Watermark Detection for Ad Playback Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Advertisers face challenges in ensuring that inserted advertisements are actually played by users, as existing systems allow for circumvention through functions like fast forwarding, muting, or masking, which can lead to a lack of revenue for content providers if advertisers cannot guarantee ad playback.

Innovation Solution

A processor-based system with a watermark detector embedded in media players ensures that watermarked advertising content is played as intended by monitoring playback speed and duration, and reports validation to advertisers, allowing decryption of content and potential rewards for users.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users are allowed to fast forward, mute, or mask advertising material, then user convenience is improved, but ad playback reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser convenienceVSAvoidad playback reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system embeds watermarks in advertising material and uses detectors to monitor playback. The detector provides feedback about whether the ad was played correctly (not fast-forwarded, muted, or masked), allowing the system to verify ad playback reliability while still permitting user control functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

Watermarks serve as an intermediary element embedded in the advertising material. These watermarks act as a mediator between the advertiser and the user, enabling verification of ad playback without directly interfering with user control capabilities like fast-forwarding or muting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If watermark detection is implemented to ensure ad playback, then ad playback reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvead playback reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The watermark detection system is integrated into the media player itself, allowing the device to self-verify ad playback. The player automatically detects watermarks and determines whether ads were played correctly without requiring external verification systems, thereby managing complexity within the device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of energy

If advertisers require guaranteed ad playback, then ad revenue is improved, but content accessibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvead revenueVSAvoidcontent accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Watermarks are embedded in advertising material during the content creation phase, before distribution. This preliminary action ensures that verification capability is already built into the ad material, allowing advertisers to guarantee playback without requiring additional measures that would restrict user access to content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS7761327B1Ensuring that advertisements are played

Publication Date: 2010.07.20 INTEL CORP

AI summary

A system may confirm that advertising was played as originally intended. For example, in one embodiment, a system may determine that an advertisement was played as originally intended and in return, a credit may be provided to the user. This credit may be the ability to play content that the user wishes to play or the credit may be in the form of rewards that are provided to the user, as another example. Thus, the system determines whether the advertisements are played correctly, for example, by detecting watermarks encoded within the advertising, and in return, provides indications that reward the user for playing the advertisement as intended.