Methods and apparatus to count people in an audience

• US 10,560,741 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Padmanabhan, Srinivasan, Venugopal, Topchy, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/901,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to count people in an audience are disclosed. An example system includes means for transmitting a control signal to a portable device a threshold period of time after a person logs into a people meter separate from the portable device. The control signal causes the portable device to begin collecting location information and proximity information. The system also includes means for analyzing the location information to determine a location result indicative of a location of the portable device. The system further includes means for analyzing the proximity information to determine a proximity result indicative of whether the person is near the portable device. The location result and the proximity result collectively define first presence information. The first presence information indicative of whether the person is present in a media exposure environment associated with a media presentation device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

means for transmitting a control signal to a portable device a threshold period of time after a person logs into a people meter separate from the portable device, the control signal to cause the portable device to begin collecting location information and proximity information associated with operation of the portable device after receipt of the control signal;

means for analyzing the location information collected by the portable device to determine a location result indicative of a location of the portable device; and

means for analyzing the proximity information collected by the portable device to determine a proximity result indicative of whether the person is near the portable device, the location result and the proximity result collectively defining first presence information, the first presence information indicative of whether the person is present in a media exposure environment associated with a media presentation device.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, further including means for comparing the first presence information to second presence information collected via the people meter, the means for comparing to adjust the second presence information based on the comparison.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for comparing is to flag the second presence information as suspect when the second presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment, the location result indicates the portable device is remote from the media exposure environment, and the proximity result does not indicate the person is near the portable device.

4. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for comparing is to adjust the second presence information by increasing a people count when the person is not logged into the people meter and the first presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment.

5. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for comparing is to adjust the second presence information by decreasing a people count when the person is logged into the people meter and the first presence information indicates the person is absent from the media exposure environment.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment when (1) the proximity result indicates the person is near the portable device and (2) the location result indicates the location of the portable device is within the media exposure environment.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the proximity information includes usage information indicative of usage of an application executing on the portable device.

8. The system as defined in claim 7, further including at least one of means for estimating an identity of the person based on a type of the application executing on the portable device or means for estimating a demographic characteristic of the person based on the type of the application executing on the portable device.

9. The system as defined in claim 7, further including means for estimating an identity of the person based on a user account associated with the application, the usage of the application involving the person logging into the user account.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for transmitting is to transmit a second control signal to the portable device to request the location information and the proximity information from the portable device.

11. A system, comprising:

means for collecting location information associated with a portable device in response to a control signal received at the portable device a threshold period of time after a person logged into a people meter different from the portable device, collection of the location information to begin after detection of the control signal, the location information indicative of a location of the portable device;

means for collecting proximity information associated with operation of the portable device in response to the control signal, collection of the proximity information to begin after the detection of the control signal, the proximity information indicative of whether the person is near the portable device, the location information and the proximity information collectively defining presence information, the presence information indicative of whether the person is present in a media exposure environment associated with a media presentation device; and

means for transmitting the presence information to a data collection facility.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the presence information is first presence information, and further including means for comparing the first presence information to second presence information collected via the people meter.

13. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the means for comparing is to flag the second presence information as suspect when the second presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment, the location information indicates the portable device is remote from the media exposure environment, and the proximity information does not indicate the person is near the portable device.

14. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the means for comparing is to adjust the second presence information by increasing a people count when the person is not logged into the people meter and the first presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment.

15. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the means for comparing is to adjust the second presence information by decreasing a people count when the person is logged into the people meter and the first presence information indicates the person is absent from the media exposure environment.

16. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment when (1) the proximity information indicates the person is near the portable device and (2) the location information indicates the location of the portable device is within the media exposure environment, the presence information indicating the person is absent from the media exposure environment when (1) the proximity information indicates the person is near the portable device and (2) the location information indicates the location of the portable device is outside the media exposure environment.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory including machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to at least;

transmit a control signal to a portable device a threshold period of time after a person logs into a people meter separate from the portable device, the control signal to cause the portable device to begin collecting location information and proximity information associated with operation of the portable device after receipt of the control signal;

analyze the location information collected by the portable device to determine a location result indicative of a location of the portable device;

analyze the proximity information collected by the portable device to determine a proximity result indicative of whether the person is near the portable device; and

determine presence information based on the location information and the proximity information, the presence information indicative of whether the person is present in a media exposure environment associated with a media presentation device.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the presence information is first presence information, and the instructions further cause the processor to:

compare the first presence information to second presence information collected via the people meter;

when the second presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment at least one of;

(1) flag the second presence information as suspect when the location result indicates the portable device is remote from the media exposure environment and the proximity result does not indicate the person is near the portable device, or

(2) decrease a people count when the location result indicates the portable device is remote from the media exposure environment and the proximity result indicates the person is near the portable device; and

when the second presence information indicates the person is absent in the media exposure environment, increase the people count when the location result indicates the portable device is within the media exposure environment and the proximity result indicates the person is near the portable device.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the presence information indicates the person is present in the media exposure environment when (1) the proximity result indicates the person is near the portable device and (2) the location result indicates the location of the portable device is within the media exposure environment, and the presence information indicates the person is absent from the media exposure environment when (1) the proximity result indicates the person is near the portable device and (2) the location result indicates the location of the portable device is outside the media exposure environment.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the proximity information includes usage information indicative of the person using an application executing on the portable device.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to at least one of estimate an identity of the person based on a type of the application executing on the portable device or estimate a demographic characteristic of the person based on the type of the application executing on the portable device.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to estimate an identity of the person based on a user account associated with the application, the usage of the application involving the person logging into the user account.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit a second control signal to the portable device to request the location information and the proximity information from the portable device.