Source detection apparatus and method for audience measurement

• US 8,434,100 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Henry B., Lu, Daozheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US13/092,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20120102518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/19
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/41 for identifying broadcast space, i.e. broadcast channels, broadcast stations or broadcast areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for determining an operating mode of a recording/playing device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an extractor to extract signatures associated with a first signal associated with a tuner that is to tune to a program signal, a second signal associated with a recording/playing device that is to at least one of record and play a program, and a third signal associated with a receiver coupled to the recording/playing device. The example apparatus also includes a recording detector to detect a recording signal generated by the recording/playing device during recording of the program to form a recorded program. Also included is a correlator to correlate the first, second, and third signals and a processor to identify the operating mode of the recording/playing device based on detection of the recording signal and correlation of two or more of the first, second, and third signals.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining an operating mode of a recording/playing device comprising:

an extractor to extract signatures associated with a first signal associated with a tuner that is to tune to a program signal, a second signal associated with a recording/playing device that is to at least one of record or play a program, and a third signal associated with a receiver coupled to the recording/playing device;

a recording detector to detect a recording signal generated by the recording/playing device during recording of the program to form a recorded program;

a correlator to correlate the first, second, and third signals; and

a processor to identify the operating mode of the recording/playing device based on detection of the recording signal and correlation of two or more of the first, second or third signals.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify a record mode associated with the recording/playing device in response to the recording detector detecting the recording signal and the correlator detecting that the first signal matches the second signal.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify that the recorded program is received by the receiver in response to the correlator detecting that the second signal matches the third signal.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify that the recorded program is not received by the receiver in response to the correlator detecting that the second signal does not match the third signal.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify at least one of a play mode, a tune mode, a fast forward mode, a rewind mode, an off mode or a receiver operating mode associated with the recording/playing device in response to the recording detector failing to detect the recording signal.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the processor is to identify the play mode in response to the correlator detecting that the first signal does not match the second signal, and that the second signal matches the third signal.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the processor is to identify at least one of the tune mode, the fast forward mode or the rewind mode in response to the correlator detecting that the first signal matches the second signal, and that the second signal matches the third signal.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the tune mode comprises a mode associated with the recording/playing device tuning the receiver.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the processor is to identify at least one of the off mode or the receiver operating mode in response to detecting that the first signal does not match the second signal, and that the second signal does not match the third signal.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a non-invasive sensor to detect at least one of the second and third signals or the recording signal.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the non-invasive sensor comprises at least one of a microphone, a photodetector, and an inductive pickup.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the signatures comprise at least one of a video signature and an audio signature.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the recording signal comprises an erase head signal.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the recording/playing device comprises at least one of a video cassette recorder/player, a compact disc recorder/player, a digital video disc recorder/player or an audio cassette recorder/player.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises at least one of a television receiver or a radio receiver.

16. A method for determining an operating mode of a recording/playing device comprising:

extracting signatures associated with a first signal associated with a tuner that is to tune to a program signal, a second signal associated with a recording/playing device that is to at least one of record or play a program, and a third signal associated with a receiver coupled to the recording/playing device;

detecting a recording signal generated by the recording/playing device during recording of the program to form a recorded program;

correlating the first, second, and third signals; and

using a processor to identify the operating mode of the recording/playing device based on detection of the recording signal and correlation of two or more of the first, second or third signals.

17. A method as defined in claim 16 further comprising identifying a record mode associated with the recording/playing device in response to detecting the recording signal and detecting that the first signal matches the second signal.

18. A method as defined in claim 16 further comprising identifying that the recorded program is received by the receiver in response to detecting that the second signal matches the third signal.

19. A method as defined in claim 16 further comprising identifying that the recorded program is not received by the receiver in response to detecting that the second signal does not match the third signal.

20. A method as defined in claim 16 further comprising identifying at least one of a play mode, a tune mode, a fast forward mode, a rewind mode, an off mode or a receiver operating mode associated with the recording/playing device in response to failing to detect the recording signal.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein identifying the play mode occurs in response to detecting that the first signal does not match the second signal, and that the second signal matches the third signal.

22. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein identifying at least one of the tune mode, the fast forward mode or the rewind mode occurs in response detecting that the first signal matches the second signal, and that the second signal matches the third signal.

23. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the tune mode comprises a mode associated with the recording/playing device tuning the receiver.

24. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the identifying at least one of the off mode or the receiver operating mode occurs response to detecting that the first signal does not match the second signal, and that the second signal does not match the third signal.

25. A method as defined in claim 16 wherein the detecting of at least one of the second and third signals or the recording signal occurs via at least one of a microphone, a photodetector or an inductive pickup.

26. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the signatures comprise at least one of a video signature or an audio signature.

27. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the recording signal comprises an erase head signal.

28. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the recording/playing device comprises at least one of a video cassette recorder/player, a compact disc recorder/player, a digital video disc recorder/player or an audio cassette recorder/player.

29. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the receiver comprises at least one of a television receiver or a radio receiver.