Viewer authentication
View Patent ↗Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods for viewer authentication are disclosed. An example system includes a comparator to access audio metering data received from a user device and determine a level of exposure of a user of the user device to a program based on the audio metering data. The example system also includes a calculator to determine a weighting score based on the level of exposure. In addition, the example system includes a tallier to access voting data received from the user device for a ballot presented in the program and scale the voting data based on the weighting score.
1. A system to authenticate a viewer, the system comprising:
memory including instructions; and
a processor to execute the instructions to at least:
trigger a user device to at least:
collect audio metering data based on a programming schedule identifying when a program is to be broadcast;
sample a sensed audio signal;
determine the audio metering data from the sensed audio signal, the audio metering data including at least one of detected watermarks or generated signatures obtained from the sensed audio signal;
accept voting data from a user of the user device for a ballot presented in the program; and
transmit the audio metering data and the voting data for access by the processor;
access the audio metering data from the user device;
access broadcast reference data, the broadcast reference data including at least one of reference watermarks or reference signatures;
perform a comparison of at least one of (1) the detected watermarks and the reference watermarks, or (2) the generated signatures and the reference signatures;
determine a level of exposure of the user of the user device to the program based on the comparison;
determine a weighting score based on the level of exposure;
determine if the level of exposure satisfies a threshold;
access the voting data from the user device;
scale the voting data based on the weighting score to determine scaled voting data if the level of exposure satisfies the threshold; and
nullify the voting data if the level of exposure does not satisfy the threshold.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to authenticate the user as a viewer of the program based on the scaled voting data.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the weighting score is binary.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the processor is to identify the user as a non-viewer when the level of exposure is null.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to:
aggregate respective scaled voting data for multiple users;
prepare voting results for the ballot presented in the program based on the scaled voting data; and
determine an external influence based on the aggregated scaled voting data.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the external influence includes social media influence.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the level of exposure is based on a duration of the audio metering data.
8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to, at least:
trigger a user device to at least:
collect audio metering data based on a programming schedule identifying when a program is to be broadcast;
sample a sensed audio signal;
determine the audio metering data from the sensed audio signal, the audio metering data including at least one of detected watermarks or generated signatures obtained from the sensed audio signal;
accept voting data from a user of the user device for a ballot presented in the program; and
transmit the audio metering data and the voting data for access by the one or more processors;
access the audio metering data received from the user device;
access broadcast reference data, the broadcast reference data including at least one of reference watermarks or reference signatures;
perform a comparison of at least one of (1) the detected watermarks and the reference watermarks, or (2) the generated signatures and the reference signatures;
determine a level of exposure of the user of the user device to the program based on the comparison;
determine a weighting score based on the level of exposure;
determine if the level of exposure satisfies a threshold;
access the voting data from the user device
scale the voting data based on the weighting score to determine scaled voting data if the level of exposure satisfies the threshold; and
nullify the voting data if the level of exposure does not satisfy the threshold.
9. The storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to authenticate the user as a viewer of the program based on the scaled voting data.
10. The storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the weighting score is binary.
11. The storage medium of claim 10 , wherein when the level of exposure is null, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to
identify the user as a non-viewer.
12. The storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
aggregate respective scaled voting data for multiple users;
prepare voting results for the ballot presented in the program based on the scaled voting data; and
determine an external influence based on the aggregated scaled voting data.
13. The storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the external influence includes social media influence.
14. The storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the level of exposure is based on a duration of the audio metering data.