METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING MEDIA DEVICES WITH A DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION OF A GEOGRAPHIC AREA

• US 20100151816A1
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Milavsky, Joseph G., Luff, Robert, Besehanic, Jan, Ramaswamy, Arun, Wright, David Howell, Mears, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/695 using masks or ranges of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member, determining a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, accessing geographic information and determining a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, accessing demographic information and determining a demographic profile associated with the geographic location, and associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.

Claims

1. A method of associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member;

determining a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses;

accessing geographic information and determining a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address;

accessing demographic information and determining a demographic profile associated with the geographic location; and

associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the most used Internet Protocol address includes calculating which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses was assigned to the media device for a longer period of time.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the most used Internet Protocol address includes calculating which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses the media device used to access the Internet for a longer period of time.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the most used Internet Protocol address includes calculating for which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses the media device utilized the most bandwidth.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising reporting at least one of a type of the media device, the demographic profile, or the geographic location to a marketing entity.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving usage information from the media device;

associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with at least one of the usage information or the panel member; and

reporting at least one of a type of the media device, the usage information, the panel member, the demographic profile, or the geographic location to a marketing entity.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein reporting the panel member includes reporting at least one of an identifier of the panel member or an identity of the panel member.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising registering the media device prior to receiving the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses and storing associated registration information.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein registering the media device includes storing at least one of an address corresponding to the media device or a media device identifier corresponding to the media device.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device includes associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the registration information.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the demographic profile includes at least one of a race, an age, an income, a disability, a mobility, an educational level, a home ownership, a religion, or an employment status.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the geographic location includes at least one of an address, a zip code, a city, a street, a neighborhood, a county, a state, a region, or a country.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses is the same as receiving one Internet Protocol address.

14. An apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member;

an address resolver to determine a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, access geographic information, access demographic information, determine a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, determine a demographic profile associated with the geographic information, and associate at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the address resolver determines the most used Internet Protocol address by calculating which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses was assigned to the media device for a longer period of time.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the address resolver determines the most used Internet Protocol address by calculating which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses the media device used to access the Internet for a longer period of time.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the address resolver determines the most used Internet Protocol address by calculating for which of the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses the media device utilized the most bandwidth.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, further comprising a media device demographic database to report at least one of a type of the media device, the demographic profile, or the geographic location to a third party.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the receiver receives usage information from the media device.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the address resolver associates at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with at least one of the usage information or the panel member.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the media device demographic database reports at least one of the type of the media device, the usage information, the panel member, the demographic profile, or the geographic location to a marketing entity.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the receiver receives registration information from the media device and stores the registration information in an address memory.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the address memory stores the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses upon the receiver receiving each of the Internet Protocol addresses.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the registration information includes at least one of an address corresponding to the media device or a media device identifier corresponding to the media device.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the address resolver associates at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device by associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the registration information.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, further comprising:

a demographic database to store demographic profiles by geographic location; and

a geographic database to store geographic locations by Internet Protocol addresses.

27-30. -30. (canceled)

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

receive a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member;

determine a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses;

access geographic information and determining a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address;

access demographic information and determining a demographic profile associated with the geographic location; and

associate at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.

32-40. -40. (canceled)