OCR-Based TV Program Detection Bypassing Provider APIs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interactive television technologies require provider-specific application program interfaces (APIs) for supplemental set-top boxes to determine what a consumer is watching, leading to inefficiencies and hindering scalability across various platforms.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that captures display data from a television program, evaluates it for text overlays, and extracts text information to identify the playing media program, reducing the need for provider-specific APIs by enabling communication directly between devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If provider-specific APIs are used to enable supplemental set-top box to determine currently playing program, then communication with primary set-top box is enabled, but development efficiency decreases and scalability is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal program detection mechanism that can identify currently playing programs across multiple cable and satellite providers without requiring separate APIs for each provider. The system uses OCR technology to extract program information from visual overlays displayed on the television screen, making it provider-agnostic and eliminating the need for provider-specific integration work.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using visual overlay detection as a中介 between the supplemental set-top box and the primary set-top box. Instead of direct API communication with each provider's system, the solution captures and analyzes the visual output displayed on the television screen, which serves as a universal intermediary that all providers use to present program information to consumers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If provider-specific APIs are developed for each cable or satellite television provider, then communication with primary set-top box is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a single universal program detection mechanism that works across multiple providers, eliminating the need for multiple provider-specific APIs. The OCR-based approach extracts program information from the visual overlay that is universally displayed on television screens regardless of the provider, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining broad compatibility.
3Loss of information
If supplemental set-top box sends queries to primary set-top box for program information, then currently playing program can be identified, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a self-service approach where the supplemental set-top box independently extracts program information by capturing and analyzing the visual overlay displayed on the television screen. This eliminates the need to send queries to the primary set-top box, thereby reducing communication overhead and time delays while maintaining accurate program identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The program information is already prepared and displayed in the visual overlay by the primary set-top box before the supplemental set-top box needs it. The OCR system captures this pre-prepared information directly from the screen, eliminating the need for real-time queries and reducing communication time.
Data Source
AI summary
Features of various implementations are used to enable determining what a particular consumer is watching on television in order to deliver matched functionality, content and/or services, as a part of an interactive television suite of technologies. In some implementations, the process of determining what a particular consumer is watching is enabled so that communication between the primary set-top box and a supplemental set-top box and/or television integrated device is reduced, thereby avoiding the need for one or more provider specific APIs. For example, one aspect of the disclosure is a computer-implemented method of identifying a media program by capturing display data from the media program, and extracting text from the display data in response to determining that the display data includes the text overlay, wherein the extracted text is associated with the media program.