Methods and apparatus to associate geographic locations with user devices

• US 9,826,359 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Splaine, Steven J., Ramaswamy, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US14/880,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to associate geographic locations with user devices. An example method includes receiving, at a server, a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by a device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network. The example method also includes identifying a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information. The example method also includes attributing a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier.

Claims

1. A method to associate a geographic location with a user device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by a device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

identifying a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information by querying a service provider for location information; and

attributing a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifying of the location identifier includes:

parsing the monitoring information for location services information provided by a positioning system of the device; and

in response to determining the monitoring information includes the location services information, associating the location services information with the location identifier.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifying of the location identifier includes:

parsing the monitoring information for network identifying information corresponding to a network connection-type of the private network; and

associating the source identifying information with the location identifier when the private network is a fixed-location network.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further including crediting the media with an impression by logging the source identifying information, the monitoring information and the geographic location.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further including:

determining whether the monitoring information is encrypted; and

in response to determining that the monitoring information is encrypted, decrypting the monitoring information to identify the location identifier.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the attributing of the geographic location to the device includes querying a database for the geographic location using the location identifier.

7. A method to associate a geographic location with a user device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by the user device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

identifying a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information;

attributing a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier;

parsing the monitoring information for network identifying information corresponding to a network connection-type of the private network; and

associating the source identifying information with the location identifier when the private network is a fixed-location network;

in response to determining that the private network is a mobile network, querying a provider of the mobile network for location services information based on user identifying information identified in the monitoring information; and

associating the location services information with the location identifier.

8. An apparatus to associate a geographic location with a user device, the apparatus comprising:

a beacon handler to receive a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by the user device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

a location identifier handler to identify a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information by querying a service provider; and

a location mapper to attribute a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the location identifier handler is to associate location services information with the location identifier when the monitoring information includes the location services information, the location services information to be provided by a positioning system of the device.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including:

a network classifier to classify a network connection-type of the private network based on network identifying information included in the monitoring information; and

the location identifier handler to associate the source identifying information with the location identifier when the network classifier classifies the private network as a fixed-location network.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including a tagged impression logger to credit the media with an impression by logging the source identifying information, the monitoring information and the geographic location.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including:

a decrypter to decrypt the monitoring information to identify the location identifier when the beacon parser determines that the monitoring information is encrypted.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the location mapper is to attribute the geographic location to the device by querying a database for the geographic location using the location identifier.

14. An apparatus to associate a geographic location with a user device, the apparatus comprising:

a beacon handler to receive a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by the user device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

a location identifier handler to identify a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information;

a location mapper to attribute a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier;

a network classifier to classify a network connection-type of the private network based on network identifying information included in the monitoring information;

the location identifier handler to associate the source identifying information with the location identifier when the network classifier classifies the private network as a fixed-location network;

a location retriever to retrieve location services information based on user identifying information identified in the monitoring information when the network classifier classifies the private network as a mobile network; and

the location identifier handler to associate the location services information with the location identifier.

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

receive a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, the monitoring information sent by a device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

identify a location identifier of the device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information by querying a service provider for location information; and

attribute a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to identify the location identifier by:

parsing the monitoring information for location services information provided by a positioning system of the device; and

in response to determining the monitoring information includes the location services information, associating the location services information with the location identifier.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to identify the location identifier by:

parsing the monitoring information for network identifying information corresponding to a network connection-type of the private network; and

associating the source identifying information with the location identifier when the private network is a fixed-location network.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to credit the media with an impression by logging the source identifying information, the monitoring information and the geographic location.

19. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to attribute the geographic location to the device by querying a database for the geographic location using the location identifier.

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

responsive to a request including source identifying information and monitoring information, identify a location identifier of a device based on the source identifying information and the monitoring information the monitoring information sent by the device in response to accessing media, the source identifying information associated with a router connecting a private network to a public network;

attribute a geographic location to the device based on the location identifier;

parse the monitoring information for network identifying information corresponding to a network connection-type of the private network;

associate the source identifying information with the location identifier when the private network is a fixed-location network;

query a provider of the mobile network for location services information based on user identifying information identified in the monitoring information when the private network is a mobile network; and

associate the location services information with the location identifier.