METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR METERING PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS

• US 20080263579A1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US), LLC
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US), LLC
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun, Luff, Robert A., Mears, Paul M., Stokes, Robert Joel, Conklin, Charles Clinton, Mello, Brian Scott, Pelletier, Seth Alan, Fisch, Perry Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/44218 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 21/44224 : Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 : dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 : Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 : Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 : Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to collect metering information associated with media presented by portable and computer media presentation devices are disclosed. A disclosed example method accesses a first data structure including metering information generated by at least one of first media presentation software executed by a personal computer or second media presentation software executed by a portable media presentation device. The metering information is associated with media presented by at least one of the first or second media presentation software. At least some of the metering information is then extracted from the first data structure and stored in a second data structure. The at least some of the metering information is then communicated from the second data structure to a data collection facility.

Claims

1-41. -41. (canceled)

42. An apparatus to monitor a media presentation device, comprising:

a headset configured to be communicatively coupled to a media presentation device;

a speaker coupled to the headset and configured to emit audio based on audio information received from the media presentation device; and

a metering information generator coupled to the headset and configured to be communicatively coupled to the media presentation device to receive the audio information and generate metering information associated with the received audio information.

43. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the metering information generator is configured to generate the metering information by at least one of generating audio signatures based on the received audio information or extracting codes from the received audio information.

44. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the media presentation device is a portable media presentation device.

45. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the media presentation device is an IPOD®

.

46. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, further comprising a transceiver configured to transmit the metering information to a personal computer.

47. An apparatus as defined in claim 45, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the metering information to the personal computer via wireless communications.

48. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the metering information generator is mounted in an earpiece of the headset.

83. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, wherein the metering information generator is removably attachable to the headset.

84. An apparatus as defined in claim 42, further comprising a communication port to monitor command signals associated with the media presentation device.

49. A method of monitoring a media presentation device, comprising:

receiving audio information at a headset from a media presentation device; and

generating metering information associated with the received audio information using a metering information generator coupled to the headset.

50. A method as defined in claim 49, further comprising emitting audio via a speaker of the headset based on the audio information received from the media presentation device.

51. A method as defined in claim 49, further comprising generating the metering information by at least one of generating audio signatures based on the received audio information or extracting codes from the received audio information.

52. A method as defined in claim 49, wherein the media presentation device is a portable media presentation device.

53. A method as defined in claim 49, further comprising transmitting the metering information to a personal computer via a wireless or wired communication medium.

54. A method as defined in claim 49, wherein the metering information generator is mounted in an earpiece of the headset.

55. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive audio information via a headset from a media presentation device; and

generate metering information associated with the received audio information using a metering information generator coupled to the headset.

56. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 55 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to emit audio via a speaker of the headset based on the audio information received from the media presentation device.

57. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 55 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to generate the metering information by at least one of generating audio signatures based on the received audio information or extracting codes from the received audio information.

58. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 55, wherein the media presentation device is a portable media presentation device.

59. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 55 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the metering information to a personal computer via a wireless or wired communication medium.

60-82. -82. (canceled)