SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RFID-BASED PRINTED MEDIA READING ACTIVITY DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS

• US 20080177591A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GfK US, LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: GFK Mediamark Research and Intelligence LLC
• Inventors: Fletcher, Richard, Mattlin, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 7,959,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

The subject invention provides a means of automatically detecting and recording a person'"'"'s use of magazines, i.e. printed media exposure, for the purpose of market research. The present invention comprises one or more electrically conductive marker regions applied to certain specific locations on one or more magazine pages. In one general embodiment, the presence and relative separation of the marker regions are detected by a capacitive sensors and electronic device that stores, processes and communicates the data wirelessly to an external device. In another embodiment, a passive chip less tag is used to indirectly measure the change in conductivity of the conductive regions caused by prolonged exposure to air or light. Exemplary methods are described for acquiring readership and exposure data using the present invention.

Claims

1. A data acquisition method, comprising:

incorporating a marker region and a sensor element with a media element;

detecting an action event wherein an initial spatial relationship between the marker region and the sensor element is changed;

updating the sensor element when an action event is detected; and

resolving at least one sensor element update to correlate at least one action event with at least one media exposure event for the media element.

2. The data acquisition method of claim 1, wherein the media element includes a printed publication configured with the marker region and the sensor element.

3. The data acquisition method of claim 2, wherein the initial spatial relationship associated with the marker region and the sensor element is established when the printed publication is closed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves opening the printed publication.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves displacing the marker region formed on a page of the printed publication with regard to a position associated with the sensor element.

6. The data acquisition method of claim 1, wherein the media element includes a printed publication and a printed publication sleeve, wherein the printed publication sleeve is configured with the marker region and the sensor element.

7. The data acquisition method of claim 6, wherein the initial spatial relationship associated with the marker region and the sensor element is established when the printed publication sleeve is closed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves opening the printed publication sleeve.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves displacing the marker region formed on a page of the printed publication with regard to a position associated with the sensor element formed in the printed publication sleeve.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves displacing the marker region formed on the printed publication sleeve with regard to a position associated with the sensor element formed in the printed publication sleeve.

11. The data acquisition method of claim 1, wherein the media element includes a printed publication and a printed publication sleeve and both the printed publication and the printed publication sleeve are configured with at least one marker region and sensor element.

12. The data acquisition method of claim 11, wherein the initial spatial relationship associated with the marker region and the sensor element is established when the printed publication sleeve is closed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves opening the printed publication sleeve.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves displacing the marker region formed on a page of the printed publication with regard to a position associated with the sensor element situated in the printed publication sleeve.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the initial spatial relationship involves displacing the marker region formed on the printed publication sleeve with regard to a position associated with the sensor element situated in the printed publication sleeve.

16. A data acquisition method, comprising:

incorporating at least one marker region and at least one sensor element with a printed media element, wherein the at least one sensor element is incorporated into a printed publication sleeve; and

configuring the at least one marker region with electrically conductive material and wherein the at least one marker region and the at least one sensor element are electromagnetically coupled.

17. A media exposure data acquisition system comprising:

a media element;

a media element sleeve configured to be secured to the media element;

one or more marker regions configured to communicate with one or more sensor elements the occurrence of a media exposure event; and

a data reader configured to extract media exposure event data from the one or more sensor elements.

18. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, wherein the media element is configured with the one or more marker regions and the one or more sensor elements.

19. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, wherein the media element sleeve is configured with the one or more marker regions and the one or more sensor elements.

20. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, wherein the media element and the media element sleeve are configured with the one or more marker regions and the one or more sensor elements.

21. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, wherein the sensor elements incorporate an electromagnetic sensor component.

22. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, wherein the sensor elements incorporate a magnetic sensor component.

23. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 17, further comprising a media match determination component.

24. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 23, wherein the media match determination component includes a match sensor element configured to determine whether a media element sleeve is secured with a correlated media element.

25. The media exposure data acquisition system of claim 24, wherein the media match determination component is configured to generate a media mis-match alert when the media match determination component determines the media element sleeve is not secured with the correlated media element.