# US 12,764,460 B2 · Orienting a beamforming beam toward a media device

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- Number: US 12,764,460 B2
- Document ID: US12764460B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/956,835
- Filed: 2024-11-22
- Published: 2025-06-19
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2023-12-13
- Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
- Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
- Inventors: Meryem Berrada; Justin Dan Mathew
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12764460B2

## CPC

- H04R 1/406: {microphones}
- H04R 3/005: {for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)}
- H04R 2203/12: Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

In one example, a method is described. The method includes receiving, via a receiver in a meter, a wireless data packet. The wireless data packet is associated with a media device ON signal of a media device. The method further includes orienting, based on receipt of the wireless data packet, a beamforming beam of the meter toward the media device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, via a receiver in a meter, a wireless data packet, wherein the wireless data packet is associated with a media device ON signal of a media device; and
orienting, based on receipt of the wireless data packet, a beamforming beam of the meter toward the media device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises:
receiving, using a microphone array of the meter, an audio signal;
determining a direction of arrival of the audio signal,
wherein the direction of arrival corresponds to a location of a source of the audio signal, and
wherein the source of the audio signal is the media device; and
beamforming based on the direction of arrival.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
calculating, using the receiver, a direction corresponding to a location where the wireless data packet was transmitted from; and
estimating, using the calculated direction, a direction of arrival; and
wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises using the estimated direction of arrival to orient the beamforming beam toward the media device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the media device ON signal is generated when the media device powers ON.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising:
receiving, via a dongle coupled to the media device, a media device ON signal; and
transmitting, using a transmitter in the dongle, the wireless data packet over a network.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, after orienting, audio signals from the media device for media identification,
wherein a microphone array of the meter receives the audio signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising:
identifying media content from the received audio signals.

### Claim 8

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:
receiving, via a receiver in a meter, a wireless data packet, wherein the wireless data packet is associated with a media device ON signal of a media device; and
orienting, based on receipt of the wireless data packet, a beamforming beam of the meter toward the media device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises:
determining a direction of arrival of an audio signal,
wherein the direction of arrival corresponds to a location of a source of the audio signal, and
wherein the source of the audio signal is the media device; and
beamforming based on the direction of arrival.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the set of operations further comprising:
calculating, using the receiver, a direction corresponding to a location where the wireless data packet was transmitted from; and
estimating, using the calculated direction, a direction of arrival; and
wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises using the estimated direction of arrival to orient the beamforming beam toward the media device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the set of operations further comprising:
receiving, after orienting, audio signals from the media device for media identification,
wherein a microphone array of the meter receives the audio signals; and
identifying media content from the received audio signals.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8,
wherein the media device ON signal is generated when the media device powers ON.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the set of operations further comprising:
receiving, via a dongle coupled to the media device, a media device ON signal; and
transmitting, using a transmitter in the dongle, the wireless data packet over a network.

### Claim 14

A computing system comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:
receiving, via a receiver in a meter, a wireless data packet, wherein the wireless data packet is associated with a media device ON signal of a media device; and
orienting, based on receipt of the wireless data packet, a beamforming beam of the meter toward the media device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The computing system of claim 14, wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises:
determining a direction of arrival of an audio signal,
wherein the direction of arrival corresponds to a location of a source of the audio signal, and
wherein the source of the audio signal is the media device; and
beamforming based on the direction of arrival.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The computing system of claim 14, the set of operations further comprising:
calculating, using the receiver, a direction corresponding to a location where the wireless data packet was transmitted from; and
estimating, using the calculated direction, a direction of arrival; and
wherein orienting the beamforming beam toward the media device comprises using the estimated direction of arrival to orient the beamforming beam toward the media device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The computing system of claim 14, the set of operations further comprising:
wherein the media device ON signal is generated when the media device powers ON.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computing system of claim 17, the set of operations further comprising:
receiving, via a dongle coupled to the media device, a media device ON signal; and
transmitting, using a transmitter in the dongle, the wireless data packet over a network.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The computing system of claim 14, the set of operations further comprising:
receiving, after orienting, audio signals from the media device for media identification,
wherein a microphone array of the meter receives the audio signals.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computing system of claim 19, the set of operations further comprising:
identifying media content from the received audio signals.