The Nielsen Comapny (us), LLC

Arbitron Inc.

Jack C Crystal

Alan R Neuhauser

Wendell D Lynch

John Steven Stavropoulos

Vladimir Kuznetsov

Anand Jain

Jack K Zhang

James M Jensen

Eugene L Flanagan

David Gish

Daniel W Pugh

Douglas J Visnius

William K Krug

William John McKenna

Jason Bolles

David Patrick Forr

Joan Fitzgerald

Mark Richardson

Vijoy K Gopalakrishnan

Joan G Fitzgerald

Eugene L Flanagan Iii

Apparatuses are disclosed for identifying portable devices carried by the same person. An example apparatus includes at least one memory, instructions on the apparatus, and a processor to execute the instructions to access media exposure data from at least one of a plurality of portable computing devices, access motion strings from each of the plurality of portable computing devices, each of said strings comprising a successive binary representation of motion over a first period of time, compare the motion strings in a processor to determine if at least two motion strings match within a predetermined threshold, and identify the devices that produced matching motion strings.

Multiple meter detection and processing using motion data

Example systems, methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for wirelessly modifying detection characteristics of portable devices are disclosed herein. Example portable devices include example radio circuitry and example processor circuitry. In disclosed examples, the example processor circuitry is to cause the radio circuitry to scan for radio frequency beacons. The example processor circuitry is also to trigger activation of audio monitoring via a microphone of the portable device in response to establishment of a first connection with a first radio frequency beacon, the audio monitoring to at least one of detect an audio code or generate an audio signature. The example processor circuitry is further to cause the audio monitoring to stop in response to establishment of a second connection with a second radio frequency beacon different from the first radio frequency beacon.

Systems and methods for wirelessly modifying detection characteristics of portable devices

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

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for research data gathering are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein is to detect whether the apparatus is powered by an internal power source or an external power source. The example apparatus is also to, in response to detecting the apparatus is powered by the internal power source, perform first processing on a received audio signal to determine audio data to store in storage of the apparatus. The example apparatus is further to, in response to detecting the apparatus is powered by the external power source, perform second processing on the stored audio data to recover the code, the second processing different from the first processing.

Research data gathering

Example systems, methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for wirelessly modifying detection characteristics of portable devices are disclosed herein. Example portable devices disclosed here include a microphone and radio frequency circuitry to scan for a radio frequency beacon at a first scanning rate. Disclosed example apparatus also include a processor to trigger activation of audio monitoring, in the portable device, of an audio signal obtained via the microphone. In some disclosed examples, the audio monitoring is to be triggered in response to a first connection being made via the radio frequency circuitry with a first transmitter of the radio frequency beacon. In some disclosed examples, the audio monitoring is to collect research data from the audio signal.

Systems and methods are disclosed for identifying portable devices carried by the same person. An example system includes receiving media exposure data over a data network from at least one of a plurality of portable computing devices, motion strings to be received over the data network respectively from each of the plurality of portable computing devices, each of the strings including a successive binary representation of motion over a first period of time, the first period of time divided into a plurality of sub-periods of time, and comparing the motion strings to determine if at least two motion strings match within a predetermined threshold, and identify the devices that produced matching motion strings as being physically carried by a same person.

Systems and methods are disclosed for identifying portable devices carried by the same person. An example method includes receiving media exposure data from one of a plurality of portable computing devices. Receiving segmented accelerometer data from the plurality of portable computing devices. Forming accelerometer classification data for the plurality of portable computing devices based on features extracted from the segmented accelerometer data. Comparing the accelerometer classification data for the first portable computing device to accelerometer classification data for the plurality of portable computing devices, to determine if the accelerometer classification data for the first portable computing device is sufficiently similar to a second portable computing devices. The example method further includes identifying the first and second portable computing device as being physically carried by a same person when the comparison determines that the accelerometer classification data for the first portable computing device is sufficiently similar to the second computing devices.

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for research data gathering are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein to recover a code from media include memory including computer readable instructions, and a processor to execute the instructions to at least process the media based on a sample corresponding to a first window of time to determine whether the code is recoverable from the media using the first window of time, and in response to determining that the code is not recoverable from the media using the first window of time, process the media again based on a sample corresponding to a second window of time larger than the first window of time to recover the code from the media.

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.

A computer-implemented method for modifying operation of a portable processing device configured to scan for wireless signals under a first scan rate. As wireless signals are received in the portable processing device, characteristics of the wireless signals are analyzed, and if the characteristics match one or more characteristics, the operation of the portable processing device is modified. Under one exemplary embodiment, the first scan rate is modified to a second scan rate, where the second scan rate being different from the first. Under another exemplary embodiment, monitoring capabilities in the portable processing device are activated or modified to collect research data on media data. The characteristics may include identification information or messages/commands that are transmitted wirelessly.

Examples disclosed herein collect a cookie at a first device based on media accessed via a web page at the first device, obtain user information from a second device via communicative coupling between the first device and the second device, and in response to an instruction embedded in the media, send a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request to a server, the HTTP request including the cookie, the user information, and information identifying exposure to the media.

Media exposure and verification utilizing inductive coupling

An ancillary code is extracted from the media signal by monitoring the media signal during a first time interval according to a first monitoring parameter, evaluating the media signal to detect an ancillary code and optionally monitoring the media signal during a second monitoring time interval depending on an outcome of the evaluation of the media signal. In different iterations, different data acquisition window durations and/or overlaps are applied according to a factor such as an iteration count or a detection confidence level.

Systems and methods are disclosed for identifying users of portable user devices according to one or more accelerometer profiles created for a respective user. During a media session, the portable computing device collects media exposure data, while at the same time, collects data from the accelerometer and compares it to the user profile. The comparison authenticates the user and determines the physical activity the user is engaged in. Additional data may be collected from the portable computing device to determine one or more operational conditions of the device itself, including the detection of multiple devices being physically carried by one user. Gross motion strings may also be generated by devices and compared to see if strings match, thus suggesting multiple devices are being carried by one user.

Growing community of inventors

Owings Mill, MD, United States of America

Jack C Crystal