Methods and apparatus for metering portable media players

• US 10,356,471 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen & Company Incorporated (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Fisch, Perry Joseph, Pelletier, Seth Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US15/299,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• 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: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 : dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 : Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 : Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 : Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture of a media presentation device is disclosed. The disclosed example includes an output device, an input to receive user input, and a monitor installed in the media presentation device at a time of manufacture of the media presentation device, the monitor provided to a manufacturer of the media presentation device by an audience measurement entity. The monitor to obtain demographic information of a user via the input and present an agreement to the user via the output device of the media presentation device. The monitor to enable collection of monitoring information when the agreement is accepted, prevent collection of monitoring information when the agreement is not accepted and collect monitoring information identifying at least one of a media presentation on the media presentation device or a user interaction with the media presentation device when the collection of the monitoring information is enabled.

Claims

1. A media presentation device comprising:

a first processor, wherein media is presented on the media presentation device by executing an instruction with the first processor;

a memory;

an output device;

an input to receive user input; and

a monitor installed in the media presentation device at a time of manufacture of the media presentation device, the monitor provided to a manufacturer of the media presentation device by an audience measurement entity, the monitor including;

a signal line interface to collect monitoring information, the signal line interface including a video-out line physically coupled to a video output of the media presentation device during installation of the monitor in the media presentation device, and an audio-out line physically coupled to an audio output of the media presentation device during the installation of the monitor in the media presentation device;

a second processor; and

a second memory, the second memory including machine readable instructions that, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to;

obtain demographic information of a user via the input;

present an agreement to the user via the output device of the media presentation device;

enable collection of monitoring information when the agreement is accepted;

not enable collection of the monitoring information when the agreement is not accepted; and

collect monitoring information identifying at least one of (1) the media presented on the media presentation device or (2) a user interaction with the media presentation device, when the collection of the monitoring information is enabled, the monitoring information based on data received on at least one of the video-out line or the audio-out line.

2. The media presentation device as defined in claim 1, wherein the collection of the monitoring information includes at least one of generating an audio signature based on the media or extracting a code from the media.

3. The media presentation device as defined in claim 1, wherein the media presentation device is at least one of a TV, a MP3 portable media player, a computer, a set-top-box, a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a stereo.

4. The media presentation device as defined in claim 1, wherein the monitor further includes a transceiver to transmit the monitoring information to a personal computer.

5. The media presentation device as defined in claim 4, wherein the transceiver is to transmit the monitoring information to the personal computer via wireless communications.

6. The media presentation device as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interaction with the media presentation device include at least one of selecting a play command, a stop command, a pause command, a previous command, or a next command.

7. The media presentation device as defined in claim 1, wherein the monitor is installed in at least one of a media player, or a headphone.