Methods and apparatus of media device detection for minimally invasive media meters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10735808-B2
Application number	US-201715674297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for media crediting and, more particularly, methods and apparatus of media device detection for minimally invasive media meters. An example apparatus disclosed herein to detect media devices presenting media comprises a cluster generator to generate a cluster of media locations from a reference population of media locations based on media identifying information received from a presentation of media at an unidentified media device at a first media location, a media device determiner to determine media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations, a cluster based media device identifier to identify the unidentified media device based on the media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations, and a media device report generator to generate a report on the identity of the unidentified media device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus to detect media devices presenting media, the apparatus comprising:
a cluster generator to generate a cluster of media locations from a reference population of media locations based on media identifying information received from a presentation of media at an unidentified media device at a first media location;
a media device determiner to determine media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations;
a cluster based media device identifier to identify the unidentified media device based on (1) the media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and (2) an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations; and
a media device report generator to generate a report on the identity of the unidentified media device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a media meter at the first media location is a minimally invasive media meter that does not include a direct connection to the unidentified media device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the reference population of media locations includes at least one media location with a minimally invasive media meter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the identity of the unidentified media device cannot be directly determined from the media identifying information received from the presentation of media.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cluster generator is further to:
compare the media identifying information received at a media location of the reference population of media locations and the first media location; and
add the media location of the reference population to the cluster of media locations when media identifying information received at the media location matches the first media location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the identity of the unidentified media device is credited via a media credit generated for the media presentation.

7. A method to detect media devices presenting media, the method comprising:
generating, via instructions executed with a processor, a cluster of media locations from a reference population of media locations based on media identifying information received from a presentation of media at an unidentified media device at a first media location;
determining, via instructions executed with the processor, media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations;
determining, via instructions executed with the processor, an identity of the unidentified media device based on (1) the media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and (2) an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations; and
generating, via instructions executed with the processor, a report on the identity of the unidentified media device.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein a media meter at the first media location is a minimally invasive media meter that does not include a direct connection to the unidentified media device.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein the reference population of media locations includes at least one media location with a minimally invasive media meter.

10. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the identifier of the unidentified media device cannot be directly determined from the media identifying information received from the presentation of media.

11. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein generating the cluster of media locations further includes:
comparing the media identifying information received at a media location of the reference population of media locations and the first media location; and
adding the media location of the reference population to the cluster of media locations when media identifying information received at the media location matches the first media location.

12. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the identity of the unidentified media device is credited via a media credit generated for the media presentation.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
generate a cluster of media locations from a reference population of media locations based on media identifying information received from a presentation of media at an unidentified media device at a first media location;
determine media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations;
identify the unidentified media device based on (1) the media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and (2) an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations; and
generate a report on the identity of the unidentified media device.

14. The storage medium of claim 13 , wherein a media meter at the first media location is a minimally invasive media meter that does not include a direct connection to the unidentified media device.

15. The storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the reference population of media locations includes at least one media location with a minimally invasive media meter.

16. The storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the identifier of the unidentified media device cannot be directly determined from the media identifying information received from the presentation of media.

17. The storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to generate the cluster of media locations, when executed, further cause the machine to:
compare the media identifying information received at a media location of the reference population of media locations and the first media location; and
add the media location of the reference population to the cluster of media locations when media identifying information received at the media location matches the first media location.

18. The storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the identity of the unidentified media device is credited via a media credit generated for the media presentation.

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Topchy Alexander
• Srinivasan Venugopal

Classifications

• H04N21/44224

  Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing · CPC title

• H04N21/44222

  Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes 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 title

• H04H60/31 Primary

  Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services · CPC title

• H04H60/00

  Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems · CPC title

• H04N21/25866

  Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077) · CPC title