Systems and Methods for Configuring Media Devices Utilizing Audio Codes or Signatures

• US 20140111698A1
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arbitron Inc. (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Anand, Stavropoulos, John, Neuhauser, Alan, Lynch, Wendell, Kuznetsov, Vladimir, Crystal, Jack, Gish, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for modifying operation of a media terminal device using characteristics of audio, wherein the characteristics may include ancillary code embedded in audio and/or audio signatures. When audio codes are read and/or signatures are extracted, they are processed to determine if they correspond to a predetermined characteristic that has a linked command. If correspondence is found, the command is executed to affect one or more operational layers of the media terminal device to modify at least one operational parameter.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for modifying operation of a media terminal device, the method comprising:

processing audio received in the media terminal device to identify a characteristic associated with the audio, wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of (i) a code embedded in the audio, and (ii) an audio signature extracted from the audio;

determining if the characteristic of the audio corresponds to a first characteristic, wherein the first characteristic is linked to a first command;

executing the first command in response to the characteristic of the audio being determined to correspond to the first characteristic, wherein the execution of the first command causes the media terminal device to receive an upgrade to a software module executable on the media terminal device; and

executing the software module to cause the media terminal device to collect and report, to a remote facility, at least one of (1) data concerning usage of media associated with the audio, (2) data concerning exposure to the media, or (3) market research data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the software module resides in an application layer of the media terminal device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein executing the first command comprises transmitting a message to a network and receiving the upgrade to the software module in response to the message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the code and the audio signature is stored on the media terminal device for inclusion in the research data.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising executing the software module to obtain at least one of codes or signatures from the audio.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

7-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A media terminal device, comprising:

an input to receive audio; and

a processor in communication with the input, the processor to;

process the audio to identify a characteristic of the audio, the characteristic comprising at least one of (i) a code associated with the audio, and (ii) an audio signature extracted from the audio;

determine if the characteristic of the audio corresponds to a first characteristic linked to a first command;

execute the first command in response to the characteristic of the audio being determined to correspond to the first characteristic, the execution of the first command to cause the media terminal device to receive an upgrade to a software module executable on the media terminal device to collect media monitoring data; and

execute the software module to cause the media terminal device to collect and report the media monitoring data to a remote computer.

15. The media terminal device of claim 14, wherein the software module resides in an application layer of the media terminal device.

18. The media terminal device of claim 14, wherein the execution of the first command comprises transmitting a message to a network and receiving the upgrade to the software module in response to the message.

19. The media terminal device of claim 14, further comprising a storage device, at least one of the code and the audio signature to be stored on the storage device for inclusion in the research data.

22. The media terminal device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further to execute the software module to obtain at least one of codes or signatures from the audio.

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

23. A storage device or storage disk comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a computing device to at least:

process audio received in the computing device to identify a characteristic associated with the audio, the characteristic comprising at least one of (i) a code embedded in the audio, and (ii) an audio signature extracted from the audio;

determine if the characteristic of the audio corresponds to a first characteristic, wherein the first characteristic is linked to a first command;

execute the first command in response to the characteristic of the audio being determined to correspond to the first characteristic, the execution of the first command to cause the computing device to receive an upgrade to a software module executable on the computing device; and

execute the software module to cause the computing device to collect and report at least one of (1) data concerning usage of media associated with the audio, (2) data concerning exposure to the media, or (3) market research data.

24. The storage device or storage disk of claim 23, wherein the software module resides in an application layer of the computing device.

25. The storage device or storage disk of claim 23, wherein execution of the first command comprises transmitting a message to a network and receiving the upgrade to the software module in response to the message.

26. The storage device or storage disk of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing device to store at least one of the code and the audio signature for inclusion in the research data.

27. The storage device or storage disk of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing device to execute the software module to obtain at least one of codes or signatures from the audio.