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

• US 9,118,962 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Morris, Mears, Paul M., Luff, Robert A., Ramaswamy, Arun, Seagren, Stanley F., Headley, Weston P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US14/137,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9- 20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. An apparatus to determine compliance with usage guidelines of an audience measurement system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor and including instructions to cause the processor to;

obtain 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;

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

present a notification indicative of whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on the compliance status information.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines if the portable meter is located within a household.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate a non-compliance message to be communicated to the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the machine to present the notification by at least one of activating a light indicator or displaying a message.

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

obtain 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;

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

present a notification indicative of whether the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines based on the compliance status information.

6. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 5, wherein the audience member is in compliance with the usage guidelines if the portable meter is located within a household.

7. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate a non-compliance message to be communicated to the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

8. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to present the notification by at least one of activating a light indicator or displaying a message.

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

generating compliance status information based on location information indicative of one or more locations of a portable device associated with an audience member, 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;

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

sending the compliance status information to a compliance status device located within an environment associated with activities of the audience member and communicatively coupled to the portable device; and

generating a notification indicative of a compliance status of the audience member with the usage guidelines.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the portable device is a portable meter that monitors activities of the audience member.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the compliance status device includes a light indicator corresponding to the portable device, and wherein the light indicator is to be activated based on the compliance of the audience member with the usage guidelines.

12. A method as defined in claim 9, further including sending the notification to a central facility for subsequent communication to the audience member.

13. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the portable device includes at least one of a mobile phone, a portable meter, or an identification tag.

14. A method as defined in claim 9, further including generating the compliance status information based on at least one of direction information or acoustic information.

15. A method as defined in claim 9, further including requesting an acknowledgement from the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

16. A method as defined in claim 9, further including generating the compliance status information based on information received from 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.

17. A method as defined in claim 9, further including determining second compliance status information based on a location of a radio frequency tag within the environment.

18. A method as defined in claim 9, further including determining that 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.

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

generate compliance status information based on location information indicative of one or more locations of a portable device associated with an audience member, the compliance status information indicative of whether the audience member is using the portable device in compliance with 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;

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

send the compliance status information to a compliance status device located within an environment associated with activities of the audience member and communicatively coupled to the portable device; and

generate a notification indicative of a compliance status of the audience member with the usage guidelines.

20. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the portable device is a portable meter that monitors activities of the audience member.

21. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the compliance status information is to activate a light indicator on the compliance status device based on the compliance of the audience member with the usage guidelines, the light indicator corresponding to the portable device.

22. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to communicate the notification to a central facility for subsequent communication to the audience member.

23. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the portable device includes at least one of a mobile phone, a portable meter, or an identification tag.

24. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate the compliance status information based on at least one of direction information or acoustic information.

25. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to request an acknowledgement from the audience member if the audience member is not in compliance with the usage guidelines.

26. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate the compliance status information based on information received from 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.

27. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to determine second compliance status information based on a location of a radio frequency tag within the environment.

28. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to determine that 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.

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

using location information associated with a portable device to generate compliance status information indicative of whether an audience member associated with the portable device 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

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

30. A method as defined in claim 29, further including:

communicating identification information to a base unit; and

generating, at the base unit, the location information indicative of a location of the portable device.

31. A method as defined in claim 29, wherein the portable device is configured to be at least one of worn or carried by the audience member.

32. A method as defined in claim 29, further including collecting media monitoring information indicative of at least one of an audio presentation or a video presentation.

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

use location information associated with a portable device to generate compliance status information indicative of whether an audience member associated with the portable device is using the portable device in compliance with 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.

34. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 33, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate the location information indicative of a location of the portable device based on identification information provided by the portable device.

35. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 33, wherein the portable device is configured to be at least one of worn or carried by the audience member.

36. A computer-readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 33, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to collect media monitoring information indicative of at least one of an audio presentation or a video presentation.