Communication system

• US 8,185,100 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intrasonics SARL
• Original Assignee: Intrasonics SARL
• Inventors: Jones, Aled Wynne, Reynolds, Michael Raymond, Bartlett, David, Hosking, Ian Michael, Guy, Donald Glenn, Kelly, Peter John, Timson, Daniel Reginald Ewart, Vasilopolous, Nicolas, Hart, Alan Michael, Morland, Robert John
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US12/794,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455/3.01, 455/2.01, 455/3.03, 4554141-4144, 455/405, 4554121-4122, 455/550.1, 455/90.1, 4555561-5562, 455/552.1, 455/566, 455/569.1, 455/90.3
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/365 allowing a choice of facial features, e.g. to change the facial expression change of expression through animation A63H3/48, self-moving A63H13/005; movable eyes A63H3/40
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/52 of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 : for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 : Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

There is described a communication system in which data is received by and/or transmitted to a telecommunications apparatus using an acoustic data channel. In embodiments, the data is encoded within the audio track of a media broadcast or other public broadcast. The invention has particular, but not exclusive, relevance to a cellular communication system. There are also described acoustic position detection systems for determining the position of a telecommunications apparatus.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone comprising:

memory storing, in use, ID information associated with the cellular telephone;

a microphone operable to receive an acoustic signal of a user'"'"'s voice or of an audio transmission and for converting the received acoustic signal into a corresponding electrical signal;

an RF processor operable to transmit voice and/or data signals to and to receive data signals from a cellular telephone network; and

a data processor, coupled to said microphone and to said RF processor, and operable, in a first mode;

to cause voice signals corresponding to the user'"'"'s voice to be passed to said RF processor for transmission to said cellular telephone network, and operable, in a second mode;

to process audio transmission signals received by said microphone to obtain audience survey data relating to the audio transmission, and operable to pass to the RF processor for transmission to a remote audience survey station, for audience survey analysis, data representing;

i) the stored ID information associated with the cellular telephone; and

ii) the obtained audience survey data.

2. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said RF processor is operable to transmit said data representing said ID information associated with the cellular telephone and the audience survey data to said remote audience survey station via the cellular telecommunications network.

3. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said audience survey data is encoded within the audio transmission and wherein said data processor is operable to decode the encoded audience survey data.

4. A cellular telephone according to claim 3, wherein said audience survey data is encoded within the audio using spread spectrum encoding and wherein said data processor is operable to decode the encoded audience survey data using spread spectrum decoding.

5. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein the audience survey data comprises data identifying the audio transmission.

6. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein the ID information associated with the cellular telephone comprises the telephone number of the cellular telephone.

7. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said RF processor is operable to transmit said data representing said ID information associated with the cellular telephone and the audience survey data automatically to the remote audience survey station.

8. A cellular telephone according to claim 7, wherein said RF processor is operable to transmit said data representing said ID information associated with the cellular telephone and the audience survey data immediately after the audience survey data has been recovered.

9. A cellular telephone according to claim 8, wherein the audience survey data comprises data identifying a broadcast channel associated with the audio transmission.

10. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein the memory stores, in use, user profile data associated with the user of the cellular telephone and wherein the RF processor is operable to transmit the user profile data as well as the audience survey data to said remote audience survey station via a telecommunications network.

11. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein the memory stores, in use, location information defining a geographical location of the cellular telephone and wherein the RF processor is operable to transmit the stored location data to the remote audience survey station.

12. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said audience survey data identifies a broadcast or recorded programme.

13. A cellular telephone according to claim 12, wherein said audience survey data identifies a broadcast or recorded radio or television programme.

14. A cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein data recovered from the audio transmission causes a question to be output to a user for opinion polling.

15. A cellular telephone according to claim 14, operable to output the question to the user and operable to receive an answer from the user and wherein said RF processor is operable to transmit said answer to a remote device for collation with corresponding answers from other users for opinion polling purposes.

16. A cellular telephone according to claim 15, comprising a button for activation by a user to answer the question.

17. A cellular telephone according to claim 15, wherein the audio transmission is a radio or television broadcast and wherein the question relates to a content of the radio or television broadcast.