METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ADAPTIVELY SELECT SENSOR(S) TO GATHER AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATA BASED ON A VARIABLE SYSTEM FACTOR

• US 20150312606A1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Mears, Paul M., Ramaswamy, Arun
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/50 characterised by the use of watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• 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: H04N 21/241 Operating system [OS] processes, e.g. server setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/44213 : Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4667 : Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 : directed to client
• 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 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• 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: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to adaptively gather audience information data are disclosed. The disclosed methods and apparatus monitor system factor(s) and select one or more sensors from a plurality of sensors positioned to gather audience measurement data based on the monitored factor(s). Thus, the disclosed methods and apparatus adapt to the conditions they face by selecting an amount and/or type of audience measurement data they gather.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor at a first media monitoring location;

a second sensor at a second media monitoring location;

a central processor at a central site configured to remotely control collection of audience measurement data from the first media monitoring location and the second media monitoring location based on a variable system factor, the central processor to (a) measure the variable system factor at the central site and (b) control the first sensor at the first media monitoring location to collect a first type of data and control the second sensor at the second media monitoring location to collect a second type of data based on the variable system factor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central processor is to select at least one of the first sensor from a plurality of sensors at the first media monitoring location and the second sensor from a plurality of sensors at the second media monitoring location based on a fixed system factor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fixed system factor includes at least one of:

(a) a presence of two or more affiliates of a broadcasting company in a market, (b) a local preference for a sensor type, (c) a presence of a set top box having an interactive program guide;

(d) a type of communication link;

(e) a cost of using a sensor type;

(f) a complexity of using a sensor type;

(g) a presence of a viewing time shifting device; and

(h) a presence of a viewing place shifting device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the variable system factor includes at least one of processing speed, bandwidth, and storage capacity at the central site.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central processor is to further control the first sensor and the second sensor based on an amount of audience measurement data per unit of time that is capable of being gathered by the first and second sensors.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sensor and second sensor comprise at least one of:

(a) an audio code sensor, (b) a video code sensor, (c) an audio signature sensor, (d) a video signature sensor, (e) a software meter sensor, (f) a digital bitstream sensor;

(g) an on-screen display sensor;

(h) an Automatic Measurement Of Line-up (AMOL) decoder;

(i) an audio watermarking sensor; and

(j) a video watermarking sensor.

7. A computer readable storage device or storage disc comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to at least:

measure a variable system factor at a central site;

control a first sensor at a first media monitoring location to collect a first type of data based on the variable system factor;

control a second sensor at a second media monitoring location to collect a second type of data based on the variable system factor; and

facilitate remote collection of the first type of data and the second type of data at the central site from the first media monitoring location and the second media monitoring location based on the variable system factor.

8. The storage device or storage disc of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to select at least one of the first sensor from a plurality of sensors at the first media monitoring location and the second sensor from a plurality of sensors at the second media monitoring location based on a fixed system factor.

9. The storage device or storage disc of claim 8, wherein the fixed system factor includes at least one of:

(a) a presence of two or more affiliates of a broadcasting company in a market, (b) a local preference for a sensor type, (c) a presence of a set top box having an interactive program guide;

(d) a type of communication link;

(e) a cost of using a sensor type;

(f) a complexity of using a sensor type;

(g) a presence of a viewing time shifting device; and

(h) a presence of a viewing place shifting device.

10. The storage device or storage disc of claim 7, wherein the variable system factor includes at least one of processing speed, bandwidth, and storage capacity at the central site.

11. The storage device or storage disc of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to control the first sensor and the second sensor based on an amount of audience measurement data per unit of time that is capable of being gathered by the first and second sensors.

12. The storage device or storage disc of claim 7, wherein the first sensor and second sensor comprise at least one of:

(a) an audio code sensor, (b) a video code sensor, (c) an audio signature sensor, (d) a video signature sensor, (e) a software meter sensor, (f) a digital bitstream sensor;

(g) an on-screen display sensor;

(h) an Automatic Measurement Of Line-up (AMOL) decoder;

(i) an audio watermarking sensor; and

(j) a video watermarking sensor.

13. A method comprising:

measuring, using a central processor at a central site, a variable system factor at the central site;

controlling, using the central processor, a first sensor at a first media monitoring location to collect a first type of data based on the variable system factor;

controlling, using the central processor, a second sensor at a second media monitoring location to collect a second type of data based on the variable system factor; and

facilitating, using the central processor, remote collection of the first type of data and the second type of data at the central site from the first media monitoring location and the second media monitoring location based on the variable system factor.

14. The method of claim 13, further including selecting at least one of the first sensor from a plurality of sensors at the first media monitoring location and the second sensor from a plurality of sensors at the second media monitoring location based on a fixed system factor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fixed system factor includes at least one of:

(a) a presence of two or more affiliates of a broadcasting company in a market, (b) a local preference for a sensor type, (c) a presence of a set top box having an interactive program guide;

(d) a type of communication link;

(e) a cost of using a sensor type;

(f) a complexity of using a sensor type;

(g) a presence of a viewing time shifting device; and

(h) a presence of a viewing place shifting device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the variable system factor includes at least one of processing speed, bandwidth, and storage capacity at the central site.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the first sensor and the second sensor further includes controlling the first sensor and the second sensor based on an amount of audience measurement data per unit of time that is capable of being gathered by the first and second sensors.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first sensor and second sensor comprise at least one of:

(a) an audio code sensor, (b) a video code sensor, (c) an audio signature sensor, (d) a video signature sensor, (e) a software meter sensor, (f) a digital bitstream sensor;

(g) an on-screen display sensor;

(h) an Automatic Measurement Of Line-up (AMOL) decoder;

(i) an audio watermarking sensor; and

(j) a video watermarking sensor.

19. The method of claim 13, further including selecting the first sensor and second sensor from a plurality of sensors on a valid sensor list.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the first sensor and second sensor from a plurality of sensors on a valid sensor list further includes:

associating a preference value with each sensor in the plurality of sensors based on a fixed system factor;

testing the sensors to determine which sensors from the plurality of sensors are outputting valid data;

when a sensor from the plurality of sensors is determined to be outputting valid data, adding the sensor to a valid sensor list;

when a sensor from the plurality of sensors is determined to not be outputting valid data, removing the sensor from the valid sensor list;

summing an output of each sensor in the valid sensor list;

comparing the summed output to a variable system factor to determine whether the summed output exceeds a threshold associated with the variable system factor;

when the summed output of sensors in the valid sensor list exceeds the threshold associated with the variable system factor, removing from the valid sensor list a sensor having a lowest preference value among the sensors in the valid sensor list; and

selecting the first sensor and second sensor from the valid sensor list.