Patents by Inventor Victor A. Aijala

Victor A. Aijala 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: 8260113
    Abstract: Methods 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Arbitron Inc.
    Inventors: Victor A. Aijala, Gerald B. Cohen, James M. Jensen, Wendell D. Lynch, Juan C. Urbi
  • Patent number: 7316025
    Abstract: Methods 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Arbitron Inc.
    Inventors: Victor A. Aijala, Gerald B. Cohen, James M. Jensen, Wendell D. Lynch, Juan C. Urbi
  • Publication number: 20070291848
    Abstract: Methods 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Victor Aijala, Gerald Cohen, James Jensen, Wendell Lynch, Juan Urbi
  • Patent number: 5579124
    Abstract: Methods 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: The Arbitron Company
    Inventors: Victor A. Aijala, Gerald B. Cohen, James M. Jensen, Wendell D. Lynch, Juan C. Urbi