Methods and apparatus to identify wireless subscriber activity status

• US 8,369,826 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Alla, Madhusudhad Reddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US12/406,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/435.1, 455/466, 455/2.01
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to identify wireless subscriber activity status are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes identifying a market of interest associated with wireless services, and creating a list of telephone numbers (TNs) from the identified market of interest. The example method also includes initializing each TN in the list of TNs as dormant, monitoring each TN in the list of TNs during a monitoring duration for an indication of activity, and when the indication of activity is received, associating one of the TNs in the list of TNs with an active status.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to identify a status of a wireless telephone number, comprising:

creating a list of telephone numbers (TNs) from an identified market of interest;

distributing the list of TNs to a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), each of the plurality of MSCs associated with a different carrier network;

initializing each TN in the list of TNs as dormant;

monitoring, with each MSC, each TN in the list of TNs during a monitoring duration for an MSC number in response to sending a short message service message to each of the TNs; and

when the MSC number is received, associating one of the TNs in the list of TNs with an active status.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a list of active TNs when the monitoring duration has ended.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein creating the list of TNs further comprises creating a random panel of TNs.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising using a timer to establish the monitoring duration.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein monitoring each TN in the list of TNs further comprises receiving an event message in response to a wireless device registration event.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the registration event comprises a wireless device power up.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the registration event comprises a location update.

8. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the event message comprises an Alert Service Center message.

9. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the event message is associated with at least one of a global system for mobile communications standard, a code division multiple access standard, a time division multiple access standard, or a frequency division multiple access standard.

10. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising parsing the event message for a TN.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising ignoring the parsed TN when it is absent from the list of TNs.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising removing TNs from the list of TNs when an indication of active status is received in response to the SMS message.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the SMS message comprises a send routing information for short message interface.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising receiving a mobile switching center number when a wireless device associated with the TN registers with a wireless network.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising receiving an absent subscriber message when a wireless device associated with the TN is powered off.

16. An apparatus to identify a status of a wireless telephone number (TN), comprising:

a market identification manager to identify a market of interest associated with wireless services and to create a list of TNs from the identified market of interest, and to distribute the list of TNs to a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), each of the plurality of MSCs associated with a different carrier network;

a short message service (SMS) manager to send an SMS message to a wireless network, the SMS message associated with at least one TN in the list of TNs; and

a host register interface to receive an MSC number in response to the sent SMS message during a monitoring duration in response to the SMS message.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a TN status memory to store an activity status of each TN in the list of TNs.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a remote register manager (RRM) communicatively connected to each one of the plurality of MSCs to send and receive information from a carrier network.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the RRM further comprises an alert service center manager to receive at least one indication of activity from at least one of the carrier network or a home location register.

20. A tangible machine readable storage medium excluding propagating signals comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to, at least:

create a list of telephone numbers (TNs) from an identified market of interest;

distribute the list of TNs to a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), each of the plurality of MSCs associated with a different carrier network;

initialize each TN in the list of TNs as dormant;

monitor each TN in the list of TNs during a monitoring duration for an MSC number in response to sending a short message service message to each of the TNs; and

when the MSC number is received, associate one of the TNs in the list of TNs with an active status.

21. A machine-readable storage medium as defined in claim 20, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to receive an event message in response to a wireless device registration event.