Source detection apparatus and method for audience measurement
First Claim
1. A system for identifying a local signal source supplying a program signal to a display of a monitored receiver, wherein the local signal source and the monitored receiver are located in a household, and wherein the system comprises:
- a program signature extracter arranged to extract a reference program signature representative of an output of the monitored receiver and to extract a source program signature representative of the program signal supplied by the local signal source, wherein the program signature extracter is located in the household; and
, a signal source identifier arranged to identify either one of the local signal source and the monitored receiver as a local source of the program signal supplied to the display in response to the reference program signature and the source program signature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system identifies which of first and second signal sources is supplying a program signal to a monitored receiver. The first and second signal sources and the monitored receiver are located in a household. The system extracts a reference program signature representative of an output of the monitored receiver and first and second source program signatures representative of an output of the first and second signal sources. The system identifies which of the first and second signal sources is a source of the program signal in response to the reference program signature and the first and second source program signatures.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. A system for identifying a local signal source supplying a program signal to a display of a monitored receiver, wherein the local signal source and the monitored receiver are located in a household, and wherein the system comprises:
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a program signature extracter arranged to extract a reference program signature representative of an output of the monitored receiver and to extract a source program signature representative of the program signal supplied by the local signal source, wherein the program signature extracter is located in the household; and
,a signal source identifier arranged to identify either one of the local signal source and the monitored receiver as a local source of the program signal supplied to the display in response to the reference program signature and the source program signature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 48, 49)
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15. A system for identifying which of first and second local signal sources is supplying a program signal to a display of a monitored receiver, wherein the first and second local signal sources and the monitored receiver are located in a household, and wherein the system comprises:
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a program signature extracter arranged to extract a reference program signature representative of an output of the monitored receiver and to extract first and second source program signatures representative of an output of the first and second local signal sources, wherein the program signature extracter is located in the household; and
,a signal source identifier arranged to identify which of the first and second local signal sources and the monitored receiver is a local source of the program signal supplied to the display in response to the reference program signature and the first and second source program signatures. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 50, 51)
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29. A system for identifying a program tuned by a monitored receiver, wherein the monitored receiver is located in a household, and wherein the system comprises:
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a source tuner, separate from a tuner of the monitored receiver, arranged to tune to programs tunable by the monitored receiver, wherein the source tuner is located in a household;
a program signature extracter operably coupled to the monitored receiver and to the source tuner and arranged to extract a first program signature from an output of the monitored receiver and to extract a second program signature from an output of the source tuner;
a signature correlater arranged to correlate the first and second program signatures; and
,a code reader operably coupled to the source tuner and arranged to read an ancillary code from the output of the source tuner if the signature correlater detects a match between the first and second program signatures. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of determining the source of a signal supplied to a display of a monitored receiver in a household, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) selecting, by means of a source receiver, a source signal corresponding to a channel;
(b) acquiring, by use of a non-intrusive sensor disposed proximate to the monitored receiver, a representation of the signal supplied to the display;
(c) comparing the representation of the signal supplied to the display to the source signal in order to determine a difference between the representation and the source signal;
(d) if the difference is less than a predetermined amount, identifying the monitored receiver as a local source of the signal supplied to the display; and
,(e) if the difference is not less than a predetermined amount, controlling the source receiver to receive a source signal corresponding to another channel and repeating steps (b), (c) and (d). - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 52, 53)
extracting a first program signature from the source signal;
extracting a second program signature from the representation of the signal selected by the user; and
,comparing the first and second program signatures.
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37. The method of claim 35 comprising the further step of reading an ancillary code from the source signal.
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38. The method of claim 35 wherein step (c) comprises the steps of:
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extracting a first video program signature from the source signal;
extracting a second video program signature from the representation of the signal selected by the user; and
,comparing the first and second video program signatures.
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39. The method of claim 35 wherein step (c) comprises the steps of:
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extracting a first audio program signature from the source signal;
extracting a second audio program signature from the representation of the signal selected by the user; and
,comparing the first and second audio program signatures.
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52. The method of claim 35 wherein the display of the monitored receiver is a speaker.
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53. The method of claim 35 wherein the display of the monitored receiver is a video monitor.
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40. A method of reading an ancillary code operably associated with a user selected program signal transmitted in one of a plurality of program channels to which a household receiver in a household is tuned, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) acquiring the user selected program signal from the household receiver;
(b) acquiring a source program signal corresponding to a predetermined one of the plurality of program channels from a reference receiver;
(c) comparing the source program signal to the user selected program signal and, if the source program signal and the user selected program signal differ by less than a predetermined amount, reading the ancillary code from the source program signal provided by the reference receiver. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
acquiring a first sync signal related to the user selected program signal;
acquiring a second sync signal related to the source program signal; and
,comparing the first and second sync signals.
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42. The method of claim 40 wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:
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extracting a first program signature from the user selected program;
extracting a second program signature from the source program signal; and
,comparing the first and the second program signatures.
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43. The method of claim 40 further comprising steps (d) and (e), carried out only if the source program signal and the user selected program signal differ by more than the predetermined amount, of:
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(d) receiving a source signal corresponding to another predetermined one of the plurality of channels from the reference receiver; and
,(e) repeating step (c) with the source signal from the another predetermined one of the plurality of signal channels substituted for the predetermined one of the plurality of channels.
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44. A method of identifying which of first and second signal sources is supplying a program signal to a display of a monitored receiver, wherein the second signal source is the monitored receiver, wherein the first and second signal sources are located in a household, and wherein the method comprises:
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(a) comparing a sync signal from an output of a reference receiver corresponding to a first channel to a sync signal from an output of the monitored receiver;
(b) if the sync signal from an output of the reference receiver matches the sync signal from an output of the monitored receiver, extracting a reference program signature representative of the output of the monitored receiver and a signature representative of the output of the reference receiver;
(c) identifying the monitored receiver as a source of the program signal if the reference program signature and the signature representative of the output of the monitored receiver match; and
,(d) if the sync signal from an output of the reference receiver does not match the sync signal from an output of the monitored receiver, comparing a sync signal from an output of the reference receiver corresponding to a second channel to a sync signal from an output of the monitored receiver and repeating steps (c) and (d) as necessary. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56)
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- 45. A source detector for detecting a source of a program signal supplied to a display of a program receiver, the source detector including a correlater, the correlater coupled to the program receiver and to a local signal source, the correlater correlating outputs of the program receiver and of the local signal source in order to detect which of the local signal source and the program receiver is the source of the program signal supplied to the display of the receiver.
Specification