Methods and apparatus to communicate audience measurement information

• US 9,282,366 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Christen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US13/584,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/14, 725/62, 725/122
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/44204 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to communicate audience measurement information are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing a plurality of media identifiers collected over a first period of time to identify a dominant one of the media identifiers for the first period of time; and communicating the dominant media identifier for the first period of time via a text-only messaging service to a storage facility.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, via a processor, a plurality of media identifiers collected during a period of time;

identifying, via the processor, a dominant media identifier from the plurality of media identifiers by determining which of the plurality of media identifiers was most frequently detected during the period of time;

selecting, from the plurality of media identifiers, only the dominant media identifier for incorporation into a text message;

incorporating the selected dominant media identifier into the text message and omitting all non-dominant ones of the plurality of media identifiers from the text message; and

communicating the text message via a text messaging service to a storage facility.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the text messaging service includes a restriction on a payload size for messages sent via the text messaging service.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the text messaging service is part of a subscription that includes a cellular data service plan.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the communicating of the text message to the storage facility occurs in response to an unavailability of transmission via the cellular data service plan.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of media identifiers includes at least one of a channel number, a signature, a watermark, a program name, metadata or a source identification code.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further including scheduling the period of time, wherein the plurality of media identifiers are analyzed in response to the period of time ending.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further including communicating a people count and a time stamp corresponding to the dominant media identifier via the text message.

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

analyze a plurality of media identifiers collected during a period of time;

identify a dominant media identifier from the plurality of media identifiers by determining which of the plurality of media identifiers was collected most often during the period of time;

generate a text message including the dominant media identifier and no other media identifier; and

communicate the text message via a text messaging service to a storage facility.

9. A storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the text messaging service includes a restriction on a payload size for messages sent via the text messaging service, and the text messaging service is part of a subscription that includes a cellular data service plan.

10. A storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to communicate the text message to the storage facility in response to an unavailability of transmission via the cellular data service plan.

11. A storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine which of the plurality of media identifiers was collected most often by determining which of the media identifiers was most frequently detected during the period of time at a collection device implemented in a media exposure environment.

12. A storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of media identifiers includes at least one of a channel number, a signature, a watermark, a program name, metadata or a source identification code.

13. A storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to communicate a people count and a time stamp corresponding to the dominant media identifier via the text message.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a detector to detect a plurality of media identifiers over a plurality of periods of time;

an identifier to determine which of the plurality of media identifiers was most frequently detected during one of the periods of time; and

a text message constructor to;

incorporate the most frequently detected media identifier into a text message to be communicated to a remote device via a text messaging service; and

omit all of the plurality of media identifiers detected less frequently than the most frequently detected media identifier from the text message.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, further including an encrypter to encrypt the text message before transmission to the remote device.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the text messaging service includes a restriction on a payload size for messages sent via the text messaging service.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, further including a cellular component to facilitate transmission of the text message via the text messaging service.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the text message constructor is to incorporate a people count and a time stamp corresponding to the most frequently detected media identifier into the text message.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the media identifier includes at least one of a channel number, a signature, a watermark, a program name, metadata or a source identification code.