Patents by Inventor F. Gavin McMillan

F. Gavin McMillan 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: 10148987
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed to correlate census measurement data with panel data. An example method includes accessing a message sent from a requesting device in response to accessing media that includes a tag causing the requesting device to send the message to a monitoring entity with an identification of a geographic location of the requesting device and media identifying information. The example method also includes determining locations of a plurality of panelist homes and comparing the geographic location of the requesting device with the locations of the panelist homes. When the geographic location of the requesting device is within a threshold distance of a first one of the panelist homes, identifying a user of the requesting device as a panelist residing at the first panelist home, and associating the media identifying information with panelist data associated with the first one of the panelist homes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Patent number: 10097872
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to verify and/or correct media lineup information are disclosed. An example method includes accessing, by executing an instruction with a processor, a script received from an audience measurement entity. The method further includes executing, with the processor, the script to tune a set top box to respective ones of a plurality of channels. The method further includes collecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, media identification data associated with the respective ones of the channels. The method further includes transmitting media presentation data to the audience measurement entity, the media presentation data mapping the media identification data to the respective ones of the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20170257681
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to identify linear and non-linear media presentations are disclosed An example method to determine whether a media presentation is a linear or a non-linear media presentation comprises generating a reference log comprising a first media identifier of first media and a time at which the first media was presented, accessing a media presentation log comprising a second media identifier of second media and a time at which the second media was presented, and determining whether the second media correspond to a linear media presentation or a non-linear media presentation by comparing the media presentation log to the reference log.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20170188068
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed to correlate census measurement data with panel data. An example method includes accessing a message sent from a requesting device in response to accessing media that includes a tag causing the requesting device to send the message to a monitoring entity with an identification of a geographic location of the requesting device and media identifying information. The example method also includes determining locations of a plurality of panelist homes and comparing the geographic location of the requesting device with the locations of the panelist homes. When the geographic location of the requesting device is within a threshold distance of a first one of the panelist homes, identifying a user of the requesting device as a panelist residing at the first panelist home, and associating the media identifying information with panelist data associated with the first one of the panelist homes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Patent number: 9693117
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to identify linear and non-linear media presentations are disclosed An example method to determine whether a media presentation is a linear or a non-linear media presentation comprises generating a reference log comprising a first media identifier of first media and a time at which the first media was presented, accessing a media presentation log comprising a second media identifier of second media and a time at which the second media was presented, and determining whether the second media correspond to a linear media presentation or a non-linear media presentation by comparing the media presentation log to the reference log.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Patent number: 9635404
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to correlate census measurement data with panel data. An example method disclosed herein includes instructing, via a first computing device of a monitoring entity, a media provider to embed a tag in media, the tag to cause a device accessing the media to send a message to the monitoring entity when the media is accessed by the device, the message to identify a geographic location of the device. The example method also includes accessing the message with a second computing device of the monitoring entity. The example method also includes identifying, with the second computing device of the monitoring entity, a panelist identifier based on the geographic location of the device. The example method also includes associating media identifying information included in the message with panelist data associated with the panelist identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20160323618
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to verify and/or correct media lineup information are disclosed. An example method includes accessing, by executing an instruction with a processor, a script received from an audience measurement entity. The method further includes executing, with the processor, the script to tune a set top box to respective ones of a plurality of channels. The method further includes collecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, media identification data associated with the respective ones of the channels. The method further includes transmitting media presentation data to the audience measurement entity, the media presentation data mapping the media identification data to the respective ones of the channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Patent number: 9420323
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to verify and/or correct media lineup information are disclosed. An example method includes comparing presentation data representative of media output by a first set top box (STB) to reference data corresponding to a first station to determine whether the media presentation data corresponds to the reference data, the presentation data collected while the first STB was tuned to a first channel. The method further includes determining a second station that corresponds to the presentation data when the presentation data does not correspond to the reference data. The method further includes correcting a first channel map that relates the first channel to the first station by relating the first channel to the second station to create a second channel map, and correcting clickstream data that represents commands to other STBs using the second channel map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Patent number: 9294815
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to discriminate between linear and non-linear media are disclosed An example method to determine whether a media presentation is a linear or a non-linear media presentation comprises generating a reference log comprising a first media identifier of first media and a time at which the first media was presented, accessing a media presentation log comprising a second media identifier of second media and a time at which the second media was presented, and determining whether the second media correspond to a linear media presentation or a non-linear media presentation by comparing the media presentation log to the reference log.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20140325551
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to correlate census measurement data with panel data. An example method disclosed herein includes instructing, via a first computing device of a monitoring entity, a media provider to embed a tag in media, the tag to cause a device accessing the media to send a message to the monitoring entity when the media is accessed by the device, the message to identify a geographic location of the device. The example method also includes accessing the message with a second computing device of the monitoring entity. The example method also includes identifying, with the second computing device of the monitoring entity, a panelist identifier based on the geographic location of the device. The example method also includes associating media identifying information included in the message with panelist data associated with the panelist identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20140278933
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to measure audience engagement with media. An example method for measuring audience engagement with media presented in an environment is disclosed herein. The method includes identifying the media presented by a presentation device in the environment, and obtaining a keyword list associated with the media. The method also includes analyzing audio data captured in the environment for an utterance corresponding to a keyword of the keyword list, and incrementing an engagement counter when the utterance is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20140282671
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to identify linear and non-linear media presentations are disclosed An example method to determine whether a media presentation is a linear or a non-linear media presentation comprises generating a reference log comprising a first media identifier of first media and a time at which the first media was presented, accessing a media presentation log comprising a second media identifier of second media and a time at which the second media was presented, and determining whether the second media correspond to a linear media presentation or a non-linear media presentation by comparing the media presentation log to the reference log.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20140282672
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to discriminate between linear and non-linear media are disclosed An example method to determine whether a media presentation is a linear or a non-linear media presentation comprises generating a reference log comprising a first media identifier of first media and a time at which the first media was presented, accessing a media presentation log comprising a second media identifier of second media and a time at which the second media was presented, and determining whether the second media correspond to a linear media presentation or a non-linear media presentation by comparing the media presentation log to the reference log.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan
  • Publication number: 20140282669
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify companion media interaction. An example method includes identifying primary media corresponding to a primary media presentation generated by a primary media device of an environment. The example method also includes determining whether secondary media corresponding to secondary media device usage in the environment is related to the primary media.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: F. Gavin McMillan