Systems, methods, and apparatus to identify media presentation devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9331975-B2
Application number	US-201113329044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2011
Priority date	Dec 16, 2011
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus to identify media presentation devices are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a domain name service query from a first device at a server, the first device and a second device being associated with a same public Internet protocol address. The first device is identified as originating the domain name service query based on an identity of the server. The first device is credited with accessing content associated with a domain name identified in the domain name service query.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring network activity, the method comprising:
receiving a first domain name service query from a first device at a first pseudo DNS server, the first device and a second device being associated with a same public Internet protocol address, the first pseudo DNS server does not provide domain name to IP address translation;
identifying the first device as originating the domain name service query based on an identity of the first pseudo DNS server and the public Internet protocol address of the first device;
transmitting a domain name service redirect message to the first device in response to the first domain name service query, the redirect message to cause the first device to send a third domain name service query to a DNS server; and
crediting the first device with accessing content associated with a first domain name identified in the first domain name service query based on the first domain name service query being received at the first pseudo DNS server from the public Internet protocol address.

2. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second device is not credited with exposure to the content.

3. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the crediting of the first device includes storing the identity of a panelist and an identity of the first device in association with the content.

4. The method as described in claim 1 , further including transmitting a response to the first device in response to receiving the first domain name service query.

5. The method as described in claim 4 , wherein the response is a domain name service redirect message.

6. The method as described in claim 1 , further including instructing the first device to send domain name service queries to the first pseudo DNS server.

7. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the first and second devices are associated with a same panelist, and further including:
associating the second device of the panelist with a second pseudo DNS server different than the first pseudo DNS server; and
identifying the second device when a second domain name service query is received at the second pseudo DNS server from the public Internet protocol address.

8. The method as described in claim 7 , further including receiving registration data from the panelist indicating the association of the panelist with the first and second devices.

9. The method as described in claim 1 , further including identifying a media exposure measurement location of the first device by performing a domain name service lookup of the public Internet protocol address.

10. The method as described in claim 9 , wherein the domain name service lookup is performed via a dynamic domain name service system.

11. The method as described in claim 9 , wherein identifying the media exposure measurement location includes performing a reverse domain name service lookup of the public Internet protocol address the media exposure measurement location.

12. An apparatus to measure network activity, the apparatus comprising:
a first query processor to receive a first domain name service query sent to a first public Internet protocol address of the first query processor, the first domain name service query sent from a first media presentation device having a second public Internet protocol address;
wherein the first query processors is to transmit a domain name service redirect message to the first device in response to the first domain name service query, the redirect message to cause the first device to send a third domain name service query to a DNS server;
a second query processor to receive a second domain name service query sent to a third public Internet protocol address of the second query processor, the third public Internet protocol address different from the first public Internet protocol address, the second domain name service query sent from a second media presentation device having the second public Internet protocol address, the first and second query processors not providing domain name to IP address translations;
an associator to associate the first and second domain name service queries with respective ones of the first and second media presentation devices based on which of the first and second query processors received the domain name service query; and
a crediter to credit the respective one of the first and second media presentation devices with access to content associated with a domain name requested in the respective first and second domain name service queries.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 12 , wherein the creditor is to credit the respective one of the first and second devices by storing an identifier of the content in association with an identity of the respective one of the first and second devices.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 12 , further including a registrar to receive registration information from a panelist, the registration information indicating an association of the panelist with the first and second media presentation devices.

15. The apparatus as described in claim 14 , further including a data store to store an association of the panelist with the originating Internet protocol address, an association of the panelist with the first and second media presentation devices, and an association of respective ones of the first and second media presentation devices with respective ones of the first and second query processors.

16. The apparatus as described in claim 12 , wherein the query processor is further to transmit a response to the domain name service query.

17. The apparatus as described in claim 12 , further including a crediting data store to receive exposure data generated by the crediter.

18. The apparatus as described in claim 12 , wherein the crediter is to credit a media exposure measurement location with exposure to the domain name requested in the domain name service query via the respective one of the first and second media presentation devices.

19. The apparatus as described in claim 14 , wherein the registrar is to update an association of the media exposure measurement location with the originating Internet protocol address.

20. The apparatus as described in claim 19 , wherein the registrar is to update the association by querying a dynamic domain name service server for the originating Internet protocol address associated with a domain name of the media exposure measurement location.

21. The apparatus as described in claim 19 , wherein the registrar is to update the association in response to a notification of an updated originating Internet address.

22. A tangible machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a pseudo DNS server to at least:
receive a first domain name service query from a first device, the first device and a second device being associated with a same public Internet protocol address, the pseudo DNS server not providing domain name to IP address translation;
transmit a domain name service redirect message to the first device in response to the first domain name service query, the redirect message to cause the first device to send a third domain name service query to a DNS server;
identify the first device as originating the domain name service query based on an identity of the pseudo DNS server and the public Internet protocol address of the first device; and
credit the first device with accessing content associated with a domain name identified in the first domain name service query b

Assignees

• Besehanic Jan
• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Besehanic Jan

Classifications

• H04L67/22

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/2076

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/1511 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/2015

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/2514 Primary

  between local and global IP addresses · CPC title