METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI-PURPOSE METERING

• US 20090070797A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US), LLC
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US), LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Karin, Conklin, Charles C., Olmsted, Wayne A., Ramaswamy, Arun, Nelson, Daniel, Martensen, Fred, Mears, Paul M., Topchy, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for multi-purpose metering are disclosed. An example method includes acquiring a rate of data transfer to/from the monitored location and comparing the acquired rate of data transfer to a threshold. The example method also includes setting at least one media monitoring device in a first bandwidth mode when the acquired rate of data transfer exceeds the threshold, and setting the at least one media monitoring device in a second bandwidth mode when the acquired rate of data transfer is below the threshold.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method to generate media monitoring information comprising:

receiving first information via a portable device;

generating via the portable device second information or third information based on the received first information, wherein the second information is indicative that the portable device is within a metered area having a stationary metering device, and wherein the third information is indicative that the portable device is not within the metered area having the stationary metering device; and

disabling media information detectors of the portable device in response to the second information.

26. (canceled)

29-128. -128. (canceled)

129. A method to match query signatures with reference signatures comprising:

acquiring a plurality of reference signatures, each of the plurality of reference signatures being associated with a reference timestamp;

acquiring a first plurality of query signatures, each of the plurality of query signatures being associated with a query timestamp;

applying a hash function to at least one of the plurality of reference signatures, the hash function to identify an index in a hash table;

applying the hash function to at least one of the plurality of query signatures, the hash function to identify an index in the hash table;

calculating an offset between the reference signatures and the query signatures; and

adding the offset to a histogram to identify a match between the query signatures and the reference signatures.

130. A method as defined in claim 129, wherein the index of the hash table comprises a first linked list, the first linked list comprising at least one of a null pointer, a first reference timestamp associated with a first reference signature, or a plurality of reference timestamps associated with the first reference signature.

131. A method as defined in claim 130, further comprising advancing a pointer of the hash table to a second linked list when the null pointer is detected.

132. A method as defined in claim 129, wherein adding the offset to a histogram comprises comparing a plurality of offsets to an occurrence threshold, each of the plurality of offsets associated with a query signature.

133. A method as defined in claim 132, further comprising identifying at least one offset that exceeds the occurrence threshold as a match between the reference signature and the query signature.

134. A method as defined in claim 132, further comprising acquiring a second plurality of query signatures, the second plurality of query signatures temporally adjacent to the first plurality of query signatures.

135. A method as defined in claim 134, further comprising identifying a query signature exceeding the occurrence threshold in the first plurality of query signatures and the second plurality of signatures as a match to the reference signature having the same hash index.

136. A system to match query signatures with reference signatures comprising:

a reference table comprising a plurality of reference signatures, each of

the plurality of reference signatures associated with a reference timestamp;

a query table comprising a plurality of query signatures, each of the plurality of query signatures associated with a query timestamp;

a hash table to store the plurality of reference signatures and associated

timestamps, the plurality of reference signatures indexed in the hash table based on a hash function;

a processor to calculate an offset between a first timestamp and a second

timestamp, the first and second timestamps associated with the same index; and

a histogram to track an occurrence of offsets, the offsets exceeding an occurrence threshold identified as a match between a query signature and a reference signature having the same index.

137. A system as defined in claim 136, wherein the query table comprises a plurality of segments, each one of the plurality of segments comprising a subset of the plurality of query signatures.

138. A system as defined in claim 137, wherein the plurality of segments are overlapping or non-overlapping.

139. A system as defined in claim 138, wherein the non-overlapping segments are temporally adjacent in the query table.

140. A system as defined in claim 136, further comprising a plurality of linked-lists, each one of the plurality of linked-lists associated with an index of the hash table.

141. A system as defined in claim 140, wherein each of the plurality of linked-lists comprises a null pointer or at least one reference signature, the reference signature having an associated reference timestamp.

142. A system as defined in claim 141, wherein each one of the reference signatures of the linked list corresponds to a portion of broadcast media.

143-147. -147. (canceled)

148. A method to identify a source of media content comprising:

receiving a first signature collected by an audience measurement device;

comparing the first signature to reference signatures to attempt to determine a match; and

accessing audience member remote control activity data when the first signature does not match any of the reference signatures to identify the source.

149. A method as defined in claim 148, further comprising associating the first signature with an auxiliary media device when the audience member remote control activity data comprises an input command associated with the auxiliary media device.

150. A method as defined in claim 149, wherein the auxiliary media device comprises at least one of a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a videocassette recorder (VCR), a compact disk (CD) player, or a video game console.

151. A method as defined in claim 148, further comprising receiving a log of the audience member remote control activity data, the log comprising at least one of infrared remote control commands or radio frequency remote control commands.

152. A method as defined in claim 148, further comprising comparing at least one command from the audience member remote control to a database of commands from a plurality of device manufacturers, the comparison to identify a device associated with the audience member remote control.

153-158. -158. (canceled)

159. A method to communicate audience data from a first portable meter comprising:

attempting to detect a base station;

attempting to detect a second portable meter when the base station is not detected; and

when the second portable meter is detected, transferring data from the first portable meter to the second portable meter.

160. A method as defined in claim 159, further comprising relaying the data from the second portable meter to the base station.

161. A method as defined in claim 159, wherein the second portable meter and the base station are communicatively connected via at least one of a network cable, a wireless network, or a powerline communication network.

162-220. -220. (canceled)