Methods and apparatus for determining whether a media presentation device is in an on state or an off state using fuzzy scores and signature matches

• US 9,312,973 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nelson, Daniel J., Mello, Brian Scott, Zio, Luc, Croy, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent, David
• Application Number:
  US13/444,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 706/1, 706/12, 706/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/023 adaptive, e.g. self learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/048 Fuzzy inferencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for determining whether a media presentation device is in an on state or an off state are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises determining first and second characteristics of a signature associated with a signal representative of media content presented via a media presentation device, evaluating the first and second characteristics to determine first and second fuzzy contribution values representing, respectively, degrees with which the first and second characteristics correspond to the media presentation device being in at least one of an on state or an off state, determining a third fuzzy contribution value based on a number of the first and second contribution values indicating the media presentation device is in one of the on or off states, and combining the first, second and third fuzzy contribution values for use in determining whether the media presentation device is in the on state or the off state.

Claims

1. A method to determine a state of a presentation device, comprising:

summing, via a logic circuit, a plurality of contribution values corresponding to a first cycle to generate a first intermediate fuzzy score for the first cycle, wherein the contribution values are indicative of a state of a presentation device;

storing the first intermediate fuzzy score in a circular buffer having a plurality of intermediate fuzzy scores corresponding to respective cycles;

combining, via the logic circuit, the intermediate fuzzy scores of the circular buffer for a first time period to form a final fuzzy score; and

determining whether a signature match occurred during the first time period.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein combining the intermediate fuzzy scores includes averaging the intermediate fuzzy scores for the first time period.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further including removing outliers from the circular buffer before combining the intermediate fuzzy scores to form the final fuzzy score.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the removing of the outliers includes removing ones of the intermediate fuzzy scores that fall outside a range of valid data based on one or more percentiles.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the final fuzzy score is one of a set of final fuzzy scores, and further including calculating a minimum final fuzzy score and a maximum final fuzzy score in the set of final fuzzy scores.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, further including comparing a difference between the minimum final fuzzy score and the maximum final fuzzy score to a threshold.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further including applying a normalization factor to each of the final fuzzy scores of the set when the difference is greater than the threshold.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further including increasing the final fuzzy score when the signature match occurred during the first time period, and decreasing the final fuzzy score when the signature match did not occur during the first time period.

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

sum a plurality of contribution values corresponding to a first cycle to generate a first intermediate fuzzy score for the first cycle, wherein the contribution values are indicative of a state of a presentation device;

store the first intermediate fuzzy score in a circular buffer having a plurality of intermediate fuzzy scores corresponding to respective cycles;

combine the intermediate fuzzy scores of the circular buffer for a first time period to form a final fuzzy score; and

determine whether a signature match occurred during the first time period.

10. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to combine the intermediate fuzzy scores by averaging the intermediate fuzzy scores for the first time period.

11. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to remove outliers from the circular buffer before combining the intermediate fuzzy scores to form the final fuzzy score.

12. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the machine to remove the outliers by removing ones of the intermediate fuzzy scores that fall outside a range of valid data based on one or more percentiles.

13. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the final fuzzy score is one of a set of final fuzzy scores, and the instructions cause the machine to calculate a minimum final fuzzy score and a maximum final fuzzy score in the set of final fuzzy scores.

14. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the machine to compare a difference between the minimum final fuzzy score and the maximum final fuzzy score to a threshold.

15. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the machine to apply a normalization factor to each of the final fuzzy scores of the set when the difference is greater than the threshold.

16. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to increase the final fuzzy score when the signature match occurred during the first time period, and to decrease the final fuzzy score when the signature match did not occur during the first time period.

17. An apparatus to determine a state of a presentation device, comprising:

an analyzer to sum a plurality of contribution values corresponding to a first cycle to generate a first intermediate fuzzy score for the first cycle, the fuzzy contribution values being indicative of a state of a presentation device

a circular buffer to store the first intermediate fuzzy score, the circular buffer having a plurality of intermediate fuzzy scores corresponding to respective cycles, the analyzer to combine the intermediate fuzzy scores of the circular buffer for a first time period to form a final fuzzy score; and

the analyzer to determine whether a signature match occurred during the first time period.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the analyzer is to combine the intermediate fuzzy scores by averaging the intermediate fuzzy scores for the first time period.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the analyzer is to remove outliers from the circular buffer before combining the intermediate fuzzy scores to form the final fuzzy score.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the analyzer is to remove the outliers by removing ones of the intermediate fuzzy scores that fall outside a range of valid data based on one or more percentiles.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the final fuzzy score is one of a set of final fuzzy scores, and the analyzer is to calculate a minimum final fuzzy score and a maximum final fuzzy score of the set of final fuzzy scores.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the analyzer is to compare a difference between the minimum final fuzzy score and the maximum final fuzzy score to a threshold.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the analyzer is to apply a normalization factor to each of the final fuzzy scores of the set when the difference is greater than the threshold.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the analyzer is to increase the final fuzzy score when the signature match occurred during the first time period, and to decrease the final fuzzy score when the signature match did not occur during the first time period.