METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MONITOR SHOPPERS IN A RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100250305A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Morris, Ramaswamy, Arun
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/52 of users

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to monitor shoppers in a retail environment are disclosed herein. In a disclosed example method involves collecting location information indicative of a measured path of travel of a person through a monitored environment. The example method also involves collecting person detection event information associated with a plurality of zones in the monitored environment. The person detection event information is indicative of detections of the person in each of the zones. In addition, the example method involves determining an adjusted path of travel of the person through the monitored environment based on the location information indicative of the measured path of travel and the person detection event information.

Claims

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8. An apparatus, comprising:

a data interface to;

receive location information indicative of a measured path of travel of a person through a monitored environment;

receive person detection event information associated with a plurality of zones in the monitored environment, wherein the person detection event information is indicative of detections of the person in each of the zones; and

a path segment analyzer to determine an adjusted path of travel of the person through the monitored environment based on the location information indicative of the measured path of travel and the person detection event information.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein an actual path of travel of the person through the monitored environment is relatively more similar to the adjusted path of travel than to the measured path of travel.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the path segment analyzer is to determine the adjusted path of travel by detecting an erroneous deviation between two of the zones in the measured path of travel, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a location data modifier to adjust the location information to eliminate the erroneous deviation.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the path segment analyzer is to determine the adjusted path of travel by identifying a path segment of the measured path of travel between a first person detection event indicating that the person entered a first one of the zones and a second person detection event indicating that the person exited the first one of the zones, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a location data modifier to change a location datum in the path segment indicating a deviation into a second one of the zones.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the path segment analyzer is further to:

determine that the first person detection event indicates that the person entered the first one of the zones based on first direction information stored in association with the first person detection event; and

determine that the second person detection event indicates that the person exited the first one of the zones based on second direction information stored in association with the second person detection event.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the person detection event information is indicative of at least one person detection event generated in response to the person moving within proximity of a detector mounted at a predetermined entrance or a predetermined exit of one of the zones.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the monitored environment is a retail establishment.

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27. An apparatus, comprising:

a comparator to compare a first timestamp associated with a first location datum of a measured path of travel of a person through a monitored environment to a second timestamp associated with a person detection event indicative that the person moved proximate to a detector at a time indicated by the second timestamp;

a data interface to identify a zone of the monitored environment in which the detector is located in response to determining that the first timestamp substantially matches the second timestamp; and

a location data modifier to change a second location datum of the measured path of travel to represent a location in the identified zone.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein the location data modifier is to change the second location datum by generating an adjusted path of travel of the person through the monitored environment, and wherein an actual path of travel of the person through the monitored environment is relatively more similar to the adjusted path of travel than to the measured path of travel.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein the detector is located at a predetermined entrance or a predetermined exit of the identified zone.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, further comprising a path segment analyzer to determine that the person detection event indicates that the person entered the identified zone based on direction information generated in association with the person detection event.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein the monitored environment is a retail establishment.

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37. A system, comprising:

a tag to emit signals at a first signal emission rate and a second signal emission rate as the tag is moved through a monitored environment, wherein the second signal emission rate is relatively faster than the first signal emission rate, and wherein the tag is configured to emit some of the signals at the second signal emission rate when the tag is located proximate to an entrance or an exit of one of a plurality of zones of the monitored environment;

a data collector to generate location information based on the signals to form a measured path of travel of the tag through the monitored environment, the data collector further to collect person detection event information indicative of the tag moving proximate to entrances and exits of the plurality of zones; and

a location data modifier to generate an adjusted path of travel based on the location information of the measured path of travel and the person detection event information.

38. A system as defined in claim 37, further comprising a path segment analyzer to detect when the location information of the measured path of travel is indicative of a deviation between the plurality of zones, wherein the location data modifier is to generate the adjusted path of travel in response to the path segment analyzer detecting the deviation.

39. A system as defined in claim 37, further comprising:

a plurality of receivers located in the monitored environment to detect the signals emitted by the tags and communicate signal information to the data collector; and

a plurality of people detectors located at the entrances and the exits of the plurality of zones to detect when the tag moves proximate to the entrances and the exits of the plurality of zones.

40. A system as defined in claim 39, wherein each of the people detectors includes a light transmitter and a light receiver, and wherein each of the people detectors detects when the tag moves proximate to a respective one of the entrances or a respective one of the exits when a light beam emitted between the light transmitter and the light receiver is interrupted by a person.

41. A system as defined in claim 37, wherein the monitored environment is a retail establishment.

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