Patents Assigned to Sorensen Associates Inc.
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Patent number: 7652687Abstract: A system and method for analyzing a queue. The method may comprise defining a queue and evaluating a series of still images of the queue zone at periodic intervals over a predefined period of time. The method may further comprise approximating an estimated average number of people in the queue over the interval during which the still image was taken to be a number of people counted in the queue zone minus one person who is assumed to be engaged in a transaction. The method may further comprise calculating an estimated average number of the people in the queue over the predefined period by averaging estimated average number of people over intervals within the predefined period. The method may further comprise determining a measure of a queue length based on the estimated average number of people in the queue over the predefined period.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2007Date of Patent: January 26, 2010Assignee: Sorensen Associates Inc.Inventor: Herb Sorensen
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Publication number: 20090271251Abstract: A point of view shopper camera system is provided to generate and analyze shoppers' view data. The point of view shopper camera system may comprise a head device including an eye camera and a head orientation sensor, a position tracking sensor to identify a shopper's position, and an analysis computing device. The eye camera may be configured to be mounted to the head of the shopper, and to capture a still or moving image of the field of view of the shopper. The analysis computing device may be configured to receive the captured image data from the eye camera, head orientation data from the head orientation sensor, and the shopper's position data from the position tracking sensor, and determine an estimated field of view of the shopper during a trip in a shopping environment.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2009Publication date: October 29, 2009Applicant: SORENSEN ASSOCIATES INCInventors: Herb Sorensen, Marcus Hannon Geroux, David Albers
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Patent number: 7606728Abstract: A system and method are provided for analyzing a shopping environment. The method typically includes tracking a plurality of paths of a plurality of persons in the shopping environment, and recording corresponding path data. The method further may include normalizing path data for each path by use of a predetermined normalization function, and calculating a predetermined statistical measure of the normalized shopping data. The method also may include producing output based upon the predetermined statistical measure.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2003Date of Patent: October 20, 2009Assignee: Sorensen Associates Inc.Inventor: Herb Sorensen
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Publication number: 20080306756Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for tracking a view of a shopper are disclosed. The system may include camera coupled with a head of a shopper, and configured to capture one or more images in a field of view of the camera as captured image data. The shopper view tracking system may also include an analysis computing device configured to receive the captured image data, and an analysis program configured to determine an estimated shopper field of view having a boundary that is calculated to represent a probability of a person in a data sample having an actual measured focal point that occurs within the boundary, and to display the estimated shopper field of view superimposed on the one or more images in the captured image data. The analysis program further may be configured to generate an output including statistical measures based on the estimated field of view.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2008Publication date: December 11, 2008Applicant: SORENSEN ASSOCIATES INCInventors: Herb Sorensen, Marcus Hannon Geroux, David Albers
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Publication number: 20080303662Abstract: A traffic and population counting device system and method is provided. The traffic and population counting device may be executable by a computing device and may include an entry selector configured to be selected to indicate that a shopper has entered a shopping zone and to keep a running count of a number of shoppers who enter the shopping zone. An exit selector may be configured to be selected to indicate that a shopper has exited a shopping zone and to keep a running count of a number of shoppers who exit the shopping zone. Further, a display may be configured to display a running population count of shoppers within the shopping zone. The running population count may be determined by a running difference between the running count of the number of shoppers who enter the shopping zone and the running count of the number of shoppers who exit the shopping zone.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2008Publication date: December 11, 2008Applicant: SORENSEN ASSOCIATES INC.Inventors: Herb Sorensen, David Albers
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Publication number: 20080215462Abstract: The still image shopping event analysis systems and methods provided herein may implement low frequency still image sampling and perform a computer analysis of the still images captured, including discriminating differences between frames of the still images based on changes of pixels between the frames and detecting and/or analyzing one or more shopping events based on the discriminated differences between frames of the still images. The systems and methods provided herein may further count and/or analyze the shopping events based on patterns of changes between frames, including for example, numbers of customers visiting and amounts of time customers spent visiting a shopping area, whether the visit was a transitory visit or involved more detailed shopping, whether a purchase occurred, and/or which and number of item(s) purchased.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2008Publication date: September 4, 2008Applicant: SORENSEN ASSOCIATES INCInventors: Herb Sorensen, David Albers, Mark A. Byram, Michael D. Gibney, Michael S. Wynne
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Publication number: 20080005045Abstract: In-store media rating systems and methods are provided. A disclosed method includes receiving data from a plurality of individual stores, each having an individual store floor plan including shopper accessible areas and shopper non-accessible areas, and providing a standard floor plan including a plurality of predefined sectors. The method further includes standardizing each respective individual store floor plan to produce a corresponding standardized individual store floor plan based on the standard floor plan, wherein relative location and shopper accessible area of each of the sectors in the each standardized individual store floor plan correspond to the location and shopper accessible area of a corresponding predefined sector of the standard floor plan. The method further includes producing an output including the standardized individual store floor plan.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2007Publication date: January 3, 2008Applicant: Sorensen Associates IncInventors: Herb Sorensen, David Albers
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Publication number: 20070253595Abstract: A system and method for analyzing a queue. The method may comprise defining a queue and evaluating a series of still images of the queue zone at periodic intervals over a predefined period of time. The method may further comprise approximating an estimated average number of people in the queue over the interval during which the still image was taken to be a number of people counted in the queue zone minus one person who is assumed to be engaged in a transaction. The method may further comprise calculating an estimated average number of the people in the queue over the predefined period by averaging estimated average number of people over intervals within the predefined period. The method may further comprise determining a measure of a queue length based on the estimated average number of people in the queue over the predefined period.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2007Publication date: November 1, 2007Applicant: Sorensen Associates IncInventor: Herb Sorensen
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Patent number: 7006982Abstract: A system and method for analyzing shopper behavior of a shopper within a shopping environment is provided. The method typically determining the position of a product within the shopping environment, tracking a shopper path of a shopper through the shopping environment, via a wireless tracking system, and calculating a product-shopper proximity measure based at least in part on a physical distance of a shopper traveling along the shopping path from the position of the product.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2002Date of Patent: February 28, 2006Assignee: Sorensen Associates Inc.Inventor: Herb Sorensen