IP Library Granted Patent US 12695944
Granted Patent B2
US 12695944 · App. 18/800,414 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Methods and apparatus of media device detection for minimally invasive media meters

Inventors: Alexander Topchy (New Port Richey, FL); Venugopal Srinivasan (Tarpon Springs, FL)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04N21/44204H04H60/00H04H60/54H04N21/2547H04N21/25866H04N21/435H04N21/44222H04N21/44224H04N21/6582H04N21/8358H04N21/84H04H60/29
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12695944
App. No.
18/800,414
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for media crediting and, more particularly, methods and apparatus of media device detection for media meters. An example computing system disclosed herein to detect media devices presenting media comprises a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising generating a cluster of media locations based on media identifying information received from a presentation of media at a streaming media device and identifying the streaming media device based on the media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations.

Claims (31)

1 . A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:

generating a cluster of media locations based on media identifying information from a presentation of media at a streaming media device; and

identifying the streaming media device based on media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations.

2 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein based on the media identifying information, the streaming media device is unidentified among media devices in the cluster of media locations.

3 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the streaming media device is at least one of an Internet-enabled television, a personal computer, an Internet-enabled mobile handset, a smartphone, a video game console, an Xbox One®, a Nintendo® Switch, a PlayStation® 4, a tablet computer, an iPad®, a digital media player, a Roku® media player, a Slingbox®, or an Apple TV®.

4 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the streaming media device is configured to stream media from the Internet.

5 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the streaming media device is configured to transmit one or more video signals and one or more audio signals to a presentation device for the presentation of the media via a wireless connection comprising one of a Bluetooth connection, a cellular connection, or a Wi-Fi connection.

6 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprising:

determining media monitoring information comprising an identifier of an application of the streaming media device, a duration of use of the application of the streaming media device, a rating of the application of the streaming media device, or user-identifying information including demographic information and a panelist identifier.

7 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein an identity of the streaming media device is not directly determined based on the media identifying information from the presentation of the media.

8 . A method, comprising:

generating a cluster of media locations based on media identifying information from a presentation of media at a streaming media device; and

identifying the streaming media device based on media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein based on the media identifying information, the streaming media device is unidentified among media devices in the cluster of media locations.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the streaming media device is at least one of an Internet-enabled television, a personal computer, an Internet-enabled mobile handset, a smartphone, a video game console, an Xbox One®, a Nintendo® Switch, a PlayStation® 4, a tablet computer, an iPad®, a digital media player, a Roku® media player, a Slingbox®, or an Apple TV®.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the streaming media device is configured to stream media from the Internet.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the streaming media device is configured to transmit one or more video signals and one or more audio signals to a presentation device for the presentation of the media via a wireless connection comprising one of a Bluetooth connection, a cellular connection, or a Wi-Fi connection.

13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining media monitoring information comprising an identifier of an application of the streaming media device, a duration of use of the application of the streaming media device, a rating of the application of the streaming media device, or user-identifying information including demographic information and a panelist identifier.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein an identity of the streaming media device is not directly determined based on the media identifying information from the presentation of the media.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:

generating a cluster of media locations based on media identifying information from a presentation of media at a streaming media device; and

identifying the streaming media device based on media devices available at the media locations in the cluster of media locations and an identity of a media device determined to be available in a majority of media locations in the cluster of media locations.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein based on the media identifying information, the streaming media device is unidentified among media devices in the cluster of media locations.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the streaming media device is at least one of an Internet-enabled television, a personal computer, an Internet-enabled mobile handset, a smartphone, a video game console, an Xbox One®, a Nintendo® Switch, a PlayStation® 4, a tablet computer, an iPad®, a digital media player, a Roku® media player, a Slingbox®, or an Apple TV®.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the streaming media device is configured to transmit one or more video signals and one or more audio signals to a presentation device for the presentation of the media via a wireless connection comprising one of a Bluetooth connection, a cellular connection, or a Wi-Fi connection.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprising:

determining media monitoring information comprising an identifier of an application of the streaming media device, a duration of use of the application of the streaming media device, a rating of the application of the streaming media device, or user-identifying information including demographic information and a panelist identifier.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein an identity of the streaming media device is not directly determined based on the media identifying information from the presentation of the media.