# US 12,008,142 B2 · Methods and apparatus to collect distributed user information for media impressions and search terms > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,142 B2 - Document ID: US12008142B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/158,331 - Filed: 2023-01-23 - Published: 2023-08-31 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-31 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Alan N. Bosworth; Madhusudhan Reddy Alla; Steven J. Splaine; Brahmanand Reddy Shivampet; Kevin K. Gaynor - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008142B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/6254: {by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification} - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data - G06Q 30/0203: Market surveys; Market polls - G06Q 30/0251: Targeted advertisements - H04L 9/32: including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system {or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials} - H04L 43/50: Testing arrangements - H04L 63/062: {for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819)} - H04L 65/00: Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication (real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00) - H04L 67/306: User profiles - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04N 21/2351: {involving encryption of additional data (arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23)} - H04N 21/25808: {Management of client data (terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303)} - H04N 21/25866: {Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077)} - H04N 21/42684: {Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID (network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00)} - H04N 21/44226: {on social networks} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04L 63/04: {for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods and apparatus to collect distributed user information for media impressions and search terms are disclosed. An example method includes accessing, from a media device, a first identifier and a search term at a first server, the first identifier corresponding to at least one of the media device or a user of the media device, the search term associated with a search request, generating a second identifier based on the first identifier, sending the second identifier and the search term from the first server to a data collection server to facilitate the data collection server to logging the search request, and receiving user information associated with the search request from a database proprietor based on the second identifier. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: means for processing to: access a first identifier and a search term, the first identifier corresponding to at least one of a media device or a user of the media device, the search term associated with a search request; and generate a second identifier based on the first identifier; and means for communicating to send the second identifier and the search term to a data collection server to facilitate the data collection server to: log the search request; and receive user information associated with the search request from a database proprietor based on the second identifier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user information includes demographic information collected from the user by the database proprietor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first identifier is included in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) header of a HTTP request, the HTTP request generated by the media device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for communicating is to send the second identifier and the search term to a third server of an application publisher, the first identifier is collected by a data collector associated with an application published by the application publisher. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data collector and the application are to execute on the media device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the application does not employ cookies on the media device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for processing is to server search results based on the search term, the search results associated with at least one of a search for a website, a search for a product, or a search of the website. ### Claim 8 An apparatus comprising: means for processing to: access an impression identifier and a second identifier from a media device, the second identifier corresponding to at least one of the media device or a user of the media device, the impression identifier associated with an impression of media accessed via the media device, the second identifier associated with a database proprietor; determine user information of the user based on the second identifier; and means for communicating to send the impression identifier and the user information to a data collection server to facilitate the data collection server to: log the impression; and associate the user information with the impression. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for processing is to decrypt the second identifier, the second identifier encrypted by the media device based on an encryption key associated with the database proprietor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second identifier and the impression identifier are encoded into a single identifier by the media device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user information includes demographic information collected from the user by the database proprietor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the database proprietor is a social network service, and the second identifier includes a username of the user registered with the social network service. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the database proprietor is a first database proprietor and the data collection server is to determine the user information and second user information are associated with the user based on the impression identifier, the second user information received from a second database proprietor with the impression identifier. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the database proprietor is a wireless service provider, and the second identifier is a device identifier used by the wireless service provider to identify the media device. ### Claim 15 An apparatus comprising: means for accessing data to: access a media identifier and a first impression identifier from a device, the media identifier indicative of media accessed at the device; access a second impression identifier in association with first user information from a first database proprietor based on the first database proprietor obtaining the second impression identifier and a first identifier from the device, the first identifier identifying at least one of the device or a user of the device; and access a third impression identifier in association with second user information from a second database proprietor based on the second database proprietor obtaining the third impression identifier and a second identifier from the device, the second identifier identifying at least one of the device or the user of the device, the second identifier different than the first identifier; and means for processing to: associate the first user information with the media identifier based on the second impression identifier matching the first impression identifier; and discard the second user information based on the third impression identifier not matching the first impression identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first database proprietor is a social network service provider and the second database proprietor is a wireless service provider, the first identifier including a username of the user registered with the social network service provider, and the second identifier including a device identifier used by the wireless service provider to identify the device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first user information includes first demographic information of the user stored by the social network service provider. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first identifier is encrypted by the device using a first encryption key associated with the first database proprietor, and the second identifier is encrypted by the device using a second encryption key associated with the second database proprietor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for accessing data is to provide a data collector for installation on the device, the data collector to collect the media identifier. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the data collector is to collect the media identifier based on the media presented by an application that does not employ cookies.