Biometric based demography tool

• US 9,536,158 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arboc Limited
• Original Assignee: Arboc Limited
• Inventors: Harrison, Howard Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/905,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

Systems and methods to determine demographic attributes of pedestrians in a retail environment are presented. In some examples, media content is selected for presentation to one or more pedestrians based on the determined demographic attributes. In a further example, the media content is interactive, and a response is received from the pedestrian indicating recognition of the interactive media content and an identity of the pedestrian. In some examples, the demographic attributes of a group of pedestrians passing a particular location are aggregated to determine a demographic profile of a pedestrian traffic flow. In some other examples, demographic attributes of pedestrians are derived from biometric responses to a media presentation. Based on the location and duration of visual attention to the media presentation, a demographic attribute of the pedestrian is determined.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a first pedestrian at a first location in a retail environment;

receiving a second biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the first pedestrian at a second location in the retail environment; and

determining a demographic attribute of the first pedestrian based on the first and second biometric recognition instances of the first pedestrian and the first and second locations, wherein the determining of the demographic attribute is based on a comparison of the biometric information of the first biometric recognition instance with a biometric template and a comparison of the biometric information of the second biometric recognition instance with the biometric template, wherein the biometric information of the first and second biometric recognition instances includes a location of image capture, a time of image capture, and a dimension of each facial feature including an eye spacing, a nose width, and an ear spacing, and wherein the biometric template includes a dimensional range associated with each of the facial features.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an amount of media content for presentation to the first pedestrian based at least in part on the determined demographic attribute; and

presenting the amount of media content to the first pedestrian.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of media content is interactive media content, and further comprising:

receiving a response to the interactive media content indicating a recognition of the interactive media content and an identity of the first pedestrian.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is the entrance of a first retail store and the second location is the entrance of a second retail store.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a second pedestrian at the first location in the retail environment;

receiving a fourth biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the second pedestrian at the second location in the retail environment; and

determining a demographic attribute of the second pedestrian based on any of the third and fourth biometric recognition instances of the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a demographic profile based on the demographic attributes of the first pedestrian and the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the demographic attribute associated with the first pedestrian involves associating publically available demographic information with the biometric information associated with the first pedestrian.

8. A biometric based demography system, comprising:

a first biometric recognition unit including an image capture device, the first biometric recognition unit configured to generate a first biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a first pedestrian at a first location in a retail environment;

a second biometric recognition unit including an image capture device, the second biometric recognition unit configured to generate a second biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the first pedestrian at a second location in the retail environment; and

a computing system configured to;

determine a demographic attribute of the first pedestrian based on the first and second biometric recognition instances of the first pedestrian and the first and second locations, wherein the determining of the demographic attribute is based on a comparison of the biometric information of the first biometric recognition instance with a biometric template and a comparison of the biometric information of the second biometric recognition instance with the biometric template, wherein the biometric information of the first and second biometric recognition instances includes a location of image capture, a time of image capture, and a dimension of each facial feature including an eye spacing, a nose width, and an ear spacing, and wherein the biometric template includes a dimensional range associated with each of the facial features.

9. The biometric based demography system of claim 8, wherein the computing system is further configured to:

select an amount of media content for presentation to the first pedestrian based at least in part on the determined demographic attribute; and

present the amount of media content to the first pedestrian.

10. The biometric based demography system of claim 9, wherein the amount of media content is interactive media content, and wherein the computing system is further configured to:

receive a response to the interactive media content indicating a recognition of the interactive media content and an identity of the pedestrian.

11. The biometric based demography system of claim 8, wherein the first location is the entrance of a first retail store and the second location is the entrance of a second retail store.

12. The biometric based demography system of claim 8,

wherein the first biometric recognition unit is further configured to generate a third biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a second pedestrian at the first location in the retail environment;

wherein the second biometric recognition unit is further configured to generate a fourth biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the second pedestrian at the second location in the retail environment; and

wherein the computing system is further configured to determine a demographic attribute of the second pedestrian based on any of the third and fourth biometric recognition instances of the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.

13. The biometric based demography system of claim 12, wherein the computing system is further configured to:

determine a demographic profile based on the demographic attributes of the first pedestrian and the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.

14. The biometric based demography system of claim 8, wherein the determining of the demographic attribute associated with the first pedestrian involves associating publically available demographic information with the biometric information associated with the first pedestrian.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising:

code for causing a computing system to receive a first biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a first pedestrian at a first location in a retail environment;

code for causing the computing system to receive a second biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the first pedestrian at a second location in the retail environment; and

code for causing the computing system to determine a demographic attribute of the first pedestrian based on the first and second biometric recognition instances of the first pedestrian and the first and second locations, wherein the determining of the demographic attribute is based on a comparison of the biometric information of the first biometric recognition instance with a biometric template and a comparison of the biometric information of the second biometric recognition instance with the biometric template, wherein the biometric information of the first and second biometric recognition instances includes a location of image capture, a time of image capture, and a dimension of each facial feature including an eye spacing, a nose width, and an ear spacing, and wherein the biometric template includes a dimensional range associated with each of the facial features.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for causing the computing system to select an amount of media content for presentation to the first pedestrian based at least in part on the determined demographic attribute; and

code for causing the computing system to present the amount of media content to the first pedestrian.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the amount of media content is interactive media content, and further comprising:

code for causing the computer to receive a response to the interactive media content indicating a recognition of the interactive media content and an identity of the first pedestrian.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first location is the entrance of a first retail store and the second location is the entrance of a second retail store.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

code for causing the computer to receive a third biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with a second pedestrian at the first location in the retail environment;

code for causing the computer to receive a fourth biometric recognition instance including biometric information associated with the second pedestrian at the second location in the retail environment; and

code for causing the computer to determine a demographic attribute of the second pedestrian based on any of the third and fourth biometric recognition instances of the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

code for causing the computer to determine a demographic profile based on the demographic attributes of the first pedestrian and the second pedestrian and the first and second locations.