# US 12,004,008 B2 · Methods and apparatus to determine virtual WiFi data rate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,008 B2 - Document ID: US12004008B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/976,703 - Filed: 2022-10-28 - Published: 2023-02-16 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-30 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Joseph Kerkes; Julio Villasante; Marko Panger - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004008B2 ## CPC - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04W 28/06: Optimizing {the usage of the radio link}, e.g. header compression, information sizing {, discarding information (system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365)} - H04L 1/1614: {using bitmaps} - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to determine virtual WiFi data rate. An example disclosed herein includes a control frame receiver to capture control frames from a user device. The example disclosed herein further includes a bitrate calculator to calculate a bitrate for each control frame by dividing a bitmap of a control frame by an amount of time between the control frame and a previously captured control frame. The example disclosed herein further includes an interval timer to control a length of time that the control frames are captured before calculating the virtual bandwidth. The example disclosed herein further includes a virtual bandwidth calculator to calculate the virtual bandwidth after the length of time, the virtual bandwidth calculated by dividing an average bitrate from the control frames by the length of time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An audience measurement computing system, comprising: a processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the audience measurement computing system to perform operations comprising: capturing a plurality of control frames from a user device; calculating a bitrate for a control frame of the plurality of control frames by dividing a bitmap of the control frame by an amount of time between a receipt of the control frame and a receipt of a previously captured control frame; calculating an average bitrate based on the plurality of control frames; and dividing the average bitrate from the plurality of control frames by a length of time between the plurality of control frames to determine a bandwidth. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The audience measurement computing system of claim 1, wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames corresponding to the control frame captured from the user device during a time interval between the receipt of the control frame and the receipt of the previously captured control frame. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The audience measurement computing system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: generating an event in response to the bandwidth satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The audience measurement computing system claim 3, wherein the threshold represents a bandwidth indicative of streaming digital media. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The audience measurement computing system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise: crediting the user device with streaming media when the bandwidth satisfies the threshold. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising: capturing a plurality of control frames from a user device; calculating a bitrate for a control frame of the plurality of control frames by dividing a bitmap of the control frame by and amount of time between a receipt of the control frame and a receipt of a previously captured control frame; calculating an average bitrate based on the plurality of control frames; and dividing the average bitrate from the plurality of control frames by a length of time between the plurality of control frames to determine a bandwidth. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames corresponding to the control frame captured from the user device during a time interval between the receipt of the control frame and the receipt of the previously captured control frame. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise: generating an event in response to the bandwidth satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the threshold represents a bandwidth indicative of streaming digital media. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: crediting the user device with streaming media when the bandwidth satisfies the threshold. ### Claim 11 A method, comprising: capturing a plurality of control frames from a user device; calculating a bitrate for a control frame of the plurality of control frames by dividing a bitmap of the control frame by an amount of time between a receipt of the control frame and a receipt of a previously captured control frame; calculating an average bitrate based on the plurality of control frames; and dividing the average bitrate from the plurality of control frames by a length of time between the plurality of control frames to determine a bandwidth. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames corresponding to the control frame captured from the user device during a time interval between the receipt of the control frame and the receipt of the previously captured control frame. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: generating an event in response to the bandwidth satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold represents a bandwidth indicative of streaming digital media. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: crediting the user device with streaming media when the bandwidth satisfies the threshold. ### Claim 16 An apparatus, comprising: means for capturing a plurality of control frames from a user device; means for calculating a bitrate for a control frame of the plurality of control frames by dividing a bitmap of the control frame by an amount of time between a receipt of the control frame and a receipt of a previously captured control frame; means for calculating an average bitrate based on the plurality of control frames; and means for dividing the average bitrate from the plurality of control frames by a length of time between the plurality of control frames to determine a bandwidth. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames corresponding to the control frame captured from the user device during a time interval between the receipt of the control frame and the receipt of the previously captured control frame. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: means for generating an event in response to the bandwidth satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the threshold represents a bandwidth indicative of streaming digital media. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: means for crediting the user device with streaming media when the bandwidth satisfies the threshold.