Logging individuals for TV measurement compliance

• US 9,215,022 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowe, Simon Michael, Arini, Nick Salvatore, Charlebois, Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parra, Omar S
• Application Number:
  US13/552,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20140026158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42218 for mapping a matrix of displayed objects on the screen to the numerical key-matrix of the remote control
• 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 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38

Abstract

A TV audience survey system for determining the TV viewing activities of a plurality of individuals in a household includes a master device and multiple tags, each tag assigned to an individual. After an individual logs into the system and starts watching the TV, the master device communicates with the corresponding tag repeatedly to accumulate data representing the individual'"'"'s TV viewing activities. Such data can be used to determine when the individual stops watching the TV for an extended period of time without logging out of the system and when the household member remains watching the TV after logging or being logged out of the system. The master device then reports the accumulated data to a remote server, which uses the data to determine whether the individual complies with the logging protocol defined by the TV audience survey system and update the TV viewership data associated with this household.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining the TV viewing activities of an individual using a master device adjacent a TV and a tag carried by the individual, the method comprising:

at the master device having memory and one or more processors;

detecting a plurality of audio signals from the TV;

in response to detecting the plurality of audio signals, generating a plurality of TV broadcast records, each TV broadcast record including an audio fingerprint derived from the plurality of audio signals;

detecting a plurality of heartbeat signals from the tag;

in response to detecting the plurality of heartbeat signals, generating a TV audience record for the individual, the TV audience record including a plurality of audience status update entries, wherein the plurality of audience status update entries keep track of the individual'"'"'s locations relative to the master device;

sending the plurality of TV broadcast records and the TV audience record to a remote server, wherein the remote server is configured to correlate the plurality of TV broadcast records with the TV audience record to determine one or more TV programs watched by the individual;

generating an alert message indicating that the individual has not watched the TV if a time gap between two consecutive heartbeat signals is more than a predefined threshold;

inserting a new audience status update entry into the TV audience record indicating that the individual has been outside a predefined TV watching zone; and

notifying the individual of the alert message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting multiple consecutive audio signals from the TV;

converting each of the multiple consecutive audio signals into a respective audio fingerprint;

aggregating the respective audio fingerprints into one aggregated audio fingerprint; and

associating the aggregated audio fingerprint with the multiple consecutive audio signals, wherein the aggregated audio fingerprint is to be sent to the remote server to determine a TV program corresponding to the multiple consecutive audio signals.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the master device is configured to communicate with multiple tags, each tag being assigned to a unique individual and having a unique tag identifier included in the heartbeat signals transmitted from the tag, and insert the tag identifiers into TV audience records associated with respective individuals.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the TV audience record is generated by the master device in response to a login request from the individual.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the individual generates the login request by pressing a button on the tag.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the individual generates the login request by pressing a button on the master device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the TV audience record includes a last heartbeat timestamp that is updated whenever the master device receives a new heartbeat signal from the tag.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each audience status update entry includes an update timestamp indicating when the individual starts watching the TV or stops watching the TV by moving into or out of a predefined TV watching zone.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the predefined TV watching zone is a region within a predefined distance from the master device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the master device is configured to detect audio signals from the TV at a predefined constant time interval.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tag is configured to transmit a heartbeat signal in response to a query signal from the master device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tag is one selected from the group consisting of a Bluetooth-enabled tag, a RFID tag, a tag that generates ultra-sound signals, and a tag that generates Wi-Fi signals.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the master device is a mobile phone that is configured to send the plurality of TV audience records and the plurality of TV broadcast records to the remote server via a wireless communication network.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the master device is configured to notify the individual by causing the tag to produce a beep or vibrate.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the master device is configured to notify the individual by generating a blinking signal through its display.

16. A computer-implemented method for determining the TV viewing activities of an individual using a master device adjacent a TV and a tag carried by the individual, the method comprising:

at the master device having memory and one or more processors;

detecting a plurality of audio signals from the TV;

in response to detecting the plurality of audio signals, generating a plurality of TV broadcast records, each TV broadcast record including an audio fingerprint derived from the plurality of audio signals;

detecting a plurality of heartbeat signals from the tag;

in response to detecting the plurality of heartbeat signals, generating a TV audience record for the individual, the TV audience record including a plurality of audience status update entries, wherein the plurality of audience status update entries keep track of the individual'"'"'s locations relative to the master device;

sending the plurality of TV broadcast records and the TV audience record to a remote server, wherein the remote server is configured to correlate the plurality of TV broadcast records with the TV audience record to determine one or more TV programs watched by the individual;

generating an alert message indicating that the individual has been watching the TV without logging into the master device if a time gap between a first and a last of the plurality of heartbeat signals is more than a predefined threshold;

inserting a new audience status update entry into the TV audience record indicating that the individual has been within a predefined TV watching zone; and

notifying the individual of the alert message.

17. A TV audience survey system, comprising:

a tag, wherein the tag is carried by an individual; and

a master device including memory and one or more processors, wherein the master device is located adjacent a TV, wherein the memory of the master device stores one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors of the master device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

detecting a plurality of audio signals from the TV;

in response to detecting the plurality of audio signals, generating a plurality of TV broadcast records, each TV broadcast record including an audio fingerprint derived from the plurality of audio signals;

detecting a plurality of heartbeat signals from the tag;

in response to detecting the plurality of heartbeat signals, generating a TV audience record for the individual, the TV audience record including a plurality of audience

status update entries, wherein the plurality of audience status update entries keep track of the individual'"'"'s locations relative to the master device;

sending the plurality of TV broadcast records and the TV audience record to a remote server, wherein the remote server is configured to correlate the plurality of TV broadcast records with the TV audience record to determine one or more TV programs watched by the individual;

generating an alert message indicating that the individual has not watched the TV if a time gap between two consecutive heartbeat signals is more than a predefined threshold;

inserting a new audience status update entry into the TV audience record indicating that the individual has been outside a predefined TV watching zone; and

notifying the individual of the alert message.