System and Method for Automatic Sub-Panel Creation and Management

• US 20130204999A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arbitron Mobile OY
• Inventors: Lindberg, Tero
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods are disclosed for creating and managing sub-panels. Device data may be received in the system from each of a plurality of user devices, wherein the device data includes device usage data, device configuration data, demographic data and the like. Data collection rules are created or loaded into a central processing apparatus, where the device data is processed in the central processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to the data collection rules. Sub-panels may be defined in accordance with the processing, wherein the sub-panel may include one or more devices determined to be compliant with the data collection rules. Modification instructions may be generated in the central processing apparatus for the sub-panel, wherein the modification instructions are configured to be transmitted to at least some of the devices in the sub-panel, and wherein the modification instructions include data enabling each device in the sub panel to modify or enable at least one of (i) data collection operations and (ii) data reporting relating to future device data.

Claims

1. A processor-based method for operating a sub-panel pursuant to a research operation, comprising the steps of:

receiving device data from each of a plurality of user devices, wherein the device data comprises at least one of device usage data, device configuration data and demographic data;

loading data collection rules into a central processing apparatus;

processing the device data in the central processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to the data collection rules;

defining the sub-panel in accordance with the processing step, wherein the sub-panel comprises one or more devices determined to be compliant with the data collection rules; and

generating modification instructions in the central processing apparatus for the sub-panel, wherein the modification instructions are configured to be transmitted to at least some of the devices in the sub-panel, and wherein the modification instructions comprise data enabling each device in the sub panel to modify or enable at least one of (i) data collection operations and (ii) data reporting relating to future device data.

2. The processor-based method of claim 1, wherein the device data further comprises at least one of network usage data, call data, text data, social media data, MMS data, battery data, phone charging data, web-usage data, audio codes and audio signatures.

3. The processor-based method of claim 1, wherein the data collection rules comprise one or more parameters for device data.

4. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of performing a second processing if it is determined after the processing step that one or more devices are not compliant with the data collection rules.

5. The processor-based method of claim 4, wherein the second processing comprises processing the device data in the central processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to different parameters for the data collection rules.

6. The processor-based method of claim 1, further comprising the step of processing device data from the sub-panel and redefining the sub-panel with other user devices if it is determined that the device data from the sub-panel is not compliant with the data collection rules.

7. The processor-based method of claim 1, wherein the user devices are portable computing devices operating data collection software and configured to communicate wirelessly over a network.

8. A computer system configured to communicate over a network to a plurality of portable user devices, comprising:

an input configured to receive device data from each of the plurality of user devices, wherein the device data comprises at least one of device usage data, device configuration data and demographic data;

a storage for storing the device data and data collection rules; and

a processing apparatus, operatively coupled to the input and storage, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to process the device data to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to the data collection rules,

wherein the processing apparatus is configured to define a sub-panel based on the processed device data, wherein the sub-panel comprises one or more user devices determined to be compliant with the data collection rules,

and wherein the processing apparatus is configured to generate modification instructions for the sub-panel, wherein the modification instructions are configured to be transmitted from an output of the system to at least some of the user devices in the sub-panel, and wherein the modification instructions comprise data enabling each device in the sub panel to modify or enable at least one of (i) data collection operations and (ii) data reporting relating to future device data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device data further comprises at least one of network usage data, call data, text data, social media data, MMS data, battery data, phone charging data, web-usage data, audio codes and audio signatures.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data collection rules comprise one or more parameters for device data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to performing a second processing if it is determined after the processing that one or more devices are not compliant with the data collection rules.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second processing comprises processing the device data in the processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to different parameters for the data collection rules.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to process device data from the sub-panel and redefine the sub-panel with other user devices if it is determined that the device data from the sub-panel is not compliant with the data collection rules.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the user devices are portable computing devices operating data collection software and configured to communicate wirelessly over a network.

15. A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for operating a sub-panel pursuant to a research operation, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a computer system causes the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving device data from each of a plurality of user devices, wherein the device data comprises at least one of device usage data, device configuration data and demographic data;

loading data collection rules into a central processing apparatus;

processing the device data in the central processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to the data collection rules;

defining the sub-panel in accordance with the processing step, wherein the sub-panel comprises one or more devices determined to be compliant with the data collection rules; and

generating modification instructions in the central processing apparatus for the sub-panel, wherein the modification instructions are configured to be transmitted to at least some of the devices in the sub-panel, and wherein the modification instructions comprise data enabling each device in the sub panel to modify or enable at least one of (i) data collection operations and (ii) data reporting relating to future device data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the device data further comprises at least one of network usage data, call data, text data, social media data, MMS data, battery data, phone charging data, web-usage data, audio codes and audio signatures.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the data collection rules comprise one or more parameters for device data.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of performing a second processing if it is determined after the processing step that one or more devices are not compliant with the data collection rules.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second processing comprises processing the device data in the central processing apparatus to determine if device data related to one or more user devices complies to different parameters for the data collection rules.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising the step of processing device data from the sub-panel and redefining the sub-panel with other user devices if it is determined that the device data from the sub-panel is not compliant with the data collection rules.