Patent GB-847596-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in apparatus for use in determining the listening or viewing habits of wave signal receiver users
IPC: H04H60/32
Filed: 1956-07-18
Abstract: 847,596. Radio receiving apparatus. NIELSEN CO. Ltd., A. C. July 18, 1956 [March 16, 1956], No. 22273/56. Class 40(5). [Also in Group XXXVIII] In a system for recording at a central station information concerning the use of a plurality of radio or television receivers situated in homes separate from but in the locality of the central station there is provided at each home an apparatus 10 which is associated with a receiver in the home and is in communication, over telephone lines, with a corresponding follower unit 12 at the central station 20, the condition of each follower unit being established in accordance with the use, at that time, of the receiver associated with the corresponding sender unit 10, i.e. its condition indicates whether the corresponding receiver is energized or not and, if it is energized, the channel or transmitting station to which the receiver is tuned. A scanning unit 13 is connected to the follower units and samples each in turn; at the end of each sampling cycle, of one minute duration, the information accumulated in the unit 13 is passed to a totalizer 14 and thence to a printer 15 which makes a record every minute showing the total number of receivers energized and the numbers of receivers tuned to each of a plurality of possible channels. In addition a recorder 18 is provided; this records on punched cards the condition of each receiver at each instant but is energized only when the information contained in unit 13 changes so that a new card is punched only when the condition of one of the receivers is altered. Fig 2a illustrates one sender unit 10 and its associated follower unit 12. The sender unit comprises a synchronous motor M1 which is energized when the receiver is switched on to rotate a cam 46 until a switch S1 is closed, so energizing a relay R1 from service Bl, whereby the motor is switched off and the cam comes to rest. A motor M2 in the follower unit stays at rest with switch S3 closed by means of cam 47 until the motor Ml is brought to rest by the closure of switch S1. The simultaneous closure of these two switches energizes relays R6, R8 to complete the telephone circuit between units 10 and 12 whereby current flows from source B3 to actuate relays R3, R5 with the result that motors M1, M2 are energized once more and rotate in synchronism until switch 52 is closed; this stops the motor Ml and also connects the source B2 into the telephone circuit to increase the amplitude of the direct current flowing therein, this increase in amplitude being used to stop the motor M2 at the same time by causing relay R7 to be actuated. The switch S2 is movable around the periphery of the cam 46 (Fig. 4b (not shown)) in accordance with the setting of the tuning shaft of the receiver and thus, since both motors started rotating at the same instant from respective predetermined datum positions and were stopped at the same instant, the angular setting of the shaft of motor M2 indicates the tuning of the corresponding receiver associated with the sender unit 10. Fig. 5 shows the remainder of the apparatus at the central station. The shaft of motor M2 carries cams 202, 203, 204 which respectively actuate switches S11, S12, S13, the adjustment of the cams on the shaft being so arranged that switch S11 is closed when the corresponding receiver, i.e. that at "Home No. 1" is tuned to a first predetermined channel, e.g. "channel A while witch S12 or S13 is closed when the receiver is tuned to "channel B" or "channel C" respectively. A further switch 208 in the follower unit is closed when the corresponding receiver is switched on. The central station also comprises a plurality of multiplecontact rotary switches; these are rotated in synchronism by an actuator 237. Considering any one switch, each contact thereof corresponds to a different one of the receivers being monitored, corresponding contacts on different switches corresponding to the same receiver. Thus the first contact of switch 225, which is a "Receiver-on" switch, is connected to switch 208 in Follower No. 1. The next contact is connected to a corresponding switch in Follower No. 2 and so on round the switch until all the followers are connected to the switch. There is also provided a plurality of "channel" switches, of which only the "channel A" switch 210, is shown. The full contact of this is connected through switches S11 and 208 to voltage source 219, the next contact is connected through corresponding switches in Follower No. 2 and so on through all the follower units. In addition a "Home-Identification" switch 238 is provided with contacts connected so that relay R22 corresponds to the receiver at Home No. relay R23 corresponds to the receiver at Home No. 2 and so on. Each time the wiper arm of switch 225 engages a contact corresponding to an energized receiver, the relay R21 is actuated thus supplying a pulse to counting switch 233. Thus at the end of a complete rotation of the wiper arms of the switches the counter 233 stores the total number of receivers energized which number is then supplied to the printer 15. Counter 213 similarly stores the number of receivers tuned to channel A and further counters store similar information concerning channel B, channel C and so on. A time signal is simultaneously supplied to the printer 15 from apparatus 253 so that the times at which successive items of information are printed appear on the record. Further information is recorded by punch recorder 18. Each time a receiver is switched on or returned so that the condition of the relay circuits at the follower unit shown in Fig. 2a is altered a selfholding relay is actuated. There is one relay for each receiver and their normally-open contacts are arranged in series with corresponding ones of the relays R22, R23 &c. Thus energization of one of these self-holding relays permits a corresponding relay circuit to be completed when the "Home-identification" switch 238 reaches the appropriate contact. This energizes the recorder 18 which punches a record card with the information relating to the appropriate receiver; this is indicated by the conditions of relay contacts such as 230, 220 corresponding to the "Receiver-on" and "channel A" conditions respectively. Detailed relay circuits are illustrated in Figs 6a, 6b (not shown); these describe the further relay circuits which cause the initiating relays to fall out once the necessary information has been recorded. Specifications 847,597, 847,598, 847,599, 847,600 and 847,601 are referred to.