Gathering data concerning publication usage

• US 9,132,689 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Crystal, Jack C., Jensen, James M., Neuhauser, Alan R., Zhang, Jack K., Pugh, Daniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleischer, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/083,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,833 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/14.45, 705/7.29, 725/13, 725/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B42P 2221/00 Books or filing appliances with additional arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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

Methods and systems for measuring and gathering data relating to publication usage by participants in publication readership studies. Some methods and systems employ portable monitors carried by participants of the studies along with publications fitted with various devices, such as piezoelectric transducers, RFID tags and others devices and circuits.

Claims

1. A method of gathering data concerning usage of a publication and usage of media, comprising:

producing first data in a portable monitor configured to be carried on the person of a respondent, said first data representing usage of a publication, and is based on at least one of;

a proximity value detected via a first sensor indicating the physical proximity of the respondent to the publication, or

a usage characteristic detected via at least one of the first sensor or a second sensor to sense at least one of a deformation or a grasping of the publication by the respondent; and

producing second data in the portable monitor representing usage of media.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising storing the first and second data in the portable monitor.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising transmitting the first and second data from the portable monitor for use in market research.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein deforming or grasping the publication produces an electrical signal to be transmitted to the portable monitor via a wireless transmitter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter is a radio frequency identification tag.

6. A system for gathering data concerning usage of a publication and of media by means of a portable monitor, comprising:

an enclosure having a size adapted to be carried on the person of a respondent;

a first data collector carried by the enclosure and operative to collect first data representing usage of a publication, wherein the first data representing usage of a publication is based on at least one of;

a proximity value detected via a first sensor indicating the physical proximity of the respondent to the publication, or

a usage characteristic detected via at least one of the first sensor or a second sensor to sense at least one of a deformation or a grasping of the publication by the respondent; and

a second data collector carried by the enclosure and operative to collect second data representing usage of media.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a receiver to detect radio frequency or intermediate-frequency energy.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a manually-operable devices to be used by the respondent to input media exposure data.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising a radio frequency module to transmit data for receipt by the portable monitor.