US 12,483,487 B2
Using network traffic data to identify internet of things devices
Meryem Berrada, Oldsmar, FL (US); Holly McCoy, Oldsmar, FL (US); and Oscar Blanco, Oldsmar, FL (US)
Assigned to The Nielsen Company (US), LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed by The Nielsen Company (US), LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/391,153.
Prior Publication US 2025/0211502 A1, Jun. 26, 2025
Int. Cl. H04L 43/026 (2022.01); H04L 41/16 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 43/026 (2013.01) [H04L 41/16 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for using network traffic to identify Internet of Things (IoT) devices at a media exposure measurement location, the method comprising:
obtaining network traffic data characterizing network activity of a plurality of devices coupled to a network at the media exposure measurement location, the network traffic data comprising, for each of the plurality of devices, a respective device identifier of the device;
processing the network traffic data to generate, for each of the plurality of devices: a plurality of activity parameters, each characterizing a network activity of the device at the media exposure measurement location;
processing the plurality of activity parameters using an IoT classification model that is configured to classify each of the plurality of devices identified in the network traffic data as either an IoT device type or another device type, the IoT classification model comprising a decision tree having: (i) a plurality of internal nodes, each internal node associated with an activity parameter threshold corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of activity parameters, and (ii) a plurality of leaf nodes, each leaf node associated with either the IoT device type or the other device type;
based on the decision tree, selecting, from a plurality of device identifiers included in the network traffic data, a target device identifier corresponding to a leaf node in the decision tree that is associated with the IoT device type;
filtering out the target device identifier corresponding to the IoT device type from the device identifiers included in the network traffic data to determine at least one remaining device identifier, wherein the at least one remaining device identifier corresponds to a device of the plurality of devices configured to be used for media streaming, and
outputting the at least one remaining device identifier that corresponds to the device configured to be used for media streaming.