# US 10,482,890 B2 · Determining media device activation based on frequency response analysis > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,482,890 B2 - Document ID: US10482890B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/667,373 - Filed: 2017-08-02 - Published: 2017-11-16 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-14 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Venugopal Srinivasan; Morris Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482890B2 ## CPC - G10L 19/018: Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal - G10L 19/008: Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing - H04H 60/31: Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services - H04H 60/58: of audio {(determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00)} - H04N 21/4394: {involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58)} - H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/44231: {Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device (configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817)} - G10L 19/24: Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding - G10L 21/038: using band spreading techniques - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to determine media device activation based on frequency response analysis are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include reusing first frequency values of audio sensed with a microphone to determine a first frequency response of the sensed audio, the first frequency values having been determined to perform watermark detection during a first monitoring time interval. Disclosed example methods also include comparing the first frequency response to a reference frequency response to determine whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A meter to monitor a media device, the meter comprising: a microphone to sense audio; a device activation detector to: reuse first frequency values of the sensed audio to determine a first frequency response of the sensed audio, the first frequency values having been determined to perform watermark detection during a first monitoring time interval; compare the first frequency response to a reference frequency response to determine whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; and control operation of the meter based on the determination of whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; and a data reporter to output a device activity determination indicating whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The meter of claim 1, wherein the device activation detector is further to determine the reference frequency response based on second frequency values of the sensed audio that were used to detect a valid watermark during a second monitoring time interval prior to the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The meter of claim 1, wherein, when a valid watermark is detected during the first monitoring time interval, the device activation detector is further to: indicate an environment including the media device is unchanged when the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and indicate the environment including the media device has changed when the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The meter of claim 3, wherein, when the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response, the device activation detector is further to: replace the reference frequency response with the first frequency response when a signal strength of the sensed audio satisfies a threshold; and discard the valid watermark and the first frequency response when the signal strength of the sensed audio does not satisfy the threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The meter of claim 3, wherein the device activation detector is to determine whether the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response by: computing a dot product of the first frequency response and the reference frequency response; determining that the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response when the dot product satisfies a threshold; and determining that the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response when the dot product does not satisfy the threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The meter of claim 1, wherein the device activation detector is to: determine the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and determine the media device was inactive during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response and a valid watermark is not detected during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The meter of claim 1, wherein the device activity determination is a first device activity determination, and the data reporter is to report metering data to a data processing facility via a network, the metering data including watermarks detected by the watermark detector and device activity determinations made by the device activation detector, the device activity determinations including the first device activity determination. ### Claim 8 A method to monitor a media device with a meter, the method comprising: reusing first frequency values of audio sensed with a microphone to determine, by executing an instruction with a processor, a first frequency response of the sensed audio, the first frequency values having been determined to perform watermark detection during a first monitoring time interval; comparing, by executing an instruction with the processor, the first frequency response to a reference frequency response to determine whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; controlling, by executing an instruction with the processor, operation of the meter based on the determination of whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; and outputting, by executing an instruction with the processor, a device activity determination indicating whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including determining the reference frequency response based on second frequency values of the sensed audio that were used to detect a valid watermark during a second monitoring time interval prior to the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including: detecting a valid watermark during the first monitoring time interval; indicating an environment including the media device is unchanged in response to determining the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and indicating the environment including the media device has changed in response to determining the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further including, in response to determining the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response: comparing a signal strength of the sensed audio to a threshold; replacing the reference frequency response with the first frequency response when the signal strength of the sensed audio satisfies the threshold; and discarding the valid watermark and the first frequency response when the signal strength of the sensed audio does not satisfy the threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of whether the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response includes: computing a dot product of the first frequency response and the reference frequency response; determining that the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response when the dot product satisfies a threshold; and determining that the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response when the dot product does not satisfy the threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including: determining the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and determining the media device was inactive during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response and a valid watermark was not detected during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including: not detecting a valid watermark during the first monitoring time interval; enabling signature generation during the first monitoring time interval in response to determining the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and disabling signature generation during the first monitoring time interval in response to determining the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a meter, cause the processor to at least: reuse first frequency values of audio sensed with a microphone to determine a first frequency response of the sensed audio, the first frequency values having been determined to perform watermark detection during a first monitoring time interval; compare the first frequency response to a reference frequency response to determine whether a media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; control operation of the meter based on the determination of whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval; and output a device activity determination indicating whether the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine the reference frequency response based on second frequency values of the sensed audio that were used to detect a valid watermark during a second monitoring time interval prior to the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to: detect a valid watermark during the first monitoring time interval; indicate an environment including the media device is unchanged when the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and indicate the environment including the media device has changed when the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein, when the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to: compare a signal strength of the sensed audio to a threshold; replace the reference frequency response with the first frequency response when the signal strength of the sensed audio satisfies the threshold; and discard the valid watermark and the first frequency response when the signal strength of the sensed audio does not satisfy the threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to: determine the media device was active during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and determine the media device was inactive during the first monitoring time interval when the first frequency response does not match the reference frequency response and a valid watermark was not detected during the first monitoring time interval. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when a valid watermark is not detected during the first monitoring time interval, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to: enable signature generation during the first monitoring time interval in response to determining the first frequency response matches the reference frequency response; and disable signature generation during the first monitoring time interval in response to determining the first frequency does not match the reference frequency response.