Methods and apparatus to collect distributed user information for media impressions

• US 10,205,994 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• 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., Swift, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US15/251,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A disclosed example method involves obtaining a third-party device identifier or user identifier corresponding to a client device; obtaining an opt-out flag indicative of whether a user of the client device has elected not to participate in third-party tracking corresponding to online activities; sending the third-party device identifier or user identifier, the opt-out flag, and a media identifier to an audience measurement entity, the media identifier corresponding to media accessed via the Internet; and receiving, from the audience measurement entity, an impression report corresponding to the media.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by executing an instruction with a processor, a third-party device identifier or a user identifier corresponding to a client device;

obtaining, by executing an instruction with a processor, an opt-out flag indicative of whether a user of the client device has elected not to participate in third-party tracking corresponding to online activities;

sending, by executing an instruction with a processor, the third-party device identifier or the user identifier, the opt-out flag, and a media identifier from a first server to a second server associated with an audience measurement entity, the media identifier corresponding to media accessed via the Internet; and

obtaining, by executing an instruction with a processor, an impression report in a network communication from the second server associated with the audience measurement entity, the impression report including demographic information corresponding to a logged impression of the media.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is an over-the-top device or a smart television.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third-party device identifier or the user identifier is at least one of an Ad-ID, an Identifier for Advertisers, a GOOGLE Advertising ID, or a ROKU ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third-party tracking corresponding to the online activities is third-party tracking corresponding to activities at a webpage of an Internet media provider.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the media identifier corresponds to the media accessed via the webpage of the Internet media provider.

6. The method of claim 1, further including obtaining a subscriber identifier corresponding to a registered user of an Internet media provider.

7. The method of claim 6, further including determining the third-party device identifier or the user identifier based on the subscriber identifier.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor to;

access a third-party device identifier or a user identifier corresponding to a client device; and

access an opt-out flag indicative of whether a user of the client device has elected not to participate in third-party tracking corresponding to online activities;

a server-to-server communicator to send the third-party device identifier or the user identifier, the opt-out flag, and a media identifier from a first server to a second server associated with an audience measurement entity, the media identifier corresponding to media accessed via the Internet; and

a communication interface to receive an impression report in a network communication from the second server associated with the audience measurement entity, the impression report including demographic information corresponding to a logged impression of the media.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the client device is an over-the-top device or a smart television.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third-party device identifier or the user identifier is at least one of an Ad-ID, an Identifier for Advertisers, a GOOGLE Advertising ID, or a ROKU ID.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third-party tracking corresponding to the online activities is third-party tracking corresponding to activities at a webpage of an Internet media provider.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the media identifier corresponds to the media accessed via the webpage of the Internet media provider.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to access a subscriber identifier corresponding to a registered user of an Internet media provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further to determine the third-party device identifier or the user identifier based on the subscriber identifier.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a first server to at least:

access a third-party device identifier or a user identifier corresponding to a client device;

access an opt-out flag indicative of whether a user of the client device has elected not to participate in third-party tracking corresponding to online activities;

send the third-party device identifier or the user identifier, the opt-out flag, and a media identifier to a second server associated with an audience measurement entity, the media identifier corresponding to media accessed via the Internet; and

receive an impression report in a network communication from the second server associated with the audience measurement entity, the impression report including demographic information corresponding to a logged impression of the media.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the client device is an over-the-top device or a smart television.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third-party device identifier or the user identifier is at least one of an Ad-ID, an Identifier for Advertisers, a GOOGLE Advertising ID, or a ROKU ID.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third-party tracking corresponding to the online activities is third-party tracking corresponding to activities at a webpage of an Internet media provider.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the media identifier corresponds to the media accessed via the webpage of the Internet media provider.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are to further cause the server to access a subscriber identifier corresponding to a registered user of an Internet media provider.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further to cause the server to determine the third-party device identifier or the user identifier based on the subscriber identifier.