Receiver monitoring system with local encoding
First Claim
1. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of a receiver which receives a plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels, wherein the receiver is located at an audience site within a dwelling, and wherein the plurality of program signals enter the dwelling at a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the audience site, the audience measurement system comprising:
- code inserting means for inserting a code in each of the program signals at a location which is intermediate the service entrance and the audience site, wherein the code includes a unique local code inserter ID and a code inserter time stamp;
decoding means for decoding the unique local code inserter ID and the code inserter time stamp at the audience site; and
,collecting and storing means within the dwelling for collecting and storing the decoded unique local code inserter ID and code inserter time stamp and for communicating the decoded unique local code inserter ID and code inserter time stamp to a remote site.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An audience measurement system meters tuning of a receiver which receives a plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels. The receiver is located in an audience site within a dwelling, and the plurality of program signals enter the dwelling through a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the audience site. The audience measurement system includes a code inserter, a decoder, and a home unit. The code inserter inserts a local code in each of the program signals at a location which is intermediate the service entrance and the audience site. This local code includes a unique local code inserter ID and a code inserter time stamp. The decoder decodes the unique local code inserter ID and the code inserter time stamp at the audience site. The home unit is located in the dwelling and collects and stores the decoded unique local code inserter ID and code inserter time stamp.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of a receiver which receives a plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels, wherein the receiver is located at an audience site within a dwelling, and wherein the plurality of program signals enter the dwelling at a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the audience site, the audience measurement system comprising:
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code inserting means for inserting a code in each of the program signals at a location which is intermediate the service entrance and the audience site, wherein the code includes a unique local code inserter ID and a code inserter time stamp; decoding means for decoding the unique local code inserter ID and the code inserter time stamp at the audience site; and
,collecting and storing means within the dwelling for collecting and storing the decoded unique local code inserter ID and code inserter time stamp and for communicating the decoded unique local code inserter ID and code inserter time stamp to a remote site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of receiving means, wherein the receiving means receives a first plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels and a second plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels, wherein the receiver means is located at an audience site within a dwelling, wherein the first plurality of program signals enters the dwelling through a first service entrance and is supplied therefrom to the audience site, and wherein the second plurality of program signals enters the dwelling through a second service entrance and is supplied therefrom to the audience site, the audience measurement system comprising:
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first code inserting means for inserting a code in each of the first plurality of program signals at a location which is intermediate the first service entrance and the audience site, wherein the code inserted by the first code inserting means includes a corresponding unique local code inserter ID and a corresponding code inserter time stamp; second code inserting means for inserting a code in each of the second plurality of program signals at a location which is intermediate the second service entrance and the audience site, wherein the code inserted by the second code inserting means includes a corresponding local unique code inserter ID and a corresponding code inserter time stamp; decoding means at the audience site for decoding the unique code inserter IDs and the code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the first and second code inserting means; and
,collecting and storing means within the dwelling for collecting and storing the decoded unique code inserter IDs and code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the first and second code inserting means and for communicating the decoded unique code inserter IDs and code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the first and second code inserting means to a remote site. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of first and second receivers, wherein the first receiver receives a first plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels, wherein the second receiver received a second plurality of program signals transmitted over a plurality of channels, wherein the first receiver is located at a first audience site within a dwelling, wherein the second receiver is located at a second audience site within the dwelling, and wherein the first and second pluralities of program signals enter the dwelling through a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the first and second audience sites, the audience measurement system comprising:
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code inserting means for inserting a code in each program signal of the first and second pluralities of program signals at a location which is intermediate the service entrance and the first and second audience sites, wherein the code inserted by the code inserting means includes a corresponding unique local code inserter ID and a corresponding code inserter time stamp; decoding means at the first and second audience sites for decoding the unique code inserter IDs and the code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the code inserting means; and
,collecting and storing means within the dwelling for collecting and storing the decoded unique code inserter IDs and code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the code inserting means and for communicating the decoded unique code inserter IDs and code inserter time stamps corresponding to the codes inserted by the code inserting means to a remote site. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of a receiver, wherein the receiver receives a plurality of program signals which are transmitted over a plurality of channels and which are encoded with source identification codes, wherein the receiver is located at an audience site within a dwelling, and wherein the plurality of program signals enter the dwelling at a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the audience site, the audience measurement system comprising:
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storing means for storing a line-up list, wherein the line-up list links source identification codes with corresponding channel data; tuning means for tuning a predetermined channel; decoding means for decoding a source identification code from a signal on the predetermined channel; comparing means for comparing a first channel datum from the line-up list with a second channel datum denoting the predetermined channel and for replacing the first channel datum with the second channel datum if the first and second channel data differ, wherein the first channel datum denotes a channel corresponding to the source identification code. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of first and second receivers, wherein the first and second receivers receive a plurality of program signals which are transmitted over a plurality of channels and which are encoded with source identification codes, wherein the first and second receivers are located at corresponding first and second audience sites within corresponding first and second dwellings, and wherein the plurality of program signals enter the first and second dwellings at service entrances and are supplied therefrom to the first and second audience sites, the audience measurement system comprising:
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storing means for storing a line-up list, wherein the line-up list links source identification codes with corresponding channel data; first tuning means for tuning a predetermined channel, wherein the first tuning means is located within the first dwelling; first decoding means for decoding a source identification code from a signal on the predetermined channel tuned by the first tuning means, wherein the first decoding means is located within the first dwelling; second tuning means for tuning a predetermined channel, wherein the second tuning means is located within the second dwelling; second decoding means for decoding a source identification code from a signal on the predetermined channel tuned by the second tuning means, wherein the second decoding means is located within the second dwelling; comparing means for comparing a first channel datum from the line-up list with a second channel datum denoting the predetermined channel tuned by the first tuning means, for replacing the first channel datum with the second channel datum if the first and second channel data differ, for comparing a third channel datum from the line-up list with a fourth channel datum denoting the predetermined channel tuned by the second tuning means, and for replacing the third channel datum with the fourth channel datum if the third and fourth channel data differ, wherein the first channel datum denotes a channel corresponding to a source identification code, wherein the second channel datum denotes the predetermined channel tuned by the first tuning means, wherein the third channel datum denotes a channel corresponding to a source identification code, and wherein the fourth channel datum denotes the predetermined channel tuned by the second tuning means. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method of determining to which signal of a plurality of signals a receiver in a statistically selected dwelling is tuned, wherein the dwelling has a service entrance at which a plurality of channels carrying the plurality of signals enter the dwelling, and wherein each signal of the plurality of signals is transmitted with a corresponding source identification code, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) storing a set of paired records, wherein a first record of each of the paired records comprises a source identification code, and wherein a second record of each of the paired records comprises a corresponding channel designation; b) inserting a local code in each of the plurality of signals at the service entrance, wherein each local code comprises a channel designation uniquely associated with the channel carrying a corresponding signal; c) decoding the source identification code and the local code from signal to which the receiver is tuned; d) comparing the decoded source identification code with each of the first records of each set of paired records to find a matching first record; and
,e) replacing the second record corresponding to a matched first record with the channel designation of the decoded local code if the second record corresponding to the matched first record does not match the channel designation of the decoded local code. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61)
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62. An audience measurement system for metering tuning of a receiver which receives a plurality of program signals, wherein the receiver is located at an audience site within a dwelling, and wherein the plurality of program signals enter the dwelling at a service entrance and are supplied therefrom to the audience site, the audience measurement system comprising:
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code inserting means for inserting a unique local code inserter ID in each of the program signals, wherein the code inserting means is located near the service entrance; decoding means for decoding the unique local code inserter ID, wherein the decoding means is located in the audience site; and
,collecting and storing means within the dwelling for collecting and storing the decoded unique local code inserter ID. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64)
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Specification