INTERACTIVE SERVICE DEVICE METERING SYSTEMS

• US 20100138770A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, LLC
• Inventors: Feininger, William A., Harkness, David H., Bhatia, Manish, Lu, Daozheng, Samson, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 8,776,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A metering system meters usage of on-line and local services by way of interactive service devices. An example metering system includes a first data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a first interactive service device and a second data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a second interactive service device different than the first interactive service device. Each of the data acquisition modules is configured to distinguish between on-line communications associated with access to an on-line service and local communications associated with a local application program. In addition, each data acquisition module is configured to extract the usage data based whether an on-line communication or a local communication is identified.

Claims

1. A metering system comprising:

a first data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a first interactive service device; and

a second data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a second interactive service device of a different type than the first interactive service device;

wherein each of the data acquisition modules is configured to distinguish between first communications associated with access to an on-line service and second communications associated with a local application program and to extract the usage data based whether the first communications or the second communications are identified.

2. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first interactive service device or the second interactive service device is a computer, a television, a telephone, a calculator or a gaming device.

3. A metering system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a user identification and verification module to identify and verify a user of at least one of the first interactive service or the second interactive service device.

4. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first interactive service device includes a first operating system and a first communication device driver and the second interactive service device includes a second operating system and a second communication device driver, and wherein the first communication and second communication occur between the operating systems and the communication device drivers.

5. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first data acquisition module and the second data acquisition module are configured to interrogate stored transmissions in near real time.

6. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the usage data includes data related to one or more of keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, touch-screen touches, remote control signals, remote keyboard signals, remote mouse signals, scrolling information, portions of delivered content, a time of display of content, program codes, program or content headings, vertical blanking intervals of video frames or identification information.

7. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the data acquisition modules is downloaded over a communication network to one of the interactive service devices.

8. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first data acquisition module is configured to copy usage data associated with a third interactive service device.

9. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the data acquisition modules is located in a respective statistically selected end user facility.

10. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the on-line service comprises an e-mail service.

11. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the local application program comprises a word processing program or a spreadsheet program.

12. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein the local application program is stored in at least one of the first or second interactive service devices.

13. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second data acquisition modules is an insertable resident routine within an operating system or a web browser of a respective one of the first or second interactive service devices.

14. A metering system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the data acquisition modules is configured to identify the first communications by reading header information, title information, a tag, a cookie, or an address associated with the first communications.

15. A metering system as defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying the local application program and determining the extent of usage of the identified local application program after identifying the second communications.

16. A metering system as defined in claim 1, further comprising, determining the extent of usage of content associated with the identified first or second communications.

17. A method of metering usage data comprising:

using a first data acquisition module to copy first data associated with a first interactive service device;

using a second data acquisition module to copy second data associated with a second interactive service device of a different type than the first interactive service device;

distinguishing between first communications associated with access to an on-line service and second communications associated with a local application program;

identifying whether the first or second communications are in use; and

extracting the usage data based on the identified one of the first communications or the second communications.

18. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein the first interactive service device or the second interactive service device is a computer, a television, a telephone, a calculator or a gaming device.

19. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further comprising identifying and verifying a user of at least one of the first interactive service or the second interactive service device.

20. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further comprising:

extracting the usage data by;

monitoring information communicated between a first operating system and a first communication device driver of the first interactive service device via the first data acquisition module; and

monitoring information communicated between a second operating system and a second communication device driver of the second interactive service device via the second data acquisition module.

21. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further comprising interrogating stored transmissions in near real time.

22. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein extracting the usage data comprises extracting the usage data by monitoring one or more of keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, touch-screen touches, remote control signals, remote keyboard signals, remote mouse signals, scrolling information, portions of delivered content, a time of display of content, program codes, program or content headings, vertical blanking intervals of video frames or identification information.

23. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further comprising downloading at least one of the first data acquisition module or the second data acquisition module over a communication network to at least one of the first interactive service device or the second interactive service device.

24. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further using the first data acquisition module to copy usage data associated with a third interactive service device.

25. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein each of the data acquisition modules is located in a respective statistically selected end user facility.

26. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein the on-line service comprises an e-mail service.

27. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein the local application program comprises a word processing program or a spreadsheet program.

28. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein the local application program is stored in at least one of the first or second interactive service devices.

29. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first or second data acquisition modules is an insertable resident routine within an operating system or a web browser of a respective one of the first or second interactive service devices.

30. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, wherein identifying whether the first or second communications are in use comprises identifying the first communications by reading header information, title information, a tag, a cookie, or an address associated with the first communications.

31. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17, further comprising identifying the local application program and determining the extent of usage of the identified local application program after identifying the second communications.

32. A method of metering usage data as defined in claim 17 further comprising determining the extent of usage of content associated with the identified first or second communications.

33. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

use a first data acquisition module to copy first data associated with a first interactive service device;

use a second data acquisition module to copy second data associated with a second interactive service device of a different type than the first interactive service device;

distinguish between first communications associated with access to an on-line service and second communications associated with a local application program;

identify whether the first communications or the second communications are in use; and

extract the usage data based on the identified one of the first communications or the second communications.

34. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein the first interactive service device or the second interactive service device is a computer, a television, a telephone, a calculator or a gaming device.

35. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to identify and verify a user of at least one of the first interactive service or the second interactive service device.

36. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to:

extract the usage data by;

monitoring information communicated between a first operating system and a first communication device driver of the first interactive service device via the first data acquisition module; and

monitoring information communicated between a second operating system and a second communication device driver of the second interactive service device via the second data acquisition module.

37. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to interrogate stored transmissions in near real time.

38. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to extract the usage data by monitoring one or more of keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, touch-screen touches, remote control signals, remote keyboard signals, remote mouse signals, scrolling information, portions of delivered content, a time of display of content, program codes, program or content headings, vertical blanking intervals of video frames or identification information.

39. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to download at least one of the first data acquisition module or the second data acquisition module over a communication network to at least one of the first interactive service device or the second interactive service device.

40. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to use the first data acquisition module to copy usage data associated with a third interactive service device.

41. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein each of the data acquisition modules is located in a respective statistically selected end user facility.

42. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein the on-line service comprises an e-mail service.

43. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein the local application program comprises a word processing program or a spreadsheet program.

44. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein the local application program is stored in at least one of the first or second interactive service devices.

45. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein at least one of the first or second data acquisition modules is an insertable resident routine within an operating system or a web browser of a respective one of the first or second interactive service devices.

46. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33, wherein each of the data acquisition modules is configured to identify the first communications by reading header information, title information, a tag, a cookie, or an address associated with the first communications.

47. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to identify the local application program and determine the extent of usage of the identified local application program, after the machine identified the second communications.

48. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 33 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to determine the extent of usage of content associated with the identified first or second communications.