Research data gathering with a portable monitor and a stationary device

• US 9,317,865 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• 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., Krug, William K., Lynch, Wendell D., Neuhauser, Alan R., Flanagan, Eugene L. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Khajuria, Shripal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Farhad
• Application Number:
  US14/253,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/52 of users

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for research data gathering with a portable monitor and a stationary device are described. An example method includes gathering, via a stationary monitoring system, first data concerning exposure to media output by a media receiver, wherein gathering the first data comprises collecting a first code encoded in the media, gathering second data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver with a portable monitor carried on the person of a user, wherein the second data comprises a second code encoded in the media, gathering, via the portable monitor, location data encoded in the media by the stationary monitoring system, the location data providing information on a physical location of the portable monitor, and producing the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media output by the receiver from the first data, the second data, and the location data.

Claims

1. A method for gathering audience measurement data, the method comprising:

gathering, via a stationary monitoring system, first data concerning exposure to media output by a media receiver, the gathering of the first data including collecting a first code encoded in the media;

gathering second data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver with a portable monitor carried on the person of a user, the second data including a second code encoded in the media;

gathering, via the portable monitor, location data encoded in the media by the stationary monitoring system, the location data providing information on a physical location of the portable monitor; and

producing the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver from the first data, the second data, and the location data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media receiver includes the stationary monitoring system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stationary monitoring system includes software running on a processor of the media receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media receiver includes at least one of a media recording device, a media playback device, a user-operated recording device, a user-operated playback device, a television, television broadcast reception equipment, a radio, radio broadcast reception equipment, a video cassette player, a digital video disk player, a digital video recorder, a gaming device, a personal video player, an audio cassette player, a compact disk player, a personal audio player, an electronic book, and a personal computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media includes at least one of television media, radio media, video cassette media, digital video disk media, digital video recorder media, personal video player media, audio cassette media, compact disk media, personal audio player media, audio, video, digital audio, digital video, gaming media, streaming media, Internet-supplied media, and personal computer media.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering of the first data includes gathering first media reception data including an indication of at least one of a station received by the media receiver, a channel received by the media receiver, and a program received by the media receiver, the gathering of the second data including gathering second media reception data including an indication of at least one of a station, a channel, and a program to which the user was exposed.

7. The method of claim 1, further including gathering at least one of portable monitor identification data, audience member identification data and audience member demographic data, and producing the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media based on the at least one of the portable monitor identification data, the audience member identification data and the audience member demographic data.

8. The method of claim 1, further including gathering, via the portable monitor, second location data encoded in the media by a second stationary monitoring system to detect whether the user is exposed to the media by the stationary monitoring system or the second stationary monitoring system.

9. The method of claim 1, further including matching the second data gathered by the portable monitor with the first data gathered by the stationary monitoring system to supplement the second data with the first data, the first data having a greater time resolution than the second data.

10. A system for gathering audience measurement data, the system comprising:

a stationary monitoring system to gather first data concerning exposure to media from a media receiver, the stationary monitoring system to gather the first data by gathering a first code encoded in the media;

a portable monitor to;

gather second data concerning exposure to media output by the media receiver, the portable monitor to gather the second data by gathering a second code encoded in the media; and

gather location data encoded in the media by the stationary monitoring system, the location data providing information on a physical location of the portable monitor; and

a processor to receive the first data, the second data, and the location data and to produce the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver based on the first data, the second data, and the location data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the media receiver includes the stationary monitoring system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the stationary monitoring system includes software running on a processor of the media receiver.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the media receiver includes at least one of a media recording device, a media playback device, a user-operated recording device, a user-operated playback device, a television, television broadcast reception equipment, a radio, radio broadcast reception equipment, a video cassette player, a digital video disk player, a digital video recorder, a gaming device, a personal video player, an audio cassette player, a compact disk player, a personal audio player, an electronic book, and a personal computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the media includes at least one of television media, radio media, video cassette media, digital video disk media, digital video recorder media, personal video player media, audio cassette media, compact disk media, personal audio player media, audio, video, digital audio, digital video, gaming media, streaming media, Internet-supplied media, and personal computer media.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first data includes an indication of at least one of a station received by the media receiver, a channel received by the media receiver, and a program received by the media receiver, the second data includes an indication of at least one of a station, a channel, and a program to which a user was exposed.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is to gather at least one of portable monitor identification data, audience member identification data and audience member demographic data and is to produce the audience measurement data concerning exposure of the media based on at least one of the portable monitor identification data, the audience member identification data and the audience member demographic data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the portable monitor is to gather second location data encoded in the media by a second stationary monitoring system to detect whether a user is exposed to the media by the stationary monitoring system or the second stationary monitoring system.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is to match the second data gathered by the portable monitor with the first data gathered by the stationary monitoring system to supplement the second data with the first data, the first data having a greater time resolution than the second data.

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

collect, via a stationary monitoring system, first data concerning exposure to media output by a media receiver, the first data including a first code encoded in the media;

collect, via a portable monitor carried on the person of a user, second data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver, the second data including a second code encoded in the media;

collect, via the portable monitor, location data encoded in the media by the stationary monitoring system, the location data providing information on a physical location of the portable monitor; and

produce audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver from the first data, the second data, and the location data.

20. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to collect, via the portable monitor, second location data encoded in the media by a second stationary monitoring system and to detect whether the user is exposed to the media by the stationary monitoring system or the second stationary monitoring system.

21. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to match the second data gathered by the portable monitor with the first data gathered by the stationary monitoring system to supplement the second data with the first data, the first data having a greater time resolution than the second data.

22. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the media receiver includes the stationary monitoring system.

23. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the stationary monitoring system includes software running on a processor of the media receiver.

24. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the media receiver includes at least one of a media recording device, a media playback device, a user-operated recording device, a user-operated playback device, a television, television broadcast reception equipment, a radio, radio broadcast reception equipment, a video cassette player, a digital video disk player, a digital video recorder, a gaming device, a personal video player, an audio cassette player, a compact disk player, a personal audio player, an electronic book, and a personal computer.

25. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the media includes at least one of television media, radio media, video cassette media, digital video disk media, digital video recorder media, personal video player media, audio cassette media, compact disk media, personal audio player media, audio, video, digital audio, digital video, gaming media, streaming media, Internet-supplied media, and personal computer media.

26. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to gather first media reception data including an indication of at least one of a station received by the media receiver, a channel received by the media receiver, and a program received by the media receiver, the collecting of the second data including gathering second media reception data including an indication of at least one of a station, a channel, and a program to which the user was exposed.

27. The computer readable storage disc or storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to gather at least one of portable monitor identification data, audience member identification data and audience member demographic data, and produce the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media based on the at least one of the portable monitor identification data, the audience member identification data and the audience member demographic data.