Probabilistic methods and apparatus to determine the state of a media device

• US 9,294,813 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Morris
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US14/307,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20140298367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4663 involving probabilistic networks, e.g. Bayesian networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Probabilistic methods and apparatus to determine the state of a media device are described. An example method includes generating, based on a first output signal from a first sensor, a first parameter value representative of a first property of a media device; generating, based on a second output signal from a second sensor, a second parameter value representative of a second property of the media device; calculating a first state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a first source based on a first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a second conditional probability associated with the second parameter value; calculating a second state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a second source different than the first source based on a third conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a fourth conditional probability associated with the second parameter value; and generating a state identifier by comparing the first state probability and the second state probability.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, based on a first output signal from a first sensor, a first parameter value representative of a first property of a media device;

generating, based on a second output signal from a second sensor, a second parameter value representative of a second property of the media device;

calculating a first state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a first source based on a first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a second conditional probability associated with the second parameter value;

calculating a second state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a second source different than the first source based on a third conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a fourth conditional probability associated with the second parameter value; and

generating a state identifier by comparing the first state probability and the second state probability.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the state identifier comprising selecting the greater of the first state probability or the second state probability.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an audio sensor and the second sensor is a light sensor.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value is calculated during a training session occurring prior to generation of the first output signal.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the training session includes recording a first set of first parameter values and calculating a probability distribution of the first parameter values in the first set.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first source comprises a set-top box and the second source comprises a gaming system.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending the state identifier to a metering entity.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a parameter generator to;

generate, based on a first output signal from a first sensor, a first parameter value representative of a first property of a media device; and

generate, based on a second output signal from a second sensor, a second parameter value representative of a second property of the media device; and

a classifier to;

calculate a first state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a first source based on a first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a second conditional probability associated with the second parameter value;

calculate a second state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a second source different than the first source based on a third conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a fourth conditional probability associated with the second parameter value; and

generate a state identifier by comparing the first state probability and the second state probability.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the classifier is to generate the state identifier by selecting the greater of the first state probability or the second state probability.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first sensor is an audio sensor and the second sensor is a light sensor.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value is calculated during a training session occurring prior to generation of the first output signal.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the training session includes recording a first set of first parameter values and calculating a probability distribution of the first parameter values in the first set.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first source comprises a set-top box and the second source comprises a gaming system.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a communicator to send the state identifier to a metering entity.

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

generate, based on a first output signal from a first sensor, a first parameter value representative of a first property of a media device;

generate, based on a second output signal from a second sensor, a second parameter value representative of a second property of the media device;

calculate a first state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a first source based on a first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a second conditional probability associated with the second parameter value;

calculate a second state probability that the media device is presenting media provided by a second source different than the first source based on a third conditional probability associated with the first parameter value and a fourth conditional probability associated with the second parameter value; and

generate a state identifier by comparing the first state probability and the second state probability.

16. A machine readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to generate the state identifier by selecting the greater of the first state probability or the second state probability.

17. A machine readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the first sensor is an audio sensor and the second sensor is a light sensor.

18. A machine readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the first conditional probability associated with the first parameter value is calculated during a training session occurring prior to generation of the first output signal.

19. A machine readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 18, wherein the training session includes recording a first set of first parameter values and calculating a probability distribution of the first parameter values in the first set.

20. A machine readable storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 15, wherein the first source comprises a set-top box and the second source comprises a gaming system.