Methods and apparatus to enforce a power off state of an audience measurement device during shipping

• US 8,375,404 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• 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 V., Patterson, Larry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US12/346,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 725/14
• US Class Current: 725/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/29 Arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/35 Arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time, e.g. for identifying broadcast stations or for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to enforce a power off state of an audience measurement device during shipping of the device are disclosed herein. An example portable audience measurement device includes a housing, a media detector in the housing to collect media exposure data and a packaging sensor to detect a stimulus generated within the package. A packaging detector compares the detected stimulus to a criterion to determine whether the device is located within the package.

Claims

1. An audience measurement device, comprising:

a housing;

a media detector in the housing to collect media exposure data;

a packaging sensor to receive a physical stimulus provided by an actuator located within a package; and

a packaging detector to respond to the physical stimulus by powering down a first component of the audience measurement device and maintaining power to a second component of the audience measurement device.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the second component is to facilitate testing via the packaging sensor while the first component is powered down to determine whether the device is located within the package.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein testing includes determining whether the packaging sensor detects the physical stimulus.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a memory to store the collected media exposure data.

5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the package is a mailer.

6. A 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.

7. A device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a real-time clock.

8. A device as defined in claim 7, further comprising a user interface to communicate information to a user, and wherein the user interface is to display a message to the user based upon the real-time clock.

9. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the physical stimulus comprises contact between the actuator and the packaging sensor.

10. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the device is to be inserted into an internal housing of the package configured to guide the packaging sensor into contact with the actuator when the device is inserted into the internal housing.

11. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the packaging sensor is formed to matingly engage the actuator.

12. An audience measurement device, comprising:

a housing;

a media detector in the housing to collect media exposure data;

a packaging sensor to receive a physical stimulus provided by an actuator located within a package; and

a packaging detector to issue a command to cause the device to power down a first component of the device and maintain power to a second component of the device in response to the packaging sensor being engaged by the actuator.

13. A device as defined in claim 12, further comprising a memory to store the collected media exposure data.

14. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein the second component is to facilitate testing via the packaging sensor while the first component is powered down to determine whether the device is located within the package.

15. A device as defined in claim 12, further comprising a user interface to communicate information to a user based on a real-time clock.

16. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein the device is to be inserted into an internal housing of the package configured to guide the packing sensor into contact with the actuator when the device is inserted into the internal housing.

17. A device as defined in claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises a switch coupled to a power supply of the device.

18. A method of enforcing a power down state in an audience measurement device during shipping of the device, comprising:

determining whether a sensor of the audience measurement device is mechanically engaged by an actuator of a shipping container;

determining whether the device is located within the shipping container based on a reading of the sensor; and

powering off a first portion of the audience measurement device when the sensor is mechanically engaged by the actuator; and

maintaining power to a second portion of the audience measurement device when the sensor is mechanically engaged by the actuator.

19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the actuator comprises a projection within the shipping container.

20. A method as defined in claim 18, further comprising powering on the audience measurement device when the device is not located within the shipping container.

21. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the second portion of the audience measurement device is to facilitate a periodic test to determine whether the device is located within the shipping container.

22. A method as defined in claim 18, further comprising collecting media exposure data with the audience measurement device.

23. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the shipping container comprises an internal housing to orient the audience measurement device such that the sensor engages the actuator when the audience measurement device is inserted into the internal housing.

24. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a machine to at least:

determine whether a sensor of an audience measurement device is mechanically engaged by an actuator of a shipping container;

determine whether the device is located within the shipping container based on a reading of the sensor; and

power off a first portion of the audience measurement device when the sensor is mechanically engaged by the actuator; and

maintain power to a second portion of the audience measurement device when the sensor is mechanically engaged by the actuator.

25. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 24, wherein the shipping container comprises an internal housing to orient the audience measurement device such that the sensor engages the actuator when the audience measurement device is inserted into the internal housing.