# US 2012/0239809 A1 · Methods and apparatus to determine impressions using distributed demographic information

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- Number: US 2012/0239809 A1
- Document ID: US20120239809A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/513,148
- Filed: 2011-09-21
- Published: 2012-09-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-22
- Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
- Inventors: Mainak Mazumdar; Kevin Geraghty; Ronan Heffernan; Mark Kalus; Ari Paparo; Steven J. Splaine
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120239809A1

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0272: Period of advertisement exposure
- G06F 16/951: Indexing; Web crawling techniques
- G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes}
- G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
- G06Q 30/0241: Advertisements
- G06Q 30/0246: {Traffic}
- H04L 43/04: Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
- H04L 43/0876: Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
- H04L 67/01: Protocols
- H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
- H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)}
- 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
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to determine impressions using distributed demographic information are disclosed. A disclosed example method to monitor media exposure involves receiving, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer. The example method also involves determining if the client computer is known. If the client computer is not known, a response is sent from the first internet domain to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of access to the media at the client computer. If the client computer is known, an impression of the media is logged.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method to monitor media exposure, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer;
determining if the client computer is known;
if the client computer is not known, sending, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer; and
if the client computer is known, logging an impression of the media.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, when the first request includes an identifier associated with the client computer, storing the identifier in association with the impression.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:
when the first request does not include the identifier, setting, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer; and
storing the identifier in association with the impression.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving identifying information associated with the media in the first request;
generating modified values corresponding to the identifying information; and
sending the modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising mapping the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:
receiving, from the second internet domain, a second impression based on the modified values; and
determining that the second impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the second impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the second impression from the second internet domain includes demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising selecting the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media is an advertisement.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending, from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a third request to a third internet domain, the third request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;
storing first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media content based on the first request, the demographic information previously collected from a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and
receiving, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the second internet domain, demographic information associated with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.

### Claim 22

An apparatus to monitor media exposure, the apparatus comprising:
a communication interface to:
receive, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer, and
if the client computer is not known, send, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer
a data structure to log an impression of the media if the client computer is known.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the data structure stores the identifier in association with the impression when the first request includes an identifier associated with the client computer.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the communication interface is to, when the first request does not include the identifier, set, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer, and the data structure to store the identifier in association with the impression after the communication interfaces sets the identifier in the client computer.

### Claim 26 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

### Claim 27 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

### Claim 28 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

### Claim 29 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the communication interface is to:
receive identifying information associated with the media in the first request; and
send the modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

An apparatus as defined in claim 29, further comprising a site identifier map to map the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

An apparatus as defined in claim 30, further comprising a report generator to:
receive, from the second internet domain, a second impression based on the modified values; and
determine that the second impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the second impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

An apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the second impression from the second internet domain includes demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 33 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

An apparatus as defined in claim 33, further comprising a rules engine to select the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 35 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

### Claim 36 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the media is an advertisement.

### Claim 37 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the communication interface is to send from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a third request to a third internet domain, the third request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

An apparatus as defined in claim 37, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

### Claim 39 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising:
the communication interface to receive, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;
a second data structure to store first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media content based on the first request, the demographic information previously collected from a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and
a report generator to receive, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

An apparatus as defined in claim 39, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

### Claim 41 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising a report generator to receive, from the second internet domain, demographic information associated with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

### Claim 42 (depends on 22)

An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.

### Claim 43

A tangible machine accessible medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
receive, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer;
determine if the client computer is known;
if the client computer is not known, send, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer; and
if the client computer is known, log an impression of the media.

### Claim 44 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43 storing instructions that cause the machine to, when the first request includes an identifier associated with the client computer, store the identifier in association with the impression.

### Claim 45 (depends on 44)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 44, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

### Claim 46 (depends on 44)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 44 storing instructions that cause the machine to:
when the first request does not include the identifier, set, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer; and
store the identifier in association with the impression.

### Claim 47 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on second instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

### Claim 48 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the second instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

### Claim 49 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

### Claim 50 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43 storing instructions that cause the machine to:
receive identifying information associated with the media in the first request;
generate modified values corresponding to the identifying information; and
send the modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

### Claim 51 (depends on 50)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 50 storing instructions that cause the machine to map the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 52 (depends on 51)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 51 storing instructions that cause the machine to:
receive, from the second internet domain, a second impression based on the modified values; and
determine that the second impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the second impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

### Claim 53 (depends on 52)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 52, wherein the second impression from the second internet domain includes demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 54 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

### Claim 55 (depends on 54)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 54 storing instructions that cause the machine to select the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

### Claim 56 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

### Claim 57 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the media is an advertisement.

### Claim 58 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43 storing instructions that cause the machine to send, from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a third request to a third internet domain, the third request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

### Claim 59 (depends on 58)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 58, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

### Claim 60 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43 storing instructions that cause the machine to:
receive, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;
store first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media content based on the first request, the demographic information previously collected from a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and
receive, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

### Claim 61 (depends on 60)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 60, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

### Claim 62 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43 storing instructions that cause the machine to receive, from the second internet domain, demographic information associated with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

### Claim 63 (depends on 43)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 43, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.

### Claim 64

A method of expanding an audience measurement panel, comprising:
determining if a received indication identifying access to media was sent by a member of the audience measurement panel;
if the received indication identifying access to the media was not sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, forwarding the indication to a social network provider; and
if the indication was sent by a user of the social network provider, receiving a log associating the access to the media with first demographics of the user stored in records of the social network provider.

### Claim 65 (depends on 64)

A method as defined in claim 64 further comprising, if the indication was sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, logging an association between the media and second demographics of the member.

### Claim 66 (depends on 64)

A method as defined in claim 64, wherein the indication is received via a hypertext transfer protocol request.

### Claim 67 (depends on 64)

A method as defined in claim 64, wherein forwarding the indication to the provider of the social network comprises forwarding a modified value of a site identifier indicative of a publisher website of the media.

### Claim 68 (depends on 67)

A method as defined in claim 67 further comprising storing the modified value in association with the site identifier in a data structure, and not sending the site identifier to the provider of the social network.

### Claim 69 (depends on 68)

A method as defined in claim 68 further comprising receiving logged impression data from the social network provider based on the modified value and identifying the site identifier of the publisher website based on the modified value in the logged impression data and the storing of the modified value in association with the site identifier in the data structure.

### Claim 70 (depends on 64)

A method as defined in claim 64, wherein the forwarding of the indication to the social network provider is performed by an audience measurement entity managing the audience measurement panel.

### Claim 71

An apparatus to expand an audience measurement panel, comprising:
a comparator to determine if a received indication identifying access to media was sent by a member of the audience measurement panel;
a communication interface to, if the received indication identifying access to the media was not sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, forward the indication to a social network provider; and
a report generator to, if the indication was sent by a user of the social network provider, receive a log associating the access to the media with first demographics of the user stored in records of the social network provider.

### Claim 72 (depends on 71)

An apparatus as defined in claim 71 further comprising a data structure to, if the indication was sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, log an association between the media and second demographics of the member.

### Claim 73 (depends on 71)

An apparatus as defined in claim 71, wherein the indication is received via a hypertext transfer protocol request.

### Claim 74 (depends on 71)

An apparatus as defined in claim 71, wherein forwarding the indication to the provider of the social network comprises forwarding a modified value of a site identifier indicative of a publisher website of the media.

### Claim 75 (depends on 74)

An apparatus as defined in claim 74 further comprising a data structure to store the modified value in association with the site identifier, and the communication interface to not send the site identifier to the provider of the social network.

### Claim 76 (depends on 75)

An apparatus as defined in claim 75, wherein the report generator is to receive logged impression data from the social network provider based on the modified value and identify the site identifier of the publisher website based on the modified value in the logged impression data and the storing of the modified value in association with the site identifier in the data structure.

### Claim 77 (depends on 71)

An apparatus as defined in claim 71, wherein the comparator, the communication interface, and the report generator are operated by an audience measurement entity managing the audience measurement panel.

### Claim 78

A machine accessible medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
determine if a received indication identifying access to media was sent by a member of the audience measurement panel;
if the received indication identifying access to the media was not sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, forward the indication to a social network provider; and
if the indication was sent by a user of the social network provider, receive a log associating the access to the media with first demographics of the user stored in records of the social network provider.

### Claim 79 (depends on 78)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 78 storing instructions that cause the machine to, if the indication was sent by the member of the audience measurement panel, log an association between the media and second demographics of the member.

### Claim 80 (depends on 78)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 78, wherein the indication is received via a hypertext transfer protocol request.

### Claim 81 (depends on 78)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 78, wherein forwarding the indication to the provider of the social network comprises forwarding a modified value of a site identifier indicative of a publisher website of the media.

### Claim 82 (depends on 81)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 81 storing instructions that cause a machine to store the modified value in association with the site identifier in a data structure, and not send the site identifier to the provider of the social network.

### Claim 83 (depends on 82)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 82 storing instructions that cause a machine to receive logged impression data from the social network provider based on the modified value and identify the site identifier of the publisher website based on the modified value in the logged impression data and the storing of the modified value in association with the site identifier in the data structure.

### Claim 84 (depends on 78)

A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 78, wherein the forwarding of the indication to the social network provider is performed by an audience measurement entity managing the audience measurement panel.