Methods and apparatus to create a panel of media device users

• US 10,390,094 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Borawski, Albert T., Bell, Stephen S., Dan, Oana
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Naoreen, Nazia
• Application Number:
  US15/388,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20170105047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User 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: 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to create a panel of media device users are disclosed. An example method includes instructing, from a central facility, a media provider to instrument an application with monitoring instructions. A unique identifier and an application identifier are received from a media device executing the monitoring instructions. A master frame corresponding to media devices that have executed the monitoring instructions is created. A skip rate representing a rate at which media devices in the master frame are to be selected to join the panel is determined. The media device is selected from the master frame based on a random value and the skip rate. The monitoring instructions associated with the selected media device are instructed to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

instruct a media provider to instrument an application with monitoring instructions;

receive a unique identifier and an application identifier from a media device executing the instrumented application, the unique identifier and the application identifier received without collecting any personally identifiable information;

create a master frame corresponding to media devices that have executed the instrumented application;

determine a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices in the master frame are to be selected to join a panel;

assign the media device from the master frame into a first test cell based on a random value and the skip rate;

select a first recruitment interface associated with the first test cell, the first recruitment interface different from a second recruitment interface associated with a second test cell; and

instruct the instrumented application to, in response to the instrumented application being executed for a first time after a threshold period of time since an initial execution of the instrumented application has elapsed, display the first recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to receive monitoring data from the instrumented application after the user has agreed to become a panelist.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to generate the unique identifier to be used by the media device.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to transmit the unique identifier to the media device.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the application identifier is assigned to the instrumented application by at least one of the media provider or an application developer.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the skip rate is based on a count of media devices in the master frame divided by a desired number of media devices for the panel.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to sort the master frame prior to selecting the media device from the master frame.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the sorting of the master frame is based on a number of applications associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the sorting of the master frame is based on application identifiers respectively associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

11. A method to create a panel of media device users, the method comprising:

instructing, from a central facility, a media provider to instrument an application with monitoring instructions;

receiving a unique identifier and an application identifier from a media device executing the instrumented application, the unique identifier and the application identifier received without collecting any personally identifiable information;

creating a master frame corresponding to media devices that have executed the instrumented application;

determining a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices in the master frame are to be selected to join the panel;

assigning, at the central facility, the media device from the master frame into a first test cell based on a random value and the skip rate;

selecting a first recruitment interface associated with the first test cell, the first recruitment interface different from a second recruitment interface associated with a second test cell;

instructing the instrumented application to, in response to the instrumented application being executed for a first time after a threshold period of time since an initial execution of the instrumented application has elapsed, display the first recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

12. The method of claim 11, further including receiving monitoring data from the instrumented application after the user has agreed to become a panelist.

13. The method of claim 11, further including generating the unique identifier to be used by the media device.

14. The method of claim 13, further including transmitting the unique identifier to the media device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the application identifier is assigned to the instrumented application by at least one of the media provider or an application developer.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the skip rate is based on a count of media devices in the master frame divided by a desired number of media devices for the panel.

18. The method of claim 11, further including sorting the master frame prior to selecting the media device from the master frame.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sorting of the master frame is based on a number of applications associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the sorting of the master frame is based on application identifiers respectively associated with respective media devices in the master frame.