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Method and apparatus for encoding/decoding broadcast or recorded segments and monitoring audience exposure thereto    
United States Patent5579124   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/5579124.html
Inventor(s)Aijala; Victor A. (Arnold, MD); Cohen; Gerald B. (Gaithersburg, MD); Jensen; James M. (Columbia, MD); Lynch; Wendell D. (Silver Spring, MD); Urbi; Juan C. (Laurel, MD)
AbstractMethods and apparatus for encoding and decoding information in broadcast or recorded segment signals are described. In certain embodiments, an audience monitoring system encodes identification information in the audio signal portion of a broadcast or recorded segment using spread spectrum encoding. A personal monitoring device receives an acoustically reproduced version of the broadcast or recorded signal via a microphone, decodes the identification information from the audio signal portion despite significant ambient noise, and stores this information, automatically providing a diary for the audience member which is later uploaded to a centralized facility. A separate monitoring device decodes additional information from the broadcast signal, which is matched with the audience diary information at the central facility. This monitor may simultaneously send data to the centralized facility using a dial-up telephone line, and receive data from the centralized facility through a signal encoded using a spread spectrum technique and modulated with a broadcast signal from a third-party.
   














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Drawing from US Patent 5579124
Method and apparatus for encoding/decoding broadcast or recorded segments and monitoring audience exposure thereto - US Patent 5579124 Drawing
Method and apparatus for encoding/decoding broadcast or recorded segments and monitoring audience exposure thereto
Inventor     Aijala; Victor A. (Arnold, MD); Cohen; Gerald B. (Gaithersburg, MD); Jensen; James M. (Columbia, MD); Lynch; Wendell D. (Silver Spring, MD); Urbi; Juan C. (Laurel, MD)
Owner/Assignee     The Arbitron Company (Columbia, MD)
Patent assignment
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Publication Date     November 26, 1996
Application Number     08/396,342
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     February 28, 1995
US Classification     386/96 381/2 386/98
Int'l Classification     H04N 005/76 H04N 005/00
Examiner     Tran; Thai Q.
Assistant Examiner     Chevalier; Robert
Attorney/Law Firm     Flanagan, III; Eugene L. Curtis, Morris & Safford, P.C.,
Address
Parent Case     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/976,558, filed Nov. 16, 1992 now abandoned.
Priority Data    
USPTO Field of Search     381/14 381/2 381/3 381/4 455/2 455/49.1 455/53 455/67 358/335 358/341 358/343 348/1 348/2 348/3 348/5
Patent Tags     encoding/decoding broadcast recorded segments monitoring audience exposure thereto
   
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What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting encoded information in broadcast or recorded audio signals, comprising the steps of: receiving an encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal including an audio signal portion having an encoded identification signal, the encoded identification signal being produced by modulating a first code signal having a predetermined nonzero bandwidth and not derived from the audio signal portion with an identification signal having a narrower bandwidth than the predetermined nonzero bandwidth of the first code signal, correlating the audio signal portion with a second code signal corresponding to the first code signal and not derived from the audio signal portion to produce a correlated signal, and recovering the identification signal from the correlated signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of synchronizing the second code signal with the encoded identification signal before the step of correlating.

3. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of transforming the audio signal portion to frequency domain information.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of correlating comprises multiplying the audio signal portion with the second code signal to produce a multiplied signal and wherein the step of recovering comprises integrating the multiplied signal.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of frequency synthesizing in accordance with code data to produce the second code signal.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the step of correlating comprises mixing the audio signal portion with the second code signal.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the recovered identification signal as stored data.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the steps of receiving, correlating and storing are performed at each of a plurality of sites, and further comprising the step of sending stored data from the plurality of sites to a centralized data processing facility.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of recovering additional information identifying at least one of station, channel and segment identity from the received encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of storing the recovered identification signal with the additional information.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the received encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal includes the additional information in the audio signal portion.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the received encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal includes the additional information substantially in audio signal frequencies above 3000 Hz.

13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving a further broadcast including encoded broadcast data, the encoded broadcast data being produced by modulating a third code signal with a selected bandwidth by a broadcast data signal having a narrower bandwidth than the selected bandwidth; and correlating the further broadcast with a fourth code signal corresponding to the third code signal to recover the broadcast data signal.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the audio signal portion comprises receiving the audio signal portion from a device carried on the person of an audience member.

15. A method for detecting encoded information in broadcast or recorded audio signals, comprising the steps of: transducing an acoustically reproduced audio signal portion of an encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal to produce a transduced audio signal portion, the audio signal portion having an encoded identification signal produced by modulating a first code signal having a predetermined nonzero bandwidth and not derived from the audio signal portion with an identification signal having a narrower bandwidth than the predetermined nonzero bandwidth, the encoded identification signal being imperceptible as information in the acoustically reproduced audio signal portion, correlating the transduced audio signal portion with a second code signal corresponding to the first code signal and not derived from the audio signal portion to produce a correlated signal, and recovering the identification signal from the correlated signal.

16. A method to claim 15, further comprising the step of determining an identity of an audience member within audible range of the acoustically reproduced audio signal portion.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of transducing comprises transducing an acoustically reproduced audio signal portion of an encoded broadcast wherein the audio signal portion is encoded with an identification signal including information identifying a source of the encoded broadcast, and further comprising the step of transmitting the information identifying the source and information indicating the identity of the audience member to a centralized data processing facility for producing an estimate of the audience for the encoded broadcast.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the identification signal identifies a source of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of assembling the identity of the audience member and the source of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal with a designation of the identity of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the identification signal identifies one of a source of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal and a designation of the identity of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal, and further comprising the step of assembling data associating the identity of the audience member with the one of a source of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal and a designation of the identity of the encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein the steps of transducing and correlating occur within a device carried on the person of the audience member.

22. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of transducing occurs within a first device carried on the person of the audience member, and the step of correlating occurs within a second device, and further comprising a step of wirelessly transmitting the audio signal portion from the first device to the second device.

23. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of storing the recovered identification signal with a timestamp as stored data.

24. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of correlating is limited to only a predetermined audience survey time period.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the step of correlating is limited to the predetermined audience survey time period based on the second code signal.

26. A method for determining a source or sources of at least one copyrighted work included in broadcast or recorded audio signals, comprising the steps of: receiving an encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal including at least one copyrighted work, the at least one copyrighted work including an audio signal portion having an encoded identification signal indicating a source of the at least one copyrighted work, the encoded identification signal being produced by modulating a first code signal having a predetermined nonzero bandwidth and not derived from the audio signal portion with an identification signal having a narrower bandwidth than the predetermined nonzero bandwidth, correlating the audio signal portion with a second code signal corresponding to the first code signal and not derived from the audio signal portion to produce a correlated signal, recovering the identification signal from the correlated signal, and assembling data representing the source or sources of the at least one copyrighted work.

27. A method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of recovering additional information indicating at least one of station, channel and identity of the at least one copyrighted work from the received encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the identification signal identifies at least one of the station and the channel of the at least one copyrighted work, and the additional information indicates at least the identity of the at least one copyrighted work.

29. A method for determining a source or sources of at least one commercial advertisement in broadcast or recorded audio signals, comprising the steps of: receiving an encoded broadcast or recorded segment signal including at least one commercial advertisement, the at least one commercial advertisement including an