Metering apparatus and related methods

• US 9,984,380 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Cooper, Timothy Scott, Vitt, James Joseph, Turnbow, Douglas Brent, Nielsen, Christen V., Usaj, Marko, Barbis, Andrej, Vranek, Saso
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURPHY, JEROLD B
• Application Number:
  US15/192,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Example metering apparatus and related methods are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a housing having a display area, The apparatus includes at least one of a first stencil or a second stencil to be removably positionable in the display area of the housing. The first stencil has indicia oriented in a landscape orientation and the second stencil has indicia oriented in a portrait orientation. The at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil is to be positioned in the display area of the housing such that the indicia of the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil is in an upright orientation relative to the housing. The apparatus includes a cover removably coupled to the housing to enable access to the display area.

Claims

1. A meter apparatus comprising:

a housing having a display area, the display area having a first recessed cavity and a second recessed cavity adjacent the first recessed cavity, the first recessed cavity being offset relative to the second recessed cavity such that the second recessed cavity defines a front surface of the display area and a peripheral lip of a front side of the housing;

at least one of a first stencil or a second stencil to be removably positionable in the display area of the housing, a front surface of the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil to be flush mounted relative to the front surface of the display area defined by the second recessed cavity, the first stencil having indicia oriented in a landscape orientation and the second stencil having indicia oriented in a portrait orientation, the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil to be positioned in the display area of the housing such that the indicia of the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil is in an upright orientation relative to the housing, the first recessed cavity to receive the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil; and

a cover removably coupled to the housing to enable access to the display area, the second recessed cavity of the housing to receive the cover.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing has a dimensional length of approximately between 6 inches and 12 inches.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing has a dimensional thickness of approximately between 0.50 inches and 1.0 inches.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the housing has a dimensional height of approximately between 1.0 inch and 1.25 inches.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil is repositionable relative to the housing to orient the indicia in the upright orientation.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a circuit board housed by the housing; and

a first antenna and a second antenna, the first antenna being positioned on a first surface of the circuit board and the second antenna being positioned on a second surface of the circuit board opposite the first surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first antenna is positioned adjacent a first edge of the circuit board and the second antenna is positioned on a second edge of the circuit board opposite the first edge.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is to be positioned in at least one of a first orientation or a second orientation different than the first orientation when the first stencil is coupled to the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the housing is to be positioned in at least one of a third orientation or a fourth orientation different than the third orientation when the second stencil is coupled to the housing, the third orientation and the fourth orientation being different from the first orientation and the second orientation.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first stencil is interchangeable with the second stencil.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil includes indicia representative of a panelist.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first recessed cavity includes a first perimeter that is substantially similar to a perimeter of the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil such that the first recessed cavity matably receives the first stencil or the second stencil, wherein the cover is received by the second recessed cavity such that an outer surface of the cover is substantially flush mounted relative to a peripheral lip of the housing, and wherein a perimeter of the cover is substantially similar to a perimeter of the peripheral lip.

13. A meter apparatus comprising:

a housing having a display area;

at least one of a first stencil or a second stencil to be removably positionable in the display area of the housing, the first stencil having indicia oriented in a landscape orientation and the second stencil having indicia oriented in a portrait orientation, the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil to be positioned in the display area of the housing such that the indicia of the at least one of the first stencil or the second stencil is in an upright orientation relative to the housing;

a cover removably coupled to the housing to enable access to the display area

a circuit board housed by the housing;

a first antenna and a second antenna, the first antenna being positioned on a first surface of the circuit board and the second antenna being positioned on a second surface of the circuit board opposite the first surface, the first antenna being positioned adjacent a first edge of the circuit board and the second antenna being positioned on a second edge of the circuit board opposite the first edge; and

a plurality of lights coupled to the circuit board, a first light of the plurality of lights being positioned adjacent the first edge of the circuit board and a second light of the plurality of lights being positioned adjacent the second edge of the circuit board, the first antenna being spaced from the second antenna by at least a distance measured from the first light to the second light.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the meter apparatus includes a first audio sensor positioned on the first surface of the circuit board and a second audio sensor positioned on the second surface of the circuit board.

15. A method to assemble a meter, the method comprising:

coupling a plurality of diffusors in respective openings of a first panel;

attaching a circuit board to the first panel;

attaching a second panel to the first panel to house the circuit board in a cavity formed by the first panel and the second panel;

determining a viewing orientation of a housing defined by the first panel and the second panel;

selecting a stencil for a display area of the housing;

orientating the stencil to position indicia of the stencil in an upright orientation relative to the housing;

positioning the stencil in the display area of the housing; and

attaching a cover to the housing.

16. The method of claim 15, where the selecting of the stencil for the display area of the housing includes selecting the stencil based on the determined viewing orientation.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining of the viewing orientation of the housing includes orientating the housing in at least one of a first mounting orientation, a second mounting orientation, a third mounting orientation, or a fourth mounting orientation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selecting of the stencil includes:

selecting a first stencil when the determined viewing orientation of the housing is the first mounting orientation or the second mounting orientation; and

selecting a second stencil different than the first stencil when the determined mounting orientation of the housing is the third mounting orientation or the fourth mounting orientation.

19. The method of claim 18, further including interchanging the first stencil with a second stencil after the first stencil is coupled to the housing.

20. The method of claim 15, further including positioning a first antenna to a first surface of the circuit board and positioning a second antenna to a second surface of the circuit board opposite the first surface.