FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates to dynamically generating a machine-readable label (“MRL”) and embedding the MRL into a video file.

BACKGROUND

MRLs may include Quick Response (“QR”) codes, Aztec codes, ShotCodes, SPARQCodes and any other suitable two-dimensional matrix barcodes. MRLs may include one-dimensional (e.g., linear) or three-dimensional machine-readable codes. MRLs provide businesses with a fast and efficient medium for connecting with consumers. Instructions may be encoded in an MRL. The instructions may include a uniform resource locator (“URL”), contact information or any other information. A scanning device is needed to scan and interpret the instructions encoded in an MRL. When a scanning device scans the MRL, the scanning device may extract the information encoded in the MRL. For example, the scanning device may be directed to the URL encoded in the MRL. Businesses may wish to leverage a MRL to guide consumers to a desired destination (real or virtual) where the customers can access products, services and information provided by the business.

In 2010, 62.6 million people in the United States used smartphones. During the 2020's, that number is predicted to more than quadruple to 272.6 million. Commensurate with increased smartphone use is integration of technology into smartphones that automates scanning and interpretation of an MRL. Today, many smartphones include a native camera application that recognizes MRLs such as QR codes. There is no need to download and install a separate application or use a specialized scanning device to scan an MRL and extract the encoded information.

MRLs potentially offer an inexpensive means of providing consumers with easy access to products, services or information. Consumers are already using their smartphones to search for information about a product/service of interest. Now, businesses can tap into this tendency by using MRLs to guide consumers to targeted content associated with a product/service. Furthermore, MRLs are inexpensive and easy to print on a variety of surfaces such as business cards, product packaging, posters, stickers or any suitable marketing materials.

Despite proliferation of mobile devices, widespread adoption of MRLs still faces significant hurdles. Conventionally, MRLs are reliably scannable when the MRL is printed on a physical, tangible medium. However, today much information is disseminated in digital form and MRLs are not as reliably scannable when presented within digital media or on electronic screens.

For example, an MRL may be displayed differently by different electronic devices. A mobile device may present an MRL on a 5-inch screen, while a TV may present the same MRL on a 42-inch screen. Each screen may present a MRL in a different size, different resolution, frame refresh rate and using a variety of different display properties. The numerous possibilities associated with electronic presentation of a MRL poses a technical challenge to generating MRLs that are reliably scannable when displayed within digital media.

Additionally, integrating MRLs into digital media is itself technically challenging. An MRL alone typically does not convey meaning to a human viewer. The viewer must understand the meaning or significance of an MRL based on context. For example, an MRL may be displayed alongside a product and educational instructions to scan the MRL to obtain more information about the product. Additional, when presented within a video frame, the MRL and associated educational instructions may obscure other digital content included in the video frame. Decreasing the size of the MRL may further exacerbate the technical challenges of electronically presenting a reliably scannable MRL.

Furthermore, digital media allows information to be rapidly disseminated to large numbers of viewers. The same content may be distributed by multiple content providers to a myriad of viewers. The ease of dissemination increases the number of viewers that may scan an MRL. The large number of viewers presents a technical challenge to identify a source of MRL scans. For example, it is technically challenging to discern which content provider has generated more or less viewer scans of an MRL embedded in the distributed digital media. Similarly, in the digital media environment, identifying an individual viewer who has responded to an advertisement is technically challenging.

It would be desirable to provide a system for generating MRLs that are reliably scannable when presented electronically such as within a video file. It would also be desirable provide a system that embeds generated MRLs into digital media. It would also be desirable provide a system that embeds generated MRLs into digital media without obscuring other content in the digital media. It would also be desirable to provide a system that generates MRLs that when scanned are associated with a specific instance of digital media and distributed using a specific channel or by a particular content provider. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide apparatus and methods for DYNAMIC EMBEDDING OF MACHINE-READABLE CODES WITHIN VIDEO AND DIGITAL MEDIA.

