Patents by Inventor David H. Wright

David H. 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).

  • Publication number: 20150082332
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to detect commercial advertisements associated with media presentations are disclosed. An example method includes determining an amount of audio randomness an inter-segment audio frame. The example method also includes indicating the inter-segment audio frame as occurring at a commercial transition based on the amount of audio randomness of the at least one inter-segment audio frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Scott Wilson, Ron Schwerer, Ronan Heffernan
  • Patent number: 8925024
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to detect commercial advertisements associated with media presentations are disclosed. An example method involves receiving a video frame and detecting a change in box-formatting between the video frame and a subsequent video frame. A transition between the video frame and the subsequent video frame is indicated as a commercial advertisement transition based on the detected change in box-formatting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Scott Wilson, Ron Schwerer, Ronan Heffernan
  • Publication number: 20130291000
    Abstract: An example apparatus includes a meter to generate first information indicative of a media presentation mode of a media presentation application executed by a wireless communication device during a presentation of the media content received and presented via the wireless communication device, the media content comprising scheduled programming that is broadcasted or multicasted simultaneously to a plurality of other wireless communication devices during a pre-scheduled time; and generate second information indicative of the media content presented via the wireless communication device. A memory is to store the first information in association with the second information in the wireless communication device; and store third information in association with the first and second information. The third information is indicative of at least one of a location of a cell tower used to transmit the media content, an identifier of the cell tower, or an identifier of a wireless network access point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Kamal Nasser, Jeff L. Herrmann, Arun Ramaswamy, Brian Scott Mello
  • Patent number: 8548373
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal are described. An example apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal includes an input to receive the digital audio signal, which includes data from a broadcast or a stored digital program signal. The example apparatus also includes a detector to receive the digital audio signal from the input and determine whether the received digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input; a decoder to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input and identify any first program-identifying code in an auxiliary field of the compressed digital audio signal; and a code reader to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input and receive the digital audio signal from a decompressor when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: John C. Peiffer, Michael A. Hicks, David H. Wright, Paul M. Mears, Venugopal Srinivasan, Daozheng Lu, Paul C. Kempter
  • Patent number: 8514907
    Abstract: Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture meter media content presented on a wireless communication device are disclosed. A disclosed example method receives media content via a wireless communication device. The media content is to be presented via the wireless communication device. First information is generated indicative of a media presentation mode of a media presentation application executed by the wireless communication device to present the media content. Second information is generated indicative of the media content presented via the wireless communication device. The first information is stored in association with the second information in the wireless communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Kamal Nasser, Jeff L. Herrmann, Arun Ramaswamy, Brian Scott Mello
  • Publication number: 20120291058
    Abstract: Signature-based program identification apparatus and methods for use with digital audio and/or video systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods develop signatures of digital audio and/or video content from a digital data stream at two or more sites and compare the signatures to one another to identify the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Morris Lee, William H. Schilp, Michael A. Hicks, Ronald Schwerer, David H. Wright, Kevin Deng
  • Patent number: 8255938
    Abstract: Signature-based program identification apparatus and methods for use with digital audio and/or video systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods develop signatures of digital audio and/or video content from a digital data stream at two or more sites and compare the signatures to one another to identify the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Morris Lee, William H. Schilp, Michael A. Hicks, Ronald Schwerer, David H. Wright, Kevin Deng
  • Publication number: 20110157475
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to detect commercial advertisements associated with media presentations are disclosed. An example method involves receiving a video frame and detecting a change in box-formatting between the video frame and a subsequent video frame. A transition between the video frame and the subsequent video frame is indicated as a commercial advertisement transition based on the detected change in box-formatting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Scott Wilson, Ron Schwerer, Ronan Heffernan
  • Publication number: 20100198380
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal are described. An example apparatus for identifying a digital audio signal includes an input to receive the digital audio signal, which includes data from a broadcast or a stored digital program signal. The example apparatus also includes a detector to receive the digital audio signal from the input and determine whether the received digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input; a decoder to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input and identify any first program-identifying code in an auxiliary field of the compressed digital audio signal; and a code reader to receive the digital audio signal from the detector when the digital audio signal is uncompressed as received at the input and receive the digital audio signal from a decompressor when the digital audio signal is compressed as received at the input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventors: John C. Peiffer, Michael A. Hicks, David H. Wright, Paul M. Mears, Venugopal Srinivasan, Daozheng Lu, Paul C. Kempter
  • Patent number: 7742737
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for identifying broadcast digital audio signals include structure and/or function whereby the digital audio signal is provided to processing structure which is configured to (i) identify a program-identifying code in the received digital audio signal, (ii) identify a program-identifying code in a decompressed received digital audio signal, (iii) identify a feature signature in the received digital audio signal, and (iv) identify a feature signature in the decompressed received digital audio signal. Preferably, such processing structure is disposed in a dwelling or a monitoring site in an audience measurement system, such as the Nielsen TV ratings system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC.
    Inventors: John C. Peiffer, Michael A. Hicks, David H. Wright, Paul M. Mears, Venugopal Srinivasan, Daozheng Lu, Paul C. Kempter
  • Patent number: 7421628
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to extract audio codes are disclosed. An example method includes receiving signals on a plurality of channels and ranking the signals based on at least one characteristic of the signals. A first channel from the plurality of channels is selected based upon the ranking of the signals. The example method further include determining whether a first signal on the first channel includes at least one code and extracting the at least one code from the first signal when the first signal includes the at least one code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc.
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Daniel Nelson, Ronald G. Schwerer
  • Publication number: 20080140479
    Abstract: Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to monitor consumer behavior associated with location-based web services are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves receiving a query from a mobile device including a query criterion and a first location identifier. A second location identifier is retrieved from a database that associates the second location identifier with an advertisement identifier indicative of an advertisement at a fixed location. The advertisement indicated by the advertisement identifier is credited as having been exposed to a user of the mobile device in response to the first location identifier matching the second location identifier or the first location identifier indicating a first location within a distance of a second location indicated by the second location identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Brian Scott Mello, Arun Ramaswamy, David H. Wright
  • Publication number: 20080126420
    Abstract: Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture meter media content presented on a wireless communication device are disclosed. A disclosed example method receives media content via a wireless communication device. The media content is to be presented via the wireless communication device. First information is generated indicative of a media presentation mode of a media presentation application executed by the wireless communication device to present the media content. Second information is generated indicative of the media content presented via the wireless communication device. The first information is stored in association with the second information in the wireless communication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Kamal Nasser, Jeff L. Herrmann, Arun Ramaswamy, Brian Scott Mello
  • Patent number: 6901606
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting time compression of broadcast content that has been encoded with time data, includes a processor for comparing encoded time data with broadcast time data to determine whether the content has been time compressed. The method and apparatus additionally detect commercial advertisements inserted between segments and exclude when detecting time compression of the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc.
    Inventors: David H. Wright, Marie Philippe
  • Publication number: 20040210922
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for identifying broadcast digital audio signals include structure and/or function whereby the digital audio signal is provided to processing structure which is configured to (i) identify a program-identifying code in the received digital audio signal, (ii) identify a program-identifying code in a decompressed received digital audio signal, (iii) identify a feature signature in the received digital audio signal, and (iv) identify a feature signature in the decompressed received digital audio signal. Preferably, such processing structure is disposed in a dwelling or a monitoring site in an audience measurement system, such as the Nielsen TV ratings system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: John C. Peiffer, Michael A. Hicks, David H. Wright, Paul M. Mears, Venugopal Srinivasan, Daozheng Lu, Paul C. Kempter
  • Patent number: 4213680
    Abstract: An apparatus for visually setting type in which a carriage (11) has at least two parallel tracks (12) arranged thereon, a displaceable font carriage (13) adapted to co-operate with one track, carries a master font (14) on which are printed a series of negative characters and an identically arranged parallel series of positive characters, one of the tracks being adapted to receive a movable character bearing font (15) adapted to be displaced relative to the carriage (11) and to the master font (14), an exposure unit (17) being arranged above the carriage to photograph a selected character from the negative font on to a film strip (16) arranged therebelow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1980
    Inventors: Gary W. Gillot, David H. Wright