Patents by Inventor Fernando D. Falcon

Fernando D. Falcon has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9654889
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 9369762
    Abstract: Example method disclosed herein to determine source information for media presented by a media device include identifying successive media segments of the presented media from an audio signal received from the media device, respective media segments corresponding to respective durations of uninterrupted presentation of the media by the media device. Disclosed example methods also include identifying a first group of remote control commands detected wirelessly in a first time interval prior to a start of a first one of the media segments. Disclosed example methods further include determining source information for the first one of the media segments based on the first group of remote control commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20150063576
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20150026709
    Abstract: Example method disclosed herein to determine source information for media presented by a media device include identifying successive media segments of the presented media from an audio signal received from the media device, respective media segments corresponding to respective durations of uninterrupted presentation of the media by the media device. Disclosed example methods also include identifying a first group of remote control commands detected wirelessly in a first time interval prior to a start of a first one of the media segments. Disclosed example methods further include determining source information for the first one of the media segments based on the first group of remote control commands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 8885840
    Abstract: A device, system and method for enabling the measuring of audiences to media consumed through the use of digital media terminals. An example disclosed herein includes a loop-back device that allows the production/extraction of content identification information from media items rendered by a digital media terminal that can be seamlessly and homogenously implemented in a wide variety of media distribution platforms and devices, including Internet and mobile networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 8856816
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to determine source information for media content output by a media rendering device operable to output media content from a plurality of different sources are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises detecting media content output by the a media rendering device, the media content having a media variable associated therewith, detecting a plurality of user commands, detecting a change in the media variable associated with the media content output by the media rendering device, selecting, based on a time limit, a user command from the plurality of detected user commands to use with the detected media variable change to determine source information, and providing the detected media variable change and the selected user command to a processor to determine a source of the media content output by the media rendering device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 8539520
    Abstract: An audience measurement system generates signatures of unknown pieces of content viewed by panel members, and generates multiplexed reference signatures of known pieces of content. The signatures of the unknown pieces of content are stored and transmitted to a central processing site, where they are compared with the reference signatures for their identification. A signature comparator finds matches between the signatures of the unknown and the known contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20120304214
    Abstract: Example methods disclosed herein to identify media sources comprise obtaining monitored signatures generated from monitored media, comparing the monitored signatures with reference signatures generated from reference media provided by a plurality of reference sources, determining tracking segments associated with respective ones of the reference sources, each tracking segment representing sequences of matches between the monitored signatures and respective reference signatures for a respective one of the reference sources, and evaluating time lengths of the tracking segments to identify which reference source in the plurality of reference sources provided the monitored media.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 8181196
    Abstract: An audience measurement system generates signatures of unknown pieces of content viewed by panel members, and generates reference signatures of known pieces of content. The signatures of the unknown pieces of content are stored and transmitted to a central processing site, where they are compared with the reference signatures for their identification. A scanning engine finds matches between the signatures of the unknown and the known contents, and stores matches so as to build “tracking segments”, i.e., strings of matches that indicate a coincidence between the unknown content and one or more known pieces of content for a certain period of time, and associates the unknown content to the known piece of content with the longest tracking segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20110280408
    Abstract: A device, system and method for enabling the measuring of audiences to media consumed through the use of digital media terminals. An example disclosed herein includes a loop-back device that allows the production/extraction of content identification information from media items rendered by a digital media terminal that can be seamlessly and homogenously implemented in a wide variety of media distribution platforms and devices, including Internet and mobile networks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20110093878
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to determine source information for media content output by a media rendering device operable to output media content from a plurality of different sources are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises detecting media content output by the a media rendering device, the media content having a media variable associated therewith, detecting a plurality of user commands, detecting a change in the media variable associated with the media content output by the media rendering device, selecting, based on a time limit, a user command from the plurality of detected user commands to use with the detected media variable change to determine source information, and providing the detected media variable change and the selected user command to a processor to determine a source of the media content output by the media rendering device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Publication number: 20100131970
    Abstract: An audience measurement system generates signatures of unknown pieces of content viewed by panel members, and generates multiplexed reference signatures of known pieces of content. The signatures of the unknown pieces of content are stored and transmitted to a central processing site, where they are compared with the reference signatures for their identification. A signature comparator finds matches between the signatures of the unknown and the known contents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: Media Instruments SA
    Inventor: Fernando D. FALCON
  • Publication number: 20100115543
    Abstract: An audience measurement system generates signatures of unknown pieces of content viewed by panel members, and generates reference signatures of known pieces of content. The signatures of the unknown pieces of content are stored and transmitted to a central processing site, where they are compared with the reference signatures for their identification. A scanning engine finds matches between the signatures of the unknown and the known contents, and stores matches so as to build “tracking segments”, i.e., strings of matches that indicate a coincidence between the unknown content and one or more known pieces of content for a certain period of time, and associates the unknown content to the known piece of content with the longest tracking segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: Media Instruments SA
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 5745719
    Abstract: A method for expanding the command capabilities of pointing devices based on periodically sampling a cursor's position on a display device and analyzing the time-variation of a cursor-heading signal obtained from said samples. Upon detecting characteristic cursor-heading time-variation profiles in the cursor trajectory, commands signals are generated so that moving the cursor along particular trajectories is equivalent to activating virtual-buttons of said pointing device. A plurality of applications of the invention and a variety of embodiments are discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 5633657
    Abstract: A mouse driver arrangement combining a first functional block, comprising a scrolling-rate function generator for generating a time-dependent scrolling-rate control signal of pre-defined shape, whose output cycle is a function of the activation status of one or more mouse push-buttons, plus a second functional block, comprising a cursor trail analyzer for detecting a dominant direction in a cursor trail and setting a scrolling direction option accordingly. The scrolling-rate function generator includes an integrator for producing ramp-like scrolling-rate control signal segments of adjustable slopes under control of the mouse push-buttons. The output of both first and second functional blocks are combined in a scrolling-vector status variable, whose magnitude is controlled by the scrolling-rate function generator and represents the scrolling rate, and whose direction is set by the cursor trail analyzer and represents the scrolling heading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Inventor: Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 5438331
    Abstract: The computer system includes a keyboard having a plurality of keys mounted in a supporting frame; a scanning device for sensing activation of keys; a processing device for generating commands and data units from status changes of the keys; a communication device for transmitting the generated commands and data units from the processing device; a rotatable dial having a center, a rotation axis passing through the center and an exposed operating surface and rotatably mounted in the supporting frame so as to be rotatable by contact of at least one finger of an operator with the operating surface at a plurality of radial positions spaced from the center of the dial; a rotational transducer device for generating an output signal according to an angular rotation speed of the dial in predetermined incremental angular units; a device for generating the sequences of repeated commands and data units from this output signal and a device for modifying the sequences of repeated commands and data units by activation of the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Inventors: Federico G. Gilligan, Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 5374942
    Abstract: An improved mouse for concurrent cursor position and scrolling control is disclosed, in which a supplementary scrolling control device with a double reluctance characteristic is included for achieving a double operational mode using a single finger of the hand that holds and operates the mouse. The double mode operation is combined with an improved method for performing scrolling axis settings and scrolling scale settings through a number of combined mouse movements or gestures for dynamically controlling scrolling at the same time the mouse is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Inventors: Federico G. Gilligan, Fernando D. Falcon
  • Patent number: 5313229
    Abstract: In a manual input device for controlling a cursor on a computer display (e.g., a mouse), a supplementary proportional control device including a spring-loaded lever displaceable from an equilibrium position in either of two directions and protruding out of the mouse housing is provided for concurrently controlling the scrolling operation. The supplementary control signal is generated in response to operation of a lever designed to be driven by the thumb of the same hand which holds the mouse. The control signal varies according to the discplacement amount of the lever from its equilibrium position and the displacement direction and thus is used as a scrolling rate and direction control. An associated method is provided for setting the scrolling direction in correspondence to the dominant axis of the cursor's trail. Detecting an approximately circular movement of the cursor sets the scrolling axis perpendicular to the screen plane (i.e., in a third dimension).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Inventors: Federico G. Gilligan, Fernando D. Falcon