Methods, systems and apparatus to generate market segmentation data with anonymous location data

• US 10,713,687 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2019
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Cochran, Laura, Miller, David R., Stevens, Jeff, Nelson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Neff, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US16/536,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20200005358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to determine a consumer classification segment. A disclosed example method involves generating, with a processor, a list of consumer classification segments based on geographic indicators associated with a mobile device, associating, with the processor, the mobile device with a first consumer classification segment of the list of consumer classification segments if the geographic indicators were retrieved while a first application was executed, and associating, with the processor, the mobile device with a second consumer classification segment of the list of consumer classification segments if the geographic indicators were retrieved while a second application was executed.

Claims

1. An apparatus to generate segmentation information, comprising:

means for identifying to identify a first set of geographic locations of a mobile phone during a first time of day, the identifying means to identify a second set of geographic locations of the mobile phone during a second time of day;

first means for associating to associate the first and second sets of geographic locations with an identifier unrelated to personal information associated with a user of the mobile phone, the first associating means to identify a home location associated with the first set of geographic locations when the first set of geographic locations includes more than a first threshold number of locations that occur during the first time of day; and

second means for associating to associate segmentation information with the identifier based on the home location without referencing personal information of the mobile phone user, wherein at least one of the identifying means, the first associating means or the second associating means include a logic circuit.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first associating means is to compute a hash of an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifying means is to identify a work location associated with the second set of geographic locations when the second set of geographic locations includes more than a second threshold number of locations that occur during the second time of day.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the second associating means is to associate segmentation information with the identifier based on the work location without referencing personal information of the mobile phone user.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the identifying means is to identify a third set of geographic locations associated with travel, the locations of the third set of geographic locations occurring between the home location and the work location.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the identifying means is to determine whether the third set of geographic locations recur on a daily basis.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the second associating means is to detect whether the locations of the third set of geographic locations are associated with an indication of game application usage by the mobile phone user.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the second associating means is to identify a third set of geographic locations in response to detecting an indication of mobile phone application use.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the second associating means is to associate the third set of geographic locations with commuter travel activity when the indication of mobile phone application use includes a game application.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifying means is to identify a fourth set of geographic locations associated with leisure activity, the locations of the fourth set of geographic locations occurring at locations different than the home location and the work location.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the identifying means is to determine whether the fourth set of geographic locations recur on a weekly basis.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the second associating means is to detect whether the locations of the fourth set of geographic locations is associated with an indication of global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation application usage by the mobile phone user.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the second associating means is to associate the fourth set of geographic locations with a leisure location in response to the indication of GPS navigation application usage.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the second associating means is to associate segmentation information with the identifier based on the leisure location without referencing personal information of the mobile phone user.