IP Library Granted Patent US 12,432,405
Granted Patent B2
US 12,432,405 · App. 18/515,439 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Methods and apparatus for network-based monitoring and serving of media to in-vehicle occupants

Inventors: Edward Murphy (North Stonington, CT); Kelly Dixon (Sykesville, MD); Jennifer Carton (Ellicott City, MD); Francis C. Fasinski, III (Columbia, MD)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04N21/25883G06N3/04H04N21/25891H04W4/44
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,432,405
App. No.
18/515,439
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed for network-based monitoring and serving of media to in-vehicle occupants. An example method includes linking panelist data corresponding to media exposure to first telemetry data collected by a vehicle to create linked panelist-telemetry data; and training a neural network to estimate vehicle occupant demographics based on second telemetry data using a first subgroup of the linked panelist-telemetry data.

Claims (34)

1. 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:

obtaining data for a vehicle, wherein the data is associated with media output in the vehicle;

applying the data to a trained neural network to estimate vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle when the vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle are unknown,

wherein the trained neural network is trained using a plurality of sets of media output data, and wherein each set of media output data is linked with a respective vehicle of a plurality of vehicles and with a set of demographic data associated with one or more occupants of the respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;

estimating the vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle, based on the applied data;

and

outputting the estimated vehicle occupant demographics.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the estimated vehicle occupant demographics comprise at least one of: a vehicle ID, a trip start time, a trip start date, at least one age range for females, or at least one age range for males.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the estimated vehicle occupant demographics comprise a plurality of age ranges; and wherein each age range includes a likelihood value that a vehicle occupant within that age range is in the vehicle.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein outputting the estimated vehicle occupant demographics comprise transmitting, to a server, the estimated vehicle occupant demographics.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , the set of operations further comprising:

selecting targeted media based on the estimated vehicle

occupant demographics transmitted to the server; and

transmitting the targeted media.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the targeted media is transmitted to an application on an infotainment system of the vehicle or to at least one application on a mobile device of a vehicle occupant.

7. 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:

obtaining data for a vehicle, wherein the data is associated with media output in the vehicle;

applying the data to a trained neural network to estimate vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle when the vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle are unknown,

wherein the trained neural network is trained using a plurality of sets of media output data, and wherein each set of media output data is linked with a respective vehicle of a plurality of vehicles and with a set of demographic data associated with one or more occupants of the respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;

estimating the vehicle occupant demographics of the vehicle, based on the applied data;

and

outputting the estimated vehicle occupant demographics.

8. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the estimated vehicle occupant demographics comprise a plurality of age ranges, wherein each age range includes a likelihood value that a vehicle occupant within that age range is in the vehicle.

9. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein outputting the estimated vehicle occupant demographics comprise transmitting, to a server, the estimated vehicle occupant demographics.

10. The computing system of claim 7 , the set of operations further comprising:

selecting targeted media based on the data; and

transmitting the targeted media.

11. The computing system of claim 10 ,

wherein the targeted media is transmitted to an application on an infotainment system of the vehicle or to at least one application on a mobile device of a vehicle occupant.

12. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein each set of media output data is further linked with telemetry data of the respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles; and wherein at least one occupant of the one or more occupants, used to train the trained neural network, is a panelist associated with an audience measurement entity.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is at least one of: a car, a plane, a train, or a boat.

14. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the targeted media is transmitted to an application of an infotainment system of the vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2023
From: MURPHY, EDWARD; DIXON, KELLY; CARTON, JENNIFER; FASINSKI, FRANCIS C., III
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 065631/0499 →