Device, system and method for measurement of media consumption in digital media terminals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9654889-B2
Application number	US-201414537262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Jan 28, 2009
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Example methods disclosed herein to monitor media presented by a media device include adjusting, with a circuit, an inbound audio signal input to the media device based on (i) a level of an outbound audio signal generated by the media device and (ii) a level of the inbound audio signal to produce an adjusted inbound audio signal. Such disclosed example methods also include combining, with the circuit, the adjusted inbound audio signal with a sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine a return signal. Such disclosed example methods further include processing the return signal to determine first identification information to identify first presented media having an audio portion corresponding to the outbound audio signal generated by the media device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to monitor media presented by a media device, the method comprising:
adjusting, with a circuit, an inbound audio signal input to the media device based on (i) a level of an outbound audio signal generated by the media device and (ii) a level of the inbound audio signal to produce an adjusted inbound audio signal;
combining, with the circuit, the adjusted inbound audio signal with a sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine a return signal; and
processing the return signal to determine first identification information to identify first presented media having an audio portion corresponding to the outbound audio signal generated by the media device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the inbound audio signal to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal includes attenuating the inbound audio signal to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal when the level of the outbound audio signal satisfies a threshold.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the inbound audio signal to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal includes substantially blocking the inbound audio signal when the level of the inbound audio signal does not satisfy a threshold.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 , wherein adjusting the inbound audio signal input to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal further includes enabling the inbound audio signal to be combined with the sampled version of the outbound audio signal when the level of the input audio signal satisfies the threshold.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , further including attenuating the outbound audio signal to produce the sampled version of the outbound audio signal.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the adjusted inbound audio signal with the sampled version of the outbound audio signal includes summing the adjusted inbound audio signal and the sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine the return signal.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein processing the return signal includes at least one of detecting a watermark included in the return signal or generating a signature from the return signal.

8. A media device comprising:
an audio circuit to:
adjust an inbound audio signal input to the media device based on (i) a level of an outbound audio signal generated by the media device and (ii) a level of the inbound audio signal to produce an adjusted inbound audio signal; and
combine the adjusted inbound audio signal with a sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine a return signal; and

an audio processor to process the return signal to determine first identification information to identify first presented media having an audio portion corresponding to the outbound audio signal generated by the media device.

9. The media device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the audio circuit includes:
a detector to detect the level of the outbound audio signal; and
an attenuator to attenuate the inbound audio signal to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal when the level of the outbound audio signal detected by the detector satisfies a threshold.

10. The media device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the audio circuit includes a noise gate to substantially block the inbound audio signal when the level of the inbound audio signal does not satisfy a threshold.

11. The media device as defined in claim 10 , wherein the noise gate is to substantially pass the inbound audio signal when the level of the input audio signal satisfies the threshold.

12. The media device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the audio circuit includes a sampling circuit to attenuate the outbound audio signal to produce the sampled version of the outbound audio signal.

13. The media device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the audio circuit includes a mixing circuit to sum the adjusted inbound audio signal and the sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine the return signal.

14. The media device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the audio processor includes software executable by a central processing unit of the media device to at least one of detect a watermark included in the return signal or generate a signature from the return signal.

15. A media device comprising:
first circuitry to adjust an inbound audio signal input to a media device based on (i) a level of an outbound audio signal generated by the media device and (ii) a level of the inbound audio signal to produce an adjusted inbound audio signal;
second circuitry to combine the adjusted inbound audio signal with a sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine a return signal;
third circuitry to:
couple the first circuitry with an input of the media device to access the inbound audio signal; and
couple the first circuitry with an output of the media device to access the outbound audio signal; and

means for processing the return signal to determine first identification information to identify first presented media having an audio portion corresponding to the outbound audio signal generated by the media device.

16. The media device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the first circuitry includes:
a detector to detect the level of the outbound audio signal; and
an attenuator to attenuate the inbound audio signal to produce the adjusted inbound audio signal when the level of the outbound audio signal detected by the detector satisfies a threshold.

17. The media device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the first circuitry includes a noise gate to:
substantially block the inbound audio signal when the level of the inbound audio signal does not satisfy a threshold; and
substantially pass the inbound audio signal when the level of the input audio signal satisfies the threshold.

18. The media device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the first circuitry includes a sampling circuit to attenuate the outbound audio signal to produce the sampled version of the outbound audio signal.

19. The media device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the second circuitry includes a summing node to sum the adjusted inbound audio signal and the sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine the return signal.

20. The media device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the input of the media device is an audio input, the output of the media device is an audio output, and third circuitry includes:
a first connector to interface with the audio input; and
a second connector to interface with the audio output.

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Falcon Fernando D

Classifications

• G10L25/00

  Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00 (muting semiconductor-based amplifiers when some special characteristics of a signal are sensed by a speech detector, e.g. sensing when no signal is present, H03G3/34) · CPC title

• G06Q30/02 Primary

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title

• H04H60/58

  of audio {(determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00)} · CPC title

• H04H60/31

  Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services · CPC title

• H04R29/00 Primary

  Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements {(for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308)} · CPC title