Sonic signaling communication for user devices

• US 10,044,448 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sparcq, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sparcq, Inc.
• Inventors: Mufti, Mohammed Umair
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HU, RUI MENG
• Application Number:
  US13/110,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,638 Days
• Field of Search: 455 42- 45, 455 677, 455 70, 455 411- 413
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/00 Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859

Abstract

A system, methods, and apparatus for sonic signaling communication are disclosed. In an example embodiment, a broadcast device transmits a sonic signal including an audible signal component including primary information and an inaudible signal component including secondary information. The primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by a user. The inaudible signal component is received by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a broadcast device receiving an audible signal component and an inaudible signal component from a base station, and transmitting a sonic signal by propagating the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, the sonic signal including (i) the audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) the inaudible signal component which includes secondary information that is customized for a user based on a user profile by the broadcast device by inserting or embedding additional customization data to said inaudible signal component, wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is transmitted,

wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by the user, and

wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on the user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the inaudible signal component is within the range of 18 kHz to 24 kHz.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the inaudible signal component is at least one of a frequency-hopping spread spectrum modulated signal and a direct-sequence spread spectrum modulated signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the audible signal component is an audible portion of one of a television broadcast, a radio broadcast, a movie broadcast, a podcast, a webcast, and a closed circuit broadcast.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the inaudible signal component is only transmitted when the audible signal component is in real-time format.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast device includes a common speaker that transmits the audible signal component and the inaudible signal component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the common speaker is at least one of a stock television speaker, a stock radio speaker, and a stock computer speaker.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information includes at least one of an advertisement, an offer, and a coupon.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information includes rewards points which are credited to a user account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information allows the user to obtain rewards points which are credited to a user account.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information includes a uniform resource locator.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the uniform resource locator is a shortened uniform resource locator.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information requests the user device to open an application.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information includes at least one of real-time information and emergency information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information includes at least one of a visual message and an audible message that is provided to the user by a graphical user interface on the user device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast device is at least one of a television, a radio, an MP3 player, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a movie theater device, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device displays user content including text characters.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device transmits a response inaudible signal component to the broadcast device.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

A device comprising;

a microphone to receive the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air as sound waves from the broadcast device; and

a processor operably coupled to the microphone, the processor executing instructions to process the secondary information to cause the device to take the action.

20. The device of claim 19, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting a response inaudible signal component to the broadcast device.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver to receive from a user device, over a network, data representative of the secondary information included in the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal transmitted by propagating the sonic signal through the air as sound waves from the broadcast device;

a processor operably coupled to the receiver;

a memory device storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate user content based on the received data representative of the secondary information; and

a transmitter operably coupled to the processor to transmit, over the network, the user content to the user device, wherein the user content is received by the user device, which is configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the user content.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user content includes an internet web page.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the user content indicates that rewards points are credited to a user account.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the user content requests the user device to open an application.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary information is customized for the user based on identifying information associated with the user that is received from the user device.

26. A method comprising:

generating a radio frequency signal representative of a sonic signal including (i) an audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) an inaudible signal component which includes secondary information, wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is generated;

transmitting the radio frequency signal representative of the sonic signal to a broadcast device from a base station; and

receiving the audible signal component and the inaudible signal component by the broadcast device, the received audible signal component and inaudible signal component cause the broadcast device to;

customize the secondary information by inserting or embedding additional customization data into said inaudible signal component which includes the secondary information;

generate the sonic signal based on the radio signal representative of the sonic signal; and

transmit the sonic signal from the broadcast device by actuating a speaker to propagate the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by a user, and wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on a user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the radio frequency signal is within the range of 500 kHz to 300 GHz.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein generating the sonic signal includes demodulating the radio frequency signal.

29. A method comprising:

generating data representative of a sonic signal including (i) an audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) an inaudible signal component which includes secondary information, wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is generated;

storing, on a base station, the data representative of the sonic signal; and

receiving, from the base station, the audible signal component and the inaudible signal component by a broadcast device;

the received audible signal component and inaudible signal component cause the broadcast device to;

customize the secondary information by inserting or embedding additional customization data into said inaudible signal component which includes the secondary information;

generate the sonic signal based on the stored data representative of the sonic signal; and

transmit the sonic signal from the broadcast device by actuating a speaker to propagate the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted by the broadcast device for reception by a user, and wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on a user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the data representative of the sonic signal is stored in at least one of an MP2 format, an MP3 format, an AC-3 format, an AAC format, and an HE-AAC format.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the data representative of the sonic signal is stored as a data packet.

32. A method comprising:

receiving, at a broadcast device from a base station, data representative of a sonic signal including (i) an audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) an inaudible signal component which includes secondary information, wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is received;

customizing the secondary information by inserting or embedding additional customization data into the received inaudible signal component which includes the secondary information;

generating the sonic signal based on the received data representative of the sonic signal; and

transmitting the sonic signal from the broadcast device by actuating a speaker to propagate the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by a user, and wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on a user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the data representative of the sonic signal is received as a radio frequency signal.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the broadcast device modifies the inaudible signal component based on the secondary information.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the modification of the inaudible signal component includes inserting personalized information into the inaudible signal.

36. A method comprising:

receiving an audible signal component and an inaudible signal component from a base station at a broadcast device;

transmitting a sonic signal by propagating the sonic signal through the air as sound waves from the broadcast device, the sonic signal including (i) the audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) the inaudible signal component which includes secondary information that is customized for a user based on a user profile by the broadcast device by inserting or embedding additional customization data to said inaudible signal component wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is transmitted, wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by the user; and

receiving the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air as sound waves at a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on the user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

37. A system comprising:

a memory storing at least secondary information to be communicated to a user device; and

a processor configured to receive an audible signal component and an inaudible signal component from a base station, and to generate and transmit a sonic signal for propagation through the air as sound waves, the sonic signal including (i) the audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) the inaudible signal component which includes secondary information that is customized for a user based on a user profile by a broadcast device by inserting or embedding additional customization data to said inaudible signal component wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is generated, wherein the primary information is configured to be audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by the user, and wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal, which is propagated through the air, is configured to be received as sound waves by the user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on the user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component, wherein the memory and the processor included in the broadcast device.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software instructions which, when executed, cause a system including a broadcast device to:

receive an audible signal component and an inaudible signal component from a base station at the broadcast device;

store information to be communicated to a user device;

generate and transmit, by the broadcast device, a sonic signal for propagation through the air as sound waves, the sonic signal including (i) the audible signal component which includes primary information and (ii) the inaudible signal component which includes secondary information that is customized for a user based on a user profile by the broadcast device by inserting or embedding additional customization data to said inaudible signal component wherein the inaudible signal component is associated with a specific portion of the audible signal component that is generated, the secondary information being based on the stored information to be communicated to the user device, wherein the primary information is configured to be audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by the user, and wherein the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal, which is propagated through the air, is configured to be received as sound waves by the user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on the user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the inaudible signal component with the specific portion of the audible signal component.

39. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing software instructions of claim 38, including further instructions when executed, cause a device to:

receive the inaudible signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air as sound waves from the broadcast device; and

process the secondary information to cause the device to take the action.

40. A system comprising:

a broadcast device receiving a first signal component and a second signal component from a base station, and transmitting a sonic signal by propagating the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, the sonic signal including (i) the first signal component which includes primary information that is human recognizable and (ii) the second signal component which includes secondary information that is machine recognizable and is customized for a user based on a user profile by the broadcast device by inserting or embedding additional customization data to said second signal component, wherein the second signal component is associated with a specific portion of the first signal component that is transmitted,

wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by the user, and

wherein the second signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on the user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the second signal component with the specific portion of the first signal component.

41. A method comprising:

generating data representative of a sonic signal including (i) a first signal component which includes primary information that is human recognizable and (ii) a second signal component which includes secondary information that is machine recognizable, wherein the second signal component is associated with a specific portion of the first signal component that is generated;

providing the data representative of the sonic signal to a broadcast device from a base station; and

receiving the first signal component and the second signal component by the broadcast device, the received first signal component and second signal component cause the broadcast device to;

customize the secondary information by inserting or embedding additional customization data into said second signal component which includes the secondary information;

generate the sonic signal based on the data representative of the sonic signal; and

transmit the sonic signal from the broadcast device by actuating a speaker to propagate the sonic signal through the air as sound waves, wherein the primary information is audibly transmitted from the broadcast device for reception by a user, and wherein the second signal component of the sonic signal propagated through the air is received as sound waves by a user device configured to take an action responsive to the receipt of the secondary information customized for the user based on a user profile, wherein taking the action is conditioned upon the user device detecting the second signal component with the specific portion of the first signal component.