Digital Display Content Verification via Local Signature
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for verifying the display of content items by digital display devices lack robust proof of display and are inefficient in terms of bandwidth usage and computational resources, and may be vulnerable to forgery and noise introduction.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a digital display device that captures snapshots of the content item, calculates a signature locally, and transmits authentication data to a remote server for comparison with a reference signature, generating an authentication token if they match, using techniques like locality sensitive hashing and Merkle trees to ensure robustness and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If content authentication data is transmitted to verify display, then proof of display is provided, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential authentication information (signature of the snapshot) from the complete content item, transmitting only this compact data to the server for verification. This eliminates the need to transmit entire content items or large portions of them, significantly reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining verification reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of transmitting the actual content item for verification, the system creates a cryptographic copy (signature/hash) of the displayed content and transmits this compact representation. The server can verify the original content by comparing it with its local reference, achieving verification with minimal data transmission.
2Reliability
If signature calculation is performed locally, then forgery resistance is improved, but computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or manual verification processes with cryptographic algorithms for signature generation and verification. This substitution enables automated, secure verification with relatively low computational overhead, as cryptographic hashing is computationally efficient compared to other verification methods.
3Reliability
If optical sensors are used to capture snapshots, then display verification is achieved, but susceptibility to noise and distortions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies image processing techniques that transform the captured snapshot into a standardized format, adjusting parameters such as resolution, brightness, and geometric transformations to compensate for distortions. This normalization process reduces the impact of noise and distortions before cryptographic verification, maintaining reliability despite environmental variations.
4Reliability
If multiple snapshots are captured for verification, then proof robustness is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple snapshots into a single composite representation or processes them sequentially to generate individual signatures that are then aggregated. This merging approach maintains the robustness benefits of multiple snapshots while simplifying the verification process by reducing multiple complex processing streams into a unified verification workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for verifying a content item displayed by a digital display device comprising a central unit and a digital screen controlled by the central unit. A signature is calculated automatically based on snapshots of the content item that are captured at the display device, and this signature is transmitted to a remote server that compares this signature with a similar signature calculated based on a scheduled content item expected to be displayed on the digital screen and, if the signature of the displayed content item corresponds to the signature of the scheduled content item, a token authenticating the displayed content item is generated.