Activating functions in processing devices using encoded audio and detecting audio signatures

• US 9,711,153 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: McKenna, William John, Bolles, Jason, Kelly, John, Stavropoulos, John, Neuhauser, Alan, Lynch, Wendell
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US14/619,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 725 22, 704237
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio 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 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for performing an action on a device based on audio are disclosed. An example method includes determining at a first device whether the audio includes a monitoring code indicating that the audio is to be monitored, generating a signature using a portion of the audio containing the monitoring code, and causing the action to be performed on a second device based on at least one of the monitoring code or the signature.

Claims

1. A method of performing an action based on audio, the method comprising:

determining, by executing an instruction with a processor, at a first device whether the audio includes a monitoring code indicating that the audio is to be monitored;

in response to the monitoring code being located in the audio, generating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a signature using a portion of the audio containing the monitoring code; and

transmitting, by executing an instruction with the processor, a control signal to a second device via a network communication based on at least one of the monitoring code or the signature, the control signal to cause the second device to perform the action.

2. The method of claim 1, further including causing a second action to be performed on the first device based on at least one of the monitoring code or the signature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device controls the performance of the action on the second device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio includes a second monitoring code, the second monitoring code received at the first device after the monitoring code, and further generating the signature based on an audio portion located before the second monitoring code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio further includes a source identification code indicating a source of the audio, and further generating the signature based on the source identification code.

6. The method of claim 1, further including generating a plurality of signatures at time intervals in response to the monitoring code being located in the audio.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes at least one of displaying an image, displaying text, displaying a web page, playing a video, playing audio, or executing software on the second device.

8. A device comprising:

a detector to detect a monitoring code located in audio, the monitoring code indicating that the audio is to be monitored; and

a processor to;

generate a signature in response to the detected monitoring code, the signature generated based on a portion of the audio containing the monitoring code, and

transmit a control signal to a second device via a network communication based on at least one of the monitoring code or the signature, the control signal to cause the second device to perform an action.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to cause a second action to be performed on the second device.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the detector is to detect a second monitoring code in the audio, the second monitoring code to be received after the monitoring code, the processor to generate the signature based on a second portion of the audio located before the second monitoring code.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the audio further includes a source identification code indicating a source of the audio, the processor to generate the signature based on the source identification code.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to generate a plurality of signatures at time intervals in response to the monitoring code being located in the audio.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the action includes at least one of displaying an image, displaying text, displaying a web page, playing a video, playing audio, or executing software on the second device.

14. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a first device to at least:

detect at the first device a monitoring code located in audio indicating that the audio is to be monitored;

in response to the detected monitoring code, generate a signature using a portion of the audio containing the monitoring code; and

transmit a control signal via a network connection to a second device based on at least one of the monitoring code or the signature, the control signal to cause the second device to perform an action.

15. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the first device to initiate a second action on the second device.

16. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further to cause the first device to detect a second monitoring code in the audio, the second monitoring code to be received after the monitoring code, the instructions further to cause the first device to generate the signature based on an audio portion located before the second monitoring code.

17. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 14, wherein the audio further includes a source identification code indicating a source of the audio, the instructions to cause the first device to generate the signature based on the source identification code.

18. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further to cause the first device to generate a plurality of signatures at time intervals in response to the monitoring code being located in the audio.

19. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disk of claim 14, wherein the action includes at least one of displaying an image, displaying text, displaying a web page, playing a video, playing audio, or executing software on the second device.