Inverted client-side fingerprinting and matching

摘要

A technique for inverted client side fingerprinting and matching provides the benefits of disposable fingerprinting to identify multiple content streams from multiple clients without overloading a fingerprinting system. Rather than tasking a fingerprinting system with the generation and comparison of all fingerprints, the technique distributes some fingerprinting tasks to the clients receiving the content streams. As a result, the fingerprinting system is not bottlenecked by fingerprinting tasks. In one embodiment, the fingerprinting system can provide additional services to the clients.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
generating, by a client device including a processor, a first client fingerprint of a first client content window of a content stream; sending, by the client device over a network, the first client fingerprint to a fingerprinting system that employs a reference fingerprint database having an index that is invariant to time shifts based upon a time period of the first client content window, wherein the fingerprint database comprises reference fingerprints that cover a larger time period than the time period of the first client content window, wherein respective reference fingerprints start and end by an amount of time later than another reference fingerprint for a same content, wherein the amount of time is the time period of the first client content window; and iteratively performing, by the client device, until it is determined that a switch from the content stream to another content stream has occurred, the following:
receiving, over the network, a reference fingerprint from the fingerprinting system, the reference fingerprint derived from a reference content window from a matching content stream to the content stream, wherein the reference content window is incremented by a specified time period in the matching content stream from a previous reference content window;generating an additional client fingerprint from an additional client content window of the content stream, wherein the additional client content window is different from the first client content window and any other additional client content windows; andcomparing the additional client fingerprint and the reference fingerprint;in response to the additional client fingerprint not matching the reference fingerprint within a specified tolerance, determining that the switch from the content stream to the other content stream has occurred.