Methods and apparatus to create a panel of media device users

• US 9,560,149 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Borawski, Albert T., Bell, Stephen S., Dan, Oana
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Naoreen, Nazia
• Application Number:
  US14/145,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to create a panel of media device users are disclosed. An example method includes identifying a master frame of media devices that have executed an instrumented application. A media device is selected from the master frame. A first instrumented application on the selected media device is instructed to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

Claims

1. A method to create a panel of media device users, the method comprising:

identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, a master frame of media devices that have executed an instrumented application;

selecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, a media device from the master frame by (1) determining a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices are to be selected to join the panel, and (2) selecting the media device based on a random value and the skip rate; and

instructing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a first instrumented application on the selected media device to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the master frame is sorted prior to selecting the media device from the master frame.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further including sorting the master frame based on timestamps respectively associated with initial launches of the instrumented application associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

4. The method as described in claim 2, further including sorting based on a number of instrumented applications associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

5. The method as described in claim 2, further including sorting based on application identifiers respectively associated with an initial launch of the instrumented application associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the skip rate is based on a first number of media devices in the master frame divided by a total number of media devices in the panel.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further including assigning the selected media device to a first test cell, the recruitment interface associated with the first test cell.

8. The method as described in claim 7, wherein the selected media device is a first selected media device, the recruitment interface is a first recruitment interface, and further including:

selecting a second media device from the master frame, the second selected media device different from the first selected media device;

assigning the second media device to a second test cell different from the first test cell; and

instructing a second application on the second media device to display a second recruitment interface different from the first recruitment interface.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero.

10. A method to create a panel of media device users, the method comprising:

identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, a master frame of media devices that have executed an instrumented application;

selecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, a media device from the master frame by (1) determining a skip rate, and (2) selecting the media device based on a random value and the skip rate, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero; and

instructing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a first instrumented application on the selected media device to display a recruitment interface to the user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

11. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a master frame of media devices that have executed an instrumented application;

determine a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices are to be selected to join a panel;

select a media device from the master frame based on a random value and the skip rate; and

instruct a first instrumented application on the selected media device to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join a panel.

12. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 11, wherein the master frame is sorted prior to selecting the media device from the master frame.

13. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 12, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to sort the master frame based on timestamps respectively associated with initial launches of the instrumented application associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

14. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 12, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to sort based on a number of instrumented applications associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

15. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 12, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to sort based on application identifiers respectively associated with an initial launch of the instrumented application associated with respective media devices in the master frame.

16. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 11, wherein the skip rate is based on a first number of media devices in the master frame divided by a total number of media devices in the panel.

17. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 11, further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to assign the selected media device to a first test cell, the recruitment interface is associated with the first test cell.

18. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 17, wherein the selected media device is a first selected media device, the recruitment interface is a first recruitment interface, and further including instructions which, when executed, cause the machine to at least:

select a second media device from the master frame, the second selected media device different from the first selected media device;

assign the second media device to a second test cell different from the first test cell; and

instruct a second application on the second media device to display a second recruitment interface different from the first recruitment interface.

19. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 11, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero.

20. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a master frame of media devices that have executed an instrumented application;

determine a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices are to be selected to join a panel;

select a media device from the master frame based on a random value and the skip rate, wherein the random value is less than or equal to the skip rate and greater than or equal to zero; and

instruct a first instrumented application on the selected media device to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join a panel.

21. An apparatus to create a panel of media device users, the apparatus comprising:

a software development kit provider to instruct a media provider to instrument an application with monitoring instructions;

a registration data controller to receive a unique identifier and application identifier pair from a media device executing the monitoring instructions; and

a panel creator to create a master frame, the master frame corresponding to media devices that have executed an instrumented application, the panel creator to determine a skip rate representing a rate at which media devices are to be selected to join a panel, the panel creator to select the media device from the master frame based on a random value and the skip rate, the registration data controller to instruct the instrumented application associated with the selected media device to display a recruitment interface to a user associated with the selected media device requesting the user to join the panel.

22. The apparatus as described in claim 21, further including a monitoring data receiver to receive monitoring data from the instrumented application after the user has agreed to become a panelist.

23. The apparatus as described in claim 21, further including a unique identifier generator to generate the unique identifier to be used by the instrumented application.

24. The apparatus as described in claim 21, wherein the application identifier is assigned to the instrumented application by at least one of the media provider or an application developer.