 |
Description  |
|
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use of Electronic Billboard systems in
relation to television programming, and more particularly to the
application and control of such systems at locations downstream in a
transmission path from the originating program location.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This invention is related to the invention disclosed in co-pending
application Ser. No. 07/826,754, filed Jan. 28, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No.
5,264,933, issued Nov. 23, 1993, entitled TELEVISION DISPLAYS HAVING
SELECTED INSERTED INDICIA, by the inventors herein and assigned to the
same assignee, as well as a corresponding PCT application of the same
title, U.S. Ser. No. 91/05174, filed Jul. 19, 1991. The invention is also
related to British Patent Application Serial No. 9102995.9, entitled
Electronic Billboard: A Method of Advertising Using Existing Television
Transmission Facilities, filed Feb. 13, 1991 by Roy J. Rosser and Martin
Leach (which application is based upon a provisional application filed
Feb. 14, 1990) and to British Patent Application Serial No. 9019770.8,
entitled Audio Electronic Billboard, filed Sep. 10, 1990 by Roy J. Rosser.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the cross-referenced related U.S. application (Ser. No. 07/826,754), a
system and method are disclosed for the dynamic substitution of a chosen
image or indicia into a preselected portion of an existing video image,
such as may be depicted in a television program. That system, which is
characterized as an "Electronic Billboard", operates to detect part or all
of an object or objects within a video image and to thereafter use the
position of that object or part thereof as a reference. The Electronic
Billboard system then operates to replace a portion of the original video
image, as identified by the position reference, with another still or
video image chosen by the operator. The system further operates to
position that replacement image in exact correspondence with the replaced
portion of the original video image, such that the final composite image
appears to a viewer as though it were the actual image being recorded by
the video camera which created the original video image. In other words,
the replacement image is seamlessly and realistically incorporated into
the video image of the original event. Moreover, because of the dynamic
substitution capability of the Electronic Billboard system, the appearance
of the replacement image will continuously conform to the appearance of
the original scene when that scene is moved, panned, magnified, zoomed, or
otherwise altered in size or perspective.
As also explained in the disclosure for the "Electronic Billboard"
invention, the pattern recognition software for the invention utilizes the
"Burt Pyramid" algorithm, which, as is well known to those skilled in the
art, is a very powerful methodology for processing, analyzing, and/or
synthesizing video signals. Nonetheless, even though such pattern
recognition software thereby achieves a processing speed which often
permits real-time processing for the image replacement methodology of the
invention, it was noted that, in some circumstances, a short time delay
may be necessary in the transmission of the composite video image to
accommodate the necessary processing. In such a circumstance, a
frame-store means would be used with the Electronic Billboard in order to
temporarily store a small number of video frames, thereby incorporating a
time delay mechanism into the system.
In a preferred embodiment of the Electronic Billboard invention, the video
image to be processed is a televised sports event. In such an application,
the identified portion of the original video image to be replaced may be
the image of the playing surface, or a portion thereof, and/or stationary
surfaces which are part of a structure, such as a stadium, proximate to
that playing surface. With this embodiment, the replacement image would
typically be an advertising message. A useful example of such a preferred
embodiment is a televised tennis match. There the actual video image of
one or both halves of the tennis court, on which the match is being
played, might be replaced by use of the Electronic Billboard, such that a
viewer of the televised tennis match would see an advertisement, as on a
billboard, appearing on the tennis court. It will, of course, be possible
to locate the replacement image within the bounds of certain marked areas
of the court, so as not to interfere with the television viewer's ability
to determine when a tennis ball lands within or without such a marked
area, or alternatively, to eliminate the substitute image during periods
of active play on the court in question.
Where a televised program is distributed to a number of remote geographic
locations, as from a network program origination location to a variety of
network affiliates, it will, of course, be possible to locate such an
Electronic Billboard system at the originating site (or the site from
which the original program is electronically distributed), as well as at
any position downstream from that originating location in the chain of
distribution of that program to an user. Alternatively, it is possible to
separate the Electronic Billboard functions of object
detection/recognition and of image insertion/replacement, and provide two
distinct systems, a "master" and a "slave" system. The "master" system,
which does the initial image detection and recognition, and is essentially
the front-end of the unitary Electronic Billboard system, is situated at
the broadcast originating location. The second system, the "slave", which
will be situated at a downstream location, is essentially the back-end of
the unitary Electronic Billboard system and operates by receiving and
operating on various parameters sent from the master system--in
particular, information pertaining to the precise location of the inserted
image, such as the coordinates of the origin of the site at which to
locate the image to be inserted, and any other data necessary for the
slave to successfully carry out the insertion of the required replacement
image in the proper place and manner. The parameters passed from master to
slave are essentially the same parameters transferred internally in the
unitary Electronic Billboard. These parameters constitute a small volume
of data compared to television signals. As such, in the master/slave
arrangement, these parameters could either be transmitted from master to
slave via a separate telephone link up, or they could be incorporated in
the existing video signal, such as in the vertical blanking interval, as
is done in the well known teletext broadcast systems, exemplified by the
British Broadcasting Corporation's Ceefax service.
The program originator of a program such as described above will generally
have a fight to control the distribution of the program at downstream
locations, particularly with respect to advertising associated with such a
program. Where such advertising is implemented through an Electronic
Billboard system by a replacement of portions of the video image of the
actual program content, as opposed to breaks in the program content, the
exercise of such a control right becomes a critical concern.
In general, the downstream operator will distribute such a program pursuant
to a license from the program originator and subject to financial
obligations associated with such a license. Because the sub-distribution
rights, and particularly the advertising rights, are likely to vary
between different downstream operators, it is necessary that a control
mechanism be available to the program originator for assuring compliance
by each downstream operator with the terms of the particular license
arrangement existing between the program originator and that downstream
operator. However, with the unique capabilities of the Electronic
Billboard system, there are presently no control mechanisms known for
adequately protecting a program originator's rights in the use of such a
system. It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to
implement such a control mechanism for use with the Electronic Billboard
system.
It is expected that the television industry will adopt practices for the
use of the electronic billboard broadly similar to those already
established for advertising inserted in breaks between programs or program
segments. Typically, the existing practice consists of a rights holder to
a particular program or event transmitting that program or event to other
broadcasters (downstream broadcasters) for use in their markets. The
rights holder may or may not include advertising which the downstream
broadcaster is required to broadcast. The downstream broadcaster may or
may not have negotiated the right to use some or all of the time slots in
and between program segments to insert advertising of its own, depending
on the terms of an agreement (or license) between the network or original
broadcaster and the downstream broadcaster for the use of the program.
As is well known, the television industry is highly dependent on the
legitimate sharing of programs, whether within a network structure or not.
Moreover, a critical aspect of these "sharing" relationships is that the
actual sharing of programs takes place as intended (and as defined by
contracts between the affected parties). Accordingly, much effort is put
into monitoring what is actually transmitted by all of the broadcasters.
With conventional broadcasting methods, accounting firms are retained for
the task of monitoring the broadcasting of the programs, including the
advertising content, the location of the advertising and the nature of
competing advertising, in order to determine what programs and
advertisements are actually transmitted.
It would of course be possible to apply these conventional control and
audit techniques to program sharing and advertising implemented through an
Electronic Billboard system, but the nature of the image substitution
functionality for an Electronic Billboard system imposes two serious
obstacles to the use of such conventional methods. First, the image
substitutions take place throughout the entire program and not just at
specific breaks, requiring that a great deal more broadcast or "air time"
be monitored, with a likely substantial increase in the cost of such
monitoring. Second, the subtle and seamless nature of the Electronic
Billboard image substitutions can be expected to make the monitoring
process far more difficult in practice, with consequent loss of
accuracy--possibly a significant reduction in accuracy.
To overcome these limitations in an application of conventional
methodologies to the control and monitoring of downstream
program/advertising content using an Electronic Billboard, a novel means
for authorizing, controlling, and monitoring the insertion of advertising
indicia and other video images into the broadcast stream by an Electronic
Billboard system has been developed and is disclosed herein. The disclosed
control means may also be applied for maintaining the integrity of either
or both the products being advertised and the event being broadcast.
Additionally, this control means will be selectably usable, in conjunction
with an Electronic Billboard system, to create a vertical stratification
of the advertising market--such as the allowance of only certain modes of
operation for the Electronic Billboard system, as, for example, the use of
the substitution functionality only at times when active play is not
taking place or only when certain players are or are not included in the
televised scene.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A system and method for authorization and control of an Electronic
Billboard system operated at a location remote from a video program
origination location, and particularly for enabling a program originator
to authorize, and maintain control over the use of such an Electronic
Billboard system by downstream broadcasters relaying the original program,
consisting of a user key, presupplied to an operator of the remotely
located Electronic Billboard system, a broadcast key, supplied to that
operator at or near the time of transmission of a video program to the
remotely located Electronic Billboard system from the video program
origination location, and a means operated in conjunction with the
remotely located Electronic Billboard system for receiving and evaluating
that user key and that broadcast key, whereby the remotely located
Electronic Billboard system is enabled to operate on the transmitted video
program upon those keys being found to correspond to a predetermined
criteria.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for providing user and broadcast
keys to an electronic billboard and monitoring of use of same according to
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective plan of a television image received by a downstream
broadcaster showing how an indicia inserted by the program originator can
be used as an authorized control for the timing, nature and positioning of
further indicia inserted by the downstream broadcaster.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The authorization and control means of the invention is implemented through
a "lock" incorporated in an Electronic Billboard system operated at a
downstream location which disables the operation of such a downstream
system, preventing it from being used to insert advertising indicia into
programs received from the program originator, unless unlocked by an
appropriate key. Such a lock may be implemented as a physical device
consisting of electronic hardware, or it may be implemented as a software
routine or any other suitable means of selectively disabling or preventing
the use of the Electronic Billboard. The "key" for enabling operation of
the downstream Electronic Billboard system may also be implemented as a
physical device consisting of electronic hardware or it may be implemented
as a software routine or any other suitable means of "opening" the lock,
and thereby allowing the use of that downstream system. The key dement of
the invention consists of two parts, a first part of which is presupplied
to the downstream broadcaster (hereafter designated as "the user key") and
the second part of which is incorporated in the video stream at or close
to the time of actual broadcast (hereafter designated as "the broadcast
key"). Only when the two matching keys reach the downstream Electronic
Billboard system will the system function in its intended manner and allow
the insertion of advertising indicia by the downstream broadcaster.
This method of controlling a downstream Electronic Billboard system may be
implemented in a variety of ways, some of which also include automatic
monitoring of some or all of the characteristics of the inserted indicia.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the user key will be supplied
on a magnetic or optical diskette, cassette or other physical medium or
device which is capable of storing information. The diskette or similar
medium representing the user key may be supplied by the equipment vendor
or by the rights holder of the program and may consist of a number of keys
or a single key with a length-of-use limit or a number-of-uses limit. The
diskette or other suitable medium will be inserted into or otherwise
attached to the downstream Electronic Billboard system at or before the
intended time of use of that system. The matching broadcast key will then
be made available at or near the time of the program broadcast by the
rights holder or its authorized agent. The broadcast key may be supplied
in electronic form by telephone, by physical delivery, transmitted as part
of the broadcast or in any other suitable way, and may be entered into the
downstream Electronic Billboard system directly in electronic form or
through various peripheral devices, such as a or keyboard, microphone,
telephone modem or any other suitable means.
In this embodiment, the user key may be implemented as a physical device,
such as the shape of a diskette, or a part thereof, or markings thereon
(which may be in machine readable form or otherwise). Alternatively, it
may be implemented through the functioning of a piece of electronic
hardware attached to or incorporated in the diskette, such as a silicon
chip or data embedded therein. Or, it may be implemented as software or
software encrypted data prerecorded on the disk or any other suitable
means of providing a key on such a diskette.
The broadcast key may be an alphanumeric or other sequence or code, and may
be supplied verbally, or in data or electronic form via third-party
transmission facilities, such as telephone lines, or via the video signal
transmitted from the program originator, incorporated for instance in the
vertical blanking signal of the television broadcast. Such a broadcast key
may also be implemented as an actual part of the video image such as for
instance an actual logo being inserted by an Electronic Billboard system
at an upstream location.
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a block diagram of the system of the
invention, in which there is a depicted a typical tennis court 12 as
illustrative of a sporting event to be televised using the system of the
invention. The tennis court is shown in perspective and on either side of
the net separating the court are shown a back court 11 and a forecourt 13.
As also depicted in FIG. 1 a television camera 14 is deployed and operable
for the purpose of recording the tennis match (or other sporting event).
While the opposing players are not shown in the diagram, it will be
apparent that they would be included in a televised broadcast of such an
event. The output of camera 14 is coupled directly to a television
receiver 16 which receives the video signal from the camera and provides a
display of the televised image corresponding to the actual image recorded
by camera 14. The output from camera 14 is also coupled, via conventional
video processing equipment 13, to conventional broadcasting system 17 for
broadcasting of the video signal from the camera to the site of a
downstream broadcaster, who receives the signal via conventional reception
system 21. Before rebroadcasting that received signal to its own audience,
the downstream broadcaster may make use of an Electronic Billboard system
22 to insert an advertising message or indicia supplied from a second
image source 24--which may be a slogan, an image, a logo or the like by
image insertion means B. In accordance with the operation of the
Electronic Billboard system, that advertising message will be displayed on
selected portions of the tennis court in the image rebroadcast by the
downstream broadcaster's transmission system 30. That television signal is
received by the end user's reception system 31 and displayed on the end
user's television set 29.
It is to be noted that camera 14 and associated processing and broadcasting
equipment 13 are conventional components and therefore capable of
providing a typical, normal, unaltered television signal and display. The
distribution of the television from the upstream broadcaster, as
accomplished via transmission/reception system 17 and 21, may be a
wireless broadcast, a wireless transmission via satellite or a cable
system. Such systems for distributing television signals are well known.
The distribution of the television signal from the downstream broadcaster
to the end user, as accomplished via transmission and reception systems 30
and 31, may also be a wireless broadcast, a wireless broadcast via
satellite or a cable network.
The control of the downstream Electronic Billboard system according to the
invention is accomplished by means of a two part key, a user key 15 and a
broadcast key 18, in conjunction with a lock 25 located in the downstream
Electronic Billboard system.
As described previously, user key 15 is presupplied to the downstream
broadcaster and, upon receipt by the downstream broadcaster, will be
entered into user-key acceptor 27. User-key acceptor 27 and user-key 15
may take a number of forms, including, but not limiting to, information
input from an electronically-linked peripheral device, a message or a
signal prerecorded on magnetic or optical diskette to be read into the
Electronic Billboard system via a well-known floppy disc drive, or a
conventional magnetic video or audio tape to be read in via a conventional
tape reader. User-key 15 may also be implemented in a well-known read only
memory (ROM) pack, a magnetic strip on a card similar to conventional
credit cards, or any other electronic, magnetic, optical or physical
device on which appropriate information or messages may be recorded,
encoded or encrypted in a manner suitable for reading or deciphering by
user-key acceptor 27. In the case where user-key acceptor 27 is a keyboard
or a similar well-known input device, such as a mouse or trackball,
user-key 15 may simply be an alphanumeric code or password to be entered
by an operator. User-key acceptor 27 may also be used to modify or replace
information stored in user-key 15 at the time of transmission, when the
Electronic Billboard system is used to incorporate a substituted image
into the broadcast video signal, for the purpose of monitoring what is
actually rebroadcast. This recorded information may include, but will not
be limited to, all or part of such information as the timing and length of
the insertion, the nature and position of the insertion or whatever else
is deemed appropriate to assist in the monitoring of the transmission for
checking or enforcing compliance with agreed contracts for the use of the
electronic billboard.
Broadcast-key 18 may take several forms, including a sequence of commands
generated using video processing equipment 13, and will be supplied to the
downstream Electronic Billboard system at or just before the broadcast. As
previously discussed, broadcastkey 18 may be transmitted to the downstream
broadcaster as part of the broadcast itself, or it may be supplied via a
modem and telephone 19 through a conventional telephone line to a
telephone and modem 20 at the downstream broadcast site. Upon receipt at
the downstream broadcast site it will be relayed into the Electronic
Billboard system by broadcast-key acceptor 26. The broadcast-key acceptor
may be implemented as a processor for decoding a broadcast key sent as
part of the broadcast stream, as a modem or any other suitable means of
accepting the information from the broadcast-key, or simply as a socket
for electrical connection to the Electronic Billboard system. It may also
be that broadcast-key acceptor 26 and user-key acceptor 27 are realized in
the same physical device, as for instance in the case where they are each
implemented in a keyboard, and both the broadcast-key and the user-key are
simply alphanumeric codes or passwords.
In addition to supplying the broadcast key, the rights holder may also
provide the material to be inserted by the electronic billboard. Such
material to be inserted may be provided with the diskette or similar
medium on which the user key is placed, or on a separate diskette, via
telephone, or on the video channel either prior to the broadcast of the
event in which it is to be inserted or even during the broadcast.
Upon receipt of broadcast-key 18 by the downstream broadcaster, that key
will be used in conjunction with the user-key 15 (already in the
possession of the downstream broadcaster), to activate lock 25, and
thereby permit the downstream Electronic Billboard system to operate on
the received video signal to effect a desired video image substitution. As
will be understood, the essential purpose of Lock 25 is to check for the
existence of both the broadcastkey 18 and the user-key 15, or the presence
of information realized from those keys, and to use that existence or
information as a basis for allowing the Electronic Billboard system to
function, or to function in a certain manner. Lock 25 may be implemented
as an electronic circuit or as a software routine (or part thereof) in the
Electronic Billboard system.
The two keys, or the information derived from them, may be checked against
one another or against information stored in the Electronic Billboard
system (or a combination of such checks), to ascertain the authenticity of
the keys and, as well, the permitted timing or mode of use of the
Electronic Billboard system. Indeed as will be readily understood, any
desirable combination of checks and/or authorizations for operation of the
downstream Electronic Billboard system (including particular modes of such
operation) may be implemented through the functioning of lock 25. The lock
would thus enable such operation of the downstream Electronic Billboard
system as its software or hardware determined were authorized, through an
interface with the main control processor of the Electronic Billboard
system. A variety of software and/or hardware means for the authorization
and control of other electronic software or hardware will be known to
those skilled in the art of electronic design and programming, and any of
such means may be implemented to perform this function of the invention.
The matching of the user key and the broadcast key, as performed by
hardware or software in the Electronic Billboard system, may be used
either to allow the downstream broadcaster to insert advertising wherever
deemed appropriate for a given length of time, or it may control the
specific location and time of display of the inserted advertising.
As a further enhancement of the invention, lock 25 may be implemented such
that, upon determining that both keys are present and operation thereby
authorized, an additional function will also be activated whereby certain
characteristics of the output stream of the Electronic Billboard system
will be recorded, for the purpose of monitoring the use of that system.
This monitoring may take the form of recording data on user-key 15 via
user-key acceptor 27 (for later retrieval from that user key), or of
sending data to the broadcaster via broadcast key acceptor 26 and the
chain of communication used to deliver broadcast key 18 (or the
information contained therein), such as the telephone and modem link 20
and 19, for review and/or recording at the broadcast site.
The use of a diskette system to implement the user-key will be particularly
advantageous in regard to such a monitoring function. Monitored data, such
as the number of insertions, the time and length of insertions, the nature
of the insertions and even the insertions themselves would be recorded on
such a diskette system. As part of the agreed contract, these diskettes
would be returned to one or more of the Electronic Billboard systems
vendors, the accountants, the rights holder or other suitable parties to
confirm that the contracts agreed to were adhered to.
Implementation of such a monitoring function using the broadcast-key system
may include simply a passive monitoring or may be used for the purpose of
controlling the sending of the broadcast signal to the downstream
broadcaster by the rights holder.
The monitoring function may also be implemented through activation of a
separate recording device 28, either at the downstream broadcaster's site
or at some end user site. Such a separate recording device may record the
entire broadcast stream from the Electronic Billboard system or it may
record aspects of the broadcast relevant to particular Electronic
Billboard system functions which have been authorized by the rights
holder. Among such functions which may be monitored are the timing,
position, duration and nature of the substitute video images to be
inserted by the downstream broadcaster.
An alternative embodiment of the invention is schematically depicted in
FIG. 2. In this embodiment the program originator will also use an
Electronic Billboard system at the source of the broadcast in order to
insert substitute video indicia for "national" advertising and which
substitute indicia may also be used for the control of further insertion
of advertising in the program video stream by downstream broadcasters.
FIG. 2 shows an event | | |
