Patents by Inventor David Howell Wright

David Howell Wright has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9209917
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for metering the presentation of computer-based media presentation are disclosed. An example disclosed method performed by a computer that is configured to execute an operating system and a media presentation program comprises modifying the media presentation program to re-direct a function call made to the operating system by the media presentation program, and processing the re-directed function call to determine media presentation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: James Lawrence Donald, David Howell Wright
  • Publication number: 20150031462
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for monitoring video games are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to identify a video game include generating a memory signature based on a pattern of memory locations of a game medium accessed by a device to play the video game. Such example methods also include determining an identity of the video game based on the memory signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Bradley R. Lawrence, III, Arun Ramaswamy
  • Patent number: 8917937
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying primary media content in a post-production media content presentation are disclosed. An example computer-implemented method to detect primary media content included in a secondary media content presentation disclosed herein comprises determining a first image corresponding to the secondary media content presentation, the first image comprising a plurality of image subregions, each image subregion representative of an inter-frame variation associated with a corresponding subregion of the secondary media content presentation, selecting a region of the first image comprising a plurality of connected image subregions of the first image together exhibiting a first type of inter-frame variation, and when a shape of the selected region of the first image corresponds to a predefined shape, processing a region of the first captured image corresponding to the selected region of the first synthetic image to identify the primary media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Ronan Heffernan, Michael McLean, Kevin Keqiang Deng, Paul Bulson
  • Publication number: 20140358640
    Abstract: Example methods and apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member, determining a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, accessing geographic information and determining a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, accessing demographic information and determining a demographic profile associated with the geographic location, and associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Jan Besehanic, Paul Mears, Joseph G. Milavsky, Robert A. Luff, Arun Ramaswamy, David Howell Wright
  • Publication number: 20140344844
    Abstract: Portable multi-purpose audience measurement systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include executing media metering software downloaded onto a portable device. Such example methods also include halting execution of the media metering software in response to determining that the portable device is being used for a native purpose.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Arun Ramaswamy, Dan Nelson, Glen Vilches
  • Patent number: 8869187
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine audience viewing of recorded programs are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises processing first bus information obtained by monitoring a bus of a time shifting device to determine a record time corresponding to when the time-shifting device stored data associated with first media content being recorded for later presentation, processing second bus information obtained by monitoring the bus of the time shifting device to determine a playback time corresponding to when the time-shifting device later retrieved the data to present the recorded first media content, and estimating a possible distribution time corresponding to when the first media content was initially distributed to the time-shifting device based on a difference between the playback time and the record time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Joseph Milavsky, Morris Lee, William A. Feininger, Charles Conklin, Vasiliki Koutsopanagos, Arun Ramaswamy
  • Patent number: 8863218
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for monitoring video games are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises monitoring game content corresponding to a game medium played by a game console, processing the game content to determine a set of metering data, and cross-referencing the set of metering data with a set of reference data corresponding to a set of known games.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Bradley R. Lawrence, III, Arun Ramaswamy
  • Publication number: 20140281893
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to measure feature usage on websites are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Robert Peter Borland, David Howell Wright
  • Publication number: 20140282797
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to identify times at which live media events are distributed are disclosed. An example method includes collecting feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events, collecting distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds, and comparing, using a processor, the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Mark G. Welch
  • Patent number: 8812012
    Abstract: Example methods and apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member, determining a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, accessing geographic information and determining a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, accessing demographic information and determining a demographic profile associated with the geographic location, and associating at least one of the geographic location or the demographic profile with the media device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Jan Besehanic, Paul Mears, Joseph G. Milavasky, Robert Luff, Arun Ramaswamy, David Howell Wright
  • Patent number: 8806535
    Abstract: Portable multi-purpose audience measurement systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed. An example method to monitor a media presentation device disclosed herein comprises sensing a media content signal output by the media presentation device using a portable device separate from the media presentation device, the portable device supporting media metering functionality and native functionality, attempting to detect a code encoded in the sensed media content signal using the portable device, and generating a signature from the sensed media content signal using the portable device when the portable device is electrically coupled to an external power supply or the portable device has at least a threshold amount of local battery power, but not generating the signature when the portable device is not electrically coupled to the external power supply and the portable device does not have at least the threshold amount of local battery power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Arun Ramaswamy, Dan Nelson, Glen Vilches
  • Patent number: 8776116
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to identify times at which live media events are distributed are disclosed. An example method includes collecting feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events, collecting distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds, and comparing, using a processor, the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US) LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Mark G. Welch
  • Publication number: 20140173645
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting space-shifted media content associated with a digital recording/playback device are disclosed. An example method for detecting space-shifted media content includes detecting, at a router, a data packet transmitted from a first media device of a home network to a second media device of the home network; and determining, at the router, that media associated with the data packet is space-shifted when the data packet comprises at least one of media data or command data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Inventor: David Howell Wright
  • Patent number: 8682137
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for detecting space-shifted media content associated with a digital recording/playback device are disclosed. An example method for detecting space-shifted media content includes receiving media content at a first recording/playback device at a first viewing site at a monitored location, requesting data associated with the media content from a second device at the monitored location, and determining if the data associated with the media content indicates that the media content has been space-shifted to the first recording/playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Arun Ramaswamy, Brian Mello, David James Croy, Jan Besehanic
  • Patent number: 8539527
    Abstract: Portable multi-purpose audience measurement systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises collecting demographic data of a user, including a phone number for a mobile device, via a website associated with an information gathering entity, sending a message to the mobile device, the sent message, when responded to, resulting in downloading of a metering software module to the mobile device, receiving, from the mobile device and at a system associated with the information gathering entity, information indicative of events associated with use of the mobile device, and associating the received information with the demographic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Arun Ramaswamy, Dan Nelson, Glen Vilches
  • Publication number: 20130198792
    Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to identify times at which live media events are distributed are disclosed. An example method includes collecting feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events, collecting distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds, and comparing, using a processor, the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Mark G. Welch
  • Publication number: 20120301031
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying primary media content in a post-production media content presentation are disclosed. An example computer-implemented method to detect primary media content included in a secondary media content presentation disclosed herein comprises determining a first image corresponding to the secondary media content presentation, the first image comprising a plurality of image subregions, each image subregion representative of an inter-frame variation associated with a corresponding subregion of the secondary media content presentation, selecting a region of the first image comprising a plurality of connected image subregions of the first image together exhibiting a first type of inter-frame variation, and when a shape of the selected region of the first image corresponds to a predefined shape, processing a region of the first captured image corresponding to the selected region of the first synthetic image to identify the primary media content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Ronan Heffernan, Michael McLean, Kevin Keqiang Deng, Paul Bulson
  • Patent number: 8260055
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying primary media content in a post-production media content presentation are disclosed. An example computer-implemented method to detect primary media content included in a secondary media content presentation disclosed herein comprises determining a first image corresponding to the secondary media content presentation, the first image comprising a plurality of image subregions, each image subregion representative of an inter-frame variation associated with a corresponding subregion of the secondary media content presentation, selecting a region of the first image comprising a plurality of connected image subregions of the first image together exhibiting a first type of inter-frame variation, and when a shape of the selected region of the first image corresponds to a predefined shape, processing a region of the first captured image corresponding to the selected region of the first synthetic image to identify the primary media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Ronan Heffernan, Michael McLean, Kevin Keqiang Deng, Paul Bulson
  • Patent number: 8238727
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to detect a time-shift event associated with the presentation of media content are disclosed. A disclosed system generates a first metering event representative of a first time period in which a program was continuously presented and a second metering event representative of a second time period in which a program was continuously presented. A time-shift detector receives the first and second metering events and calculates a presentation gap value and a broadcast time jump value. The time-shift detector compares the presentation gap value and the broadcast time jump value to determine whether a pause event, a fast forward event or a rewind event occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: David Howell Wright
  • Publication number: 20120011533
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine audience viewing of recorded programs are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises processing first bus information obtained by monitoring a bus of a time shifting device to determine a record time corresponding to when the time-shifting device stored data associated with first media content being recorded for later presentation, processing second bus information obtained by monitoring the bus of the time shifting device to determine a playback time corresponding to when the time-shifting device later retrieved the data to present the recorded first media content, and estimating a possible distribution time corresponding to when the first media content was initially distributed to the time-shifting device based on a difference between the playback time and the record time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: David Howell Wright, Joseph Milavsky, Morris Lee, William A. Feininger, Charles Conklin, Vasiliki Koutsopanagos, Arun Ramaswamy