Methods and apparatus to determine ratings information for online media presentations

• US 10,643,229 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Splaine, Steven J., Gaynor, Kevin K., Goli, Narasimha Reddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US16/226,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20190122237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to determine ratings information for online media presentations are disclosed. An example method includes receiving pingback messages corresponding to presentation of media at a client device, determining a portion of the media that was presented at the client device based on the pingback messages, obtaining demographic information associated with the client device, and determining a demographic characteristic associated with the presentation of the portion of the media based on the pingback messages and the demographic information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a beacon server to transmit pingback instructions to a client device in response to a request generated by a client application of the client device executing beacon instructions, the pingback instructions to cause the client device to transmit first pingback messages to an impression monitor server at intervals designated by the pingback instructions and in response to a presentation of media via the client application, the pingback instructions to further cause the client device to transmit a second pingback message to the impression monitor server in response to a skip request associated with the presentation of the media via the client application; and

an impression monitor server to;

log the first pingback messages and the second pingback message received at the impression monitor server from the client device, ones of the first pingback messages corresponding to different ones of portions of the media presented at the client device, the second pingback message identifying a skipped portion of the media, the skipped portion not presented at the client device; and

determine a duration impression for the media based on the logged first pingback message and the logged second pingback message, the duration impression identifying the portions of the media that were presented at the client device.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the impression monitor server is further to:

transmit a response message to the client device based on one of the first pingback messages received at the impression monitor server, the response message to cause the client device to transmit a third pingback message to a third server of a database proprietor;

receive, in response to the third pingback message, demographic information from the third server of the database proprietor, the demographic information associated with the client device; and

determine a demographic characteristic for the media based on the duration impression and the demographic information.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the third pingback message includes a cookie corresponding to the database proprietor, the cookie to identify a user of the client device.

4. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the impression monitor server includes a rules engine to select the database proprietor.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein ones of the first pingback messages include an indication of a first media type or a second media type associated with the presentation of the media.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the impression monitor server is further to:

determine that the duration impression includes the first media type and the second media type;

divide the duration impression based on the first media type and the second media type; and

determine ratings information based on only the first media type of the duration impression.

7. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the first media type is associated with one or more advertisements included in the media, and the second media type is associated with program content included in the media.

8. A method, comprising:

transmitting pingback instructions from a beacon server to a client device in response to a request generated by a client application of the client device executing beacon instructions, the pingback instructions to cause the client device to transmit first pingback messages to an impression monitor server at intervals designated by the pingback instructions and in response to a presentation of media via the client application, the pingback instructions to further cause the client device to transmit a second pingback message to the impression monitor server in response to a skip request associated with the presentation of the media via the client application;

logging, by the impression monitor server, the first pingback messages and the second pingback message received at the impression monitor server from the client device, ones of the first pingback messages corresponding to different ones of portions of the media presented at the client device, the second pingback message identifying a skipped portion of the media, the skipped portion not presented at the client device; and

determining, by the impression monitor server, a duration impression for the media based on the logged first pingback messages and the logged second pingback message, the duration impression identifying the portions of the media that were presented at the client device.

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

transmitting a response message from the impression monitor server to the client device based on one of the first pingback messages received at the impression monitor server, the response message to cause the client device to transmit a third pingback message to a third server of a database proprietor;

receiving, at the impression monitor server in response to the third pingback message, demographic information from the third server of the database proprietor, the demographic information associated with the client device; and

determining, by the impression monitor server, a demographic characteristic for the media based on the duration impression and the demographic information.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the third pingback message includes a cookie corresponding to the database proprietor, the cookie to identify a user of the client device.

11. The method as defined in claims 9, further including selecting, by a rules engine of the impression monitor server, the database proprietor.

12. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein ones of the first pingback messages include an indication of a first media type or a second media type associated with the presentation of the media.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, further including:

determining, by the impression monitor server, that the duration impression includes the first media type and the second media type;

dividing, by the impression monitor server, the duration impression based on the first media type and the second media type; and

determining, by the impression monitor server, ratings information based on only the first media type of the duration impression.

14. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the first media type is associated with one or more advertisements included in the media, and the second media type is associated with program content included in the media.

15. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause one or more logic circuits of an audience measurement entity system to at least:

transmit pingback instructions from a beacon server of the audience measurement entity system to a client device in response to a request generated by a client application of the client device executing beacon instructions, the pingback instructions to cause the client device to transmit first pingback messages to an impression monitor server of the audience measurement entity system at intervals designated by the pingback instructions and in response to a presentation of media via the client application, the pingback instructions to further cause the client device to transmit a second pingback message to the impression monitor server in response to a skip request associated with the presentation of the media via the client application;

log the first pingback messages and the second pingback message received at the impression monitor server from the client device, ones of the first pingback messages corresponding to different ones of portions of the media presented at the client device, the second pingback message identifying a skipped portion of the media, the skipped portion not presented at the client device; and

determine a duration impression for the media based on the logged first pingback messages and the logged second pingback message, the duration impression identifying the portions of the media that were presented at the client device.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, are to further cause the one or more logic circuits of the audience measurement entity system to:

transmit a response message from the impression monitor server to the client device based on one of the first pingback messages received at the impression monitor server, the response message to cause the client device to transmit a third pingback message to a third server of a database proprietor;

receive demographic information at the impression monitor server from the third server of the database proprietor in response to the third pingback message, the demographic information associated with the client device; and

determine a demographic characteristic for the media based on the duration impression and the demographic information.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the third pingback message includes a cookie corresponding to the database proprietor, the cookie to identify a user of the client device.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein ones of the first pingback messages include an indication of a first media type or a second media type associated with the presentation of the media.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, are to further cause the one or more logic circuits of the audience measurement entity system to:

determine that the duration impression includes the first media type and the second media type;

divide the duration impression based on the first media type and the second media type; and

determine ratings information based on only the first media type of the duration impression.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the first media type is associated with one or more advertisements included in the media, and the second media type is associated with program content included in the media.