The Nielsen Comapny (us), LLC

Arbitron Inc.

Arbioran

Eugene L Flanagan

Jack C Crystal

Alan R Neuhauser

James M Jensen

Jack K Zhang

Daniel W Pugh

Joan G FitzGerald

Douglas J Visnius

Carol J Frost

Wendell D Lynch

William K Krug

David Patrick Forr

Joan G Fitzgerald

Ronald S Kolessar

Vijoy K Gopalakrishnan

Courtney Lewis Wood

Joan Fitzgerald

Systems and methods for gathering research data using multiple monitoring devices are provided. An example apparatus comprises interface circuitry to obtain, from a first computing device, a first indication of media output by the first computing device, the first indication including first metadata associated with the media; instructions; and processor circuitry to execute the instructions to: apply criteria to at least a portion of the first metadata; and cause storage of the first metadata associated with the media in a database.

Gathering research data

Systems and methods for gathering research data using multiple monitoring devices are provided. An example method includes accessing, at a first monitoring device and a second monitoring device, first timing data produced by an external source, the first monitoring device located remotely from the second monitoring device. The example method additionally includes adjusting second timing data generated by the first monitoring device based on the first timing data and adjusting third timing data generated by the second monitoring device based on the first timing data. The example method also includes accessing, at a processing facility, the first timing data and adjusting fourth timing data generated by the processing facility based on the first timing data.

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for monitoring use by a user of a portable research device in accordance with at least one predetermined use criterion are disclosed. The disclosed examples include passively gathering data for assessing an identity of a user of the portable research device, processing the passively gathered data to produce assessment data indicating a possibility that the user is not a predetermined correct user of the portable research device, based on the assessment data, displaying a message to the user requesting a response from which the user's identity may be determined, and processing a response to the message to produce data indicating whether the user is the predetermined correct user.

Methods and systems for compliance confirmation and incentives

Systems and methods for gathering research data using multiple monitoring devices are provided. The systems and methods include a processor to generate message data by supplementing first information collected by a first monitoring device with second information collected by a second monitoring device, the first information and the second information collected from media presented by a monitored device, and process the message data to determine a portion of the media that is encoded and a portion of the media that is unencoded. The example systems and methods also include a memory to store an indication that the message data is valid when the message data represents a code encoded in the media, and store data indicating the portion of the media that is encoded.

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for monitoring use of a research device is disclosed. The disclosed example includes producing monitored data by monitoring at least one of the user's heart activity, the user's breathing activity, the user's borborygmus (gastrointestinal noise), the user's vascular pattern, the user's facial and/or ear patterns, the user's fingerprint and/or handprint, and the user's retinal and/or iris pattern, and determining the user's compliance with a predetermined criterion for use of the portable research device based on the monitored data.

Systems and methods for gathering research data using multiple monitoring devices are provided. The systems and methods include obtaining, with a processor, first data recorded with a first monitoring device, the first data including first research data and omitting first omitted data, the first data recorded at a first time. Obtaining, with the processor, second data recorded with a second monitoring device, the second data including second research data that includes the first omitted data, the second data recorded at the first time. Obtaining, with the processor, proximity data from at least one of the first or second monitoring devices. When the proximity data indicates that the first and the second monitoring devices are proximate to each other at the first time, augmenting, with the processor, the first research data with the first omitted data from the second research data.

Methods and systems are disclosed for monitoring use by a user of a portable research device based on one or more kinds of monitored data. Methods and systems are disclosed for monitoring use by a user of a portable research device in accordance with at least one predetermined use criterion using actively and/or passively gathered data.

Methods and apparatus for research data gathering with a portable monitor and a stationary device are described. An example method includes gathering, via a stationary monitoring system, first data concerning exposure to media output by a media receiver, wherein gathering the first data comprises collecting a first code encoded in the media, gathering second data concerning exposure to the media output by the media receiver with a portable monitor carried on the person of a user, wherein the second data comprises a second code encoded in the media, gathering, via the portable monitor, location data encoded in the media by the stationary monitoring system, the location data providing information on a physical location of the portable monitor, and producing the audience measurement data concerning exposure to the media output by the receiver from the first data, the second data, and the location data.

Research data gathering with a portable monitor and a stationary device

Systems and methods for gathering research data using multiple monitoring devices are provided. At least a pair of the monitoring devices each read ancillary codes contained within media data and which represents research data. The decoded data read by at least one of the pair is associated with a further set of data offering a correspondence between each of the sets of decoded data. Such correspondence allows a determination that the data decoded by each of the pair of monitoring devices is the same.

Methods and systems for measuring and gathering data relating to publication usage by participants in publication readership studies. Some methods and systems employ portable monitors carried by participants of the studies along with publications fitted with various devices, such as piezoelectric transducers, RFID tags and others devices and circuits.

Gathering data concerning publication usage

Methods and systems for initiating participation of a user of a portable device (PUA) in a research operation using a respective one of a plurality of PUA's providing communication services pursuant to a single agreement with a communication service provider. Data identifying the PUA user is associated with data identifying a group of persons receiving communication services pursuant to the single agreement, and demographic data of the PUA user is associated with the data identifying the PUA user.

Network-based methods and systems for initiating a research panel of persons operating under a group agreement

Methods of gathering data concerning a location of an audience member proximate to a content presentation are provided. A stationary device is proximate to the content presentation. A portable monitor is carried by or with the person of an audience member. Location data is obtained by communicating data from the portable monitor to the stationary device, or from the stationary device to the portable monitor, or by comparing data gathered by both the stationary device and the portable monitor.

Systems, methods and devices for gathering data concerning exposure of predetermined survey participants to media displays are provided. A portable monitor is arranged to receive certain types of terrestrial-based signals, and in some specific cases, satellite-based signals, and to use such signals to generate location data indicative of a location of the portable monitor. The location data and stored media display data is analyzed to evaluate the survey participant's exposure to one or more media displays.

Growing community of inventors

Wilton, CT, United States of America

Eugene L Flanagan