SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTENT DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT

• US 20150113094A1
• Filed: 05/01/2013
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lisnr Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lisnr Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Rodney B., Ostoich, Christoper M., Ridenour, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 11,126,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/505 signals generated in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• 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 content management method uses a portable multifunction device 202 to detect human-inaudible acoustic signals 210, when that signal is heard from the surrounding environment by a device microphone 113 or is output by the device'"'"'s audio circuitry 100. The device 202 extracts a code from the inaudible signal and supplies the code via wired or wireless communication 232, along with additional optional data regarding the device and/or its user, to a content management system 200. Upon receipt of the code, indicating the received inaudible signal 210 from the portable multifunction device 202, the content management system 200 may provide particular content or a pointer to that content to the portable multifunction device 202, the content being selected based on the particular inaudible signal received. Additional threshold triggers 502 may be delivered to require additional actions to unlock the content.

Claims

1. A method of content delivery and management, comprising:

detecting a human-inaudible acoustic signal at a content delivery device,

supplying an indication of receipt of the inaudible signal from the content delivery device to a content management system,

responding to the indication of receipt of the inaudible signal by providing content to the content delivery device for presentation to a user of the content delivery device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content delivery device is a portable multifunction device, and the indication of receipt is delivered wirelessly to the content management system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content delivery device periodically queries acoustic signals received at the device to detect a human-inaudible acoustic signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the content delivery device detects the human-inaudible acoustic signal by use of one or more of:

an on-board microphone, an on-board speaker, an audio input, and an audio output.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is embedded in human-audible audio content comprising one or more of:

speech, music and background sound.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is embedded in human-audible audio content being produced by the content delivery device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is at a frequency outside a common range of human hearing.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is at a frequency at one or more of below 20 Hz and above 20 kHz.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is in the form of a modulated code of a series of logic 0 and 1 bits.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the modulated code is repeatedly incorporated in the human-inaudible signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the modulated code is transmitted to the content management system to indicate receipt of the inaudible signal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, in addition to the modulated code, the indication of receipt transmitted to the content management system comprises one or more of:

time data, date data, accelerometer data, geographic data, demographic data, content delivery device data, and content delivery device owner data.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the content delivered from the content management system in the content delivery device for presentation to a user of the content delivery device at a selected time after receipt.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the content provided to the content delivery device comprises one or more of:

video, audio, images, and text.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the content provided to the content delivery device comprises one or more of concert video or stills, artist photographs or videos, produced music videos, artist interviews, movies, commercials, or portions or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the content provided to the content delivery device comprises one or more of prerecorded music, ringtones, musical works in digital form, still pictures, artwork, logos, wallpapers, lyrics, quotations, coupons, passwords, pass codes, coupon codes, messages, email addresses, text message addresses, instant messages, advertisements, education content, or portions or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is provided to the content delivery device in conjunction with a trigger description, and further comprising permitting access to the content upon satisfaction of a threshold condition set forth in the trigger.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the threshold condition comprises one or more of a number of times the inaudible signal has been received, a number of times a song has been played, attendance at a venue, and receipt of a second human-inaudible acoustic signal at a venue.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is delivered to an electronic mailbox associated with the content delivery device or with a user of the content delivery device.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the human-inaudible acoustic signal is transmitted from a second portable multifunction device, the signal embedding peer-to-peer networking information for the transmitting device, comprising one or more of:

a public IP address, a private IP address, a port number, a wireless network identification, and a local area network identification.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising communicating between the portable multifunction devices one or more of:

a key to unlock a door within the human-inaudible acoustic signal;

payment or coupon information;

entertainment content;

contact information;

data;

data pointers;

currency or value exchanges;

mesh network originated content gathered by or transmitted to the devices.