally on the external device, and the degree of change may be a value that relatively quantifies the change in the distribution of events that occurred on the external device between the first period and the second period based on the plurality of first tracking log responses.

[0016] Meanwhile, the processor can obtain the reliability of each of the plurality of external devices based on a first ratio value obtained from each of the plurality of external devices, whether a second tracking log response is received, and the difference value between the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0017] A control method for an electronic device according to the present embodiment for achieving the above-described purpose comprises: transmitting content and a first tracking log request to an external device; when a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request is received from the external device, obtaining a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request; transmitting a second tracking log request to the external device at any time; identifying whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device; and identifying whether the content is played normally based on at least one of the first ratio value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

[0018] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining a second ratio value between the time at which the second tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first ratio value and the second ratio value.

[0019] Meanwhile, the step of identifying whether the above content is played normally can identify that the content is played normally on the external device if the first ratio value is a first threshold range and the second ratio value is a second threshold range, and the second threshold range may be wider than the first threshold range.

[0020] Meanwhile, the first tracking log request may include a control command requesting the transmission of a tracking log regarding whether a predetermined event occurred on the external device, and the predetermined event may include at least one of a content start event, a content playback event, a content completion event, a pause event, a playback input event, a forced termination event, a mute event, a volume change event, a screen size change event, a picture quality change event, and a playback speed change event.

[0021] Meanwhile, the control method may further include a step of obtaining an accumulated value by counting the occurrence of the predetermined event when the first tracking log response is identified as a tracking log generated based on the occurrence of the predetermined event, and the step of identifying whether the content is playing normally may identify whether the content is playing normally based on the obtained accumulated value.

[0022] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of determining an arbitrary time to transmit the second tracking log request based on a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request.

[0023] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of transmitting a first tracking log request including a plurality of detailed requests to the external device, and, when a plurality of first tracking log responses corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests are received from the external device, the step of obtaining an average value of a plurality of first ratio values ​​between the time when the plurality of first tracking log responses are received and a predetermined time corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained average value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

[0024] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining a first distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a first period, and the step of obtaining a second distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a second period, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0025] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of transmitting a first tracking log request including content and a plurality of detailed requests to a plurality of external devices, and the step of obtaining a change degree corresponding to each of the plurality of external devices based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received from the plurality of external devices during the first period and the second period, and the step of identifying whether the content is played normally may identify that the content is played normally on the external device if the change degree corresponding to one of the plurality of external devices is within a third threshold range, and the change degree may be a value that relatively quantifies the change in the distribution of events that occurred on the external device between the first period and the second period based on the plurality of first tracking log responses.

[0026] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining the reliability of each of the plurality of external devices based on a first ratio value obtained from each of the plurality of external devices, whether a second tracking log response is received, and the difference value between the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0027] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment. FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate of multiple events generated from an external device. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of analyzing trace log responses received at different periods. Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate of trace log responses received during different periods by event. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment for receiving estimated log responses from multiple external devices. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the operation of analyzing estimated log responses received from multiple external devices. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate by event at different times of some external devices. Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating the process of providing content online. Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating a learning model for outputting the reliability of an external device. FIG. 18 is a drawing for explaining a method of controlling an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0028] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] The terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected to be as widely used as possible, taking into account their functions within this disclosure; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant explanatory section of this disclosure. Therefore, terms used in this disclosure should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0030] In this specification, expressions such as “have,” “may have,” “include,” or “may include” indicate the presence of such features (e.g., numerical values, functions, operations, or components such as parts) and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0031] The expression "at least one of A or / and B" should be understood as representing either "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0032] Expressions such as "first," "second," "first," or "second" used in this specification may modify various components regardless of order and / or importance, and are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit said components.

[0033] Where it is stated that a component (e.g., Component 1) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with / to" or "connected to" another component (e.g., Component 2), it should be understood that the component may be directly connected to the other component or connected through the other component (e.g., Component 3).

[0034] The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "consisting of" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0035] In the present disclosure, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. Additionally, a plurality of "modules" or a plurality of "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented by at least one processor (not shown), except for a "module" or "part" that needs to be implemented in specific hardware.

[0036] In this specification, the term "user" may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device).

[0037] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) may be composed of a memory (110), a communication interface (120), and a processor (130).

[0040] The electronic device (100) may refer to a server that provides content (e.g., advertising content). That is, the electronic device (100) may refer to a server associated with an advertiser.

[0041] Meanwhile, an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present specification may include, for example, at least one of a smartphone, a tablet PC, a mobile phone, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a PDA, and a PMP (portable multimedia player). In some embodiments, the electronic device (100) may include, for example, at least one of a television, a DVD (digital video disk) player, and a media box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™).

[0042] The memory (110) may be implemented as internal memory such as ROM (e.g., EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory)) or RAM included in the processor (130), or as memory separate from the processor (130). In this case, the memory (110) may be implemented as a memory embedded in the electronic device (100) or as a memory that can be attached to the electronic device (100) depending on the purpose of data storage. For example, data for operating the electronic device (100) may be stored in memory embedded in the electronic device (100), and data for the expansion function of the electronic device (100) may be stored in memory that can be attached to the electronic device (100).

[0043] Meanwhile, the memory embedded in the electronic device (100) may be implemented as at least one of volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (dynamic RAM), SRAM (static RAM), or SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., OTPROM (one time programmable ROM), PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable and programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable ROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD), and the memory that is detachable from the electronic device (100) may be implemented in the form of a memory card (e.g., CF (compact flash), SD (secure digital), Micro-SD (micro secure digital), Mini-SD (mini secure digital), xD (extreme digital), MMC (multi-media card), etc.), or external memory that can be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory).

[0044] The communication interface (120) is a configuration that performs communication with various types of external devices according to various types of communication methods. The communication interface (120) includes a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, an infrared communication module, and a wireless communication module, etc. Here, each communication module can be implemented in the form of at least one hardware chip.

[0045] The communication interface (120) performs communication using the Wi-Fi method and the Bluetooth method, respectively, for the Wi-Fi module and the Bluetooth module. When using the Wi-Fi module or the Bluetooth module, various connection information such as SSID and session key is first transmitted and received, and then various information can be transmitted and received after establishing a communication connection using this information.

[0046] The infrared communication module performs communication according to infrared communication (IrDA, Infrared Data Association) technology, which uses infrared rays located between visible light and millimeter waves to wirelessly transmit data over short distances.

[0047] In addition to the communication method described above, the wireless communication module may include at least one communication chip that performs communication according to various wireless communication standards such as Zigbee, 3G (3rd Generation), 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE Advanced), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation).

[0048] In addition, the communication interface (120) may include at least one of a wired communication module that performs communication using a LAN (Local Area Network) module, an Ethernet module, a pair cable, a coaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, or a UWB (Ultra Wide-Band) module.

[0049] The processor (130) can perform overall control operations of the electronic device (100). Specifically, the processor (130) functions to control the overall operation of the electronic device (100).

[0050] The processor (130) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP) that processes digital signals, a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON). However, it is not limited thereto, and may include or be defined by one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a graphics-processing unit (GPU), a communication processor (CP), or an ARM processor. Additionally, the processor (130) may be implemented as a System on Chip (SoC) or a large-scale integration (LSI) with a built-in processing algorithm, or in the form of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Furthermore, the processor (130) can perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in memory (110).

[0051] The processor (130) can control the communication interface (120) to transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device (200), and when a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request is received from the external device (200), it can obtain a first ratio value between the time the first tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request, and can control the communication interface (120) to transmit a second tracking log request to the external device (200) at any time, identify whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device (200), and identify whether the content is played normally based on at least one of the first ratio value and whether the second tracking log response is received.

[0052] Here, "content" may refer to advertising content provided by an advertiser. The advertising content may include at least one of text, images, and videos. Here, "content playback" may refer to the action of exposing the advertising content to a consumer. Therefore, "content playback" may be described as "content exposure" or "content provision."

[0053] Here, the external device (200) may refer to a medium (publisher) that exposes advertising content to consumers. For example, the external device (200) may refer to an internet server capable of providing online advertising banners.

[0054] Here, the first tracking log request may mean a request to transmit a tracking log to prove the playback or exposure of the content. The electronic device (100) needs to verify whether the advertising content has actually been exposed to the advertising banner owned by the external device (200). Accordingly, the processor (130) may request a tracking log from the external device (200).

[0055] Here, the tracking log may refer to a log for verifying whether the external device (200) is playing content normally. The tracking log may refer to a log corresponding to various events related to content playback on the external device (200).

[0056] Meanwhile, the first tracking log request may include a control command requesting the transmission of a tracking log regarding whether a predetermined event occurred at an external device (200).

[0057] The first trace log request may be a log request corresponding to a predetermined event. Here, the predetermined event may include at least one event among a content start event, a content playback event, a content completion event, a pause event, a playback input event, a forced termination event, a mute event, a volume change event, a screen size change event, a picture quality change event, and a playback speed change event.

[0058] Here, a content playback event may refer to an event in which content is played at a specific point in time. Here, the specific point in time may refer to an estimated time for verifying content playback and may be defined by a predetermined unit. For example, the predetermined unit may be a quartile. By dividing the total content playback time into four parts, it may refer to an event checking whether playback occurs at the first quartile time (or a playback event at the first quartile time), an event checking whether playback occurs at the second quartile time (or a playback event at the second quartile time), an event checking whether playback occurs at the third quartile time (or a playback event at the third quartile time), and an event checking whether playback occurs at the fourth quartile time (or a playback event at the fourth quartile time). Here, the event checking whether playback occurs at the fourth quartile time may correspond to a content end event.

[0059] For example, assume that the content is 16 seconds long. The time corresponding to the first quartile may be 4 seconds, the time corresponding to the second quartile may be 8 seconds, the time corresponding to the third quartile may be 12 seconds, and the time corresponding to the fourth quartile may be 16 seconds. The predetermined event may refer to an event that checks whether the content is played at 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds, and 16 seconds.

[0060] Meanwhile, the estimated time to verify content playback can be defined in various ways other than quartiles.

[0061] When an external device (200) receives a first tracking log request from an electronic device (100), it can generate a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request. Here, the first tracking log response may be a response regarding whether a predetermined event corresponding to the first tracking log request has occurred. The external device (200) can check in real time whether the predetermined event included in the first tracking log request has occurred, and generate a first tracking log response when the predetermined event has occurred. Then, the external device (200) can transmit the generated first tracking log response to the electronic device (100).

[0062] Here, the first trace log response may include trace log information related to a predetermined event generation. Here, the trace log information related to the predetermined event generation may include at least one of a predetermined event occurrence time, a predetermined event execution time (e.g., pause state duration, mute state duration), and details of the predetermined event.

[0063] Here, the details of a predetermined event may refer to additional information related to the event. For example, the details of a volume change event may be the volume level before the change and the volume level after the change. The details of a screen size change event may be the screen size before the change and the screen size after the change. The details of a picture quality change event may be the picture quality before the change and the picture quality after the change.

[0064] Here, the first trace log response may additionally include proof data proving the generation of the trace log. The proof data may mean data that can prove that the first trace log response has not been forged or altered.

[0065] The processor (130) can receive a first tracking log response from an external device (200) and obtain the reception time of the first tracking log response. Then, it can obtain a first ratio value between the reception time of the first tracking log response and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request.

[0066] Here, the predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request may refer to the estimated time of occurrence of the event corresponding to the first trace log request. If the first trace log request includes multiple event types, an estimated time corresponding to each of the multiple events may exist. Here, an estimated time may not exist for every event. For example, an estimated time may not exist for a mute event.

[0067] According to one embodiment, an explanation regarding an event with a set expected time (e.g., a playback event at the first quartile time) is described later in FIG. 2, and an explanation regarding an event with no set expected time (e.g., a mute event) is described later in FIG. 3.

[0068] Here, the first trace log request may include an event confirming content playback. Here, the estimated time for confirming content playback may be predetermined. As in the example described above, the estimated time for confirming content playback may be determined based on quartiles.

[0069] The processor (130) can analyze the information included in the received first trace log response to obtain at least one of the event type or the event creation time. For example, the processor (130) can analyze the trace log included in the first trace log response to obtain information that the first trace log response was generated based on a content playback event at the first quartile time and the time information where the content start event was generated.

[0070] Here, the event creation time information included in the first trace log response and the first trace log response reception time information obtained by the processor (130) may have overlapping values. The processor (130) may use at least one of the event creation time information included in the first trace log response or the first trace log response reception time information to obtain the first ratio value. For convenience of explanation, the remaining description describes an embodiment in which the reception time information of the first trace log response is used.

[0071] The processor (130) can identify an event (or event type) based on a first trace log response and identify a predetermined time (or estimated time) corresponding to the identified event. Then, the processor (130) can obtain a first ratio value based on the predetermined time corresponding to the identified event and the time of receipt of the first trace log response.

[0072] Here, the predetermined time corresponding to the identified event may mean the predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request. Here, the first ratio value may be a value for determining how much earlier or how much later the actual response (the first trace log response) was received compared to the expected time.

[0073] For example, it is assumed that the processor (130) has transmitted content having a playback time of 16 seconds and a first tracking log request to an external device (200). The processor (130) can analyze the first tracking log response to identify the event type as a playback event of the first quartile time and identify the first tracking log response reception time as 3 seconds.

[0074] Here, the processor (130) can identify that the predetermined time (or estimated time) corresponding to the playback event of the first quartile time identified is 4 seconds.

[0075] Here, the processor (130) can obtain a first ratio value (3 / 4) based on a first trace log response reception time (3 seconds) and a predetermined time (4 seconds) corresponding to the first trace log request.

[0076] Here, the first ratio value may be a value used to determine how close the response was received to the expected time. That is, the closer the first ratio value is to 1, the closer the response was received to the expected time, and the further the first ratio value is from 1, the closer the response was received to the expected time.

[0077] The processor (130) can identify whether the content is being played normally based on a threshold range or threshold value corresponding to a first ratio value.

[0078] According to one embodiment, if the first ratio value is within a threshold range, the processor (130) can identify that the content is being played normally on the external device (200). And, if the first ratio value is outside the threshold range, the processor (130) can identify that the content is not being played normally on the external device (200).

[0079] According to another embodiment, if the first ratio value is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the processor (130) can identify that the content is being played normally on the external device (200). And, if the first ratio value is less than a threshold value, the processor (130) can identify that the content is not being played normally on the external device (200).

[0080] A detailed explanation regarding the first ratio value is provided later in Fig. 6.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the first trace log request may include a plurality of detailed requests. For example, it may include a plurality of detailed requests requesting the transmission of a response corresponding to each of a plurality of events. For example, the first trace log request may include a first request (first detailed request) requesting the generation and transmission of a trace log corresponding to a content start event, and a second request (second detailed request) requesting the generation and transmission of a trace log corresponding to a content playback event at a time corresponding to the first quartile of the content.

[0082] According to another embodiment, the first tracking log request may be described as a single request. Here, the processor (130) may transmit the first tracking log request corresponding to each event to the external device (200). For example, the processor (130) may transmit to the external device (200) a first tracking log request requesting the creation and transmission of a tracking log corresponding to a content start event and a first tracking log request requesting the creation and transmission of a tracking log corresponding to a content playback event at a time corresponding to the first quartile of the content.

[0083] Meanwhile, the processor (130) may transmit a second tracking log request to the external device (200). Here, the second tracking log request may mean a request to verify content playback at any time. Specifically, the second tracking log request may mean a request to transmit a tracking log proving that content is currently being played. Since the first tracking log request transmits a response corresponding to a predetermined schedule, the external device (200) may determine the schedule in advance and transmit a response. For example, an advertisement may be displayed only at an expected time corresponding to a predetermined event, even if the advertisement is not actually displayed. Such actions cannot be distinguished solely by the first tracking log request and the first tracking log response. Therefore, the processor (130) may transmit a second tracking log request to the external device (200) requesting a tracking log at any time.

[0084] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can determine any time to transmit the second tracking log request based on a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request.

[0085] Here, the processor (130) may determine an arbitrary time by considering a predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request. It may not be meaningful for the trace logs to be generated at the same time. Therefore, the processor (130) may send a second trace log request to an external device (200) requesting that a second trace log response be transmitted at any time other than the predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request.

[0086] When the external device (200) receives a second tracking log request from the electronic device (100), it can generate a second tracking log response including a tracking log to prove content playback and transmit the generated second tracking log response to the electronic device (100).

[0087] The processor (130) can identify whether a second tracking log response corresponding to a second tracking log request is received. If a second tracking log response is received, the processor (130) can identify that the content is being played normally on the external device (200). If a second tracking log response is not received, the processor can identify that the content is not being played normally on the external device (200).

[0088] Here, the processor (130) can additionally identify whether the second tracking log response is received within a threshold time. Specifically, it can identify whether the second tracking log response is received within 3 seconds after the second tracking log request is transmitted. If the second tracking log response is not received within a threshold time after the second tracking log request is transmitted, the processor (130) can identify that the content is not being played normally on the external device (200).

[0089] Specific operations related to the second trace log response are described later in FIG. 4.

[0090] The processor (130) can identify whether the content is playing normally by considering at least one of the first tracking log response and the second tracking log response.

[0091] For example, the processor (130) can determine whether the content is playing normally using only the first tracking log response.

[0092] As another example, the processor (130) can determine whether the content is playing normally using only the second tracking log response.

[0093] As another example, the processor (130) can determine whether the content is playing normally by using both the first tracking log response and the second tracking log response.

[0094] Here, whether the content is being played normally may mean determining whether the content is being provided to the consumer normally. An advertiser must pay an advertising fee to a publisher that displays the advertisement, but advertising fraud may occur to increase the number of ad impressions. For example, advertising fraud may include manipulation of click counts, manipulation of viewing time, or manipulation of viewing counts. Therefore, the processor (130) may determine whether the content is being played normally in order to distinguish advertising fraud.

[0095] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can obtain a second ratio value between the time the second tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first ratio value and the second ratio value.

[0096] Here, the second tracking log request may be a request to generate a tracking log to prove content playback at any time. Here, the predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request may be a time to induce a response to be received within a threshold time. For example, a predetermined time may be set to request a tracking log at any time and respond within 3 seconds. If a response is received within 3 seconds, the processor (130) may determine that the content has been played normally on the external device (200).

[0097] Here, the second ratio value may be a value for determining whether a response was received within a threshold time. The second ratio value may be a value obtained by dividing the time at which the second trace log response was received by a predetermined time corresponding to the second trace log request.

[0098] A smaller second ratio value indicates that the second tracking log response was received immediately. Conversely, a larger second ratio value indicates that the second tracking log response was received late. Furthermore, since a larger second ratio value indicates a slower response, it can be determined that there is a high probability that the content will not play normally.

[0099] For example, assume that the predetermined time corresponding to the second trace log request is 3 seconds and the second trace log request has been transmitted. For example, if the second trace log response is received in 1 second, the second ratio value may be 1 / 3. For another example, if the second trace log response is received in 3 seconds, the second ratio value may be 3 / 3. Therefore, the longer the second trace log response is delayed, the larger the second ratio value may be.

[0100] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can identify that the content is played on an external device (200) if the first ratio value is a first threshold range and the second ratio value is a second threshold range, and the second threshold range may be wider than the first threshold range.

[0101] The closer the first ratio value is to 1, the higher the probability of normal playback of the content may be. Also, the closer the second ratio value is to 0, the higher the probability of normal playback of the content may be. Therefore, the first threshold range and the second threshold range may be different, and the second threshold range may have a wider range than the first threshold range.

[0102] For example, the first threshold range may be 0.75 to 1.25 and the second threshold range may be 0 to 1.

[0103] Meanwhile, if the processor (130) identifies that the first tracking log response is a tracking log generated based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, it can count the occurrence of the predetermined event to obtain an accumulated value, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained accumulated value.

[0104] The first trace log request may be a control command requesting the transmission of a response when a predetermined event occurs, and the first trace log response may include a trace log proving the occurrence of an event when a predetermined event occurs at an external device (200). The processor (130) can identify which of the multiple predetermined events the first trace log response received from the external device (200) was generated by.

[0105] Additionally, the processor (130) can receive multiple first trace log responses. Accordingly, the processor (130) can count which event caused the first trace log response whenever it is received. And, the processor (130) can obtain an event-specific cumulative value based on receiving multiple first trace log responses.

[0106] For example, the processor (130) can identify that there are 10 content start events (cumulative value 10), 5 content completion events (cumulative value 5), and 10 screen size change events (cumulative value 10).

[0107] Additionally, the processor (130) can identify that the content is not being played normally on the external device (200) if the accumulated value of the target event among a plurality of predetermined events is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Here, the target event may refer to an event that may be suspected of being an ad fraud. For example, the target event may be a screen size change event. Since it is possible to manipulate the exposure of advertisements to consumers by uniformly changing the screen size, the processor (130) can determine whether the content is being played normally by considering the accumulated value of the screen size change event.

[0108] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can control the communication interface (120) to transmit a first tracking log request including a plurality of detailed requests to an external device (200), and when a plurality of first tracking log responses corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests are received from the external device (200), the processor can obtain an average value of a plurality of first ratio values ​​between the time when the plurality of first tracking log responses are received and a predetermined time corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained average value and whether a second tracking log response is received.

[0109] For example, the first trace log request assumes an embodiment that includes a first detailed request requesting a response when a content playback event of the first quartile occurs, and a second detailed request requesting a response when a content playback event of the second quartile occurs. The predetermined time corresponding to the first detailed request may be 4 seconds, and the predetermined time corresponding to the second detailed request may be 8 seconds. Here, it is assumed that the response corresponding to the first detailed request is received at 3 seconds, and the response corresponding to the second detailed request is received at 7 seconds.

[0110] For example, the processor (130) can obtain a first ratio value (3 / 4) based on the time (3 seconds) at which a response corresponding to a first detailed request is received and a predetermined time (4 seconds) corresponding to the first detailed request. Then, the processor (130) can obtain a first ratio value (3 / 4) based on the time (7 seconds) at which a response corresponding to a second detailed request is received and a predetermined time (8 seconds) corresponding to the second detailed request. Then, the processor (130) can obtain an average value (3 / 4) of the obtained first ratio values.

[0111] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can obtain a first distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a first period, and can obtain a second distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a second period, and can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0112] The processor (130) can analyze the first trace log response received during the first period. Specifically, the processor (130) can identify the predetermined event type in which a plurality of received first trace log responses were generated and obtain an event-specific cumulative value. Then, the processor (130) can obtain a first distribution rate of the event-specific cumulative value obtained during the first period.

[0113] For example, the processor (130) can obtain a cumulative value for multiple events received during a first period (the first week). Here, the processor (130) can identify that there are 10 content start events (cumulative value 10), 5 content completion events (cumulative value 5), and 10 screen size change events (cumulative value 10). Here, the total number of received events is 25, the distribution rate of content start events may be 0.4, the distribution rate of content completion events may be 0.2, and the distribution rate of screen size change events may be 0.4. Here, the first distribution rate may mean the distribution rate for each event.

[0114] Likewise, the processor (130) can obtain a second distribution rate by analyzing the first trace log response received during the second period.

[0115] For example, the processor (130) can obtain a cumulative value for multiple events received during a second period (a second week). Here, the processor (130) can identify that there are 10 content start events (cumulative value 10), 10 content completion events (cumulative value 10), and 5 screen size change events (cumulative value 5). Here, the total number of received events is 25, and the distribution rate of content start events may be 0.4, the distribution rate of content completion events may be 0.4, and the distribution rate of screen size change events may be 0.2. Here, the first distribution rate may refer to the distribution rate for each event.

[0116] Here, the processor (130) can calculate the difference between the first distribution rate of the first period and the second distribution rate of the second period for each event.

[0117] For example, since the distribution rate of content start events in the first period is 0.4 and the distribution rate of content start events in the second period is 0.4, the difference between the distribution rates of content start events that occurred in the first and second periods may be 0.

[0118] For example, since the distribution rate of content termination events in the first period is 0.2 and the distribution rate of content termination events in the second period is 0.4, the difference value of the distribution rate of content termination events that occurred in the first period and the second period may be 0.2.

[0119] For example, since the distribution rate of screen size change events in the first period is 0.4 and the distribution rate of screen size change events in the second period is 0.2, the difference value of the distribution rates of screen size change events that occurred in the first period and the second period may be 0.2.

[0120] Here, the processor (130) can identify whether the content is being played normally based on the difference value of a specific event distribution rate. The processor (130) can identify that the content is not being played normally if the difference value of the distribution rate of a specific event is outside a threshold range.

[0121] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can obtain the average of the difference values. And, the processor (130) can store the obtained average of the difference values ​​in memory (110) as the rate of change of the external device (200).

[0122] For example, since the difference value of the content start event distribution rate is 0, the difference value of the content end event distribution rate is 0.2, and the difference value of the screen size change event distribution rate is 0.2, the processor (130) can obtain an average of the difference values ​​as 0.13. The value of 0.13 may represent the rate of change of the entire external device (200) corresponding to a specific period (first period and second period).

[0123] The processor (130) can obtain a rate of change corresponding to the first period and the second period of the external device (200). One rate of change may exist for one external device (200). If there are multiple external devices (200), the processor (130) can obtain multiple rates of change. And, the processor (130) can obtain a degree of change corresponding to each external device (200) based on the multiple rates of change.

[0124] Here, the rate of change may refer to information indicating how much the distribution rate of events has changed between the first period and the second period by a single first external device (200-1). That is, the rate of change may be information obtained by analyzing only the first tracking log response received from a single external device (200-1).

[0125] Here, the degree of change may refer to information indicating which distribution among the rates of change of a plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) the rate of change of a single first external device (200-1) corresponds to. That is, the degree of change may refer to information indicating how much the rate of change of a single first external device (200-1) has changed relatively. A specific explanation regarding the degree of change will be described later in FIG. 14.

[0126] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can control the communication interface (120) to transmit a first tracking log request including content and a plurality of detailed requests to a plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n), and can obtain a change degree corresponding to each of the plurality of external devices based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received from the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) during a first period and a second period, and if the obtained change degree is within a third threshold range, it can identify that the content has been played normally on the external device. Here, the change degree may be a value that relatively quantifies the change in the distribution of events that occurred on the external device between the first period and the second period based on the plurality of first tracking log responses.

[0127] For example, it is assumed that the distribution change (rate of change) of the first external device is 0.13, the distribution change (rate of change) of the second external device is 0.2, and the distribution change (rate of change) of the third external device is 0.3. Here, the distribution change of the first external device may be judged to be relatively low, and the distribution change of the third external device may be judged to be relatively high.

[0128] The degree of change may be information indicating the relative position of one distribution change data within the entire distribution change data. Accordingly, the processor (130) can determine relatively whether a specific external device has an event distribution change based on the degree of change.

[0129] Meanwhile, in the above description, in order to obtain the degree of change, a difference value was obtained by comparing the event-specific distribution rate of the first period with the event-specific distribution rate of the second period, and a calculation operation was performed using the average of the obtained difference values. However, instead of using the difference value calculation operation and the average calculation operation described above, the processor (130) may use a predefined function for obtaining a separate degree of change.

[0130] Here, the predefined function may be Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL divergence, KLD). Specifically, the processor (130) may obtain a degree of variation corresponding to the Kullback-Leibler divergence based on the event-specific distribution rate of the first period and the event-specific distribution rate of the second period. Here, the degree of variation may refer to a value associated with a single external device, and the processor (130) may obtain a degree of variation for each of a plurality of external devices. A detailed explanation regarding this is provided later in FIG. 14.

[0131] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can obtain the reliability of each of the plurality of external devices (200) based on a first ratio value obtained from each of the plurality of external devices (200), whether a second tracking log response is received, and the difference value between the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0132] Here, reliability can refer to a probability value related to whether the content plays normally. Therefore, the higher the reliability, the higher the probability that the content was played normally.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the reliability corresponding to one external device can be calculated solely from the first tracking log response received from one external device. The processor (130) can obtain the reliability based on the ratio of the total number of event occurrences and the number of times the content is identified as not being played normally.

[0134] Specifically, the processor (130) can count the number of times the average of the first ratio values ​​is less than the threshold value for a specific event. And, reliability can be obtained based on the ratio of the number of times the average of the first ratio values ​​is less than the threshold value to the total number of event occurrences.

[0135] The specific process for acquiring reliability related to this is described later in Fig. 6.

[0136] According to another embodiment, the reliability corresponding to one external device can be calculated by taking into account all of the first trace log responses received from multiple external devices.

[0137] On the other hand, not all external devices identified as failing to play content normally can be determined to be ad fraud. Therefore, normal playback status can be repeatedly checked, and additional screening tests can be performed by targeting external devices that have been identified as having abnormal playback a high number of times.

[0138] The electronic device (100) checks whether the content is being played normally through various embodiments to prevent advertising fraud occurring in the ad tech field. Specifically, the electronic device (100) requests a tracking log to prove the playback of the content at an arbitrary time, rather than at an event determined in this invention. Therefore, it may be difficult for the external device (200) to artificially manipulate the tracking log to prepare for the tracking log that needs to be generated at an arbitrary time.

[0139] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can analyze responses from multiple external devices, rather than just one. Accordingly, the processor (130) can determine an artificial external device that manipulates tracking logs based on the event distribution rate of an external device that normally provides advertisements to consumers. Although the electronic device (100) distinguishes between normal and abnormal distributions, the external device cannot determine the normal distribution because it does not possess all data related to multiple external devices. Therefore, it may be difficult for the external device to artificially manipulate data.

[0140] Meanwhile, although only a simple configuration constituting the electronic device (100) has been illustrated and described above, various additional configurations may be provided during implementation.

[0141] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to one embodiment.

[0142] Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device (200) (S205). Here, the first tracking log request may be a request to transmit a tracking log to prove content playback at a predetermined time. Then, the electronic device (100) can obtain a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request (S210). Here, the predetermined time may mean the time at which a tracking log response must be transmitted. For example, the predetermined time for 16 seconds of content may be 0 seconds (start time), 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds, and 16 seconds (end time).

[0143] The external device (200) can generate a first tracking log response corresponding to a first tracking log request while playing content (S215). Here, the first tracking log response may be a log that occurs only when the content is being played, and may be a log that cannot be generated (unforgeable) when the content is not being played. Then, the external device (200) can transmit the generated first tracking log response to the electronic device (100) (S220).

[0144] The electronic device (100) can obtain the reception time of the first tracking log response based on the first tracking log response received from the external device (200) (S225). Here, the electronic device (100) can receive at least one of the absolute time or relative time of the first tracking log response from the external device (200). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain the reception time as an absolute time (e.g., 2:20:30 PM on December 14, 2020). According to another embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain the reception time as a relative time (e.g., 4 seconds after video playback). According to yet another embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain both the absolute time and the relative time. As another example, the electronic device (100) can receive the absolute time and calculate the relative time.

[0145] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value between the reception time of the first trace log response and a predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request (S230). Here, the first ratio value may be a value for determining whether the first trace log response to the first trace log request was received accurately at a predetermined time.

[0146] For example, assume that a tracking log is requested 4 seconds after content playback. If a tracking log response is received at 3 seconds instead of 4 seconds after content playback, the electronic device (100) can determine that the tracking log response from the external device (200) differs by 1 second. And the first ratio value can be obtained as 3 / 4.

[0147] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can identify whether the first ratio value is within the first threshold range (S235). Here, the first threshold range may mean a range in which the trace log is considered to have been received normally at the planned time. For example, the first threshold range may be between 0.75 and 1.25.

[0148] If the first ratio value is within the first threshold range (S235-Y), the electronic device (100) may continue to receive the first trace log response from the external device (200) and perform an analysis operation to repeat steps S225 through S235. Here, the first trace log request is not a single request but may be multiple requests.

[0149] If the first ratio value is outside the first threshold range (S235-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played on an external device (S240).

[0150] For example, assume that a tracking log is requested 4 seconds after content playback. If a tracking log response is received at 2 seconds instead of 4 seconds after content playback, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value (0.5) and determine that it has fallen outside the first threshold range (0.75 to 1.25). Then, the electronic device (100) can identify that the external device (200) that transmitted the first tracking log response at 2 seconds did not actually play the content.

[0151] Meanwhile, in step S235, a threshold value may be used instead of a threshold range. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can determine whether the first ratio value is less than the threshold value. Here, it is assumed that the threshold value is 0.75. If the first ratio value is less than 0.75, the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played normally on the external device (200). In order to use a threshold value instead of a threshold range, the electronic device (100) may determine the method of obtaining the first ratio value differently. For example, if the first ratio value is obtained using the mathematical formula (610) of FIG. 6, the electronic device (100) may use the threshold range, and if the first ratio value is obtained using the mathematical formula (620) of FIG. 6, the electronic device (100) may use the threshold value.

[0152] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment.

[0153] Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device (200) (S305). Here, the first tracking log request may be a request to transmit a tracking log when a predetermined event occurs. Here, the predetermined event may refer to an event that receives a user's control command. For example, the predetermined event may be playback, pause, screen switching, mute, volume change, etc.

[0154] Additionally, the external device (200) can generate a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request (S310). For example, when a user's mute command is received, the external device (200) can obtain the time at which the mute command was received and the time at which the mute command was executed, and generate a first tracking log response based on the obtained times. Then, the external device (200) can transmit the first tracking log response to the electronic device (100) (S315).

[0155] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can identify an event corresponding to the first trace log response based on the first trace log response received from the external device (200) (S315). The electronic device (100) can determine which event the first trace log response was generated based on. For example, the electronic device (100) can determine that the first trace log response was generated based on a mute event.

[0156] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain an accumulated value by counting identified events (S325). Specifically, the electronic device (100) can obtain an accumulated count per event by determining whether a predetermined event has occurred. For example, the electronic device (100) can calculate the accumulated count of mute events.

[0157] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can identify whether the accumulated value is less than a threshold value (S330). Here, if the accumulated value is less than the threshold value (S330-Y), the electronic device (100) can continue to receive the first tracking log response from the external device (200).

[0158] Additionally, if the accumulated value is greater than or equal to the threshold value (S330-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played on the external device (200) (S335).

[0159] Meanwhile, in the example described above, a mute command was used as an example, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. The electronic device (100) can compare the cumulative value for each of the multiple events with the threshold value corresponding to each of the multiple events. Here, the threshold values ​​corresponding to each of the multiple events may be different from each other. For example, the threshold value corresponding to the mute event may be 2 times, and the threshold value for the screen size change event may be 5 times.

[0160] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device (100) can transmit content to an external device (200) (S405). Then, the electronic device (100) can generate a second tracking log request at any time (S410). Here, the second tracking log request may mean a request to transmit a tracking log proving content playback in order to check whether content was played at any time.

[0162] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can transmit the generated second tracking log request to the external device (200) (S415). Then, the electronic device (100) can obtain a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request (S420). Here, the predetermined time may refer to a time indicating how long the second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request must be transmitted. For example, if the second tracking log request is transmitted to the external device (200) at any time, it may request that the second tracking log response be transmitted within 3 seconds.

[0163] Additionally, the external device (200) may generate a second tracking log response in response to a second tracking log request received from the electronic device (100) (S425). Specifically, when the electronic device (100) receives the second tracking log request at any time, it may immediately generate a second tracking log response containing a tracking log proving that the content is being played. Then, the external device (200) may transmit the generated second tracking log response to the electronic device (100) (S430).

[0164] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can receive a second tracking log response from an external device (200) and obtain the time of receipt of the second tracking log response (S435).

[0165] Additionally, the electronic device (100) may obtain a second ratio value between the time of receipt of the second tracking log response and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request. Here, the second ratio value may be a value used to determine how quickly the response arrived in response to the request at any given time. For example, assume that the predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request is 3 seconds. Generally, if the second tracking log response is received within 3 seconds after the second tracking log request is transmitted, the electronic device (100) may determine that content playback is normal. If it is assumed that the second tracking log response is received 2 seconds after the second tracking log request is transmitted, the second ratio value may be 2 / 3.

[0166] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can identify whether the second ratio value is within the second threshold range (S445). Here, the second threshold range may refer to the range in which the second trace log response requested at any time arrives normally. The second threshold range may be larger than the first threshold range of FIG. 2. Since the first threshold range of FIG. 2 relates to a request to have the response transmitted at a set time, but the second threshold range relates to a request to have the response transmitted at any time, a delay may occur between transmission and reception. Therefore, the electronic device (100) may set the second threshold range wider than the first threshold range. For example, the second threshold range may be 0 to 1. If the second trace log response is received between 0 seconds after the second trace log request is transmitted and before a predetermined time, the second ratio value may be within the second threshold range.

[0167] If the second ratio value is within the second threshold range (S445-Y), the electronic device (100) can continue to generate a second trace log request. The electronic device (100) can repeatedly repeat steps S410 through S445.

[0168] If the second ratio value is outside the second threshold range (S445-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played normally on the external device (200) (S450).

[0169] Meanwhile, in step S445, a threshold value may be used instead of a threshold range. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can determine whether the second ratio value is less than the threshold value. Here, it is assumed that the threshold value is 1. If the second ratio value is less than 1, the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played normally on the external device (200).

[0170] Meanwhile, although FIG. 4 describes obtaining a second ratio value using a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, this can be omitted during implementation. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can only check whether the second tracking log response requested at any time has arrived within the predetermined time. And, if the second tracking log response has arrived within the predetermined time, it can be determined that the content playback of the external device (200) is normal.

[0171] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a trace log request and an estimated log response according to another embodiment.

[0172] Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic device (100) can transmit content, a first request, and a second request to an external device (200) (S505). Here, the first request and the second request may refer to requests included in the first trace log request. The first trace log request may include a request to transmit at least two trace log responses. For example, the first request may be a request to transmit a response at a time (4 seconds) corresponding to the first quartile of the total playback time of the content (e.g., 16 seconds), and the second request may be a request to transmit a response at a time (8 seconds) corresponding to the second quartile of the total playback time of the content (16 seconds).

[0173] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain a predetermined time corresponding to a first request and a predetermined time corresponding to a second request (S510). For example, the predetermined time corresponding to the first request may be a time (4 seconds) corresponding to the first quartile, and the predetermined time corresponding to the second request may be a time (8 seconds) corresponding to the second quartile.

[0174] Additionally, the external device (200) can generate a first response corresponding to a first request received from the electronic device (100) (S515). Here, the first response may include a trace log to prove content playback. Then, the external device (200) can transmit the generated first response to the electronic device (100) (S520).

[0175] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can receive a first response from an external device (200) and obtain the time of receipt of the first response (S525). Then, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value between the time of receipt of the first response and a predetermined time corresponding to the first request (S530). For example, if the time of receipt of the first response is 3 seconds and the predetermined time corresponding to the first request is 4 seconds, the first ratio value may be 3 / 4.

[0176] Additionally, the external device (200) can generate a second response corresponding to the second request (S535). Here, the second response may include a trace log to prove content playback. Then, the external device (200) can transmit the generated second response to the electronic device (100) (S540).

[0177] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can receive a second response from an external device (200) and obtain the reception time of the second response (S545). Then, the electronic device (100) can obtain a second ratio value between the reception time of the second response and a predetermined time corresponding to the second request (S550). For example, if the reception time of the second response is 7 seconds and the predetermined time corresponding to the second request is 8 seconds, the first ratio value may be 3 / 4. Here, in order to obtain an equal ratio, the electronic device (100) may obtain the first ratio value by changing the time based on quartiles. If the electronic device (100) does not consider quartiles, the first ratio value may be 7 / 8.

[0178] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain an average value of the first ratio value and the second ratio value (S555). For example, if the first ratio value is 3 / 4 and the second ratio value is 3 / 4, the average value may be 3 / 4.

[0179] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can identify whether the average value is within a threshold range (S560). If the average value is within the threshold range (S560-Y), the electronic device (100) can repeatedly receive responses from the external device (200). Specifically, the electronic device (100) can receive multiple responses from the external device (200).

[0180] Additionally, if the average value is outside the threshold range (S560-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played on the external device (200) (S565).

[0181] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to one embodiment.

[0182] Referring to FIG. 6, the first tracking log request may include a request to transmit a plurality of tracking logs. Specifically, the first tracking log request may mean a request to transmit tracking logs corresponding to the occurrence of a plurality of events. When a plurality of events occur, the external device (200) may transmit a first tracking log response containing a tracking log that can prove the fact of the event occurrence. Here, the plurality of events may mean events in which content is being played at a plurality of predetermined times.

[0183] According to the embodiment (605), the plurality of events may refer to an event in which content is being played at a time (t_e1) corresponding to the first quartile of the total playback time of the content, an event in which content is being played at a time (t_e2) corresponding to the second quartile, an event in which content is being played at a time (t_e3) corresponding to the third quartile, and an event in which content is being played at a time (t_e4) corresponding to the fourth quartile.

[0184] Here, assuming the content is 16 seconds long, multiple events may refer to events where the content is playing at 4, 8, 12, and 16 seconds, respectively.

[0185] Here, te1, te2, te3, and te4 may represent predetermined times corresponding to the first tracking log request. Therefore, if content is being played normally on an external device (200), the electronic device (100) can expect to receive the first tracking log response at each of the times te1, te2, te3, and te4 after the content has been played.

[0186] Actually, the time at which the electronic device (100) receives the first trace log response corresponding to the first trace log request may be ta1, ta2, ta3, ta4.

[0187] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value using mathematical formula 1 (610).

[0188]

[0189] According to one embodiment, the average value of the first ratio value can be obtained using mathematical formula 1 (610).

[0190] Here, t_ex may mean a predetermined time corresponding to the first trace log request. The predetermined time may mean the time of event occurrence or the expected time of event for the first trace log request. Here, t_ax may mean the time at which the first trace log response corresponding to the first trace log request was received (or generated).

[0191] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain the average value of the first ratio value using mathematical formula 2 (615).

[0192]

[0193] Here, n may represent the total number of events for the first trace log request. Since t_ex and t_ax are identical to Equation 1, a redundant explanation is omitted.

[0194] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value using mathematical formula 3 (620).

[0195]

[0196] Here, t_ex and t_ax are identical to Equation 1, so redundant explanation is omitted.

[0197] When the electronic device (100) obtains the first ratio value using mathematical formula 3 (620), the same value can be obtained not only when the first tracking log response is received earlier than the expected time, but also when the first tracking log response is received later than the expected time.

[0198] For example, if the expected time is 4 seconds, assume an example in which the actual response is received at 3 seconds and an example in which it is received at 5 seconds. Using Equation 1 (610), the first ratio value for the example in which the response is received at 3 seconds may be 3 / 4, and the first ratio value for the example in which the response is received at 5 seconds may be 5 / 4. Here, the first ratio value for each example may be different even if the response is received 1 second earlier or 1 second later than the expected time of 4 seconds.

[0199] However, using Equation 3 (620), the first ratio value for the embodiment in which the response is received at 3 seconds is 3 / 4, and the first ratio value for the embodiment in which the response is received at 5 seconds is 3 / 4. Therefore, using Equation 3 (620), a balanced ratio value based on the expected time can be obtained.

[0200] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain the average value of the first ratio value using mathematical formula 4 (625).

[0201]

[0202] Here, t_ex and t_ax are identical to Equation 1, and n is identical to Equation 2, so redundant explanation is omitted.

[0203] Meanwhile, the electronic device (100) can calculate the number of times the average value of the first ratio value is less than the threshold value using mathematical formula 5 (630).

[0204]

[0205] Here, n_s may represent the number of times content was identified as not playing properly. Here, count() may represent a function that calculates the count. Here, average ratio value may represent the average value of the first ratio values. Here, threshold may represent a predetermined threshold value.

[0206] The electronic device (100) may request that content be provided to an external device multiple times. And, the average value of the first ratio value may be obtained each time the content is played. And, the electronic device (100) may identify whether the average value of the first ratio value is less than a threshold value for each multiple content playback request. And, the number of cases where the average value of the first ratio value is less than the threshold value may be counted and stored as n_s.

[0207] Meanwhile, the electronic device (100) can obtain the reliability of an external device using mathematical formula (635).

[0208]

[0209] Here, n_s may represent the number of times content is identified as not playing normally. Here, n_total may represent the total number of requests for content playback. Consequently, confidence may represent the ratio of the number of times content is judged to be playing normally out of the total number of content playbacks performed on an external device. For example, if 4 out of 10 content playback requests are judged to be abnormal, the confidence may be 0.6.

[0210] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment.

[0211] Referring to the embodiment (705) of FIG. 7, it is assumed that the plurality of events are a first quartile replay event, a second quartile replay event, a third quartile replay event, and a fourth quartile replay event. And, it is assumed that the predetermined times corresponding to the first trace log request are 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds, and 16 seconds, and that the times at which the first trace log response is received are 3 seconds, 7 seconds, 11 seconds, and 16 seconds.

[0212] Here, the average value of the first ratio value may differ depending on whether the time at which the first trace log response was received is calculated as a relative time or an absolute time.

[0213] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value by using the time at which the first tracking log response is received as a relative time. The reference for the relative time may be a unit time. Here, the unit time may mean a time interval that distinguishes playback events.

[0214] For example, if 16 seconds of content is divided into quartiles, the unit time may be 4 seconds. And, the electronic device (100) can determine when a response was received based on the unit time of 4 seconds.

[0215] Referring to the calculation process (710), the response corresponding to the first quartile playback event was received at 3 seconds based on a unit time of 4 seconds. Then, the response corresponding to the second quartile playback event was received at 3 seconds based on a unit time of 4 seconds. Then, the response corresponding to the third quartile playback event was received at 3 seconds based on a unit time of 4 seconds. Therefore, the first ratio values ​​corresponding to the first to third quartile playback events can all be 3 / 4.

[0216] And, the response corresponding to the fourth quartile playback event was received at 4 seconds based on a unit time of 4 seconds. Therefore, the first ratio value corresponding to the fourth quartile playback event may be 4 / 4.

[0217] And, the average value of the first ratio value calculated using relative time may be 0.81 (rounded to the third decimal place).

[0218] According to another embodiment, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first ratio value by using the time at which the first tracking log response was received as the absolute time.

[0219] Referring to the calculation process (715), the response corresponding to the first quartile playback event was received at 3 seconds. Then, the response corresponding to the second quartile playback event was received at 7 seconds. Then, the response corresponding to the third quartile playback event was received at 11 seconds. Then, the response corresponding to the fourth quartile playback event was received at 16 seconds. Thus, the first ratio value corresponding to the first quartile playback event may be 3 / 4, the first ratio value corresponding to the second quartile playback event may be 7 / 8, the first ratio value corresponding to the third quartile playback event may be 11 / 12, and the first ratio value corresponding to the fourth quartile playback event may be 16 / 16.

[0220] And, the average value of the first ratio value calculated using absolute time may be 0.89 (rounded to the third decimal place).

[0221] When calculating the first ratio value using relative time, weights can be applied equally to each event, whereas when calculating the first ratio value using absolute time, a higher weight can be applied to events occurring early in content playback. For example, when using absolute time, even though the first tracking log response was received 1 second earlier than the expected time, the first ratio value corresponding to the third quartile playback event may be 1 1 / 12, which is close to 1. Therefore, using absolute time can have the same effect as setting a low weight for the latter part of content playback.

[0222] In subsequent embodiments, calculations are performed using relative time for convenience of explanation.

[0223] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment.

[0224] Referring to the embodiment (805) of FIG. 8, it is assumed that a plurality of events are a first quartile playback event, a second quartile playback event, a third quartile playback event, and a fourth quartile playback event. Furthermore, it is assumed that the predetermined times corresponding to the first tracking log request are 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds, and 16 seconds, and that the times at which the first tracking log response is received are 3 seconds and 7 seconds. That is, only the response corresponding to the first quartile playback event is received, and other responses may not be received. The embodiment (805) may be an embodiment in which content is provided only between 4 seconds and 8 seconds. For example, the embodiment (805) may be a situation in which content provided by an external device to a consumer is interrupted midway.

[0225] Referring to the calculation process (810), if the budget time for the first quartile playback event is 4 seconds and the response corresponding to the first quartile is 3 seconds, the first ratio value may be 3 / 4 and the average value of the first ratio value may also be 3 / 4.

[0226] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a configuration for obtaining ratio values ​​and average values ​​according to another embodiment.

[0227] Referring to the embodiment (905) of FIG. 9, it is assumed that a plurality of events are a first quartile playback event, a second quartile playback event, a third quartile playback event, and a fourth quartile playback event. Furthermore, it is assumed that the predetermined times corresponding to the first tracking log request are 4 seconds, 8 seconds, 12 seconds, and 16 seconds, and that the time at which the first tracking log response is received is 0 seconds. That is, it is assumed that all four responses corresponding to the first quartile playback event to the fourth quartile playback event are received at 0 seconds. The embodiment (905) may imply a situation where content is being played abnormally, and abnormal playback may be suspected.

[0228] Referring to the calculation process (910), the first ratio value corresponding to the first quartile regeneration event to the fourth quartile regeneration event is 0, and the average value of the first ratio value may also be 0.

[0229] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate of multiple events generated from an external device.

[0230] Referring to FIG. 10, a plurality of events may include at least one of a start, a first quartile playback event, a second quartile playback event, a third quartile playback event, a fourth quartile playback event (playback completion event), a pause event (pause selection event), a normal playback event (play button selection event), and a screen size change event.

[0231] Referring to the table (1005), the electronic device (100) can obtain the number of occurrences of multiple events and the distribution rate for each of the multiple events.

[0232] Referring to the graph (1010), the distribution rate of the first quartile playback event, the second quartile playback event, the third quartile playback event, and the fourth quartile playback event may gradually decrease. This is because there are cases where the content is stopped before it is completed as it starts. Generally, the first part of the content is watched completely, but depending on the consumer, the viewing of the content may be stopped midway, so the distribution rate of the first quartile playback event, the second quartile playback event, the third quartile playback event, and the fourth quartile playback event may gradually decrease.

[0233] The electronic device (100) can determine abnormal playback of content based on the distribution rate for each event. For example, if the distribution rate of the first quartile playback event, the second quartile playback event, the third quartile playback event, and the fourth quartile playback event does not gradually decrease, the electronic device (100) can determine that the external device (200) is not playing the content normally.

[0234] As another example, if the distribution rate of screen size change events is above a threshold, the electronic device (100) may determine that the external device (200) is not playing the content normally. This is because when content is played illegally, there may be cases where the screen size is changed unnecessarily many times. Here, the screen size change events can be subdivided. Specifically, if the distribution rate of events changing to a specific screen size is above a threshold, the electronic device (100) may determine that the external device (200) is not playing the content normally.

[0235] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of analyzing trace log responses received at different periods.

[0236] Referring to FIG. 11, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request for a first period to an external device (200) (S1105). Here, the first period may refer to a predetermined time interval. For example, the first period may be one week. The electronic device (100) can request the external device (200) to transmit a response to an event that occurs during the one week.

[0237] The external device (200) can generate a first trace log response during a first period (S1110). Then, the external device (200) can transmit the first trace log response generated during the first period to the electronic device (100) (S1115).

[0238] The electronic device (100) can store a first tracking log response of a first period received from an external device (200) (S1120). Then, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request of a second period to the external device (200) (S1125).

[0239] And, the external device (200) can generate a first tracking log response during the second period (S1130). And, the external device (200) can transmit the first tracking log response generated during the second period to the electronic device (100) (S1135).

[0240] The electronic device (100) can store a first tracking log response of a second period received from an external device (200) (S1140). Then, the electronic device (100) can compare the first tracking log response of the first period with the first tracking log response of the second period (S1145).

[0241] Specifically, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first event-specific distribution rate by analyzing a first tracking log response received during a first period. Then, the electronic device (100) can obtain a second event-specific distribution rate by analyzing a first tracking log response received during a second period. Furthermore, the electronic device (100) can obtain a difference value of the distribution rate of each event based on the first event-specific distribution rate and the second event-specific distribution rate. For example, it can identify how much the distribution rate corresponding to the first quartile regeneration event differs between the first period and the second period.

[0242] The electronic device (100) can obtain a difference value of the distribution rate for each of the multiple events. Then, it can identify whether at least one difference value of the event distribution rate among the multiple difference values ​​of the event distribution rates is less than a threshold value (S1150). Here, if at least one difference value of the event distribution rate is less than the threshold value (S1150-Y), the electronic device (100) can transmit the content and the first tracking log request of the third period to the external device (200) (S1155). Then, it can receive the first tracking log response of the third period and compare the event-specific distribution rates of the second period and the third period.

[0243] If the difference value of at least one event distribution rate is greater than or equal to a threshold value (S1150-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played on the external device (200) (S1160).

[0244] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate of trace log responses received during different periods by event.

[0245] Referring to the table (1205) in FIG. 12, the electronic device (100) can obtain a plurality of event-specific distribution rates in a first period (e.g., the first week) and a second period (e.g., the second week).

[0246] Referring to the graph (1210) of FIG. 12, the electronic device (100) can compare the distribution rates of events in a first period and a second period, and can obtain the difference value of the distribution rates of events between the first period and the second period. Some events may have an increased distribution rate compared to the first period, while other events may have a decreased distribution rate compared to the first period.

[0247] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment for receiving estimated log responses from multiple external devices.

[0248] Referring to FIG. 13, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request for a specific period to a first external device (200-1) (S1305). Then, the electronic device (100) can transmit content and a first tracking log request for a specific period to an nth external device (200-n) (S1310). Here, the specific period may refer to two adjacent periods, and may refer to a first period and a second period. Accordingly, the electronic device (100) can request a plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) to transmit a first tracking log response generated during the first period and a first tracking log response generated during the second period.

[0249] Additionally, the first external device (200-1) can generate a first tracking log response and transmit the generated first tracking log response to the electronic device (100) (S1315). Then, the nth external device (200-n) can generate a first tracking log response and transmit the generated first tracking log response to the electronic device (100) (S1320).

[0250] The electronic device (100) can receive a plurality of first trace log responses from a first external device (200-1) to an nth external device (200-n).

[0251] The electronic device (100) can obtain an event-specific distribution rate for each of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n). Specifically, the electronic device (100) can obtain a first event-specific distribution rate for each of the first period and a second event-specific distribution rate for each of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) (S1325).

[0252] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain the difference value of the distribution rate for each event that occurred during the first period and the second period for each of the plurality of external devices (S1330). For example, the electronic device (100) can obtain the difference value of the distribution rate for each event that occurred during the first period and the second period for each event. For example, referring to the table (1205) in FIG. 12, if the distribution rate of the start event of the first period is identified as 0.22 and the distribution rate of the start event of the second period is identified as 0.24, the electronic device (100) can obtain the difference value of the distribution rate of the start event as 0.02. Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain the difference value of the distribution rate for every event.

[0253] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain the average of the difference values ​​of the event-specific distribution rates for each of the multiple external devices based on the difference values ​​of the event-specific distribution rates that occurred during the first period and the second period for each of the multiple external devices (S1335). Here, the average of the difference values ​​of the event-specific distribution rates for each of the multiple external devices may mean the value calculated by averaging the difference values ​​of the distribution rates for all events. Referring to the table (1205) in FIG. 12, the average value can be calculated for the difference values ​​of the distribution rates of eight events, and the average value may be 0.0225. Meanwhile, according to an implementation example, the electronic device (100) can obtain the average value of the difference values ​​of the distribution rates obtained for each event. Here, the electronic device (100) may apply different weights to each event based on the importance of the event.

[0254] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can store the average (or average value) obtained in step S1335 as the rate of change for each of the multiple external devices (S1340). Consequently, the average obtained in step S1335 may represent a value indicating how much the event distribution of the external devices has changed during the first and second periods. Therefore, the average (or average value) obtained in step S1335 can be recorded as the rate of change.

[0255] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can obtain a degree of change for each of the multiple external devices based on the rate of change for each of the multiple external devices obtained in step S1340 (S1345). Here, the degree of change may refer to distribution information indicating the degree of change in the rate of change of one external device relative to the distribution of the rates of change of all multiple external devices. Specifically, the degree of change may include the degree indicating whether the rate of change of one external device has changed relatively much or little when considering the rates of change of all external devices.

[0256] Additionally, the electronic device (100) can determine whether the degree of change of each of the plurality of external devices is within a threshold range (S1350). Then, if the degree of change is within the threshold range (S1350-Y), it can receive a first tracking log response from the plurality of external devices and repeat steps S1305 to S1350. If the degree of change is outside the threshold range (S1350-N), the electronic device (100) can identify that the content was not played normally on the external device having a degree of change outside the threshold range (S1355).

[0257] Meanwhile, the embodiment of FIG. 13 describes a process of using the average of the difference values ​​of the distribution rates for each event to obtain the change rate of each of the multiple external devices. Here, a separate distribution function may be used to obtain the change rate of each of the multiple external devices. The process of obtaining the change rate using a separate distribution function is described later in FIG. 14.

[0258] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the operation of analyzing estimated log responses received from multiple external devices.

[0259] Referring to FIG. 14, the electronic device (100) can obtain the change of each of a plurality of external devices. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can obtain the change of each of a plurality of external devices using Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL divergence, KLD).

[0260] Equation (1405) may represent a function corresponding to the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Here, Equation (1405) may represent an expression corresponding to a discrete random variable. Here, D_KL may represent the degree of variation obtained using the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Here, P(x) and Q(x) may represent probability distributions for two random variables.

[0261] P(x) may represent the event distribution rate for the first period, and Q(x) may represent the event distribution rate for the second period. Here, x represents a variable distinguishing events, and X may represent the total number of events.

[0262] For example, referring to the table (1205) in Fig. 12, there may be a total of 8 events, and x1=star, x2=first quartile, x3=second quartile, x4=third quartile, x5=complete, x6=pause, x7=play, x8=size.

[0263] For example, P(x) may represent the event distribution rate for the first period (first week), and P(x1)=0.22, P(x2)=0.20, P(x3)=0.17, P(x4)=0.15, P(x5)=0.13, P(x6)=0.04, P(x7)=0.02, and P(x8)=0.07.

[0264] For example, Q(x) may represent the event distribution rate for the second period (second week), and Q(x1)=0.24, Q(x2)=0.20, Q(x3)=0.16, Q(x4)=0.12, Q(x5)=0.08, Q(x6)=0.06, Q(x7)=0.04, and Q(x8)=0.10.

[0265] Here, X can mean a total of 8 events (x1 to x8).

[0266] The electronic device (100) can obtain a change corresponding to an external device using mathematical formula (1405).

[0267] In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the difference in distribution rate and the average of the difference values ​​for the first and second periods were calculated through steps S1330 and S1335, but in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL divergence, KLD) function can be used directly to obtain the degree of variation. D_KL may represent the degree of variation.

[0268] Here, a graph (1410) can be obtained by taking the logarithm of the change for each of the multiple external devices. Although the graph (1410) reflects the logarithm, depending on the implementation example, a comparison operation for the multiple external devices can be performed even without reflecting the logarithm. Referring to the graph (1410), a value between -22 and -2 can be obtained by taking the logarithm of the change.

[0269] Here, the graph (1410) may represent the distribution rate of the change rate of each of the multiple external devices. Referring to the graph (1410), the change rate distribution may be divided into three sections. The change rate distribution may be divided into a first section (tr1, 1421) in which the change rate is less than a first threshold value (1411), a second section (tr2, 1422) in which the change rate is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (1411) and less than a second threshold value (1412), and a third section (tr3, 1423) in which the change rate is greater than or equal to the second threshold value (1412).

[0270] The electronic device (100) can identify external devices included in the group (1431) having a degree of change corresponding to the first interval (tr1, 1421) as having a small change in event distribution. Additionally, external devices included in the group having a degree of change corresponding to the second interval (tr2, 1422) can identify external devices as having a general change in event distribution. Additionally, external devices included in the group (1432) having a degree of change corresponding to the third interval (tr3, 1423) can identify external devices as having a large change in event distribution.

[0271] Meanwhile, the electronic device (100) can identify that the external device corresponding to the group (1431) and the group (1432) is not playing the content normally. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can identify that the external device (200) is not playing the content normally if the degree of change is less than the first threshold (1411) or greater than the second threshold (1412).

[0272] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the distribution rate by event at different times of some external devices.

[0273] The graph (1505) of FIG. 15 shows the event-specific distribution rate of an external device included in a group (1431) having a change rate corresponding to the first interval (tr1, 1421) in FIG. 14. The external device having a change rate corresponding to the first interval (tr1, 1421) may have an event-specific distribution rate similar in both the first period and the second period. The electronic device (100) can identify an abnormal playback situation if the event-specific distribution rates of the first period and the second period are too similar.

[0274] The graph (1510) of FIG. 15 represents the distribution rate by event of an external device included in a group (1432) having a change rate corresponding to the third section (tr3, 1423) in FIG. 14. The distribution rate by event of an external device having a change rate corresponding to the third section (tr3, 1423) may differ between the first period and the second period. For example, a screen size change event (1511) may not be recognized in the first period but may be recognized in the second period. Therefore, the change rate of the external device corresponding to the graph (1510) may be formed to be high. The electronic device (100) can identify an abnormal playback situation if the distribution rate by event between the first period and the second period is too different.

[0275] Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating the process of providing content online.

[0276] Referring to Fig. 16, advertisers can provide advertisements to consumers using ad tech. Ad tech can refer to technology that connects advertisers and consumers using digital big data.

[0277] An advertiser (1601, Advertiser) can provide its advertisements to consumers. The advertiser can provide advertisements and pay an advertising fee to the media that provided the advertisements. Specifically, the advertiser (1601) can commission an advertisement (or advertising content) to an advertiser-side platform (1602, DSP, Demand Side Platform).

[0278] The advertiser side platform (1602, DSP, Demand Side Platform) may be an advertising site purchasing platform. Specifically, the advertiser side platform (1602) may select media to display advertisements on behalf of the advertiser.

[0279] An ad exchange (1603) may refer to an ad network platform that performs ad brokerage. An ad exchange (1603) may be connected to multiple ad networks. Additionally, an ad exchange (1603) may broker ad transactions through auctions between an advertiser-side platform (1602) and a supplier-side platform (1605). While the ad exchange (1603) is linked with an ad network (1604), it may also connect the advertiser-side platform (1602) and the supplier-side platform (1605).

[0280] An ad network (1604) may refer to a network that connects multiple media. It may be inconvenient for an advertiser (1601) to connect to each media individually. An ad network (1604) may be provided to the advertiser (1601), and the advertiser (1601) may display advertisements on multiple media on an ad network (1604) basis.

[0281] A supply side platform (1605, SSP, Supply Side Platform) may refer to a platform that performs the function of connecting an advertiser (1601) that brings high revenue to the media (1606) in response to an ad request from the media (1606). Here, the supply side platform (1605) can connect to an ad exchange (1603) to identify an advertiser suitable for the media (1606) among multiple advertisers.

[0282] A medium (1606, Publisher) may refer to a program or device that displays advertisements. Here, the medium (1606) may collect specific advertisements from an advertiser (1601) on a set schedule or by clicks, and provide the collected specific advertisements to consumers (1607).

[0283] Consumers (1607) can watch advertisements from advertisers (1601) through media (1606).

[0284] Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating a learning model for outputting the reliability of an external device.

[0285] Referring to FIG. 17, the electronic device (100) can acquire reliability for an external device. Specifically, the electronic device (100) can acquire reliability by using a machine learning model (1705). The electronic device (100) can use at least one of information related to a first trace log request, information related to a first trace log response, and computational information as input data for the machine learning model (1705).

[0286] Here, the information related to the first tracking log request may refer to the event type, the estimated time of the event, etc. For example, the event type may refer to a pre-determined suspicious event (suspected ad fraud). The event may be playback, pause, mute, volume change, screen size change, etc.

[0287] Here, information related to the first tracking log response may mean at least one of the time when a predetermined event occurred, the time when the first tracking log response was generated, and the time when the first tracking log response was received. Meanwhile, information related to the first tracking log response may include at least one of the time when pause was enabled, the time when mute was enabled, the size of the changed volume, and the size of the changed screen.

[0288] Here, other information may refer to information related to the calculation method for determining reliability. Other information may include at least one of the following: a time type for determining whether absolute time or relative time is used in the calculation method of the first ratio value, the first ratio value, the average value of the first ratio value, the second ratio value, the average value of the second ratio value, the distribution rate of events occurring in the first period, the distribution rate of events occurring in the second period, the difference value between the distribution rates of events occurring in the first and second periods, the average of the difference value, the degree of variation, and the P-value of the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL divergence, KLD).

[0289] The machine learning model (1705) can receive at least one of information related to a first trace log request, information related to a first trace log response, and calculation information as input data, and can calculate reliability as output data.

[0290] FIG. 18 is a drawing for explaining a method of controlling an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0291] Referring to FIG. 18, a control method of an electronic device (100) according to the present embodiment includes the steps of: transmitting content and a first tracking log request to an external device (200) (S1805); when a first tracking log response corresponding to the first tracking log request is received from the external device (200), obtaining a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request (S1810); transmitting a second tracking log request to the external device (200) at any time (S1815); identifying whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device (200) (S1820); and identifying whether the content is played normally based on at least one of the first ratio value and whether the second tracking log response is received (S1825).

[0292] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining a second ratio value between the time at which the second tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally (S1825) may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first ratio value and the second ratio value.

[0293] Meanwhile, the step (S1825) of identifying whether the content is played normally can identify that the content is played normally on an external device (200) if the first ratio value is a first threshold range and the second ratio value is a second threshold range, and the second threshold range may be wider than the first threshold range.

[0294] Meanwhile, the first tracking log request may include a control command requesting the transmission of a tracking log regarding whether a predetermined event occurred on an external device (200), and the predetermined event may include at least one of a content start event, a content playback event, a content completion event, a pause event, a playback input event, a forced termination event, a mute event, a volume change event, a screen size change event, a picture quality change event, and a playback speed change event.

[0295] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining an accumulated value by counting the occurrence of a predetermined event when the first tracking log response is identified as a tracking log generated based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, and the step of identifying whether the content is played normally (S1825) may identify whether the content is played normally based on the obtained accumulated value.

[0296] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of determining an arbitrary time to transmit a second tracking log request based on a predetermined time corresponding to a first tracking log request.

[0297] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of transmitting a first tracking log request including a plurality of detailed requests to an external device (200), and when a plurality of first tracking log responses corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests are received from the external device (200), the step of obtaining an average value of a plurality of first ratio values ​​between a time when the plurality of first tracking log responses are received and a predetermined time corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally (S1825) may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the obtained average value and whether a second tracking log response is received.

[0298] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining a first distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a first period, and the step of obtaining a second distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a second period, and the step of identifying whether the content is being played normally (S1825) may identify whether the content is being played normally based on the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0299] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of transmitting a first tracking log request including content and a plurality of detailed requests to a plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) and the step of obtaining a change degree corresponding to each of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received from the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) during a first period and a second period, and the step of identifying whether the content is played normally (S1825) may identify that the content is played normally in the external device (200) if the change degree corresponding to one of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) is within a third threshold range, and the change degree may be a value that relatively quantifies the change in the distribution of events that occurred in the external device (200) between the first period and the second period based on the plurality of first tracking log responses.

[0300] Meanwhile, the control method may further include the step of obtaining the reliability of each of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n) based on a first ratio value obtained from each of the plurality of external devices (200-1 to 200-n), whether a second tracking log response is received, and a difference value between the first distribution rate and the second distribution rate.

[0301] Meanwhile, a control method for an electronic device such as that shown in FIG. 18 can be executed on an electronic device having the configuration of FIG. 1, and can also be executed on an electronic device having other configurations.

[0302] Meanwhile, the methods according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented in the form of an application that can be installed on an existing electronic device.

[0303] In addition, the methods according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented by software upgrades or hardware upgrades alone for existing electronic devices.

[0304] In addition, the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may also be performed through an embedded server equipped in an electronic device, or through an external server among at least one of the electronic device and the display device.

[0305] Meanwhile, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the various embodiments described above may be implemented as software comprising instructions stored on a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a computer). The machine may include electronic devices according to the disclosed embodiments, which are devices capable of calling instructions stored from the storage medium and operating according to the called instructions. When instructions are executed by a processor, the processor may perform a function corresponding to the instructions directly or by using other components under the control of the processor. Instructions may include code generated or executed by a compiler or an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" means only that the storage medium does not contain a signal and is tangible, and does not distinguish whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily in the storage medium.

[0306] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method according to the various embodiments described above may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an application store (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0307] Additionally, each component (e.g., module or program) according to the various embodiments described above may be composed of a single or multiple entities, and some of the aforementioned sub-components may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in the various embodiments. Generally or additionally, some components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single entity to perform the functions performed by each of the respective components prior to integration in the same or similar manner. The operations performed by the module, program, or other components according to the various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or at least some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations added.

[0308] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. It is understood that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical spirit or perspective of the present disclosure. Explanation of the symbols

[0309] 100: Electronic device 110: Memory 120: Communication interface 130: Processor

Claims

Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: a memory; a communication interface; and a processor that controls the communication interface to transmit content and a first tracking log request to an external device, wherein the first tracking log request is a request to transmit a tracking log to indicate content playback at a predetermined time, and when a first tracking log response corresponding to the predetermined time is received from the external device, obtains a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and the predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request, controls the communication interface to transmit a second tracking log request to the external device at an arbitrary time, wherein the second tracking log request is a request to transmit a tracking log to indicate content playback at an arbitrary time, identifies whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device, and identifies whether the content is normally played based on the first ratio value and the second tracking log response. Claim 2 An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor obtains a second ratio value between the time at which the second tracking log response is received and a predetermined time corresponding to the second tracking log request, and identifies whether the content is played normally based on the first ratio value and the second ratio value. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the processor identifies that the content is played normally on the external device when the first ratio value is a first threshold range and the second ratio value is a second threshold range, and the electronic device wherein the second threshold range is wider than the first threshold range. Claim 4 An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first tracking log request includes a control command requesting the transmission of a tracking log regarding whether a predetermined event occurred in the external device, and the predetermined event includes at least one of a content start event, a content playback event, a content completion event, a pause event, a playback input event, a forced termination event, a mute event, a volume change event, a screen size change event, a picture quality change event, and a playback speed change event. Claim 5 An electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the processor, when the first trace log response is identified as a trace log generated based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, counts the occurrence of the predetermined event to obtain an accumulated value, and identifies whether the content is played normally based on the first ratio value, the second trace log response, and the obtained accumulated value. Claim 6 An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines the arbitrary time for transmitting the second tracking log request such that the predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request does not overlap with the arbitrary time. Claim 7 An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor controls the communication interface to transmit a first tracking log request including a plurality of detailed requests to the external device, and when a plurality of first tracking log responses corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests are received from the external device, obtains an average value of a plurality of first ratio values ​​between a time when the plurality of first tracking log responses are received and a predetermined time corresponding to the plurality of detailed requests, and identifies whether the content is being played normally based on the average value of the first ratio values ​​and the second tracking log response. Claim 8 An electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the processor obtains a first distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a first period, obtains a second distribution rate for each of a plurality of events corresponding to a plurality of first tracking log responses based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received during a second period, and identifies whether the content is played normally based on the first ratio value, the second tracking log response, the first distribution rate, and the second distribution rate. Claim 9 An electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the processor controls the communication interface to transmit a first tracking log request including content and a plurality of detailed requests to a plurality of external devices, obtains a degree of change corresponding to each of the plurality of external devices based on a plurality of first tracking log responses received from the plurality of external devices during the first period and the second period, and if the degree of change corresponding to one of the plurality of external devices is within a third threshold range, identifies that the content has been played normally in the external device, and the degree of change is a value that relatively quantifies the change in the distribution of events that occurred in the external device between the first period and the second period based on the plurality of first tracking log responses. Claim 10 delete Claim 11 A control method for an electronic device comprising: a step of transmitting content and a first tracking log request to an external device; wherein the first tracking log request is a request to transmit a tracking log to indicate content playback at a predetermined time, and when a first tracking log response corresponding to the predetermined time is received from the external device, a step of obtaining a first ratio value between the time at which the first tracking log response is received and the predetermined time corresponding to the first tracking log request; a step of transmitting a second tracking log request to the external device at an arbitrary time; a step of identifying whether a second tracking log response corresponding to the second tracking log request is received from the external device; wherein the second tracking log request is a request to transmit a tracking log to indicate content playback at an arbitrary time, and a step of identifying whether the content is normally played based on the first ratio value and the second tracking log response. Claim 12 delete Claim 13 delete Claim 14 delete Claim 15 delete Claim 16 delete Claim 17 delete Claim 18 delete Claim 19 delete Claim 20 delete

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