Distributed monitoring system - Patent Review 4912552

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A distributed monitoring system which monitors data associated with a first set of devices, including at least one self-contained receiver, which collects and concentrates monitored data on site at a plurality of remote sites, and which systematically transmits concentrated data from said remote sites to a central site, comprising:

a host computer means, including means for receiving transmitted data, located at said central site;

a first means, coupled to said first set of devices being monitored, for monitoring, collecting and concentrating said data on site at each of said plurality of remote sites and for systematically calling out and transmitting concentrated data to said means for receiving in a manner that is transparent to any occupants at a given remote site; and

a second means, coupled between said host computer and said first means, for providing a bidirectional communications interface between said first means and said host computer;

wherein said first means comprises a second set of devices, including at least one metering device, for monitoring data associated with said first set of devices; and a hub means, including interface module means which facilitates selectively coupling said hub means to said second set of devices, for collecting, concentrating and transmitting monitored data; and

wherein said hub means further comprises a memory means including a CMOS static RAM for storing an operating system capable of being furnished to said hub means by said host computer via said second means; a microprocessor coupled to said memory means, said interface modules and said second means, for controlling the collection and concentration of data from said second set of devices and for controlling communications with said host computer via said second means and a time of day clock, coupled to said microprocessor, for synchronizing the operation of said microprocessor and said memory means, and for time stamping events to be logged in said memory means by said microprocessor.

2. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second means further comprises telecommunications interface means, and a non-dedicated telephone line at each of said remote sites, for coupling said first means to said host computer utilizing the public (dial-up) switched telephone network.

3. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 2 which further comprises means for utilizing the non-dedicated telephone line at each of said remote sites in a manner that is transparent to any other user of the telephone line at a given remote site.

4. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interface module mean are operative to permit said hub unit to be coupled to said second set of devices via at least one type of communication link from a set of communication links including RF, hardwire and carrier current links.

5. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first set of devices includes at least one TV broadcast receiver.

6. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second set of devices further includes at least one TV monitoring device.

7. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second set of devices includes at least one cable metering device.

8. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first set of devices further comprises at least one video cassette recorder (VCR) device and said second set of devices includes at least one VCR metering device.

9. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second set of devices further comprises a purchase data metering device suitable for reading product bar codes.

10. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said microprocessor collects data from said second set of devices by systematically polling at least one of the devices in said second set of devices.

11. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least a part of the processing control function for at least one device in said second set of devices is performed by said hub means.

12. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

(a) means for measuring the elapsed time between the sending to said hub means of a host computer command and the receipt by said host means of a response to said command; and

(b) means for setting said time of day clock as a function of said elapsed time to eliminate propagation delay

13. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hub means scans each device of said second set of devices according to an adjustable scanning frequency.

14. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said CMOS static RAM is further operative to store system configuration parameters and drivers to facilitate communications between said hub means and said second set of devices, and is also operative to store event logs generated by said hub means and said second set of devices for subsequent transmission to said host computer by said hub means.

15. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 14 further comprising means for segmenting and allocating said CMOS RAM.

16. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 15 wherein said memory means further comprises, EPROM for storing data which permits said hub means to perform initialization, self diagnostics and hub/host computer communication tasks.

17. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 16 further comprising means for performing memory mapping of said EPROM and said CMOS RAM.

18. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 17 wherein said memory means further comprises EEPROM for storing critical system parameters.

19. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 18 further comprising means for operating said hub means in a fault tolerant manner.

20. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said means for operating said hub means in a fault tolerant manner further comprises:

(a) an AC power loss detection circuit for signalling said microprocessor of AC power loss; and

(b) battery backup power supply means activated upon detection of AC power loss by said microprocessor.

21. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 20 wherein said means for operating said hub means in a fault tolerant manner further comprises a heater element for maintaining hub means circuit components above a preselected temperature level.

22. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 21 further comprising reset means for performing system reinitialization.

23. A distributed monitoring system for collecting television channel tuning data, household purchase data, VCR channel usage data and the like, a portion of said system being located on site at each of a plurality of preselected households, wherein the portion of the system located remotely automatically monitors, collects, concentrates and systematically calls out to transmit concentrated data to a central site, in a fault tolerant manner that is transparent to the occupants of each household;

said remote portion of said system comprising a hub unit and at least one spoke meter, said hub unit performing said data collection, concentration and transmission functions and each of said spoke meters performing said monitoring function;

said hub unit being adapted to be coupled to a given one of said spoke meter devices via any one of a set of communication links including RF, hardwire and carrier current links; and

wherein said hub unit systematically polls each of said spoke meter devices at a scanning frequency selected in accordance with each said spoke meter device, in order to collect data from said devices and, upon collecting and concentrating data from each spoke meter, systematically attempts to transmit concentrated data to said central site.

24. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 23 wherein at least one spoke meter is a member of a set of spoke meters that includes a stand alone purchase data meter, a TV meter, a cable meter and a VCR meter.

25. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 23 wherein said hub unit is programmable and may be reprogrammed by downloading control software from said central site without having to modify said spoke meters.

26. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 23 wherein at least one of said set of spoke meter devices is remotely programmable.

27. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 25 wherein each hub unit is operative to utilize a non-dedicated telephone line at each remote location, in a manner that is transparent to any other prospective user of said non-dedicated telephone line, to facilitate bidirectional communications with said central site over the public (dial-up) switched telephone network.

28. A distributed monitoring system as set forth in claim 27 which is operative to systematically perform an out-dial sequence in order to establish communication over said non-dedicated telephone line with said central site and which is further operative to be responsive to an in-dial sequence initiated at said central site and received over said telephone line, to facilitate receiving inquires and data from said central site.

29. A method of monitoring data generated at a plurality of remote sites utilizing a distributed monitoring system that includes a host computer located at a central site, comprising the steps of:

utilizing first means, located at said remote site, to monitor, collect, concentrate and transmit data to said host computer by calling out to said host computer in a manner that is transparent to any occupants at a give remote site;

organizing said first means in a hub and spoke arrangement wherein a first portion of said first means monitors the data generated at each remote site and a second portion of said first means, also located at each remote site, serves as both an interface between said first portion of said first means and said host computer and as a programmable means for collecting, concentrating and transmitting the data being monitored;

utilizing a set of spoke meters to perform the monitoring function of said first portion of said first means;

utilizing a programmable hub unit, to which said spoke meters are coupled, to perform said interface, data collection, concentration and transmission functions of the second portion of said first means;

utilizing a non-dedicated telephone line at each remote site, coupled to the public (dial up) switch telephone network, to couple said hub unit to said host computer; and

utilizing said hub unit to perform a dial-out operation, whenever concentrated data is to be transmitted to said host computer, and selectively arming said hub unit to receive a dial-in-code and inputs from said host computer over said non-dedicated telephone line.

30. A method as set forth in claim 29 further comprising the step of utilizing said hub unit to perform processing control functions for at least one of said spoke meters.

31. A method as set forth in claim 29 further comprising the step of coupling said hub unit to said spoke meter via a set of plug-in communications modules which interface with a set of communications links including RF, hardwire and carrier current links.

32. A method as set forth in claim 31 further comprising the steps of creating and maintaining an error log at said remote site, via said hub unit, capable of being recovered and analyzed by said host computer.

33. A method as set forth in claim 31 further comprising the step of uploading data being monitored by said spoke meters to said hub unit at a preselected polling frequency.

34. A method as set forth in claim 33 further comprising the step of downloading control software from said host computer to said programmable hub unit in a manner that does not require the replacement, reconfiguration or programming of the meters attached to said hub unit.

35. A method as set forth in claim 34 further comprising the step of programming a given spoke meter by downloading software from said host computer to said given spoke meter via said hub unit.

36. A method as set forth in claim 34 wherein the step of utilizing a non-dedicated telephone line at a given remote location is performed in a manner that is transparent to any other user of the same non-dedicated telephone line.

37. A method as set forth in claim 34 which further comprises the steps of:

(a) providing fault tolerant means for operating the system during AC power failures and at low temperatures; and

(b) providing means for resetting the system at user preselected intervals and on the occurance of user specified events.

38. A method for operating a distributed monitoring system that includes a host computer located at a central site, a set of spoke meters located at a remote site for monitoring data, and a programmable hub unit located at said remote site, for controlling the collection, concentration and transmission of said monitored data from said remote site to said central site, comprising the steps of:

monitoring said data via said spoke meters;

collecting monitored data via said hub unit at a scanning frequency selected in accordance with each of said spoke meters;

concentrating the data collected by said hub unit for subsequent transmission to said host computer; and

transmitting said concentrated data collected from said spoke meters to said host computer, by calling out to said host computer in a manner that is transparent to any occupants at a given remote site.

39. A method as set forth in claim 38 further comprising the steps of:

(a) utilizing a non-dedicated telephone line at said remote site to couple said hub unit and said host computer in a manner transparent to any other user of said non-dedicated line; and

(b) coupling said hub unit to said spoke meters via a set of plug-in communications modules which, to effect said coupling, in turn interface with a set of communication links, including RF, hardwire and carrier current links.

40. A method as set forth in claim 39 further comprising the step of controlling said hub unit via microprocessor located within the remotely located hub unit.

41. A method as set forth in claim 40 wherein the cycle time of said hub unit may be varied dynamically.

42. A method as set forth in claim 40 wherein said non-dedicated telephone line may be used to download control software for said microprocessor directly from said central site host computer.

43. A method as set forth in claim 42 further comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a command from said central site host computer to said hub unit;

(b) measuring the elapsed time between the sending of said command and the receipt of a response by said central site host computer; and

(c) setting a hub unit clock as a function of said elapsed time measurement.

44. A method as set forth in claim 40 further comprising the step of storing said control software in a CMOS static RAM included in said hub unit.

45. A method as set forth in claim 44 further comprising the steps of storing system configuration parameters, drivers and time stamped event log data in said CMOS RAM.

46. A method as set forth in claim 45 further comprising the steps of segmenting and allocating said CMOS RAM to facilitate the storing of data sets therein that are each uniquely associated with one of said spoke meter device.

47. A method as set forth in claim 45 further comprising the step of storing data in EPROM which facilitates the initialization of said hub unit and which permits said hub unit to perform self diagnostics and initiate communication with said host computer.

48. A method as set forth in claim 47 further comprising the step of performing memory mapping of said EPROM and said CMOS RAM.

49. A method as set forth in claim 45 further comprising the step of storing critical system parameters in EEPROM.

50. A method as set forth in claim 45 further comprising the steps of:

(a) heating hub unit components to permit system operation at remote site temperature levels which would otherwise be below component ratings; and

(b) providing backup battery power for said hub unit in the event of an AC power loss.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to a system for monitoring, collecting and concentrating data on site at a plurality of remote sites, for transmitting the data concentrated at each site to a central location and for performing said monitoring, collecting, concentrating and transmitting functions in a manner that is transparent to persons located at a given remote site. More particularly, the invention comprises a distributed monitoring system for collecting television channel tuning data, household purchase data, VCR channel usage data and the like; on site at a plurality of preselected households, wherein the system concentrates and transmits the collected data to a central site in a fault tolerant manner, transparent to the occupants of the household.

2. Description of the Related Art

The prior art is replete with various systems and arrangements for monitoring viewing habits and product purchase preferences of television viewers, sometimes referred to hereinafter as panelists. The earliest such systems merely collected data on site for eventual manual collection as to the television channels viewed and the times of viewing for various panels of viewers in order to determine market share and ratings of various television programs. Later, systems came into being for use with cable television systems with two way communications over the cable system between the head end thereof and various cable subscribers. In such a system the television sets are typically interrogated periodically from this central location over the cable, with the channel selection and time information being sent back to the central location and logged for statistical compilation. Such systems have also been used in the past in so-called pay television systems in which billing information is sent over the cable system to a central location from the various subscribers to the pay television system. The prior art also includes such systems in which a memory means is provided at the remote location, e.g. at the television receiver, for accumulating data as to the channel being viewed and time. The accumulated data is then periodically transmitted over conventional telephone lines from the remote locations to the central location, by telephone calls initiated by either the remote stations or the central location.

Systems for remotely accumulating data regarding the habits of television viewers and their qualitative reaction to material have today become important from the standpoint of market research. For example, the effectiveness of television commercials can be monitored by correlating viewing of those commercials with subsequent purchase decisions made by panelists whose viewing habits are being monitored. One manner of achieving this which has been utilized in the past is to have the cooperating panelists keep a diary as to purchase of products. The purchase information recorded in these diaries is then correlated with the commercials viewed by those cooperating panelists. In an alternative arrangement disclosed in the prior art, in areas where universal product code automated check-outs are available, such as grocery stores and at the check-out counter, a cooperating panelist presents a card coded with a unique scanner panelist identification similar to the universal product code symbol on the products purchased. The store's computer can automatically retain such purchase data for subsequent transfer to a market research company computer data base for correlation with the data regarding the various panelists viewing of commercials. Such arrangements of course require cooperation of stores within the area of the panelist locations, and are therefore more suited for limited geographic groupings of panelists in a single locale or city, and are not readily applicable to a national assemblage of panelists extending across an entire country.

In market research relating to commercials and their effectiveness, it also is sometimes important to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative forms of a commercial. One way of achieving this in the context of a cable television system is to split the subscribers or panelists into two or more groups, and then show the alternative forms of commercials to the respective groups of panelists. Correlation of product purchase information regarding those panelists wit the forms of the commercials they viewed can then be used to assess the effectiveness of the various alternative forms of the commercial. The prior art also includes examples of systems wherein certain portions of viewing audience can be selected on a dynamic basis and furnished with substitute programming. Such a system is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,686 to Walker et al. In accordance with that system, an auxiliary television signal is broadcast which contains not only substitute programming, i.e. video signal information, but also control information such as pulse code information for remotely selecting panelists which are to receive the substitute programming. Digital address information is provided for each of the panelists, and the portion of the panelists which are to receive the substitute programming are selected by the pulse code information. The Walker et al patent notes that in selecting the panelists which are to receive the substitute programming, the number of categories available is dependent on the number of digital information bits that are incorporated in the system. A later U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,974 to Cogswell et al also discloses an arrangement for selecting portions of a viewing audience on a dynamic basis and furnishing those portions with substitute programming.

A more recent invention for data gathering with particular utility in market research type applications is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,290 to McKenna et al. This patent teaches a system that includes a plurality of remote units which are controlled from a central location. Each of the remote units is attached to a television receiver which is generally but not necessarily attached to a cable system. Each of the remote units can function to determine which of several TV modes is in use as well as to store TV channel selector data, data from an optical input device, and/or data input by viewers representative of the composition of the viewing audience. The data is stored for either later collection by a portable data collector, or for direct transmission to the central location by each of the remote units. A video message for a TV viewer, such as a survey, may be transmitted from the central location and stored at the remote units, for later display on the TV receiver associated wit the remote units. Substitution of alternate programming information may also be achieved by the central control point on selected of the remote units.

The remote units described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,290 are well known in the prior art and are typified by a channel meter, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,958 to Machnik et al and a VCR meter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,302 to Damoci.

In sum, a variety of television related metering devices and data collection systems are well known which are placed in a household, monitor TV channel changes, accumulate time on a given channel and other information, and communicate the data gathered to a central computer using dedicated telephone lines.

As TV technology rapidly advances and data gathering needs change (e.g., re cable, VCRs, active and passive people meters, single source purchase meters, etc.), meters change accordingly. Each new meter type must be separately accommodated at the central site, necessitating reprogramming of central site software. Additionally, each meter currently requires the built-in "smarts" needed for collection of data and transmission either to a central household collector or via the telephone lines to the central site.

It would be desirable to have a communications system that is flexible enough to support new meter types and new metering applications as they are identified.

It would also be desirable to have a communications system that is situated in such a manner as to eliminate the need for reprogramming central site software as new meter types and new metering applications come on line.

It would be further desirable to be able to direct a set of relatively "dumb" meters, each having limited data collection capabilities, using a single smart "hub" unit located at each remote site wherein the hub unit handles communication between the central site and the household via a household telephone and wherein communications between the hub and the meters may be accomplished over a variety of communication links such as hardwired, RF or carrier current links.

In effect, it would be desirable to structure a distributed system into a "hub and spoke" arrangement where the hub unit includes a sophisticated microprocessor and memory and the "spokes" are the communication links to the meters. The spoke meters could then be systematically polled and two way communication could be employed to not only permit the spoke meter to upload data, but allow the spoke meter to be remotely reprogrammed from the central site via the hub unit.

It would be further desirable if the monitoring system, structured in the indicated desirable way, collected data in a fault tolerant manner, e.g., could recover from remote location power failures, etc., and be operated transparently with respect to the panelists occupying a remote site household. For example, if the system hub was utilizing the telephone and a household occupant picks up the telephone to make a call, the system should be able to get off the telephone and keep track of the task it was last performing in order to pick up where it left off once the household telephone user, unaware that the system was even utilizing the phone, hangs up.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a distributed monitoring system is disclosed which, in at least one of a plurality of panelist households (remote sites), has the aforesaid desirable hub and spoke organization for communications between a central site computer, a hub unit located at the remote site, and a set of spoke meters also located at the remote site. In one embodiment of the invention, a hub unit is provided at each of a plurality of panelist locations. Each hub unit is adapted to be coupled to a set of metering devices, one or more of which is coupled to one or more television receivers at each panelist location, or to one or more cable television converters in the context of a cable television system. Not all of the metering devices need be coupled to the television receiver or cable converter For example, stand alone, special meters such as purchase meters and wands, may be coupled to the hub independent of any TV receiver or cable converter connection.

In one embodiment of the invention the coupling between the hub and spoke meters may take the form of an RF link, a hardwired connection, a carrier current link, or some combination of these links as desired by the system architecture. For example, a tuning meter may be coupled to the hub via an RF link while a purchase meter is hardwired to the hub unit.

In one embodiment of the invention the hub unit includes memory means, a clock, a backup power supply, means for interfacing with the household telephone in a manner transparent to the occupants of the household, and means for interfacing with the set of metering devices located at the remote site via any one of the previously mentioned communication links.

In one embodiment of the invention the spoke meters (set of meters) may include meters for monitoring and temporarily storing information regarding which of a plurality of television modes are in use, for obtaining viewer identification data, for injecting signals into the TV receiver's video stream, etc. With respect to the purchase type meters, data collection can be accomplished via means for optically scanning bar codes and the like and storing information regarding same. Such bar codes and the like can be representative of product purchase information or panelist responses to market research surveys and the like.

By utilizing the aforesaid hub and spoke system architecture, the spoke meters may, for example, be polled periodically or on a virtually continuous basis by the hub, which then collects and concentrates the data acquired by each meter. As a result of this arrangement standard communications add data transmission "smarts" can be used at the meter level, meter storage requirements are kept to a minimum and no meter communications programming is required. The hub is responsible for uploading data collected by a meter in a systematic fashion, for example, by using a preselected polling frequency. The hub also monitors meter failures and serves as the interface with the distant central site computer. The remote system can be easily reprogrammed by only downloading control software from the central site, without having to modify the meters themselves.

It is an object of the invention to provide a distributed monitoring system for monitoring, collecting and concentrating data at a plurality of remote sites, for transmission over telephone lines, in a manner which is flexible enough to support new meter types and new metering application without having to reprogram existing central site software.

It is further an object of the invention to be able to direct a set of relatively "dumb" meters, each having limited data collection capabilities, using a single smart "hub" unit located at each remote site wherein the hub unit handles communication between the central site and the house hold via a household telephone and wherein communications between the hub and the meters may be accomplished over a variety of communication links such as hardwired, RF or carrier current links.

It is still a further object of the invention to structure said distributed monitoring system into a "hub" and "spoke" arrangement where spoke meters are systematically polled by the hub unit, to collect and concentrate data and to employ two way communications between both the hub unit and spoke meters and hub unit and central site computer to permit the spoke meter to upload data to the hub for transmission to the central site and to permit the spoke meters to be remotely reprogrammed from the central site via the hub unit or to download data for display on a television set associated with a spoke meter.

It is yet another object of the invention to collect data in a fault tolerant manner and in a manner that is transparent to the occupants of a remote site household.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the invention to be set forth hereinafter, taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 depicts the novel distributed monitoring system architecture, shown to include a remotely located hub unit and a representative set of spoke meters, which may be coupled to the hub unit via a variety of depicted communication modules, wherein the system includes a bidirectional communications path between the depicted hub and a centralized host computer system which utilizes the public (dial up) switched telephone network over non-dedicated telephone lines.

FIG. 2 depicts a plurality of remote sites, such as the site depicted in FIG. 1, coupled to the centralized host computer system via non-dedicated telephone lines.

FIG. 3 depicts the memory organization used in one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of the power supply backup and heating control means utilized in one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTI