Methods and apparatus to detect carrying of a portable audience measurement device

• US 8,248,234 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Christen V., Nelson, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/232,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/555, 340/573.1, 725 9- 12, 455/2.01
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to detect carrying of a portable audience measurement device are disclosed herein. An example portable audience measurement device includes a media detector carried by a housing to collect media exposure data; a distance comparator to compare a first distance to an object at a first time and a second distance to the object at a second time; and a compliance detector to validate the media exposure data based on the comparison of the distance comparator.

Claims

1. A portable audience measurement device, comprising:

a media detector carried by a housing to collect media exposure data;

a distance comparator to compare a first distance between the housing and an object at a first time and a second distance between the housing and the object at a second time; and

a compliance detector to validate the media exposure data based on the comparison of the distance comparator.

2. A portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the compliance detector is to validate the media exposure data when the comparison indicates that the portable device was being carried by a person when the media exposure data was collected.

3. A portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the media exposure data comprises at least one of a signature or an identification code to which the device is exposed.

4. A portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the compliance detector is to discard the comparison when a magnitude of a difference between the first and second distances does not meet a threshold.

5. A portable device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a distance detector to calculate the first distance and the second distance based on an output of a sensor.

6. A portable device as defined in claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, or an emitter-detector pair.

7. A portable device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a user interface to communicate information related to compliance with an agreement to carry the portable device to a person.

8. A portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the object is a person, an article of clothing being worn by the person, a belt being worn by the person, or a purse being carried by the person.

9. A portable device as defined in claim 1, wherein the compliance detector is to calculate a first likelihood that the portable device is being carried by a person based on the comparison.

10. A portable device as defined in claim 9, wherein the compliance detector is to calculate a second likelihood that the portable device is being carried by the person based on a second comparison, and the compliance detector is to combine the first and second likelihoods to calculate a cumulative likelihood that the portable device is being carried by the person.

11. A method of detecting carrying of a portable audience measurement device, comprising:

collecting media exposure data;

determining, using a sensor, a first distance between a housing including the sensor and a person, an article of clothing being worn by the person, a belt being worn by the person, or a purse being carried by the person at a first time;

determining, using the sensor, a second distance between a housing including the sensor and the person, the article of clothing, the belt, or the purse at a second time; and

validating the media exposure data based on a comparison of the first and second distances.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising validating the media exposure data when the comparison indicates that the portable device was being carried by the person when the media exposure data was collected.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising discarding the comparison when a magnitude of a difference between the first and second distances does not meet a threshold.

14. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, or an emitter-detector pair.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising communicating information related to compliance with an agreement to carry the portable device to the person.

16. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising calculating a first likelihood that the portable device is being carried by the person based on the comparison.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, further comprising calculating a second likelihood that the portable device is being carried by the person based on a second comparison, and combining the first and second likelihoods to calculate a cumulative likelihood that the portable device is being carried by the person.

18. A compliance detector to detect compliance with an agreement to carry a portable device, comprising:

a processor to;

receive a first comparison result corresponding to a difference between a first distance reading taken at a first time and a second distance reading taken at a second time, the first and second distance readings respectively corresponding to distances between the portable device and a person;

calculate a likelihood that the portable device is being worn by the person based on the first comparison result; and

determine whether media exposure data collected by the portable device is valid based on the likelihood.

19. A compliance detector as defined in claim 18, wherein the likelihood is calculated based on a combination of the first comparison result and a second comparison result corresponding to a difference between the second distance reading taken at the second time and a third distance reading taken at a third time.

20. A compliance detector as defined in claim 18, further comprising a sensor to collect the first and second distance readings, the sensor comprising at least one of an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, or an emitter-detector pair.