Abstract:
A method of limiting the number of presentations or observations of information items, such as advertising images, that are repetitively distributed among a plurality of transmitted materials is presented. In accordance with the principles of the invention, information items are compared, using identifiable properties, to similarly identified information items that have been previously received and stored in a dynamically created and updated data base of information items. When a count of number of the occurrences of a selected information item with same, or substantially similar, identifiable properties achieves a selectively set threshold value, the selected information item is precluded from being presented or observed in subsequent transmissions or broadcasts.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to content based filtering techniques. More specifically, to a method of limiting the number of observations of a repeating information item. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In commercial television broadcast, whether are by wireless radio frequency broadcast, cable or satellite transmission, a significant portion of the broadcast time is devoted to advertisements for products, upcoming programming or station identification. For example, in the United States, network television broadcasts, product advertisements, i.e., commercials, are distributed within the theatrical portion of the broadcast regularly at 15 minute intervals. In some cases, the distribution of the theatrical image are more frequent, occurring, for example, at ten minute intervals. 
     Commercial and other non-theatrical interruptions, while needed to fund the production and transmission of television programs, become an annoyance to the viewer, as the same non-theatrical images are repeated in a single broadcast or, even, over multiple broadcasts of the same or different programs. The viewer is subjected to such a barrage of repetitive commercial content in order to impose the message upon the user. 
     Techniques for extracting commercials and other non-theatrical information items in a television broadcast are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,917, entitled, Apparatus and Method for Detection of Unwanted Broadcast, issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Lewine. Techniques disclosed therein may be used to remove all commercial and non-theatrical information from a received broadcast. However, removing all commercials and non-theatrical information items is not advantageous, as some commercial and non-theatrical information items provide information that is useful and helpful for a viewer. For example, the announcement of a future feature presentation is useful in making the viewer aware of such upcoming events. However, repeating the same announcement, within the same or even over multiple broadcasts, provides no additional information to a viewer. Similarly, repeating a weather pattern or a traffic report, which includes no additional information than a previously reported weather pattern or traffic report is merely an annoyance to a viewer or listener. 
     Thus, there is a need to selectively filter non-theatrical information content from broadcast transmissions to allow a limited number of viewing occurrences of new, or previously observed, commercial or non-theatrical content so as to avoid excessive repetition of commercial or non-theatrical information content. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method of limiting the number of observations of repetitive non-theatrical images from transmission signals containing theatrical images and non-theatrical images is disclosed. The method uniquely identifies each non-theatrical image using a signature that is developed, preferably, from an audio component of the non-theatrical image. The identifiers are recorded in a data base and a count of the occurrence of each non-theatrical image is maintained. When a selectively set known number of occurrences of a specific image is determined, the specific image is precluded from being viewed further. The dynamically constructed data base may further be applied to other transmission signals to preclude the viewing of non-theatrical images that are recorded in the data base and repeated in the other transmission signals. 
     Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 a  illustrates an exemplary television broadcast transmission and receiving configuration; 
     FIG. 1 b  illustrates a formation of an exemplary transmission broadcast signal; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system using the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 represents a block diagram of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 represents an exemplary processing flow chart illustrating the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 a  illustrates an exemplary information data stream of a exemplary broadcast signal; 
     FIG. 6 b  illustrates a concatenation of the information data stream of FIG. 4 a  in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 c  illustrates signaling markers used in concatenating the information data steam of FIG. 4 a  in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary data base created in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a second exemplary use of the invention; and 
     FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary processing in accordance with the use of the invention illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
    
    
     It is to be understood that these drawings are solely for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the invention and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. It will be appreciated that the same reference numerals, possibly supplemented with reference characters where appropriate, have been used throughout to identify corresponding parts. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 a  illustrates an exemplary television broadcast system wherein presentation generator  100  provides a theatrical video image and corresponding audio to mixer/transmitter  105 , which is coupled to a transmission means, such as antenna  125 , or not shown, a cable distribution network, a satellite network. Commercial generator  110 , in conjunction with timer  115 , provides at least one non-theatrical video and audio image to mixer/transmitter  105  on a timed or periodic basis. Thus, a series of images not related to the theatrical presentation, such as advertising, commercials, news, weather, traffic, messages, may be interposed into the transmitted presentation image on a periodic or timed basis. Similarly, special interruption generator  120 , connected to mixer/transmitter  105 , may be used to interpose a non-theatrical video image and corresponding audio signal, such as an emergency weather, traffic, disaster warning reports, etc., into, in this illustrated example, transmitted signal  128 . 
     Transmitted signal  128  when received by a corresponding receiving means, in this illustrative example, antenna  130 , is then processed by signal isolator  135 . Signal isolator  135  is a tunable receiving system, such as a television receiver, that isolates one television signal from other television signals in transmitted signal  128 . The isolated television signal may then be displayed, as illustrated, on display device  145 , e.g., a television set, a computer monitor, a liquid crystal display, etc. The isolated television signal may also be recorded on a recording device  140 . Video recording devices are well known in the art. For example, for analog television transmission, video cassette recorders (VCR) are a well known technology. For digital television transmission, digital video recorders, for example ReplayTV®, TiVo® may be used to record the digitally transmitted image. 
     FIG. 1 b  illustrates the creation of transmitted signal  128  by the merging of theatrical image  152 , generated by presentation generation  100 , and non-theatrical (commercial) image  170 , generated by commercial generator  115 . In this exemplary example, theatrical image  152  is composed of image sections V 1    154 , V 2    156 , V 3    158 , V 4    160 , V 5    162 , etc., and commercial image  170  is composed on image sections C 1    172 , C 2    174 , C 3    176 , C 4    180 , etc. As would be appreciated, the order of the theatrical image is sequentially fixed to provide a coherent theatrical broadcast. However, the order of the commercial, or non-theatrical images, may be distributed throughout the theatrical broadcast according to the desire of presenting the commercial image in a particular manner. For example, there may be a desire to present the commercial image a known number of times within a theatrical broadcast, or there may be a desire to have the same image occur in sequential commercial intervals. Timer  120  is used to determine the time period that commercial images are interposed in theatrical image  152 , while the order of the commercial images is determined by generator  115 . In this exemplary illustration, two commercial images are typically interposed into transmitted image  128  at each time interval as determined by timer  120 . Accordingly, transmitted image  128  contains two commercial images after each theatrical image. It would be appreciated that images V 1    154  and V 2    156  need not be sized to accommodate the interruption by commercial images C 1    172 , and C 2    174 , but, rather may be interrupted at a rate specified by timer  120 . The interrupted theatrical image is then continued at the completion of the commercial interruption. For example, in the illustrative example, image V 2    156  is interrupted by commercial image C 3    176  and a second occurrence of image C 1    172 . In this case, image V 2    156  is merely continued after the end of the interruption. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the present invention wherein a theatrical presentation has been previously recorded on a recording device and the recorded presentation is then played back to view the presentation. In this illustrative example, converter  210  processes the recorded presentation in accordance with the principles of the invention and provides a new signal  215  to digital device  220 . Digital device  220  may be a display device, such as a CRT, computer monitor, television set, etc., or a recording device such as a computer disk drive, writeable CD-Rom, etc. 
     For purposes of illustrating the principles of the invention, digitally transmitted signal  128  may be recorded on digital recorder  205  The digitally collected images are then provided to converter  210  for processing in accordance with the principles of the invention. As would be understood, if the recorded presentation was transmitted as an analog signal and recorded on an analog recording device  230  then the recorded signal would first be digitized by analog/digital converter  240  before processing by convert  210 . The images processed by converter  210  may then be presented digitally on digital device  220  or converted back to an analog form, using digital/analog converter  250  and presented on display device  260 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, digital image  207  is separated into a theatrical-only image component  310  and a commercial-only image  315 , by separator  305 . Methods of identifying commercials and other non-theatrical images are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/123,444, entitled, Apparatus and Method for Locating A Commercial Disposed With a Video Data System, filed on Jul. 28, 1998. Commercial-only image  315  is then processed by Analyzer  320 , which determines whether a commercial image is precluded from being viewed. Analyzer  320  provides a “show/skip” indicator  330 , which directs combiner  340  to merge commercial image  315  with theatrical-only image component  310  or to exclude image  315  from the merged signal. Accordingly, when indicator  330  is representative of a “show” indication, Combiner  340  merges the analyzed commercial-only image  335  with image  310  to form image  215 . However, when indicator  330  is representative of a “skip” indication, commercial-only image  335  is excluded from combined image  215 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates, in block diagram form, Analyzer  320 . In this exemplary embodiment, commercial only image  315  is provided to Separator  410 . Separator  410  separates commercial only image  315  into a video only component  412  and an audio only component  414 . In a preferred embodiment, a signal signature is then developed by passing audio only component  414  to Signature Analyzer  415 . Signature Analyzer  415  determines a unique identification signature for each individual commercial image in commercial only image  414 . Methods of developing signal image signatures are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,754, Video Retrieval of MPEG Compressed Sequence, issued Feb. 9, 1999 to Dimitrova. Processor  420  then compares the developed signature to previously determined signatures of commercial and non-theatrical images. Show/Skip signal  330  is generated by processor  420  based on operator selective criteria for the display of commercial and other non-theatrical images. Combiner  425  restores the original composite broadcast signal, illustrated as signal  335 , by combining video-only component  412  and audio only component  414 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary processing used to determine whether to show or skip a commercial or non-theatrical image. Upon entry, a commercial image signature is determined using known signature identification techniques. A determination is then made, at block  510  as to whether the developed signature has previously been detected. If the determination is negative, i.e., the signature has not been previously detected, then an indication that the image should be shown is made available at block  515 . Next, at block  520 , an indicator, representative of the non-theatrical presentation signature, is included in a storage device, such as a memory, a disk, a CD-ROM, that is used to store detected signatures. A count of the number of occurrences of the newly detected signature is then set to indicate a first occurrence, at block  525 . Further, a second indicator, representative of the collection of the newly detected signature, for example, a date, a time, is also stored. 
     When the determination at block  510  is positive, then a determination is made, at block  540 , as to whether the signature has been detected and collected for a maximum number of occurrences. If it is determined that the signature has not been collected for the maximum number of occurrences, then an indication that the image associated with the signature should be shown is made available, at block  545 , and the count of the number of occurrences of the specific signature is incremented, at block  550 . 
     If, however, the determination at block  540  is negative, then an indication that the image associated with the signature should not be shown is made available, at block  560 . 
     FIGS. 6 a - 6   c  illustrate the processing of selectively limiting the number of observations of a non-theatrical image in accordance with the principles of the invention. FIG. 4 a  illustrates an exemplary data stream  600  comprised of images, in viewing order, V 1    602 , C 1    604 , C 2    606 , C 3    608 , V 2    610 , C 4    612 , C 1    614 , C 3    616 , V 3    618 , C 4    620 , etc, wherein images V 1    602 , V 2    610 , etc. are representative of theatrical images and images C 1    604 , C 2    606 , etc., are representative of commercial images. As would be understood, theatrical images are displayed only once in a presentation or broadcast, whereas commercial images may be repeated in the same broadcast and among a plurality of theatrical broadcasts. Hence, commercial images C 3  and C 4  in this illustrative example, are each shown twice in data steam  600  and are represented by numerals  608  and  624 , and  612  and  620 , respectively. FIG. 6 b  illustrates the occurrence of indicators that cause a commercial image to be shown or skipped in accordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated, indicators  660 ,  662 , and  664 , respectively, as denote by the marking “SW,” are made available for the occurrence of commercial images C 1    604 , C 2    606  and C 3    608  to indicate that these images are to be shown. Similarly indicators  666  and  668  are made available for the first occurrence of commercial images C 4    612  and C n    614  to indicate that these images are to be shown. 
     Assuming, now, that the maximum number of showings of a commercial image is two showings (i.e., presentations, viewing or observations) then show indicators  670 ,  672 , and  674  are made available for the second occurrence of commercial images C 3    616 , C 4    620 , and C 2    622 , respectively. However, for each of the third occurrences of commercial images C 3    624  and C 2    626 , the processing in accordance with principles of the invention, precludes these images from being viewed or shown. In this case, indicators  676  and  680 , representative of skip indicators, are made available, which causes images C 3    624  and C 2    626  from being included in the processed data stream. The show/skip processing determination continues for each commercial image in video stream  600  until the next theatrical image is detected. In this case, image V n    630 . After image V n    630  is processed, then the third occurrence of commercial image C 4 , as represented by block  632 , is processed and, in accordance with the principles of the invention, is precluded from being viewed. In this case, indicator  680 , representative of a skip indication, causes commercial image C 4 , as represented by block  632 , to be excluded from the processed data stream. 
     FIG. 6 c  illustrates the effect on the data stream of FIG. 6 a  as commercial images whose repetition in data stream  600 , exceeds the maximum allowable number and are consequently excluded from the processed data stream  650 . Thus, in this illustrative example, image V n    630  is viewed after only two commercial blocks have been viewed rather than after the four commercial blocks illustrated in unprocessed data stream  600 . And image V n+1    634  is viewed immediately after image V n    630 . Hence, there is a longer viewing time of the theatrical image without no commercial interruption. 
     As would be appreciated, the exclusion of repeated commercial images is advantageous as there is a reduction in viewing time or storage needs. If, for example, the components illustrated in FIG. 6 c  are time-slots, then there is a reduction in the time of the presentation as compared to that represented by data stream  600 . If, however, the components illustrated represent memory allocations, then there is a reduction in the storage space, e.g., memory, necessary to store processed video image  650  as compared to unprocessed data stream  600 . 
     FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary data base dynamically constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention for the example illustrated in FIGS. 6 a - 6   c . In this example, data base  700  is dynamically constructed to record and account for each commercial image, as represented by a developed signature, that is detected. Thus, for each new commercial signature detected, a new entry is included in data base  700 . Furthermore, information items related to the commercial image, such that the maximum number of occurrence allowed, the number of occurrence of the signature, date of first entry, may also be included in data base  700 . Thus, for the exemplary information items disclosed herein, data base  700  may be illustrated as containing developed signatures in column  705 , a maximum number of allowed occurrences in column  710 , a number of occurrences of a specific signature in column  715  and a date of first occurrence in column  720 . In this illustrative example, each entry has a maximum occurrence of two showings, as represented by the number two in each row of column  710 . Commercial images C 1  and C n , illustrated in rows  730  and  770  respectively, each have been detected one time, and commercial images C 2 , C 3  and C 4 , illustrated in rows  740 ,  750  and  760 , respectively each have been detected at least two times. Finally, an indication of the date of first occurrence, although not shown, of each commercial image is also included in column  720 . 
     An indicator of the date of occurrence is advantageous in pruning data base  700  so as to remove signatures that have not been viewed or detected for a long period of time. For example, in accordance with the principle of the invention, the viewing of commercial image C 3  may be precluded not only from the video data stream  600  illustrated in FIG. 6 a , but from any subsequent broadcast containing image C 3  for a specified finite period. Consequently, after a specified period, as measured in hours, days, or months from the stored indicator, has lapsed, the signature corresponding to image C 3  may be purged from data base  700 . 
     As would be appreciated, various modifications may be incorporated into the exemplary processing flow chart illustrated in FIG. 5 that are contemplated but not illustrated. For example, the count of each occurrence may be incremented for each signature that is skipped. Further, an indicator of the date of last occurrence may be stored, which may be used as a reference to purge an image signature from the constructed data base  700 . Furtherstill, the indicator of first occurrence may be a substantially large number, which is decremented for each subsequent occurrence of the detection of the image. When the number of occurrences is decreased to zero, the stored image may be removed from data base  700 . Furtherstill, a viewer may selectively alter the maximum number of allowable showings of selected commercial images, or signatures, for example, using a graphic interface. The exemplary interface may illustrate a first frame, a last frame, or a key frame. This selective alteration enables the viewer to view some commercial images more times than others. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary use of the invention discussed herein. In this case, the television signal containing a video data stream, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 6 a , is isolated from other television signals by signal isolator  135 . The isolated data stream is directed to Analyzer  210 . The processed data stream output is then directed to, for example, recording device  140 , for recordation of the processed data stream or to display device  145  for viewing. Storing a data stream processed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is advantageous as repetitive information items are removed for the processed data stream. Hence, less information is needed to be stored. In the case of directly viewing the processed data stream, less time is needed as repetitious materials are removed. Hence, the viewer&#39;s time in viewing a theatrical performance is reduced. 
     However, in the case of direct viewing, the exclusion of commercial images from the data stream may introduce periods wherein no images are displayed. That is, as commercial images are removed, the accumulated time removed from the data stream causes the last theatrical image to be viewed before the arrival of the next theatrical image. To overcome this problem, display device  145  may buffer the processed data stream to selectively delay the start of the presentation. FIG. 9 illustrates a delay  940  introduced in the real-time viewing of data steam  900  to account for the accumulated time lost in excluding commercial images. Data stream  910  illustrates the delayed start  940 , the exclusion of images C 4    915  and C 5    920  and the presentation of image V 5    930  immediately after image V 4    925 . In the alternative, during the periods wherein commercial messages are excluded from the data stream and no new theatrical image is available, the receiver may be tuned to another frequency in order to view a second theatrical presentation. 
     While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the methods described, in the form and details of the devices disclosed, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function is substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated.