Methods and apparatus to collect distributed user information for media impressions and search terms

• US 9,210,130 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Burbank, John R., Alla, Madhusudhan Reddy
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US14/562,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity

Abstract

Disclosed examples involve receiving a plurality of first identifiers and a media identifier collected by a data collector installed at a mobile device in connection with an application. The first identifiers identify at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device. The media identifier is indicative of media presented via the application at the mobile device. Encrypted identifiers are generated by encrypting the first identifiers. Respective ones of the encrypted identifiers are decodable by corresponding database proprietors to which the respective encrypted identifiers pertain. The encrypted identifiers are sent in association with the media identifier to an audience measurement entity.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of first identifiers and a media identifier collected by a data collector installed at a mobile device in connection with an application, the first identifiers identifying at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device, and the media identifier indicative of media presented via the application at the mobile device;

generating a plurality of encrypted identifiers by encrypting the first identifiers, respective ones of the encrypted identifiers decodable by corresponding database proprietors to which the respective encrypted identifiers pertain; and

sending the plurality of encrypted identifiers in association with the media identifier to an audience measurement entity.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of the encrypted identifiers are generated using respective encryption keys corresponding to respective ones of the database proprietors.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first identifiers include at least one of an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a mobile equipment identifier (MEID), a media access control (MAC) address, an app store identifier, an open source unique device identifier (OpenUDID), an open device identification number (ODIN), a login identifier, an email address, user agent data, or a third-party service identifier.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein respective ones of the first identifiers correspond to respective second identifiers stored by corresponding ones of the database proprietors in association with user information corresponding to the user of the mobile device.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the database proprietors include at least one of a wireless service carrier, a mobile software provider, a mobile service provider, a social network service provider, or an online retailer.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of the encrypted identifiers are sent to the audience measurement entity as a single identifier including the plurality of the encrypted identifiers.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further including sending the data collector to the mobile device in association with the application for installation at the mobile device.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the plurality of the first identifiers, the generating of the plurality of the encrypted identifiers, and the sending of the plurality of the encrypted identifiers are performed by an application publisher.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the plurality of the first identifiers, the generating of the plurality of the encrypted identifiers, and the sending of the plurality of the encrypted identifiers are performed by a media publisher.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an encryptor executed by a processor to generate a plurality of encrypted identifiers by encrypting first identifiers collected by a data collector installed at a mobile device in connection with an application, the first identifiers identifying at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device, and respective ones of the encrypted identifiers decodable by corresponding database proprietors to which the respective encrypted identifiers pertain; and

a communication interface to send to an audience measurement entity the encrypted identifiers in association with a media identifier, the media identifier collected by the data collector at the mobile device, the media identifier indicative of media presented via the application at the mobile device.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the encryptor is to generate the plurality of the encrypted identifiers using respective encryption keys corresponding to respective ones of the database proprietors.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first identifiers include at least one of an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a mobile equipment identifier (MEID), a media access control (MAC) address, an app store identifier, an open source unique device identifier (OpenUDID), an open device identification number (ODIN), a login identifier, an email address, user agent data, or a third-party service identifier.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein respective ones of the first identifiers correspond to second identifiers stored by corresponding ones of the database proprietors in association with user information corresponding to the user of the mobile device.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the database proprietors include at least one of a wireless service carrier, a mobile software provider, a mobile service provider, a social network service provider, or an online retailer.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, further including an encoder to encode the encrypted identifiers into a single identifier including the encrypted identifiers, and the communication interface is to send the encrypted identifiers as the single identifier to the audience measurement entity.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the communication interface is to send the data collector to the mobile device in association with the application for installation at the mobile device.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the encryptor, the processor, and the communication interface are to be operated at an application publisher location.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the encryptor, the processor, and the communication interface are to be operated at a media publisher location.

19. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive a plurality of first identifiers and a media identifier collected by a data collector installed at a mobile device in connection with an application, the first identifiers identifying at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device, and the media identifier indicative of media presented via the application at the mobile device;

generate a plurality of encrypted identifiers by encrypting the first identifiers, respective ones of the encrypted identifiers decodable by corresponding database proprietors to which the respective encrypted identifiers pertain; and

send the plurality of encrypted identifiers in association with the media identifier to an audience measurement entity.

20. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions are to cause the machine to generate the plurality of the encrypted identifiers using respective encryption keys corresponding to respective ones of the database proprietors.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the first identifiers include at least one of an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a mobile equipment identifier (MEID), a media access control (MAC) address, an app store identifier, an open source unique device identifier (OpenUDID), an open device identification number (ODIN), a login identifier, an email address, user agent data, or a third-party service identifier.

22. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein respective ones of the first identifiers correspond to second identifiers stored by corresponding ones of the database proprietors in association with user information corresponding to the user of the mobile device.

23. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the database proprietors include at least one of a wireless service carrier, a mobile software provider, a mobile service provider, a social network service provider, or an online retailer.

24. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions are further to cause the machine to send the encrypted identifiers to the audience measurement entity as a single identifier including the encrypted identifiers.

25. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions are further to cause the machine to send the data collector to the mobile device in association with the application for installation at the mobile device.

26. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions are to be executed by the machine at an application publisher location.

27. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions are to be executed by the machine at a media publisher location.