Television advertising automated billing system

Abstract

Advertising is marked with a code in a way which makes it difficult to fool the system. The advertising is marked with a code at the time the advertising is produced. Then, when the advertising is broadcast, the code on the advertising is analyzed. Different security measures can be used, including producing the code in the closed captioning so that many different people can see the code, or comparing codes in one part of the signal with a code in another part of the signal. Measures are taken to prevent the code from being used to detect commercials. According to another part of this system, a paradigm for a clearinghouse is disclosed in which the user signs up with the clearinghouse, obtains a line of credit, and the advertiser, the agency, and the ad producer also subscribe to the service. When the ad is actually aired, the payment can be automatically transferred.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of scheduling and paying for advertising comprising:
 booking a an advertising segment with an advertising agency, said the booking comprising determining time, network, pricing and commission parameters for said the advertising segment; 
 Establishingestablishing an account with a clearinghouse, saidthe clearinghouse determiningconfigured to determine if the advertising segment actually aired at the a specified time by automatically detecting a code on broadcast with the advertising segment, wherein the code is included in a closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment, and verifying security of said the code; and 
 said clearinghouse automatically authorizing payment if said responsive to the advertising segment being played at the specified time and automatically authorizing an error resolution procedure if responsive to the advertising segment being played at other than the specified time, wherein said the verifying the security of the code comprises information on the advertising segment correlated with content of comparing encryption in a vertical blanking line with encryption in the closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment, and 
 wherein said information correlated with the advertisement comprises information indicative of an average brightness of at least part of the advertising segment. 
 
     
     
       2. A method comprising:
 obtaining a code broadcast with an advertising segment, wherein the code is included in a closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment, and wherein the code includes information indicative of an average brightness of at least part of the advertising segment; and   using the code to verify whether the advertising segment played at a specified time,   using the information to verify security of the code,
 wherein the verifying the security of the code comprises comparing encryption in a vertical blanking line with encryption in the closed captioning part associated with the advertising segment. 
   
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2, further comprising authorizing payment if the code is used to verify that the advertising segment is played at the specified time. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining is performed prior to an advertising segment being broadcast. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 2, wherein the advertising segment comprises a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 2, wherein the advertising segment comprises an advertising segment other than a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 2, wherein the advertising segment comprises an Internet advertising segment. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 2, wherein the code is encrypted. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining a steganographically-associated code. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining and using are performed by a clearinghouse. 
     
     
       11. A method comprising:
 deriving, from at least picture content associated with an advertising segment, characterizing data that describes at least one property of the picture content;   associating a code with the advertising segment, wherein the code includes the characterizing data, wherein the characterizing data is configured to at least partially enable verification of whether the advertising segment played at a specified time, and wherein the associating comprises including the code in a closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment; and   verifying security of the code by comparing encryption in a vertical blanking line with encryption in the closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment.   
     
     
       12. The method of claim 11, wherein the characterizing data includes audio data. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 11, wherein the characterizing data includes numbers of at least one object appearing in the picture content. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 11, wherein the characterizing data includes a histogram of colors in the picture content. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 11, wherein the code is encrypted. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertising segment comprises a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertising segment comprises an advertising segment other than a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 11, wherein the advertising segment comprises an Internet advertising segment. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 11, wherein the code is not encrypted. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 11, wherein the associating further comprises steganographically including the code with the advertising segment. 
     
     
       21. A circuit comprising:
 means for obtaining a code broadcast with an advertising segment, wherein the code includes information indicative of an average brightness of at least part of the advertising segment, and wherein the code is included in a closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment; and   means for using the code to verify whether the advertising segment played at a specified time,   means for using the information to verify security of the code by comparing an encryption in a vertical blanking line with encryption in the closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment.   
     
     
       22. The circuit of claim 21, further comprising means for authorizing payment if the advertising segment played at the specified time. 
     
     
       23. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining obtains the code prior to an advertising segment being broadcast. 
     
     
       24. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining obtains the code from a vertical blanking interval. 
     
     
       25. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining obtains the code from other than the closed-captioning part. 
     
     
       26. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the advertising segment comprises a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       27. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the advertising segment comprises an advertising segment other than a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       28. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the advertising segment comprises an Internet advertising segment. 
     
     
       29. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the code is encrypted. 
     
     
       30. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining comprises means for obtaining a steganographically-associated code. 
     
     
       31. The circuit of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining and the means for using comprise a clearinghouse. 
     
     
       32. A system comprising:
 means for deriving, from at least picture content associated with an advertising segment, characterizing data that describes at least one property of the picture content;   means for associating a code with the advertising segment, wherein the code includes the characterizing data, wherein the characterizing data is configured to at least partially enable verification of whether the advertising segment played at a specified time, and wherein the associating comprises including the code in a closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment; and   means for verifying the security of the code comprises comparing encryption in a vertical blanking line with encryption in the closed-captioning part associated with the advertising segment.   
     
     
       33. The system of claim 32, wherein the characterizing data includes audio data. 
     
     
       34. The system of claim 32, wherein the characterizing data includes numbers of at least one object appearing in the picture content. 
     
     
       35. The system of claim 32, wherein the characterizing data includes a histogram of colors in the picture content. 
     
     
       36. The system of claim 32, wherein the code is encrypted. 
     
     
       37. The system of claim 32, wherein the advertising segment comprises a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       38. The system of claim 32, wherein advertising segment comprises an advertising segment other than a television advertising segment. 
     
     
       39. The system of claim 32, wherein the advertising segment comprises an Internet advertising segment. 
     
     
       40. The system of claim 32, wherein the code is not encrypted. 
     
     
       41. The system of claim 32, wherein the associating further comprises steganographically including the code with the advertising segment.