System and method for determining meter presence utilizing ambient fingerprints

• US 9,332,363 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Anand, Stavropoulos, John, Neuhauser, Alan, Lynch, Wendell, Kuznetsov, Vladimir, Crystal, Jack, Gish, David
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Odunukwe, Ubachukwu
• Application Number:
  US13/728,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20130202128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 381/58, 381/76, 381/60, 381/59, 345/169, 725/12, 725/18, 725/19, 725/9, 725/22, 725/14, 725/23, 725/10, 340/905, 455/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing portable device presence utilizing environmental ambient audio fingerprints. Portable devices provide media exposure data and environmental ambient fingerprints to a processing device, where the environmental ambient signatures provide at least one characteristic of the ambient audio surrounding each portable device. The environmental ambient signatures are then processed to determine if they match. Portable devices associated with matching signatures are identified. Ambient fingerprints may also be used to establish a logical location where media exposure took place. The ambient signatures are alternately combined with monitored data to provide more robust data sets for contextual processing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining portable device presence, comprising:

receiving media exposure data from a plurality of portable devices at a first input;

receiving environmental ambient fingerprints from the portable devices at a second input, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints respectively represent a characteristic of an environment around each of the plurality of portable devices;

processing the environmental ambient fingerprints in a processor to determine if at least two of the environmental ambient fingerprints match; and

identifying, via the processor, two or more of the portable devices having matching environmental ambient fingerprints as being in proximity to each other;

wherein the characteristic includes a level of ambient noise over each of a series of time periods; and

wherein the environmental ambient fingerprint includes a value for respective ones of the levels of noise and is formed using the values of the series of time periods, and the value for a current one of the levels of noise is dependent upon a determination that a level of noise in each of the series of time periods exceeds a threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a value of the threshold is either (1) predetermined for the series of time periods, or (2) structured so that the value of the threshold of a subsequent time period in the series of time periods is dependent upon a value of the threshold being exceeded in a preceding time period.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints include one of (1) a histogram of sound recording from the time domain, and (2) a spectral representation of the sound recording.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the processing of the environmental ambient fingerprints includes comparing a function of the environmental ambient fingerprints to a previously-stored environmental ambient fingerprint.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the processing of the environmental ambient fingerprints includes comparing a first one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from one of the plurality of portable devices to a second one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from another of the plurality of portable devices.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the media exposure data includes at least one of (1) codes detected from audio, (2) audio signatures, and (3) Internet data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints from the portable devices is are correlated to the media exposure data.

8. A system for determining portable device presence, comprising:

an input to receive media exposure data from a plurality of portable devices, and to receive environmental ambient fingerprints from the portable devices, the environmental ambient fingerprints representing a characteristic of an environment around respective ones of the portable devices; and

a processor, operatively coupled to the input, the processor to process the received environmental ambient fingerprints to determine if at least two of the environmental ambient fingerprints match, the processor to identify corresponding ones of the portable devices having matched environmental ambient fingerprints as located in proximity to one another;

wherein the characteristic includes a level of ambient noise over each of a series of time periods; and

wherein the environmental ambient fingerprint includes a value for respective ones of the levels of noise and is formed using the values of the series of time periods, and the value for a current one of the levels of noise is dependent upon a determination that a level of noise in each of the series of time periods exceeds a threshold.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a value of the threshold is either (1) predetermined for each of time periods, (2) structured so that the value of the threshold for a subsequent time period in the series of time periods is dependent upon the value of the threshold being exceeded in a preceding time period.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints include one of (1) a histogram of sound recording from the time domain, and (2) a spectral representation of the sound recording.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is to compare the environmental ambient fingerprints to at least one previously- stored environmental ambient fingerprint in a storage, operatively coupled to the processor.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is to compare a first one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from a first one of the plurality of portable devices to a second one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from another one of the plurality of portable devices.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the media exposure data includes at least one of (1) codes detected from audio, (2) audio signatures, and (3) Internet data.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints from the portable devices is are correlated to the media exposure data using said processor.

15. A computer readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to at least:

receive media exposure data from a plurality of portable devices at a first input;

receive environmental ambient fingerprints from the portable devices at a second input, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints respectively represent a characteristic of an environment around each of the plurality of portable devices;

process the environmental ambient fingerprints to determine if at least two of the environmental ambient fingerprints match;

identify two or more of the portable devices having matching environmental ambient fingerprints as being in proximity to each other;

wherein the characteristic includes a level of ambient noise over each of a series of time periods; and

wherein the environmental ambient fingerprint includes a value for respective ones of the levels of noise and is formed using the values of the series of time periods, and the value for a current one of the levels of noise is dependent upon a determination that a level of noise in each of the series of time periods exceeds a threshold.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein a value of the threshold is either (1) predetermined for the series of time periods, or (2) structured so that the value of the threshold of a subsequent time period in the series of time periods is dependent upon a value of the threshold being exceeded in a preceding time period.

17. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the environmental ambient fingerprints include one of (1) a histogram of sound recording from the time domain, and (2) a spectral representation of the sound recording.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the processing of the environmental ambient fingerprints includes comparing a function of the environmental ambient fingerprints to a previously-stored environmental ambient fingerprint.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the processing of the environmental ambient fingerprints includes comparing a first one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from one of the plurality of portable devices to a second one of the environmental ambient fingerprints from another of the plurality of portable devices.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the media exposure data includes at least one of (1) codes detected from audio, (2) audio signatures, and (3) Internet data.