Patents by Inventor Robert Luff

Robert Luff 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: 20130163658
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture for media monitoring are disclosed. In particular, the example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture determine a media source type associated with a media signal and select an encoding or decoding mode based on the media source type. An encoding operation encodes the media signal using the selected encoding mode and a decoding operation decodes the media signal using the selected decoding mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Robert A. Luff, Weston P. Headley
  • Publication number: 20130152117
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand (VOD) programs are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Robert A. Luff
  • Patent number: 8411963
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to count persons in a monitored environment are disclosed. An example apparatus to count the number of people in a monitored environment is described, which includes an image sensor having a plurality of pixels, a pseudorandom number generator to generate pseudorandom coordinates, a reader to read first pixel data generated by a first pixel of the image sensor at a first time, the first pixel corresponding to the pseudorandom coordinates, a comparator to compare the first pixel data with second pixel data generated by the first pixel at a second time different from the first time to generate a change value, and a counter configured to generate a count of persons based at least on the change value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Patent number: 8406341
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture for media monitoring are disclosed. In particular, the example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture determine a media source type associated with a media signal and select an encoding or decoding mode based on the media source type. An encoding operation encodes the media signal using the selected encoding mode and a decoding operation decodes the media signal using the selected decoding mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Robert A. Luff, Weston P. Headley
  • Patent number: 8381241
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand (VOD) programs are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20120219156
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to monitor media exposure are disclosed. An example implementation includes transmitting a start signal from a mailable meter to at least one mailable meter to at least one wearable meter; receiving a first audio at the mailable meter upon transmission of the start signal; receiving a second audio at the at least one wearable meter upon reception of the start signal; deriving a signature of the first received audio at the mailable meter; deriving a signature of the second received audio at the at least one wearable meter; transmitting the signature of the second received audio and an identification number from the at least one wearable meter to the mailable meter; and storing the signature of the first received audio and the identification number at the mailable meter as audience measurement data if the signature of the first received audio and the signature of the second received audio correlate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Robert Luff
  • Publication number: 20120179477
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer readable storage media to associate an activity with resource consumption are disclosed. An example method includes instructing a first meter associated with a first household appliance to measure first energy consumption information in response to a consumption indicator from a second meter associated with a second household appliance, associating the first energy consumption information from the first meter with an activity, and associating second consumption information from the second meter with the activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Patent number: 8181848
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for metering printed media are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus comprises a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to adhere to a first leaflet of a printed media at a first location; a second RFID tag to adhere to a second leaflet of the printed media at a second location of the second leaflet, the first and second locations being substantially a same location; and a first RFID absorber to adhere to a third leaflet of the printed media such that, when the printed media is positioned to expose the first and the third leaflets, the second RFID tag is inactive, and such that, when the printed media is positioned to expose the second and the third leaflets, the first RFID tag is inactive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Wayne Asa Olmsted, Charles Clinton Conklin, Michael Alan Hicks, Robert A. Luff
  • Patent number: 8170886
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to generate an energy consumption index are disclosed. In one described example, a method to generate an energy consumption index is disclosed, the method including measuring resources consumed at a home associated with a first person and calculating a home energy value indicative of the resources consumed at the home and measuring resources consumed by the person while located outside the home and calculating an out of home energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the person while located outside the home. The example method further includes identifying goods purchased by the person and calculating a purchase energy value indicative of the resources associated with the purchased goods, and generating an energy consumption index associated with the person based on the home energy value, the out of home energy value, and the purchase energy value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20110103595
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to monitor media exposure in vehicles are disclosed. An example implementation includes collecting audience measurement data with a media monitoring device fixed in a vehicle and transmitting the audience measurement data from the media monitoring device to a shuttle located within the vehicle, the shuttle being incapable of collecting audience measurement data independent of the media monitoring device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Fred Martensen, Robert A. Luff, Kendall Shirilla
  • Publication number: 20110066437
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to construct and transmit content-aware watermarks are disclosed herein. An example method of creating a content-aware watermark includes selecting at least one word associated with a media composition; representing the word with at least one phonetic notation; obtaining a proxy code for each phonetic notation; and locating the proxy code in the content-aware watermark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventor: Robert Luff
  • Publication number: 20100211967
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand (VOD) programs are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20100195865
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to count persons in a monitored environment are disclosed. An example apparatus to count the number of people in a monitored environment is described, which includes an image sensor having a plurality of pixels, a pseudorandom number generator to generate pseudorandom coordinates, a reader to read first pixel data generated by a first pixel of the image sensor at a first time, the first pixel corresponding to the pseudorandom coordinates, a comparator to compare the first pixel data with second pixel data generated by the first pixel at a second time different from the first time to generate a change value, and a counter configured to generate a count of persons based at least on the change value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20100151816
    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: December 16, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Inventors: Jan Besehanic, Robert Luff, David Howell Wright, Paul Mears, Arun Ramaswamy, Joseph G. Milavsky
  • Publication number: 20100082499
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to generate an energy consumption index are disclosed. In one described example, a method to generate an energy consumption index is disclosed, the method including measuring resources consumed at a home associated with a first person and calculating a home energy value indicative of the resources consumed at the home and measuring resources consumed by the person while located outside the home and calculating an out of home energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the person while located outside the home. The example method further includes identifying goods purchased by the person and calculating a purchase energy value indicative of the resources associated with the purchased goods, and generating an energy consumption index associated with the person based on the home energy value, the out of home energy value, and the purchase energy value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20100015926
    Abstract: System and methods to monitor and analyze events on a wireless device to predict wireless network usage are described. An example method to predict the use of wireless network resources from usage data of wireless devices when executed receives data related to a user interaction with a wireless device in an offline mode, analyzes the received data to predict wireless network resource usage of the wireless device, and outputs information associated with the analyzed data to enable allocation of wireless network resources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20090256972
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to generate and use content-aware watermarks are disclosed herein. In a disclosed example method, media composition data is received and at least one word present in an audio track of the media composition data is selected. The word is then located in a watermark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventors: Arun Ramaswamy, Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20090201132
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for metering printed media are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus comprises a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to adhere to a first leaflet of a printed media at a first location; a second RFID tag to adhere to a second leaflet of the printed media at a second location of the second leaflet, the first and second locations being substantially a same location; and a first RFID absorber to adhere to a third leaflet of the printed media such that, when the printed media is positioned to expose the first and the third leaflets, the second RFID tag is inactive, and such that, when the printed media is positioned to expose the second and the third leaflets, the first RFID tag is inactive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Inventors: Wayne Asa Olmsted, Charles Clinton Conklin, Michael Alan Hicks, Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20090150217
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to conduct surveys are disclosed. An example method includes receiving from a portable device activity data indicative of an activity of a person and counting a first number of exposures a person has to at least one of a first advertisement, a first product or a first location based on the received data. The example methods also include automatically offering at least one survey question related to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location to the person via the portable device substantially while the person is exposed to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location and after a plurality of exposures to at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location. The survey question is communicated through the portable device. Finally, the example method includes storing a response received from the person.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Inventor: Robert A. Luff
  • Publication number: 20080270172
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for using radar to monitor audiences in media environments are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Robert A. Luff, John W. Buonasera, Stanley F. Seagren