SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR WIRELESSLY MODIFYING DETECTION CHARACTERISTICS OF PORTABLE DEVICES

• US 20180288677A1
• Filed: 06/04/2018
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Anand, Stavropoulos, John, Neuhauser, Alan, Lynch, Wendell, Kuznetsov, Vladimir, Crystal, Jack, Gish, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,631,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Example systems, methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for wirelessly modifying detection characteristics of portable devices are disclosed herein. Example portable devices disclosed here include a microphone and radio frequency circuitry to scan for a radio frequency beacon at a first scanning rate. Disclosed example apparatus also include a processor to trigger activation of audio monitoring, in the portable device, of an audio signal obtained via the microphone. In some disclosed examples, the audio monitoring is to be triggered in response to a first connection being made via the radio frequency circuitry with a first transmitter of the radio frequency beacon. In some disclosed examples, the audio monitoring is to collect research data from the audio signal.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a microphone;

radio frequency circuitry to scan for a radio frequency beacon at a first scanning rate; and

a processor to trigger activation of audio monitoring, in the portable device, of an audio signal obtained via the microphone, the audio monitoring to be triggered in response to a first connection being made via the radio frequency circuitry with a first transmitter of the radio frequency beacon, the audio monitoring to collect research data from the audio signal.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon, the radio frequency circuitry is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the processor is to update the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made via the radio frequency circuitry with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the processor is to update the audio monitoring to have a first configuration in response to the second connection being made with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon without the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost, and the processor is to update the audio monitoring to have a second configuration different from the first configuration in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost and the second connection with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon being present.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein the audio monitoring includes at least one of detection of codes in the audio signal or generation of signatures from the audio signal, the first configuration is to specify at least one of a first type of code detection method or a first type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal, and the second configuration is to specify at least one of a second type of code detection method or a second type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal.

5. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the radio frequency circuitry is to scan at a second scanning rate different from the first scanning rate after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon.

6. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon, the radio frequency circuitry is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the processor is to turn off the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made via the radio frequency circuitry with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

7. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency circuitry is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the processor is to turn off the audio monitoring in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost.

8. A portable apparatus comprising:

means for sensing an audio signal;

means for scanning for a radio frequency beacon at a first scanning rate;

means for performing audio monitoring of the audio signal and for triggering activation of the audio monitoring of the audio signal, the audio monitoring to be triggered in response to a first connection being made with a first transmitter of the radio frequency beacon, the audio monitoring to collect research data from the audio signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon, the means for scanning is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the means for performing audio monitoring is to update the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for performing audio monitoring is to update the audio monitoring to have a first configuration in response to the second connection being made with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon without the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost, and the means for performing audio monitoring is to update the audio monitoring to have a second configuration different from the first configuration in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost and the second connection with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon being present.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the audio monitoring includes at least one of detection of codes in the audio signal or generation of signatures from the audio signal, the first configuration is to specify at least one of a first type of code detection method or a first type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal, and the second configuration is to specify at least one of a second type of code detection method or a second type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for scanning is to scan at a second scanning rate different from the first scanning rate after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon, the means for scanning is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the means for performing audio monitoring is to turn off the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for scanning is to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon, and the processor is to turn off the audio monitoring in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost.

15. A computer readable storage device or storage disk comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a portable device to at least:

configure radio frequency circuitry of the portable device to scan for a radio frequency beacon at a first scanning rate;

perform audio monitoring of an audio signal obtained by the portable device, the audio monitoring to collect research data from the audio signal; and

trigger activation of the audio monitoring of the audio signal in response to a first connection being made with a first transmitter of the radio frequency beacon.

16. The computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon and the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

configure the radio frequency circuitry to continue to scan at a second scanning rate different from the first scanning rate after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon; and

update the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

17. The computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 16, wherein to update the audio monitoring, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

update the audio monitoring to have a first configuration in response to the second connection being made with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon without the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost; and

update the audio monitoring to have a second configuration different from the first configuration in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost and the second connection with the second transmitter of the second radio frequency beacon being present.

18. The computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 17, wherein the audio monitoring includes at least one of detection of codes in the audio signal or generation of signatures from the audio signal, the first configuration is to specify at least one of a first type of code detection method or a first type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal, and the second configuration is to specify at least one of a second type of code detection method or a second type of signature generation method to be performed on the audio signal.

19. The computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 15, wherein the radio frequency beacon is a first radio frequency beacon and the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

configure the radio frequency circuitry to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon; and

turn off the audio monitoring in response to a second connection being made with a second transmitter of a second radio frequency beacon.

20. The computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

configure the radio frequency circuitry to continue to scan after the first connection is made with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon; and

turn off the audio monitoring in response to the first connection with the first transmitter of the first radio frequency beacon being lost.