Method and system for grouping devices in a same space for cross-device marketing

• US 10,210,545 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TCL Research America, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: TCL Research America, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wang, Haohong
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/984,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1449, 705 1458, 705 1464
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for grouping devices in a same place. A plurality of devices may be connected to a server. The devices may be classified two types based on mobility, including a stable device type and a mobile device type. One or more neighborhood devices associated with at least one stable device may be identified based on status information of the plurality of devices. The at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices may respectively record an audio sample at a set time. A similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device may be calculated. Further, one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices may be determined as in a same space as the at least one stable device based on the similarity score.

Claims

1. A method for grouping devices in a same space, comprising:

connecting a plurality of devices to a server;

classifying the plurality of devices to two types based on mobility, including a stable device type and a mobile device type;

identifying one or more neighborhood devices associated with at least one stable device based on status information of the plurality of devices;

collecting, by one of the at least one stable device, a sound sample;

determining whether the sound sample is a noticeable sound sample, wherein a noticeable sound sample is a sound sample with a content measurement above a preset threshold, and at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio of the sound sample and an entropy of the sound sample is used as a content measurement metric to compare with the preset threshold;

when the sound sample is determined to be a noticeable sound sample, recording, respectively by the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices, an audio sample at a set time, wherein the audio sample is respectively recorded by the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices at a same time point in the same space;

respectively calculating a similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device; and

determining one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices as in the same space as one or more of the at least one stable device based on the similarity score, so that the one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices being automatically identified as a same group in the same space.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein respectively calculating a similarity score further comprises:

generating an acoustic fingerprint for each audio sample, wherein the acoustic fingerprint is a numeric code; and

calculating a similarity score between two corresponding acoustic fingerprints to be used as the similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the status information of a device includes at least one of an IP address, a WiFi access configuration, and a GPS location.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a first device and a second device are determined as neighborhood devices when:

the first device is connected with the second device;

the first device is in a same network as the second device;

the first device is connected with a third device and the third device is the neighborhood device of the second device;

or

the first device is located within a preset range of the second device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a cross-device service to the devices in the same space, wherein the cross-device service includes at least one of;

present a media content on one or more devices in the same space, and adjust a setting of one or more devices in the same space.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the same space refers to a same room in a house, or a same section in an exhibition hall.

6. A server for grouping devices in a same space, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

connect a plurality of devices to the server;

classify the plurality of devices to two types based on mobility, including a stable device type and a mobile device type;

identify one or more neighborhood devices associated with at least one stable device based on the status information of the plurality of devices;

request one of the at least one stable device to record and send a sound sample;

determine whether the sound sample is a noticeable sound sample, wherein a noticeable sound sample is a sound sample with a content measurement above a preset threshold, and at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio of the sound sample and an entropy of the sound sample is used as a content measurement metric to compare with the preset threshold;

when the sound sample is determined to be a noticeable sound sample, respectively request the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices to record and send an audio sample at a set time, wherein the audio sample is respectively recorded by the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices at a same time point in the same space;

respectively calculate a similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device; and

determine one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices as in the same space as one or more of the at least one stable device based on the similarity score, so that the one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices are automatically identified as a same group in the same space.

7. The server according to claim 6, wherein when respectively calculating the similarity score, the processor is further configured to:

obtain an acoustic fingerprint for each audio sample, wherein the acoustic fingerprint is a numeric code, and the acoustic fingerprint is calculated by one of the server and the device that recorded the audio sample; and

calculate a similarity score between two corresponding acoustic fingerprints to be used as the similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device.

8. The server according to claim 6, wherein:

the status information of a device includes at least one of an IP address, a WiFi access configuration, and a GPS location.

9. The server according to claim 8, wherein a first device and a second device are determined as neighborhood devices when:

the first device is connected with the second device;

the first device is in a same network as the second device;

the first device is connected with a third device and the third device is the neighborhood device of the second device;

or

the first device is located within a preset range of the second device.

10. The server according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a cross-device service to the devices in the same space, wherein the cross-device service includes at least one of;

present a media content on one or more devices in the same space, and adjust a setting of one or more devices in the same space.

11. A system for grouping devices in a same space, comprising:

a plurality of devices having audio recording and communication capabilities; and

a server including;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

connect the plurality of devices to the server;

classify the plurality of devices to two types based on mobility, including a stable device type and a mobile device type;

identify one or more neighborhood devices associated with at least one stable device based on the status information of the plurality of devices;

request one of the at least one stable device to record and send a sound sample;

determine whether the sound sample is a noticeable sound sample, wherein a noticeable sound sample is a sound sample with a content measurement above a preset threshold, and at least one of a signal-to-noise ratio of the sound sample and an entropy of the sound sample is used as a content measurement metric to compare with the preset threshold;

when the sound sample is determined to be a noticeable sound sample, respectively request the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices to record and send an audio sample at a set time, wherein the audio sample is respectively recorded by the at least one stable device and the one or more neighborhood devices at a same time point in the same space;

respectively calculate a similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device; and

determine one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices as in a same space as one or more of the at least one stable device based on the similarity score, so that the one or more devices among the one or more neighborhood devices are automatically identified as a same group in the same space;

wherein the plurality of devices are further configured to respond to the control request from the server.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein when respectively calculating the similarity score, the processor of the server is further configured to:

obtain an acoustic fingerprint for each audio sample, wherein the acoustic fingerprint is a numeric code, and the acoustic fingerprint is calculated by one of the server and the device that recorded the audio sample; and

calculate a similarity score between two corresponding acoustic fingerprints to be used as the similarity score between the audio sample of the one or more neighborhood devices and the audio sample of the at least one stable device.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein:

the status information of a device includes at least one of an IP address, a WiFi access configuration, and a GPS location.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein a first device and a second device are determined as neighborhood devices when:

the first device is connected with the second device;

the first device is in a same network as the second device;

the first device is connected with a third device and the third device is the neighborhood device of the second device;

or

the first device is located within a preset range of the second device.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

provide a cross-device service to the devices in the same space, wherein the cross-device service includes at least one of;

present a media content on one or more devices in the same space, and adjust a setting of one or more devices in the same space.