Methods, apparatus and computer readable media to generate electronic mobile measurement census data

• US 9,953,330 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Rao, Kumar Nagaraja, Luo, Tianjue, Perez, Albert Ronald, Bell, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kyereme-Tuah, Akosua
• Application Number:
  US14/569,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to generating electronic mobile measurement census data are disclosed. Example disclosed methods involve, when a panelist associated with a client device is determined to be an audience member of the media on the client device, associating demographic information of the panelist with a logged impression associated with the media. The disclosed methods also include when the panelist associated with the client device is determined not to be the audience member of the media at the client device, determining probability scores for respective household members residing in a household with the panelist, the probability scores indicative of probabilities that corresponding ones of the household members are the audience member of the media at the client device, and associating demographic information of one of the household members that has a highest probability score with the logged impression associated with the media.

Claims

1. A method of generating electronic media measurement census data, comprising:

logging an impression based on a communication received from a client device, the logged impression corresponding to media accessed at the client device by a user operating the client device;

determining, by executing an instruction with a processor, that a primary user of the client device is not the user operating the client device when a first probability score calculated for the primary user does not satisfy a threshold, the first probability score indicative of a probability that the primary user is an audience member of the media accessed at the client device, the primary user being a household member of a household;

in response to determining that the primary user is not the user operating the client device, identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, one of a plurality of secondary users as the user operating the client device, the identifying of the one of the secondary users being based on;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, probability scores for corresponding ones of the secondary users, the secondary users being household members residing in the household with the primary user, the probability scores indicative of probabilities that corresponding ones of the secondary users are the user operating the client device, and

identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, the one of the secondary users corresponding to a highest probability score as being the user operating the client device;

reducing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a misattribution error by associating demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression associated with the media; and

reducing required processing resources on the client device when associating the demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression by identifying the user operating the client device without requiring the user operating the client device to self-identify.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein when a size of the household equals one, identifying the primary user as the user operating the client device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein when the primary user has indicated that the primary user does not share the client device, identifying the primary user as the user of the client device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the threshold is a calibration factor divided by a size of the household.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the calibration factor is based on demographic information of the primary user and a type of the client device.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the demographic information of the primary user and the type of the client device correspond to a first demographic group, and the calibration factor is a ratio of an average time that the first demographic group accessed the media and an average time that all demographic groups accessed the media.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein reducing the misattribution error includes improving a process of the processor by causing the processor to use demographic information of the identified one of the secondary users as the demographic information of the user operating the client device to prevent the process of the processor from creating the misattribution error that would arise from associating demographic information of the primary user of the client device with the logged impression.

7. An apparatus for generating electronic media measurement census data, comprising:

an impression server, at an audience measurement entity, to log an impression based on a communication received from a client device, the logged impression corresponding to media accessed at the client device by a user operating the client device;

an impressions corrector to;

determine that a primary user of the client device is not the user operating the client device when a first probability score for the primary user does not satisfy a threshold, the first probability score indicative of a probability that the primary user is an audience member of the media accessed at the client device, the primary user being a household member of a household; and

in response to determining that the primary user is not the user operating the client device, identify one of a plurality of secondary users as the user operating the client device, the impressions corrector to identify the one of the secondary users by;

determining probability scores for corresponding ones of the secondary users, the secondary users being household members residing in the household with the primary user, the probability scores indicative of probabilities that corresponding ones of the secondary users are the user operating the client device; and

identifying the one of the secondary users as corresponding to a highest probability score as being the user operating the client device; and

a processor to;

associate demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression associated with the media, and reduce a misattribution error by associating demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression associated with the media; and

reduce required processing resources on the client device when associating the demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression by identifying the user operating the client device without requiring the user operating the client device to self-identify.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein when a size of the household equals one, the impressions corrector is to identify the primary user as the user operating the client device.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein when the primary user has indicated that the primary user does not share the client device, the impressions corrector is to identify the primary user as the user operating the client device.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the threshold is a calibration factor divided by a size of the household.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the calibration factor is based on demographic information of the primary user and a type of the client device.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the demographic information of the primary user and the type of the client device define a first demographic group, and the calibration factor is a ratio of an average time that the first demographic group accessed the media and an average time that all demographic groups accessed the media.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein reducing the misattribution error includes improving a process of the processor by causing the processor to use demographic information of the identified one of the secondary users as the demographic information of the user operating the client device to prevent the process of the processor from creating the misattribution error that would arise from associating demographic information of the primary user of the client device with the logged impression.

13. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

log an impression based on a communication received from a client device, the logged impression corresponding to media accessed at the client device by a user operating the client device;

determine that a primary user of the client device is not the user operating the client device when a first probability score calculated for the primary user does not satisfy a threshold, the first probability score indicative of a probability that the primary user is an audience member of the media accessed at the client device, the primary user being a household member of a household;

in response to determining that the primary user is not the user operating the client device, identify one of a plurality of secondary users as the user operating the client device, the instructions to cause the processor to identify the one of the secondary users by;

determining probability scores for corresponding ones of the secondary users, the secondary users being household members residing in the household with the primary user, the probability scores indicative of probabilities that corresponding ones of the secondary users are the user operating the client device, and

identifying the one of the secondary users as corresponding to a highest probability score as being the user operating the client device;

reduce a misattribution error by associating demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression associated with the media; and

reduce processing resources on the client device when associating the demographic information of the user operating the client device with the logged impression by identifying the user operating the client device without requiring the user operating the client device to self-identify.

14. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the processor to, when a size of the household equals one, identify the primary user as the user operating the client device.

15. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the processor to, when the primary user has indicated that the primary user does not share the client device, identify the primary user as the user operating the client device.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the threshold is a calibration factor divided by a size of the household.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the calibration factor is based on demographic information of the primary user and a type of the client device.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the demographic information of the primary user and the type of the client device define a first demographic group, and the calibration factor is a ratio of an average time that the first demographic group accessed the media and an average time that all demographic groups accessed the media.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein reducing the misattribution error includes improving a process of the processor by causing the processor to use demographic information of the identified one of the secondary users as the demographic information of the user operating the client device to prevent the process of the processor from creating the misattribution error that would arise from associating demographic information of the primary user of the client device with the logged impression.