Methods and apparatus to monitor media presentations

• US 10,212,242 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Bosworth, Alan N., Borawski, Albert T., Cooper, Scott, Gaynor, Kevin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Widhalm de Rodriguez, Angela
• Application Number:
  US15/299,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/77 Software metrics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to monitor media presentations are disclosed. An example method includes providing a software development kit (SDK) to an application developer. The SDK is to enable the application developer to create a monitoring enabled application. A panelist identifier is transmitted in response to a request from a registrar executed by the media device. The request includes demographic information associated with a user of the media device. The panelist identifier is stored in a shared memory of the media device and is accessible to the monitoring enabled application. The monitoring enabled application is to collect data if the panelist identifier is in the shared memory and to disable collection of the data if the panelist identifier is not in the shared memory. The data is collected from the monitoring enabled application.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring a media device, the apparatus comprising:

a software development kit provider to provide a software development kit to an application developer, the software development kit to enable the application developer to create a monitoring enabled application to be executed at the media device;

a registration data receiver to transmit a panelist identifier in response to a request from a registrar executed by the media device, the registrar separate from the monitoring enabled application, the registrar to store a consent identifier in a pasteboard of the media device, the request including demographic information associated with a user of the media device, the panelist identifier stored in the pasteboard of the media device by the registrar executed at the media device and accessible to multiple monitoring enabled applications on the media device, the monitoring enabled application to collect at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is in the pasteboard and to disable collection of the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is not in the pasteboard, the registrar to delete the consent identifier and to leave the panelist identifier in a data store associated with at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data; and

a monitoring data receiver to collect the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data from the monitoring enabled application.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the registration data receiver is to generate the panelist identifier.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, further including a data store to store the at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data collected by the monitoring data receiver.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 3, wherein the data store is further to store the demographic information received by the registration data receiver.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 1, further including a reporter to generate a report representing the at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data in connection with the demographic information.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 1, further including a hypertext transfer protocol interface to receive the demographic information and the at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data from the monitoring enabled application.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media device is to execute the monitoring enabled application and the multiple monitoring enabled applications simultaneously.

7. A method of monitoring a media device, the method comprising:

providing a software development kit to an application developer, the software development kit to enable the application developer to create a monitoring enabled application to be executed at the media device;

transmitting, by executing an instruction with a processor, a panelist identifier in response to a request from a registrar executed by the media device, the registrar separate from the monitoring enabled application, the registrar to store a consent identifier in a pasteboard of the media device, the request including demographic information associated with a user of the media device, the panelist identifier stored in the pasteboard of the media device by the registrar executed at the media device and accessible to multiple monitoring enabled applications at the media device, the monitoring enabled application to collect at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is in the pasteboard and to disable collection of the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is not in the pasteboard, the registrar to delete the consent identifier and to leave the panelist identifier in a data store associated with at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data; and

collecting the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data from the monitoring enabled application.

8. The method as described in claim 7, further including generating the panelist identifier.

9. The method as described in claim 8, wherein the panelist identifier is generated based on the demographic information.

10. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the registrar is to collect the demographic information.

11. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the consent identifier is to permit the monitoring enabled application to generate the at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data.

12. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the panelist identifier is encrypted.

13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the monitoring enabled application is unable to decrypt the encrypted panelist identifier.

14. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the monitoring enabled application is installed on the media device without reference to a consent to enable monitoring functionality of the monitoring enabled application.

15. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the registrar is installed on the media device at a time of sale of the media device.

16. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the registrar is installed on the media device prior to a time of sale of the media device.

20. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the monitoring enabled application generates the at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data when the consent identifier is deleted.

17. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

provide a software development kit to an application developer, the software development kit to enable the application developer to create a monitoring enabled application to be executed at a media device;

transmit a panelist identifier in response to a request from a registrar executed by the media device, the registrar separate from the monitoring enabled application, the registrar to store a consent identifier in a pasteboard of the media device, the request including demographic information associated with a user of the media device, the panelist identifier stored in the pasteboard of the media device by the registrar executed at the media device and accessible to multiple monitoring enabled applications at the media device, the monitoring enabled application to collect at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is in the pasteboard and to disable collection of the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is not in the pasteboard, the registrar to delete the consent identifier while leaving the panelist identifier in a data store associated with at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data; and

collect the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data from the monitoring enabled application.

18. A method of monitoring a media device, the method comprising:

providing a software development kit to an application developer, the software development kit to enable the application developer to create a monitoring enabled application to be executed at the media device;

transmitting, by executing an instruction with a processor, a panelist identifier in response to a request from a registrar executed by the media device, the registrar separate from the monitoring enabled application, the registrar to store a consent identifier in a pasteboard of the media device, the request including demographic information associated with a user of the media device, the panelist identifier stored in the pasteboard of the media device by the registrar executed at the media device and accessible to multiple monitoring enabled applications at the media device, the monitoring enabled application to collect at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is in the pasteboard and to disable collection of the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data if the consent identifier is not in the pasteboard, the registrar to delete the consent identifier and leave the panelist identifier in a data store associated with at least one of the application monitoring data or the media monitoring data, wherein the panelist identifier is encrypted; and

collecting the at least one of application monitoring data or media monitoring data from the monitoring enabled application.