Method, medium, and system to monitor shoppers in a retail or commercial establishment

• US 8,239,277 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US12/415,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 701/205, 701/224, 235/376, 340/539.13, 340/568.5, 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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

1. A method of determining a path of travel within a retail or commercial establishment, comprising:

generating a measured path of travel of a device in a retail or commercial establishment by determining locations of the device based on signals received at a plurality of different time instances from the device at a plurality of location detectors in the retail or commercial establishment using a first signal type, wherein each location is associated with a zone within the retail or commercial establishment;

determining, using a processor, that a first location on the measured path of travel and corresponding to a first time instance may be incorrect by determining that a second location corresponding to a second time instance and a third location corresponding to a third time instance, which are both different from the first time instance, occur in a second zone within the retail or commercial establishment that is different from a first zone corresponding to the first location;

based on a fourth time instance associated with a person detection event, selecting a person detector that generated the person detection event and is located at an entrance or exit of the second zone;

analyzing the location of the person detector to determine that the first location is incorrect, wherein the person detector generates the person detection event using a second signal type different from the first signal type; and

based on the analysis, correcting the first location by changing the first location to a fourth location that is located within the second zone.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first signal type is one of a radio frequency signal or an acoustic signal, and the second signal type is an infrared signal.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a product, an advertisement, or an informational display to which a person associated with the device was exposed based on an adjusted path of travel including the corrected first location, the second location, and the third location.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising analyzing direction information associated with the person detection event to determine that the first location is incorrect, the direction information indicating that the device entered the second zone.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first zone is a first aisle, and the second zone is a second aisle adjacent to the first aisle.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the device is mounted to a shopping cart or shopping basket, or carried or worn by a shopper.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising correcting the first location in real time while the device is moving along the measured path of travel.

8. An apparatus to determine a path of travel within a retail or commercial establishment, comprising:

a data interface configured to retrieve a measured path of travel of a device in a retail or commercial establishment generated by determining locations of the device based on signals received at a plurality of different time instances from the device at a plurality of location detectors in the retail or commercial establishment using a first signal type, wherein each location is associated with a zone within the retail or commercial establishment;

a processor having a path segment analyzer configured to;

determine that a first location on the measured path of travel and corresponding to a first time instance may be incorrect by determining that a second location corresponding to a second time instance and a third location corresponding to a third time instance, which are both different from the first time instance, occur in a second zone within the retail or commercial establishment that is different from a first zone corresponding to the first location;

based on a fourth time instance associated with a person detection event, select a person detector that generated the person detection event and is located at an entrance or exit of the second zone;

analyze the location of the person detector to determine that the first location is incorrect, wherein the person detector generates the person detection event using a second signal type different from the first signal type; and

a location data modifier configured to, based on the analysis, correct the first location by changing the first location to a fourth location that is located within the second zone.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first signal type is one of a radio frequency signal or an acoustic signal, and the second signal type is an infrared signal.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the processor is further to determine at least one of a product, an advertisement, or an informational display to which a person associated with the device was exposed based on an adjusted path of travel including the corrected first location, the second location, and the third location.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the path segment analyzer is further configured to determine that the first location is incorrect based on direction information associated with the person detection event indicating that the device entered the second zone.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first zone is a first aisle, and the second zone is a second aisle adjacent to the first aisle.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the device is mounted to a shopping cart or shopping basket, or carried or worn by a shopper.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the location data modifier is further configured to correct the first location in real time while the device is moving along the measured path of travel.

15. A tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computer processor, cause a machine to at least:

generate a measured path of travel of a device in a retail or commercial establishment by determining locations of the device based on signals received at a plurality of different time instances from the device at a plurality of location detectors in the retail or commercial establishment using a first signal type, wherein each location is associated with a zone within the retail or commercial establishment;

determine, using a processor, that a first location on the measured path of travel and corresponding to a first time instance may be incorrect by determining that a second location corresponding to a second time instance and a third location corresponding to a third time instance, which are both different from the first time instance, occur in a second zone within the retail or commercial establishment that is different from a first zone corresponding to the first location;

based on a fourth time instance associated with a person detection event, select a person detector that generated the person detection event and is located at an entrance or exit of the second zone;

analyze the location of the person detector to determine that the first location is incorrect, wherein the person detector generates the person detection event using a second signal type different from the first signal type; and

based on the analysis, correct the first location by changing the first location to a fourth location that is located within the second zone.

16. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the first signal type is one of a radio frequency signal or an acoustic signal, and the second signal type is an infrared signal.

17. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to at least determine at least one of a product, an advertisement, or an informational display to which a person associated with the device was exposed based on an adjusted path of travel including the corrected first location, the second location, and the third location.

18. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to at least analyze direction information associated with the person detection event to determine that the first location is incorrect, the direction information indicating that the device entered the second zone.

19. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the first zone is a first aisle, and the second zone is a second aisle adjacent to the first aisle.

20. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to at least correct the first location in real time while the device is moving along the measured path of travel.