Coded/non-coded program audience measurement system

Abstract

An audience measurement system identifies a program which is broadcast from a signal source and to which a receiver is tuned. The audience measurement system includes a code reader for reading an ancillary code of the program to which the receiver is tuned, a channel status detector for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned, a memory for storing ancillary codes read by the code reading means and for storing channel status determined by the channel status determining means if ancillary codes are not readable by the code reading means, and a communicator for communicating the ancillary code and/or the channel status to a central office computer.

1 . An audience measurement system for identifying a program which is transmitted from a signal source and to which a receiver is tuned, the audience measurement system comprising: 
 code reading means for reading an ancillary code of the program to which the receiver is tuned;    channel status determining means for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned; and,    identifying means for identifying the program from at least one of the ancillary code and the channel status.    
     
     
         2 . The audience measurement system of  claim 1  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         3 . The audience measurement system of  claim 2  wherein the people identifying means comprises means for passively identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         4 . The audience measurement system of  claim 3  wherein the means for passively identifying individual people comprises a passive people meter.  
     
     
         5 . The audience measurement system of  claim 3  wherein the means for passively identifying individual people comprises a personal people meter.  
     
     
         6 . The audience measurement system of  claim 1  wherein the channel status determining means comprises means for detecting channel status and means for reading the channel status if the code reading means cannot read the ancillary code in the program received by the receiver.  
     
     
         7 . The audience measurement system of  claim 6  wherein the means for detecting channel status comprises a remote control and a sensor responsive to the remote control.  
     
     
         8 . The audience measurement system of  claim 6  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         9 . The audience measurement system of  claim 8  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         10 . The audience measurement system of  claim 8  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         11 . The audience measurement system of  claim 8  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people if the ancillary code is readable and for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience if the ancillary code is not readable.  
     
     
         12 . The audience measurement system of  claim 1  wherein the channel status determining means comprises prompting means for prompting a user to manually enter channel status if the code reading means cannot read an ancillary code in the program received by the receiver.  
     
     
         13 . The audience measurement system of  claim 12  wherein the prompting means provides prompts in the form of on-screen prompts.  
     
     
         14 . The audience measurement system of  claim 12  wherein the prompting means comprises a transducer for providing prompts to a user.  
     
     
         15 . The audience measurement system of  claim 14  wherein the transducer provides a visual display.  
     
     
         16 . The audience measurement system of  claim 14  wherein the transducer provides an audio signal.  
     
     
         17 . The audience measurement system of  claim 14  wherein the transducer provides a synthesized voice message from a speaker.  
     
     
         18 . The audience measurement system of  claim 12  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         19 . The audience measurement system of  claim 18  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         20 . The audience measurement system of  claim 18  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         21 . The audience measurement system of  claim 18  wherein the identifying means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people if the ancillary code is readable and for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience if the ancillary code is not readable.  
     
     
         22 . The audience measurement system of  claim 1  wherein the audience measurement system is a household audience measurement system.  
     
     
         23 . The audience measurement system of  claim 1  wherein the audience measurement system is a portable audience measurement system.  
     
     
         24 . An audience measurement system comprising: 
 code reading means for reading an ancillary code of a program to which a receiver is tuned;    channel status determining means for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned; and,    storing means for storing the ancillary code read by the code reading means if the ancillary code is readable by the code reading means and for storing channel status determined by the channel status determining means if the ancillary code is not readable by the code reading means.    
     
     
         25 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         26 . The audience measurement system of  claim 25  wherein the people identifying means comprises means for passively identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         27 . The audience measurement system of  claim 25  wherein the people identifying means comprises a keyboard for entering identifying information.  
     
     
         28 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  wherein the channel status determining means comprises a remote control and a sensor responsive to the remote control.  
     
     
         29 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         30 . The audience measurement system of  claim 29  wherein the storing means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         31 . The audience measurement system of  claim 29  wherein the storing means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         32 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  wherein the storing means comprises prompting means for prompting a user to manually enter channel status if the code reading means cannot read an ancillary code in the program received by the receiver.  
     
     
         33 . The audience measurement system of  claim 32  wherein the prompting means provides prompts in the form of on-screen prompts.  
     
     
         34 . The audience measurement system of  claim 32  wherein the prompting means comprises a transducer for providing prompts to a user.  
     
     
         35 . The audience measurement system of  claim 34  wherein the transducer provides a visual display.  
     
     
         36 . The audience measurement system of  claim 34  wherein the transducer provides an audio signal.  
     
     
         37 . The audience measurement system of  claim 34  wherein the transducer provides a synthesized voice message from a speaker.  
     
     
         38 . The audience measurement system of  claim 32  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         39 . The audience measurement system of  claim 38  wherein the storing means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         40 . The audience measurement system of  claim 38  wherein the storing means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience.  
     
     
         41 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  wherein the audience measurement system is a household audience measurement system.  
     
     
         42 . The audience measurement system of  claim 24  wherein the audience measurement system is a portable audience measurement system.  
     
     
         43 . An audience measurement system comprising: 
 code reading means for reading an ancillary code of a program to which a receiver is tuned;    channel status determining means for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned; and,    communicating means for communicating ancillary codes read by the code reading means to a remote site and for communicating channel status determined by the channel status determining means to the remote site if ancillary codes are not readable by the code reading means.    
     
     
         44 . The audience measurement system of  claim 43  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         45 . The audience measurement system of  claim 44  wherein the people identifying means comprises means for passively identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         46 . The audience measurement system of  claim 44  wherein the people identifying means comprises a keyboard for entering identifying information.  
     
     
         47 . The audience measurement system of  claim 43  wherein the channel status determining means comprises a remote control and a sensor responsive to the remote control.  
     
     
         48 . The audience measurement system of  claim 44  wherein the communicating means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience and wherein the communicating means communicates the time stamped and stored channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience to the remote site.  
     
     
         49 . The audience measurement system of  claim 44  wherein the communicating means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience and wherein the communicating means communicates the time stamped and stored ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience to the remote site.  
     
     
         50 . The audience measurement system of  claim 43  wherein the communicating means comprises prompting means for prompting a user to manually enter channel status if the code reading means cannot read an ancillary code in the program received by the receiver.  
     
     
         51 . The audience measurement system of  claim 50  wherein the prompting means provides prompts in the form of on-screen prompts.  
     
     
         52 . The audience measurement system of  claim 50  wherein the prompting means comprises a transducer for providing prompts to a user.  
     
     
         53 . The audience measurement system of  claim 52  wherein the transducer provides a visual display.  
     
     
         54 . The audience measurement system of  claim 52  wherein the transducer provides an audio signal.  
     
     
         55 . The audience measurement system of  claim 52  wherein the transducer provides a synthesized voice message from a speaker.  
     
     
         56 . The audience measurement system of  claim 50  further comprising people identifying means for identifying individual people in a monitored audience.  
     
     
         57 . The audience measurement system of  claim 56  wherein the communicating means comprises means for time stamping and storing the channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience and wherein the communicating means communicates the time stamped and stored channel status and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience to the remote site.  
     
     
         58 . The audience measurement system of  claim 56  wherein the communicating means comprises means for time stamping and storing the ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience and wherein the communicating means communicates the time stamped and stored ancillary code and information relating to any identified people in the monitored audience to the remote site.  
     
     
         59 . The audience measurement system of  claim 43  wherein the audience measurement system is a household audience measurement system.  
     
     
         60 . The audience measurement system of  claim 43  wherein the audience measurement system is a portable audience measurement system.  
     
     
         61 . A method of identifying programs received by a receiver, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) detecting, at the receiver, a signal corresponding to the programs;    b) reading ancillary codes if the ancillary codes are present in the signal and are readable;    c) determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver has been tuned;    d) forwarding the ancillary codes and channel status to a central office;    e) if the ancillary codes were read, comparing, in the central office, the ancillary codes with a library to thereby identify the programs; and,    f) if the ancillary codes were not read, comparing, in the central office, the channel status with a library to thereby identify the programs.    
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the identity of an audience member is associated with the ancillary codes and channel status.  
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 61  wherein step c) comprises the step of detecting channel status by use of a remote control and a sensor responsive to the remote control.  
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 61  wherein step c) comprises the step of prompting a user to manually enter channel status if the ancillary codes cannot be read in the programs received by the receiver.  
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 61  wherein steps b) and c) are performed by a household audience measurement system.  
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 61  wherein steps b) and c) are performed by a portable audience measurement system.  
     
     
         67 . A method of measuring audiences in statistically selected households, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) in each statistically selected household, detecting signals corresponding to programs;    b) in each statistically selected household, reading ancillary codes when the ancillary codes are present in the signals; and,    c) in each statistically selected household, determining channel status information relating to channels to which receivers are tuned when ancillary codes are not present in the signals.    
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 67  wherein the identity of an audience member is associated with the ancillary codes and channel status.  
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 67  wherein step c) comprises the step of detecting channel status by use of remote controls and sensors responsive to the remote controls.  
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 67  wherein step c) comprises the step of prompting users to manually enter channel status information if the ancillary codes cannot be read in the programs received by the receivers.  
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 67  further including the steps of: 
 detecting, by a portable metering apparatus, signals corresponding to the programs;  
 reading, by the portable metering apparatus, ancillary codes when the ancillary codes are present in the signals and storing the read ancillary codes and corresponding time stamps as first data; and,  
 determining, by the portable metering apparatus, channel status information relating to channels to which receivers have been tuned when ancillary codes are not present in the signals and storing the channel status information and corresponding time stamps as second data.  
 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71  further including the step of: 
 forwarding the first and second data to a statistically selected household.  
 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 72  further including the step of: 
 forwarding the forwarded first and second data to a central office.  
 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 67  wherein the age and gender of an audience member is associated with the ancillary codes and channel status.  
     
     
         75 . A method of identifying programs to which a receiver is tuned, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) detecting signals corresponding to the programs;    b) reading ancillary codes when the ancillary codes are readable in the signals;    c) determining channel status information relating to channels to which the receivers are tuned;    d) identifying the programs from the ancillary codes if the ancillary codes are readable; and,    e) identifying the programs from the channel status information if the ancillary codes are not readable.    
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the identity of an audience member is associated with the ancillary codes and channel status information.  
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 75  wherein step c) comprises the step of detecting channel status by use of a remote control and a sensor responsive to the remote control.  
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 75  wherein step c) comprises the step of prompting a user to manually enter channel status information if the ancillary codes cannot be read in the programs to which the receiver is tuned.