Advertisement Marker Insertion for Broadcast Auditing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing techniques for verifying adherence to predefined advertisement airing specifications are either costly, prone to human error, or overly reliant on broadcasters for marker placement, and fail to provide detailed information about advertisement airing parameters.

Innovation Solution

Insertion of advertisement identification markers between the start and end of an advertisement, which can be steganographically embedded within frames, allowing for accurate determination of airing parameters such as duration and broadcast details, thereby enabling comparison with predefined specifications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If monitoring personnel are hired to watch broadcasts and manually measure advertisement parameters, then advertisement airing compliance can be verified, but labor costs increase and human error is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvertisement auditing accuracyVSAvoidauditing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of human monitoring personnel with an automated electronic system that detects advertisement markers in the broadcast signal. The system uses a detector to identify markers inserted at the start and end of advertisements, automatically determining airing parameters without human intervention, thereby eliminating labor costs and human error while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces advertisement markers as intermediary elements that are inserted into the broadcast signal to carry information about advertisement boundaries. These markers serve as a mediator between the advertisement content and the detection system, enabling automatic identification and measurement of advertisement parameters without requiring complex signal analysis or human monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If markers are encoded in ancillary channels (VBI or overscan region), then advertisement detection can be automated, but ancillary channels are monopolized and other important data cannot be transmitted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomated detection efficiencyVSAvoidancillary data transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent moves the advertisement marker information from the spatial domain (ancillary channels like VBI or overscan region) to the temporal domain by inserting markers at specific time points (start and end of advertisements) within the main broadcast signal. This dimensional shift allows marker data to coexist with other ancillary data transmissions without monopolizing the ancillary channels

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If broadcasters control marker encoding in ancillary channels, then implementation is simplified, but advertiser control over audit accuracy is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarker implementation easeVSAvoidaudit independence

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by having the advertiser (or advertiser's representative) control the insertion of advertisement markers into the broadcast signal, rather than relying on the broadcaster to encode markers. This reversal ensures that the entity being audited (advertiser) controls the audit mechanism, guaranteeing independence and accuracy while maintaining implementation simplicity through standardized marker insertion procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9027051B2Determining whether an advertisement aired in accordance with predefined airing specifications

Publication Date: 2015.05.05 ACCENTURE GLOBAL SERVICES LTD

AI summary

A method and computing devices are provided for determining whether an advertisement aired in accordance with predefined airing specifications. A plurality of advertisement identification markers may be inserted into an advertisement by a first computing device. The plurality of advertisement identification markers may be inserted between the start and end of the advertisement. A second computing device may receive a broadcast stream including the advertisement having the plurality of advertisement identification markers. Airing parameters of the advertisement may be determined by the second computing device based on the advertisement identification markers. The airing parameters of the advertisement may be compared with predefined airing specifications corresponding to the advertisement. Auditing data may be generated that describes whether or not the advertisement aired in accordance with the predefined airing specifications.