Methods and apparatus for detecting a composition of an audience of an information presenting device

• US 8,824,740 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun, Nelson, Daniel J., Srinivasan, Venugopal
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US14/139,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20140105462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/115, 382/116, 382/118, 382/154, 382/168, 382/227, 382/236, 382/274, 382/284, 348/E7.001, 348/E7.07, 348/E7.083, 367/87, 367/104, 725/1, 725/10, 725/12, 725/14, 725/15
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for detecting a composition of an audience of an information presenting device are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes maintaining a first count of a number of people detected in an environment based on image data representative of the environment; when the image data is indicative of a change in the number of people detected in the environment, presenting a request for identity information; determining if the people were compliant in providing the identity information based on a difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and a second number of received identity responses; and when the people were non-compliant in providing the identity information, increasing a second count maintained for the environment indicative of unidentified people in the room.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a first count of a number of people detected in an environment based on image data representative of the environment;

when the image data is indicative of a change in the number of people detected in the environment, presenting a request for identity information;

determining, with a processor if the people were compliant in providing the identity information based on a difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and a second number of received identity responses; and

when the people were non-compliant in providing the identity information, increasing, with the processor, a second count maintained for the environment indicative of unidentified people in the environment.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing the second count in a memory in association with a time stamp.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining if the people were compliant in providing the identity information comprises determining whether the difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and the second number of received identity responses occurs a plurality of successive times.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising increasing the first count by a value of the second count to generate an increased first count, wherein the increased first count is to be used for analyzing subsequent instances of image data.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein presenting the request for identity information comprises generating a visual display in the environment.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein presenting the request for identity information comprises presenting a list of identifiers corresponding to persons of a household.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising associating media identifying information with at least one of the first count or the second count.

8. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disc comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

maintain a first count of a number of people detected in an environment based on image data representative of the environment;

when the image data is indicative of a change in the number of people detected in the environment, present a request for identity information;

determine if the people were compliant in providing the identity information based on a difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and a second number of received identity responses; and

when the people were non-compliant in providing the identity information, increase a second count maintained for the environment indicative of unidentified people in the environment.

9. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to store the second count in a memory in association with a time stamp.

10. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine if the people were compliant in providing the identity information by determining whether the difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and the second number of received identity responses is detected a plurality of successive times.

11. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to increase the first count by a value of the second count to generate an increased first count, wherein the increased first count is to be used for analyzing subsequent instances of image data.

12. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to present the request for identity information by generating a visual display in the environment.

13. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein instructions cause the machine to present the request for identity information by presenting a list of identifiers corresponding to persons of a household.

14. A storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the machine to associate media identifying information with at least one of the first count or the second count.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a people counter to maintain a first count of a number of people detected in an environment based on image data representative of the environment;

a change detector to, when the image data is indicative of a change in the number of people detected in the environment, present a request for identity information; and

a compliance detector to;

determine if the people were compliant in providing the identity information based on a difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and a second number of received identity responses; and

when the people were non-compliant in providing the identity information, increase a second count maintained for the environment indicative of unidentified people in the environment, wherein at least one of the people counter, the change detector or the compliance detector is implemented via a logic circuit.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising memory to store the second count in association with a time stamp.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the compliance detector is to determine if the people were compliant in providing the identity information by determining whether the difference between the number of people appearing in the image data and the second number of received identity responses is detected a plurality of successive times.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the people counter is to increase the first count by a value of the second count to generate an increased first count, wherein the increased first count is to be used for analyzing subsequent instances of image data.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the compliance detector is to present the request for identity information by presenting a list of identifiers corresponding to persons of a household.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a media detector to associate media identifying information with at least one of the first count or the second count.