Methods and apparatus for using audience member behavior information to determine compliance with audience measurement system usage requirements

• US 8,650,586 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Morris, Mears, Paul M., Luff, Robert A., Ramaswamy, Arun, Headley, Weston P., Seagran, Stanley F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US11/856,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,339 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 14, 725 18- 19, 725 21- 22, 725/20, 455/456.1, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/52 of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• 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

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture determine compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system. Initially, location information associated with an audience member is obtained. It is then determined whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on the location information. Media monitoring information corresponding to the location information is then tagged as non-compliant if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

Claims

1. A method of determining compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

obtaining first location information associated with an audience member;

determining, via a processor, whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on a time difference between a first timestamp corresponding to the first location information and a second timestamp corresponding to a time at which a change in location of the audience member was previously detected; and

tagging media monitoring information corresponding to the first location information as non-compliant in response to determining that the time difference between the first and second timestamps is not less than a threshold.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines comprises:

obtaining second location information associated with the audience member; and

determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on whether the first location information is different from the second location information.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines further comprises:

obtaining a third timestamp associated with second location information; and

determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on a second time difference between the first timestamp and the third timestamp.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines if the second time difference is not less than a second threshold and a difference between the first and second location information is not greater than a third threshold.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a non-compliance message to be sent to the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the location information includes location coordinates.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media monitoring information is information indicative of at least one of a video presentation or an audio presentation.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines comprises determining whether the audience member is at least one of carrying or wearing a portable meter of the audience measurement system in compliance with the usage guidelines.

9. A method of determining compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

determining, via a processor, whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on a time difference between a first timestamp associated with a first acoustic event and a second timestamp associated with a second acoustic event;

tagging media monitoring information as non-compliant in response to determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines; and

generating a non-compliance message to be communicated to the audience member in response to determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein determining whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines comprises:

comparing the time difference to a non-compliance time threshold.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines if the time difference is not less than the non-compliance time threshold.

12. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the first acoustic event is indicative of an acoustic emission detected via an audio detector.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the acoustic emission is at least one of a scraping sound, a tapping sound, or a wind sound.

26. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the acoustic emission is at least one of audio associated with a media presentation or speech.

14. A method of determining compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

obtaining compliance status information generated by a portable meter indicative of whether an audience member associated with the portable meter is in compliance with the usage guidelines, the compliance status information being based on a time difference between a first timestamp corresponding to a first location of the audience member and a second timestamp corresponding to a time at which a change in location of the audience member was previously detected;

tagging media monitoring information as non-compliant in response to determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines; and

presenting, via a device, a notification indicative of whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on the compliance status information.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines if the portable meter is located within a household.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising generating a non-compliance message to be communicated to the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

17. A system to determine compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

a portable device to be associated with an audience member and to;

generate compliance status information based on location information indicative of one or more locations of the portable device, the compliance status information indicative of whether the audience member is using the portable device in compliance with the usage guidelines based on a time difference between a first timestamp corresponding to a first location of the portable device and a second timestamp corresponding to a time at which a change in location of the portable device was previously detected; and

tag media monitoring information as non-compliant in response to determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines; and

a compliance status device to be located within an environment associated with activities of the audience member and communicatively coupled to the portable device, wherein the compliance status device is to receive the compliance status information generated by the portable device and generate a notification indicative of a compliance status of the audience member with the usage guidelines.

18. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the compliance status device includes a light indicator corresponding to the portable device, and wherein generating the notification comprises activating the light indicator based on the compliance of the audience member with the usage guidelines.

19. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a portable meter, or an identification tag.

20. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the portable device is further to generate the compliance status information based on at least one of direction information or acoustic information.

21. A system as defined in claim 17, further comprising a plurality of base units disposed within the environment and communicatively coupled to the portable device, wherein each of the base units corresponds to a separate, respective room of the environment, and wherein the portable device is to generate the compliance status information based on information received from the base units.

22. A system as defined in claim 17, further comprising a radio frequency tag, wherein the compliance status device is to determine second compliance status information based on the location of the radio frequency tag within the environment.

23. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines if a difference between first and second locations of the portable device is not greater than a threshold value.

24. A system to determine compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

a portable device associated with an audience member; and

a base unit communicatively coupled to the portable device, wherein the base unit is to;

use location information associated with the portable device to generate compliance status information indicative of whether the audience member is using the portable device in compliance with the usage guidelines based on a time difference between a first timestamp corresponding to a first location of the portable device and a second timestamp corresponding to a time at which a change in location of the portable device was previously detected; and

tag media monitoring information as non-compliant in response to determining that the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

25. A system as defined in claim 24, wherein the portable device is to communicate identification information to the base unit, and wherein the base unit is to generate the location information indicative of a location of the portable device.