Methods and apparatus to verify presentation of media content

• US 10,469,901 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venugopal, Ramaswamy, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US14/841,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• 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 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to verify presentation of media content are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus for generating media presentation information includes a comparator to periodically output a value indicative of whether media selected via a set-top box is presented at a media presentation location by comparing a first audio signal associated with the media to ambient audio received in the media presentation location via an audio system associated with a media presentation device. The example apparatus also includes a privacy protector to facilitate operation of the comparator by periodically preventing the comparator from receiving of the ambient audio. The example apparatus also includes a metering module to record presentation of the media based on the output.

Claims

1. An apparatus to generate media presentation information, the apparatus comprising:

a computer-implemented comparator to periodically output a value indicative of whether media selected via a set-top box is presented at a media presentation location, by the comparator comparing a first audio signal associated with media of a media presentation device to ambient audio received in the media presentation location via an audio system associated with the media presentation device;

a computer-implemented privacy protector to facilitate operation of the comparator by periodically preventing the comparator from receiving the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of the media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the comparator to receive the ambient audio from the transducer after the first time period expires; and

a computer-implemented meter to record presentation of the media based on the output.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including

the privacy protector to include a timer to facilitate the operation of the comparator by periodically disabling the transducer.

3. An apparatus to generate media presentation information, the apparatus comprising:

a comparator to periodically output a value indicative of whether media selected via a set-top box is presented at a media presentation location by comparing a first audio signal associated with the media to ambient audio received in the media presentation location via an audio system associated with a media presentation device;

a privacy protector to facilitate operation of the comparator by periodically preventing the comparator from receiving the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of the media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the comparator to receive the ambient audio from the transducer after the first time period expires;

a meter to record presentation of the media based on the output;

a filter to form an estimate of the ambient audio by delaying and attenuating the first audio signal, and

the comparator to compare the estimate of the ambient audio to the ambient audio to form the output,

wherein the filter to have adaptive weights to delay and to attenuate the first audio signal.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the filter is to set the adaptive weights to zero when the receiving of the ambient audio is enabled.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the comparator is to form the output by:

subtracting the estimate of the ambient audio from the ambient audio to form a residual signal; and

comparing the residual signal to a threshold.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the output represents whether the estimate of the ambient audio is present in the ambient audio.

7. A method to generate media presentation information, the method comprising:

comparing, by executing at least one or more first instructions on a processor, via a comparator, a first audio signal associated with media of a media presentation device to ambient audio received in a media presentation location via an audio system associated with a the media presentation device to form an output;

implementing, by executing at least one or more second instructions on a processor, a privacy protocol by periodically disabling the receiving of the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of the media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the receiving of the ambient audio from the transducer after the first time period expires; and

in response to the output, recording, by executing at least one or more third instructions on a processor, presentation of the media.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further including:

receiving, at the transducer, the ambient audio in the media presentation location, and

wherein the implementing of the privacy protocol includes;

disabling the transducer from the receiving of the ambient audio;

initializing a timer; and

restarting the transducer receiving the ambient audio when the timer expires.

9. A method to generate media presentation information, the method comprising:

comparing, via a comparator, a first audio signal associated with media of a media presentation device to ambient audio received in a media presentation location via an audio system associated with the media presentation device to form an output;

implementing a privacy protocol by periodically disabling the receiving of the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of the media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the receiving of the ambient audio from the transducer after the first time period expires;

in response to the output, recording presentation of the media;

forming an estimate of the ambient audio by delaying and attenuating the first audio signal; and

comparing the estimate of the ambient audio to the ambient audio to form the output,

wherein the delaying and the attenuating of the first audio signal includes applying a filter having adaptive weights to the first audio signal.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, further including setting the adaptive weights to zero when the receiving of the ambient audio is enabled.

11. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the forming of the output includes:

subtracting the estimate of the ambient audio from the ambient audio to form a residual signal; and

comparing the residual signal to a threshold.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the output represents whether the estimate of the ambient audio is present in the ambient audio.

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

compare a first audio signal associated with media of a media presentation device to ambient audio received in a media presentation location via an audio system associated with the media presentation device to form an output;

implement a privacy protocol by periodically disabling the receiving of the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the receiving of the ambient audio form the transducer after the first time period expires; and

record presentation of the media based on the output.

14. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive, at the transducer, the ambient audio in the media presentation location; and

implement the privacy protocol by;

disabling the transducer from the receiving of the ambient audio;

initializing a timer; and

restarting the transducer receiving the ambient audio when the timer expires.

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

compare a first audio signal associated with media to ambient audio received in a media presentation location via an audio system associated with a media presentation device to form an output;

implement a privacy protocol by periodically disabling the receiving of the ambient audio from a transducer for a first time period based on a granularity of media presentation information that is to be reported, the granularity based on an amount of time, and enabling the receiving of the ambient audio from the transducer after the first time period expires;

record presentation of the media based on the output;

form an estimate of the ambient audio by delaying and attenuating the first audio signal;

compare the estimate of the ambient audio to the ambient audio to form the output; and

apply a filter having adaptive weights to the first audio signal to delay and to attenuate the first audio signal.

16. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to set the adaptive weights to zero when the receiving of the ambient audio is enabled.

17. The machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 15, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

subtract the estimate of the ambient audio from the ambient audio to form a residual signal; and

compare the residual signal to a threshold to form the output, the output representing whether the estimate of the ambient audio is present in the ambient audio.