METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETERMINE MEDIA IMPRESSIONS USING DISTRIBUTED DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

• US 20120215621A1
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Heffernan, Ronan, Splaine, Steven John, Kalus, Mark, Paparo, Ari, Geraghty, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/404,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20120215621A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• 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 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Example methods involve based on a first request to log a first media impression, generating a first identifier associated with a first client device that generated the first request, and sending a communication to the first client device. The communication includes the first identifier, and the communication is to cause the first client device to send the first identifier associated with the first client device to a database proprietor in association with a cookie identifier of the first client device. Second media impressions are logged in association with the first identifier of the first client device and second identifiers associated with second client devices based on second requests received from the first and second client devices. A batch including the second media impressions and the first and second identifiers is sent to the database proprietor. Demographic information associated with the second media impressions is received from the database proprietor.

Claims

1. A method to log media impressions, the method comprising:

based on a first request to log a first media impression;

generating a first identifier associated with a first client device that generated the first request, and

sending a communication to the first client device, the communication having the first identifier, and the communication to cause the first client device to send the first identifier associated with the first client device to a database proprietor in association with a cookie identifier of the first client device;

logging second media impressions in association with the first identifier of the first client device and second identifiers associated with second client devices based on second requests received from the first and second client devices;

sending a batch including the second media impressions and the first and second identifiers to the database proprietor; and

receiving demographic information associated with the second media impressions from the database proprietor.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second requests are hypertext transfer protocol requests that do not return webpages.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising logging the second media impressions in association with at least one of one or more campaign identifiers, one or more placement identifiers, or one or more creative identifiers associated with advertisements that caused the second requests.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the batch includes hash values of the at least one of the one or more campaign identifiers, the one or more placement identifiers, or the one or more creative identifiers.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sending of the batch to the database proprietor is based on at least one of a threshold of logged impressions or a time threshold.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first identifier distinguishes the first client device relative to at least the second client devices.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first identifier is located in a payload of the communication.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication includes a uniform resource locator of the database proprietor.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the communication is a redirect communication or includes instructions to cause the first client device to initiate a second communication with the uniform resource locator of the database proprietor.

10. An apparatus to log media impressions, the apparatus comprising:

an identifier generator to generate a first identifier associated with a first client device based on receiving a first request from the first client device to log a first media impression;

a communication interface to send a communication to the first client device, the communication having the first identifier, and the communication to cause the first client device to send the first identifier associated with the first client device to a database proprietor in association with a cookie identifier of the first client device;

an impression logger to log second media impressions in association with the first identifier of the first client device and second identifiers associated with second client devices based on second requests received from the first and second client devices; and

the communication interface further to;

send the batch including the second media impressions and the first and second identifiers to the database proprietor, and

receive demographic information associated with the second media impressions from the database proprietor.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first and second requests are hypertext transfer protocol requests that do not return webpages.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the impression logger is further to log the second media impressions in association with at least one of one or more campaign identifiers, one or more placement identifiers, or one or more creative identifiers associated with advertisements that caused the second requests.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the batch includes hash values of the at least one of the one or more campaign identifiers, the one or more placement identifiers, or the one or more creative identifiers.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication interface is to send the batch to the database proprietor based on at least one of a threshold of logged impressions or a time threshold.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first identifier is to distinguish the first client device relative to at least the second client devices.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication interface is to communicate the first identifier as a data parameter of the communication.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication interface is to communicate a uniform resource locator of the database proprietor in the communication.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the communication is a redirect communication or includes instructions to cause the first client device to initiate a second communication with the uniform resource locator of the database proprietor.

19. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

in response to a first request to log a first media impression;

generate a first identifier associated with a first client device that generated the first request, and

send a communication to the first client device, the communication having the first identifier, and the communication to cause the first client device to send the first identifier associated with the first client device to a database proprietor in association with a cookie identifier of the first client device;

log second media impressions in association with the first identifier of the first client device and second identifiers associated with second client devices based on second requests received from the first and second client devices;

send a batch including the second media impressions and the first and second identifiers to the database proprietor; and

receive demographic information associated with the second media impressions from the database proprietor.

20. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the first and second requests are webpage requests that do not return webpages.

21. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to log the second media impressions in association with at least one of one or more campaign identifiers, one or more placement identifiers, or one or more creative identifiers associated with advertisements that caused the second requests.

22. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to store hash values of the at least one of the one or more campaign identifiers, the one or more placement identifiers, or the one or more creative identifiers in the batch.

23. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to send the batch to the database proprietor based on at least one of a threshold of logged impressions or a time threshold.

24. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate the first identifier to distinguish the first client device relative to at least the second client devices.

25. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to locate the first identifier in a payload of the communication.

26. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to locate a uniform resource locator of the database proprietor in the communication.

27. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 26, wherein the communication is a redirect communication or includes instructions to cause the first client device to initiate a second communication with the uniform resource locator of the database proprietor.