Portable multi-purpose audience measurement systems, apparatus and methods

• US 10,085,052 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Wright, David Howell, Ramaswamy, Arun, Nelson, Dan, Vilches, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Joshua D
• Application Number:
  US15/476,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/52 of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

An example portable device disclosed herein includes means for halting execution of media metering software in response to determining the portable device is being used for a native purpose, the media metering software having been downloaded to the portable device. The example portable device also includes means, responsive to determining that the portable device is not being used for a native purpose, for executing the media metering software to monitor a media signal output by a media presentation device. The example portable device further includes means for determining whether an amount of available power is sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software, and means, responsive to determining that the amount of available power is insufficient, for causing execution of the media metering software to sleep for a first interval of time.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

means for;

halting execution of media metering software in response to determining that the portable device is being used for a native purpose, the media metering software having been downloaded to the portable device; and

continuing execution of the media metering software to monitor a media signal output by a media presentation device separate from the portable device in response to determining the portable device is not being used for a native purpose; and

means for;

determining whether an amount of power available for powering the portable device is sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software; and

causing execution of the media metering software to sleep for a first interval of time in response to determining that the amount of power available for powering the portable device is not sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to:

activate a high gain mode of a microphone of the portable device; and

process an output of the microphone to monitor the media signal.

3. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the media signal includes an audio signal, and the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to monitor the audio signal by at least one of detecting an audio code included in the audio signal or determining an audio signature from the audio signal.

4. The portable device of claim 1, further including means for downloading the media metering software to the portable device by at least one of:

(1) establishing a wireless connection between the portable device and a server that is to provide the media metering software to the portable device, (2) establishing an Internet connection between the portable device and the server, or (3) establishing a connection between the portable device and the server that conforms to an extensible data transport protocol.

5. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the means for downloading the media metering software to the portable device is to at least one of push or pull the media metering software to the portable device.

6. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the portable device includes at least one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant or a pager.

7. A portable device comprising:

memory including machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to at least;

halt execution of media metering software in response to determining that the portable device is being used for a native purpose, the media metering software having been downloaded to the portable device;

continue execution of the media metering software to monitor a media signal output by a media presentation device separate from the portable device in response to determining the portable device is not being used for a native purpose;

determine whether an amount of power available for powering the portable device is sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software; and

cause execution of the media metering software to sleep for a first interval of time in response to determining that the amount of power available for powering the portable device is not sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software.

8. The portable device of claim 7, wherein the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to:

activate a high gain mode of a microphone of the portable device; and

process an output of the microphone to monitor the media signal.

9. The portable device of claim 7, wherein the media signal includes an audio signal, and the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to monitor the audio signal by at least one of detecting an audio code included in the audio signal or determining an audio signature from the audio signal.

10. The portable device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further to cause the media metering software to be downloaded to the portable device by at least one of:

(1) establishing a wireless connection between the portable device and a server that is to provide the media metering software to the portable device, (2) establishing an Internet connection between the portable device and the server, or (3) establishing a connection between the portable device and the server that conforms to an extensible data transport protocol.

11. The portable device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further to download the media metering software to the portable device by at least one of pushing or pulling the media metering software to the portable device.

12. The portable device of claim 7, wherein the portable device includes at least one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant or a pager.

13. Non-volatile storage comprising machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor of a portable device to at least:

halt execution of media metering software in response to determining that the portable device is being used for a native purpose, the media metering software having been downloaded to the portable device;

continue execution of the media metering software to monitor a media signal output by a media presentation device separate from the portable device in response to determining the portable device is not being used for a native purpose;

determine whether an amount of power available for powering the portable device is sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software; and

cause execution of the media metering software to sleep for a first interval of time in response to determining that the amount of power available for powering the portable device is not sufficient to continue execution of the media metering software.

14. The non-volatile storage of claims 13, wherein the processor is further to execute the media metering software, and the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to:

activate a high gain mode of a microphone of the portable device; and

process an output of the microphone to monitor the media signal.

15. The non-volatile storage of claims 13, wherein the media signal includes an audio signal, the processor is further to execute the media metering software, and the execution of the media metering software is to cause the portable device to monitor the audio signal by at least one of detecting an audio code included in the audio signal or determining an audio signature from the audio signal.

16. The non-volatile storage of claims 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to download the media metering software to the portable device by at least one of:

(1) establishing a wireless connection between the portable device and a server that is to provide the media metering software to the portable device, (2) establishing an Internet connection between the portable device and the server, or (3) establishing a connection between the portable device and the server that conforms to an extensible data transport protocol.

17. The non-volatile storage of claims 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to download the media metering software to the portable device by at least one of pushing or pulling the media metering software to the portable device.

18. The non-volatile storage of claims 13, wherein the portable device includes at least one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant or a pager.