IP Library Granted Patent US 8,620,088
Granted Patent B2
US 8,620,088 · App. 13/222,084 · Granted Dec 31, 2013

Methods and apparatus to count people in images

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,620,088
App. No.
13/222,084
Granted
Dec 31, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, articles of manufacture, and apparatus to count people in an image are disclosed. An example method includes capturing an image of a body region in a first frame; and when a second frame different from the first frame includes the image of the body region, incrementing a first count of persons in the second frame.

Claims (29)

1. A method to count people, comprising:

capturing an image of a body region in a first frame;

when a second frame different from the first frame includes the image of the body region, incrementing a first count of persons in the second frame; and

counting a number of faces in the second frame to form a second count.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the image is captured in response to a detection of a face corresponding to the body region.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising storing the image in association with a position of the image in the first frame.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising comparing a portion of the second frame and the image of the body region to determine if the second frame includes the image.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising determining if a body region counted in the second frame corresponds to a face counted in the second count; and

reducing the first count if the body region corresponds to the face counted in the second count.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising summing the first count and the second count to obtain a tally of people in the second frame.

7. A method as defined in claim 6 , further comprising associating the tally with media.

8. An apparatus to count people, comprising:

a face detector to detect faces in a first frame and to increment a face tally associated with the first frame based on a number of faces detected in the first frame;

a body image capturer to collect an image of a body region adjacent to a detected face from a second frame different from the first frame; and

a comparator to compare image data of the first frame to the image of the body region from the second frame, and to increment a body region count associated with the first frame when the image data of the first frame matches the image of the body region from the second frame, wherein at least one of the face detector, the body image capturer, or the comparator is implemented via a logic circuit.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a redundancy checker to check for redundancy between the body region count associated with the first frame and the face tally associated with the first frame.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the redundancy checker is to decrement the body region count when the redundancy checker detects the redundancy.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the redundancy checker is to sum the face tally and the body region count to form a people tally.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11 , further comprising a content identifier to associate the people tally with media identifying information corresponding to media associated with the first frame.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein a location of the body region is based on a position of the adjacent face.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13 , wherein the position is a coordinate of a grid overlaid on the first and second frames.

15. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

detect a first face in a first frame corresponding to a first time;

capture an image of a region adjacent the first face in the first frame, the region being at a first position within the first frame;

determine whether a second frame corresponding to a second time includes the image at the first position; and

increment a people tally associated with the second frame when the second frame includes the image at the first position and the detected face of the first frame is not detected in the second frame.

16. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15 , the instructions to cause the machine to associate the people tally with media being presented at the second time.

17. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15 , wherein the region adjacent the first face is calculated by generating a box based on a reference point of the detected first face.

18. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 15 , the instructions to cause the machine to determine that the second frame includes the image at the first position when the second frame includes image data similar within a threshold to the image of the region adjacent the first face at the first position.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
RELEASE (REEL 037172 / FRAME 0415) Recorded Oct 13, 2022
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 061750/0221 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →
SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 30, 2015
From: THE NIELSEN COMPANY ((US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT FOR THE FIRST LIEN SECURED PARTIES
Reel/Frame 037172/0415 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2011
From: LEE, MORRIS
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC., A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Reel/Frame 026953/0401 →