Methods and apparatus for indirect illumination in electronic media rating systems

• US 7,926,073 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Christen Voss, Buonasera, John William, Srinivasan, Venugopal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US12/870,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 228 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/10, 725/12
• US Class Current: 725/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for indirect illumination in electronic media rating systems are disclosed. A disclosed example method to detect an audience member includes reflecting non-visible light off of a room surface to indirectly illuminate a first portion of the room, receiving reflections of the indirect illumination, processing the received reflections to determine whether an audience member is present in the illuminated portion of the room, and when the audience member is not detected, adjusting a source of the non-visible light to illuminate a second portion of the room.

Claims

1. A method to detect an audience member, the method comprising:

reflecting non-visible light off of a room surface to indirectly illuminate a first portion of a room;

receiving reflections of the indirect illumination;

processing the received reflections to determine whether an audience member is present in the illuminated portion of the room; and

when the audience member is not detected, adjusting a source of the non-visible light to illuminate a second portion of the room.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising blocking visible light prior to receiving the reflections of the indirect illumination.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

turning off the indirect illumination when ambient room light sufficient to detect the audience member is present;

receiving reflections of the ambient room light; and

processing the ambient light reflections to detect the audience member.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving reflections of ambient room light; and

processing the ambient light reflections to detect the audience member.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein adjusting the source comprises adjusting an angle of the non-visible light relative to the room surface.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the room surface comprises a room ceiling.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein reflecting the non-visible light off of the room surface is performed at least one of constantly, periodically, or aperiodically.

8. An electronic media rating system comprising:

a light source to reflect non-humanly visible light off of a room surface to provide indirect illumination of a portion of a room; and

an audience image detection system to process received reflections of the indirect illumination to determine whether an audience member is present in the illuminated portion of the room, and when the audience member is not detected, adjusting an angle of the light source.

9. A system as defined in claim 8, further comprising a light filter to block humanly visible light from being received by the image detection system.

10. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the light source is at a height to substantially reduce awareness of the light source by the audience member.

11. A system as defined in claim 8, further comprising a light measuring device, wherein the image detection system is to operate the light source based on an output of the light measuring device.

12. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein when ambient room light sufficient to detect the audience member is present, the image detection system is to turn the light source off, and receive and process reflections of ambient room light off of the audience member.

13. A system as defined in claim 8, further comprising a motor to adjust the angle of the light source, and the image detection system is to control the motor to adjust the angle of the light source.

14. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the portion of the room is a first portion, and the image detection system is to adjust the angle of the light source to illuminate a second portion of the room when the audience member leaves the first portion.

15. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the room surface comprises a reflector.

16. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the light source is to emit infrared light.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer-readable storage medium storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

reflect non-visible light off of a room surface to indirectly illuminate a first portion of a room;

receive reflections of the indirect illumination;

process the received reflections to determine whether an audience member is present in the first portion of the room; and

when the audience member is not detected, adjust a source of the non-visible light to a illuminate a second portion of the room different than the first portion.

18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

turn off the indirect illumination when sufficient ambient room light is present;

receive reflections of the ambient room light; and

process the ambient light reflections to detect the audience member.

19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine-readable instructions cause the processor to adjust the source by adjusting an angle of the non-visible light relative to the room surface.