CN111066049A - Sound emitting device for communicating audio tokens - Google Patents

Abstract

Examples provide a broadcast computing device configured to provide data associated with an audio token sent to a user computing device, and optionally to receive the audio token from the user computing device to establish two-way communication. The broadcast computing device broadcasts an audio token from the speaker component, and the audio token is received by the microphone component of the user computing device. The audio token may provide instructions for the user computing device to communicate with the account management system. Alternatively, the user computing device provides a return audio token to the broadcast computing device to establish the two-way communication.

Description

Sound emitting device for communicating audio tokens

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application claims priority from us 62/550,270 provisional patent application entitled sound emitting device for communicating an audio token filed on 25.8.2017. The entire contents of the above-identified application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

Example embodiments described herein provide a broadcast computing device configured to communicate configurable audio tokens to user computing devices and optionally receive audio tokens from user computing devices to establish two-way communications.

Background

Broadcast computing devices with speakers that transmit data via audio communication channels, including television set signs (television signs), radios, and even city infrastructures, are located in a variety of important locations, including subway stations, bus stations, and other points of interest. Typically, at a point of interest, a user wishes to perform an action via the user computing device, such as making a payment transaction, viewing an advertisement, or viewing other useful information. For example, at a subway station or a bus station, a user may wish to purchase a ticket. With current techniques, communication of relevant information such as advertisements, information that enables a user to transact with an item related to a point of interest using a user computing device, information about a point of interest, public service information, or other relevant information is limited to communication communications to the user by merchant employees or user access of a website.

There are various scenarios in which a signal is found or two devices find each other to initiate an action. For example, the discovery may be needed to exchange currency, share files, or exchange contact information between computing devices. Users in emerging markets require a convenient user experience to send data between user computing devices. In some markets, tap-and-pair (tap-and-pair) gestures implemented via Near-Field Communication ("NFC") in a user computing device enable sending and receiving data to and from the user computing device. However, in emerging markets, many user computing devices do not have NFC functionality, which makes them ineligible to benefit from such NFC tap and pairing gestures.

In some applications, broadcasters (broadcasters) may use Bluetooth low energy ("BLE") signals as beacons to user computing devices. BLE signals are typically used only for broadcasting beacons and not for bi-directional communication. The user computing device must have hardware and software components available to receive BLE beacons and signals. WiFi signals are another technology that may be used for discovery of devices.

All of these techniques impose some restrictions on the communication between devices, such as hardware and software requirements, discovery range, discovery time, or restrictions on unidirectional transmission.

Disclosure of Invention

Example embodiments described herein provide a broadcast computing device configured to provide data associated with an audio token sent to a user computing device, and optionally receive the audio token from the user computing device to establish two-way communication.

In an example, a broadcast system configures or obtains an audio token for communication. The audio token may include data configured with or by the account management system. In an example, a broadcast system sends data for an account management system and a request for an audio token via a network. The broadcast system may be a merchant system, airline gate, transit system, building security system, library, or any other suitable system. For example, example data may include advertisements, transaction details, public service information, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for websites, or other relevant information to be broadcast by the broadcasting computing device at the point of interest. Example transaction details include an identification of an item to purchase, a transaction total, and payment account information associated with the account management system. The account management system receives data and a request for an audio token via a network. The account management system stores the received data, generates an audio token, and associates the generated token with the stored data. In an example, the audio token comprises a random number comprising an alphanumeric and/or symbolic string, and the account management system generates the audio token via a random number generator. In an example, the account management system stores the audio token and associated data in an audio token list maintained in a data storage unit accessible to the account management system. The example audio token list includes a list associating the generated audio tokens with data associated with each generated audio token. The account management system sends the generated audio token to the broadcast system via the network. The broadcast system receives the generated audio token via the network.

In other examples, the broadcast system generates an audio token, associates the audio token with the data, and sends the audio token along with the data to the account management system via the network. In an example, the audio token comprises a random number comprising an alphanumeric and/or symbolic string, and the advertisement generates the audio token via a random number generator. In an example, the broadcast system stores the audio tokens and associated data in an audio token list maintained in a data store accessible to the broadcast system, the audio token list associating generated audio tokens with data associated with each audio token generated by the broadcast system. In these examples, the account management system receives the audio token and the data, associates the audio token with the data, and stores the audio token and the data. In an example, a broadcast system maintains a list of audio tokens with associated stored data. In an example, the account management system stores the audio tokens and associated data in an audio token list maintained in a data store accessible to the account management system, wherein the audio token list includes a list associating received audio tokens with received data associated with each received audio token.

The broadcast system configures a broadcast computing device to broadcast an audio token at a location. In an example, the audio token includes a offer or coupon for purchasing the item at a location. In another example, the broadcast computing device broadcasts an audio token at the ticketing location such that a user computing device including the application receives the broadcasted token and resends the audio token to the account management system via the network to initiate a payment transaction for an item related to the ticketing location.

In this example, the broadcast system is a merchant system. The merchant system sends transaction data associated with the audio token data to the account management system, the transaction data including payment account information associated with the merchant system, an identification of purchase items (item for purchase), and a transaction total associated with each identified purchase item. For example, the identified purchase item includes a ticket for granting access to the zoo. In another example, the merchant system sends transaction data associated with the audio token data to the account management system, the transaction data including payment account information associated with the merchant system and two or more selectable terms associated with a respective transaction total associated with each selectable term. For example, the selectable items associated with the respective transaction amount include a prime mover ticket selectable item associated with the respective $ 15 transaction amount, a children ticket selectable item associated with the respective $ 8 transaction amount, and a student discount ticket selectable item associated with the respective $ 12 transaction amount.

In another example, the broadcast system instructs the account management system to associate the audio token with a uniform resource locator ("URL") of the website. In some examples, the broadcast system or broadcast equipment operator configures an audio token and sends the configured audio token to the account management system along with associated data (such as a URL or transaction information) to associate the audio token with the sent data. In other examples, the broadcast system sends data including URLs, transaction data, or other data, and a request for an audio token from the account management system via a network. In these other examples, the account management system receives the data, generates an audio token, associates the data received from the merchant system or the broadcast computing device with the audio token, and sends the audio token to the broadcast computing device or the merchant system, causing the broadcast computing device to broadcast the audio token.

In an example, an account management system receives an audio token from a particular user computing device over a network. In this example, the particular user computing device receives the audio token sent at the location of the broadcast computing device and then sends the audio token to the account management system via the network. For example, a user selects an application on the user computing device and logs into the application on the user computing device using a username and password. When a user logs into an application, the application communicates with the account management system via a network. The application activates a microphone component of the user computing device to listen for data transmitted over the audio communication channel. In some examples, one or more functions of the account management system are performed by an application on the user computing device or by other functions of the user computing device. In some examples, one or more functions of the user computing device are performed by an account management system.

In an example, a user logs into an application, and in response to receiving an indication that the user is logged into the application, the application activates a microphone component of the user computing device. The user computing device receives, via the microphone component, an audio token broadcast by the broadcasting computing device. The application sends the received audio token along with a request for data associated with the audio token to the account management system via the network. The account management system receives the retransmitted audio token and a request for data associated with the audio token via a network.

The account management system determines that the received audio token matches a stored audio token previously configured by the merchant system and extracts data associated with the audio token data. For example, the account management system maintains a list in the data store listing the audio token data associated with each audio token. In an example, the data includes transaction data. The transaction data includes merchant system payment account information and a transaction total. In another example, the transaction data includes payment account information associated with the merchant system and two or more selectable items associated with a respective transaction total associated with each selectable item. In some examples, the functions of the account management system are performed by an application on the user computing device or the user computing device.

For example, the broadcast system includes a transportation system. The first selectable item includes a single ride train pass that trades $ 2.00 in total. A second selectable item includes ten train passes for a total of $ 18.00. A third optional item includes a one month unlimited ride train pass trading a total of $ 40.00.

In an example, an account management system communicates with a user computing device to receive confirmation to initiate a transaction and to receive user payment account data. The account management system processes the transaction using the user payment account data and the merchant system payment account data by communicating with an issuer system (e.g., a bank, credit card network, and/or issuer system associated with the user payment account information). The account management system sends a receipt to the user computing device and/or merchant system indicating whether the transaction was successfully processed. Example receipts include transaction information, such as a transaction total, a description of one or more of the items purchased by the user of the user computing device, or other relevant or useful receipt information.

In other examples, the account management system receives an audio token broadcast by the broadcast computing device and retransmitted by the user computing device, and extracts data associated with the audio token that includes the data. Example data extracted includes a URL. In this example, the account management system sends the URL to the user computing device over the network along with instructions instructing the user computing device to access the website associated with the URL.

In another example, the account management system receives an audio token and extracts data associated with an application provided by an application store associated with the broadcast system that is managed by the account management system. In this example, the account management system sends a request to the user computing device. The example request provides an option to download the application to a user associated with the user computing device. In this example, the user computing device receives a request to download an application and displays the request to download the application via a user interface of the user computing device. The user selects an option on the user computing device to download the application, and the user computing device receives the application from the account management system over the network. In another example, the user selects an option not to download the application.

In another example, the account management system receives an audio token broadcast by the broadcast computing device and retransmitted by the user computing device, and extracts data associated with the audio token. An example audio token includes public service data. For example, public service data includes alerts issued by public services or other services, such as traffic alerts, emergency alerts, or weather alerts. In this example, the account management system sends the alert information to a user computing device associated with the audio token.

A broadcast computing device represents any device that utilizes a speaker device or other device capable of producing ultrasonic or audible sound output. In an example, the audio component may be configured by the broadcast system to broadcast the audio token at a location of the broadcast computing device. In an example, the audio component is a component communicatively coupled to the broadcast computing device or another device of the broadcast system. For example, the broadcast computing device may be a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone device, tablet device, or other mobile computing device. In another example, the broadcast computing device is associated with, or forms part of, a point-of-sale terminal.

In an example, the broadcast computing device is a stand-alone device designed specifically for providing audio tokens. For example, the broadcast computing device may be a simple computing device having a component for receiving data to be broadcast in the token and a speaker component for broadcasting the component. The broadcast computing device may be logically connected to a server, a point-of-sale terminal, a remote computing device, or any other suitable computing device. In an example, the broadcast computing device receives the audio token instructions when a laptop computer or other computing device is connected via a cable or wireless connection. The operator may use the connection to configure the audio token or download the audio token and any other broadcast parameters.

In another example, the broadcast computing device can perform two-way communication of the audio token. For example, a broadcast computing device includes a speaker component and a microphone component. The microphone component is configured to receive an audio token from a user computing device or other device. In an example, a broadcast computing device communicates transmitting an audio token and receives an echo audio token from a user computing device to perform two-way communication. In this way, devices can discover each other. The user computing device receives the token from the broadcast computing device, and the broadcast computing device receives the token from the user computing device. In an example, this may be used at a point-of-sale terminal to provide transaction information back and forth. In another example, the broadcast computing device may provide the user with a token with a request for authentication data to allow access to the facility. The user computing device provides authentication back to the broadcast computing device in the token.

In some examples, the audio tokens broadcast by the broadcasting computing device are broadcast at a different frequency than the audio tokens broadcast by the user computing device. For example, the broadcast computing device may broadcast at 5-10kHz and receive from the user computing device at 10-15 kHz. The two-way communication may direct the computing device to establish communication using different technologies, such as WiFi communication.

In this example, the broadcast computing device broadcasts an audio token from the speaker component. The user computing device receives the audio token in a microphone assembly. The user computing device responds with an audio token to allow the broadcast computing device to discover the user computing device. In an example, the audio token includes a user identification number or other identification data. When the broadcast computing device receives the audio token from the user computing device, the broadcast computing device may take any suitable action, such as communicating a URL of a website to the user computing device via the additional audio token, or initiating a transaction between the user computing device and a point-of-sale terminal associated with the broadcast computing device. In another example, after discovering the user computing device, the broadcast computing device may initiate communication via another suitable technique, such as by initiating a WiFi connection.

In an example, the broadcast computing device has a configurable range of audio tokens or signals based on volume differences or encoding schemes. For example, by adjusting the volume of the speaker output, the broadcast computing device controls the distance at which the audio token can be detected. If the volume is increased, the range in which the audio token can be received is increased compared to a lower volume. The broadcast system may configure the range based on the size of the facility in which the broadcast computing device is located, the distance to the computing broadcast computing device, competing background noise, or any other suitable factor.

One benefit of using audio tokens is that the computing device discovers an audio token quickly relative to other wireless tokens, beacons, or signals. In an example, the audio token may allow the broadcast computing device to discover within 1-4 seconds. The time required for discovery may vary based on the amount of data in the audio token and the audio encoding parameters of the audio token. Other wireless signals, such as BLE or WiFi, may require a delay period to scan the environment, but the audio token is substantially instantaneously recognized.

Using and relying on the methods and systems described herein, a broadcast system, user computing device, and account management system provide the ability to send data to a user computing device via an audio communication channel at a point of interest that includes an audio broadcast computing device. As such, the systems and methods described herein enable an indication of data to be sent via an audio communication channel to a user computing device at an appropriate location where the broadcast system expects the user computing device to receive the data. The broadcast system, user computing device, and account management system enable a user to receive relevant information at a point of interest directly on the user computing device without having to request information from an employee or provide input on the user computing device to search and access a website to receive the information. As such, the methods and systems described herein reduce the user's input required for the user computing device to receive relevant information at a point of interest. Further, by using and relying on the methods and systems described herein, the broadcast system, user computing device, and account management system enable the broadcast system to increase the locations where data may be transmitted by enabling transmission via any sound emitting broadcast device, and reduce the cost of transmitting data by only having to transmit an audio token associated with the data that may be exchanged by the user computing device with the account management system for the associated data. Thus, the broadcast system does not need to engage in NFC, BLE, or other wireless communication technologies, nor does it need to be present in the user computing device. The system also allows for two-way communication with the user computing device without the need for these techniques. The two-way communication enables the user computing device and the broadcast device to discover each other with only the speaker and the microphone.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for transmitting by a broadcast computing device, transmitting by the broadcast computing device an audio token to a user computing device, and optionally receiving the audio token from the user computing device, according to some examples.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram depicting a method of initiating bidirectional communication with a user computing device, according to some examples.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a computing machine and modules, according to some examples.

Detailed Description

Example System architecture

Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like (but not necessarily identical) elements throughout the several views, examples are described in detail.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system 100 for sending and, optionally, receiving audio tokens from a user computing device by a broadcast computing device, according to some examples. As shown in fig. 1, system 100 includes network computing devices 110, 130, and 140 that are configured to communicate with each other via one or more networks 120. In some embodiments, a user associated with a device must install an application and/or make a feature selection to obtain the benefits of the techniques described herein.

In an example, Network 120 may include a Local Area Network (Local Area Network, "LAN"), a wide Area Network (wide Area Network, "WAN"), an intranet, the internet, a Storage Area Network (Storage Area Network, "SAN"), a Personal Area Network (Personal Area Network, "PAN"), a Metropolitan Area Network (metropolar Area Network, "MAN"), a Wireless Local Area Network (Wireless Local Area Network, "WLAN"), a Virtual private Network (Virtual private Network, "VPN"), a cellular or other mobile communication Network, bluetooth low energy ("NFC"), near field communication ("NFC"), ultrasonic communication, or any combination thereof, or any other suitable architecture or system that facilitates communication of signals, data, and/or messages. Throughout the discussion of the examples, it should be understood that the terms "data" and "information" are used interchangeably herein to refer to text, images, audio, video, or any other form of information that may be present in a computer-based environment.

Each network computing device 110, 130, and 140 includes a device having a communication module capable of sending and receiving data over the network 120. For example, each network computing device 110, 130, and 140 may include a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, television with one or more processors embedded and/or coupled therein, smart phone, handheld computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), video game device, wearable computing device, or any other wired or wireless processor driven device. In the example shown in fig. 1, the network computing devices 110, 130, and 140 are operated by the user 101, the broadcast system operator, and the account management system 140 operator, respectively.

The example user computing device 110 includes a user interface 111, an application 113, a data storage unit 115, a speaker component 118, and a microphone component 119. The user computing device 110 communicates with the account management system 140 via the network 120, receives data from the broadcast computing device 131 associated with the broadcast system 130 over an audio communication channel, and optionally sends data to the broadcast computing device 131 associated with the broadcast system 130 over an audio communication channel.

In an example, the user interface 111 enables the user 101 to interact with the user computing device 110. For example, user interface 111 includes a touch screen, a voice-based interface, or any other interface that allows user 101 to provide input and receive output from applications on user computing device 110. In an example, the user 101 interacts with the payment application 113 via the user interface 111.

In an example, the application 113 is a program, function, routine, applet, or similar entity that resides on the user computing device 110 and performs its operations on the user computing device 110. In some examples, the user 101 must install the application 113 and/or make feature selections on the user computing device 110 to obtain the benefits of the techniques described herein. In an example, a user 101 accesses an application 113 on a user computing device 110 via a user interface 111. In an example, the application 113 is associated with an account management system 140. In an example, the application 113 includes a payment application, and the account management system 140 includes an account management system. In another example, the application 113 comprises a ticketing application and the account management system 140 comprises an account management system. In yet another example, the broadcast system 113 includes an email application, a mapping application, a shopping application, a social media application, or other application.

In an example, the data storage unit 115 includes a local or remote data storage structure accessible to the user computing device 110 adapted to store information. In an example, the data storage unit 115 stores encrypted information, such as HTML5 local storage.

In an example, the speaker component 118 includes a speaker device capable of emitting ultrasonic output and audible sound output from the environment of the user computing device 110. In an example, the speaker assembly 118 communicates with the application 113 to receive an instruction to transition from the passive mode to the active mode and to communicate an ultrasound output. The user computing device 110 provides output to the speaker component 118 for broadcast. The output may be configured by the user computing device 110, the user 101, the account management system 140, or any other party or device. In an example, the microphone component 119 includes a microphone device capable of receiving ultrasonic inputs and audible sound inputs from the environment of the user computing device 110. In an example, the microphone assembly 119 communicates with the application 113 to receive instructions to transition from the passive mode to the active mode and listen for ultrasonic inputs. In an example, the microphone assembly 119 receives ultrasonic input when in the active mode and transmits the received ultrasonic input to the payment application 113.

The example broadcast system 130 includes one or more broadcast computing devices 130 located at advertisement locations. The example broadcast computing device 130 includes a data storage unit 132, a speaker component 133, and a microphone component 134. In an example, the broadcast computing device is a standalone broadcast device. For example, the broadcast computing device 130 is a standalone computing device having a processor, the components listed herein, and any other components required to perform the functions described herein, such as a power supply or user interface (not shown). In an example, the broadcasting computing device is a radio, computer, television, or other device that includes an audio component 138 that is capable of broadcasting audio tokens over an audio communication channel. In another example, broadcast computing device 131 is a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone device, tablet device, or other mobile computing device. In another example, broadcast computing device 131 is a point-of-sale terminal. The broadcast system 130 communicates with the account management system 140 via the network 120. The broadcast computing device 131 communicates the transfer data to the user computing device 110 via an audio communication channel.

In an example, the data storage unit 132 comprises a local or remote data storage structure accessible to the broadcasting computing device 131 adapted to store information. In an example, the data storage unit 132 stores encrypted information, such as HTML5 local storage.

In an example, the speaker component 133 includes a speaker device capable of emitting ultrasonic output and audible sound output from the environment of the user computing device 110. In an example, the speaker component 133 communicates with the account management system 140 or another party to receive an instruction to transition from the passive mode to the active mode and to communicate the ultrasound output. The account management system 140 or another party provides output to the speaker component 118 for broadcast. The output may be configured by the broadcast system 130, the account management system 140, or any other party or device. In an example, the microphone component 134 includes a microphone device capable of receiving ultrasonic inputs and audible sound inputs from the environment of the user computing device 110. In an example, the microphone component 134 communicates with the account management system 140 or another party to receive instructions to transition from the passive mode to the active mode, and to listen for ultrasonic inputs and/or provide outputs.

The example account management system 140 or service processing system includes an account management component 141, a data store 145, and a transaction processing component 149. In an example, the account management system communicates with the user computing device 110 and the broadcast system 130 via the network 120.

In an example, the account management component 141 manages user 101 accounts and broadcast system 130 accounts. The account management component 141 receives a request to add, edit, delete, or otherwise modify payment account information for a user 101 account or a broadcast system 130 account.

In an example, the data storage unit 145 includes a local or remote data storage structure accessible to the account management system 140 that is adapted to store information. In an example, the data storage unit 145 stores encrypted information, such as HTML5 local storage.

In an example, the transaction processing component 149 receives transaction details from the broadcast system 130 and an audio token from the user computing device 110. In an example, the transaction processing component 149 extracts stored transaction details received from the broadcast system 130 and associated with the received audio token. For example, the transaction details include transaction amount and broadcast system 130 payment account information. In an example, the transaction processing system component 149 extracts payment information associated with the user 101 account associated with the user computing device and sends a payment authorization request to an issuer system (not shown) or other suitable financial institution associated with the user 101 payment account information. One example payment authorization request includes broadcast system payment account information, user 101 payment account information, and a transaction total. In an example, after the issuer system processes the payment authorization request, the transaction processing component 149 receives an approval or denial of the payment authorization request from the issuer system over the network 120. In an example, the transaction processing component 149 sends a receipt including a payment transaction summary to the merchant computing device 130 and/or the user computing device 110.

In another example, the transaction processing component 149 receives an audio token from the user computing device 110, extracts data associated with the audio token, and sends the extracted data to the user computing device 110. For example, the data includes an image, text, URL, or other data associated with the received audio token. In this example, the transaction processing component 149 of the account management system 140 receives data associated with the token from the broadcast system 130.

In an example, the network computing device and any other computing machines associated with the techniques presented herein may be any type of computing machine, such as, but not limited to, those discussed in more detail with respect to fig. 3. Further, any functions, applications, or components associated with any of these computing machines, such as those described herein or any other associated with the techniques presented herein (e.g., scripts, web content, software, firmware, hardware, or modules), may be any of the components discussed in more detail with respect to fig. 3. The computing machines discussed herein may communicate with each other, as well as with other computing machines or communication systems, over one or more networks, such as network 120. Network 120 may include any type of data network or communication network, including any of the network technologies discussed with respect to fig. 3.

Example procedure

The example method illustrated in FIG. 2 is described below with reference to components of the example operating environment 100. The example method of FIG. 2 may also be performed with other systems and in other environments.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram depicting a method of initiating bidirectional communication with a user computing device, according to some examples.

In block 205, the broadcast computing device 131 configures or obtains an audio token for communication. The audio token may include data that is configured with or by the account management system 140. In an example, the broadcast computing device 131 sends the data and the request for the audio token to the account management system 140 via the network 120. Broadcast computing device 131 may be a merchant system device, airline gate, transit system, building security system, library, or any other suitable system. The account management system 140 receives data and a request for an audio token via the network 120. The account management system 140 stores the received data, generates an audio token, and associates the generated token with the stored data. In an example, the audio token comprises a random number comprising an alphanumeric and/or symbolic string, and the account management system generates the audio token via a random number generator. The account management system 140 sends the generated audio token to the broadcast computing device 131 via the network 120. In other examples, broadcast computing device 131 generates an audio token, associates the audio token with the data, and sends the audio token along with the data to account management system 140 via network 120.

In block 210, the broadcast computing device 131 communicates an audio token via the speaker component 133 of the broadcast computing device 131. The broadcast system 130 configures the broadcast computing device 131 to broadcast the audio token at a location via a speaker component 133 of the broadcast computing device 131. In an example, the audio token includes a offer or coupon to purchase the item at a location. In another example, the broadcast computing device 131 broadcasts the audio token at the ticketing location such that the user computing device 110, including the application 113, receives the broadcast token and re-sends the audio token to the account management system 140 via the network 120 to initiate a payment transaction for the item related to the ticketing location.

In another example, broadcast computing device 131 instructs account management system 140 to associate the audio token with a uniform resource locator ("URL") of the website. In some examples, the broadcast computing device 131 configures the audio token and sends the configured audio token to the account management system 140 along with associated data (such as a URL or transaction information) to associate the audio token with the sent data.

In block 215, the one or more user computing devices 110 receive the audio token. For example, the microphone component 119 of the user computing device 110 receives the audio token from the broadcast computing device 131 and registers for audio. The user computing device 110 may perform any suitable action based on the audio token. In an example, the user computing device 110 creates two-way communication with the broadcast computing device 131, as described in block 220 and 225. In another example, the user computing device 110 receives the audio token and provides an instruction, request, or notification to the user 101.

In block 220, the particular user computing device 110 broadcasts a return audio token. After receiving the first audio token, the user computing device 110 creates a second audio token to broadcast to the account management system 140 or the broadcast computing device 131. The audio token may be created by the user computing device 110 at this time or may be retrieved from a list of audio tokens stored at the user computing device 110 or elsewhere. In another example, the user computing device 110 forwards the received audio token to the account management system 140.

In an example, the account management system 140 receives an audio token from a particular user computing device 110 over the network 120. In this example, the particular user computing device 110 receives the audio token sent at the location of the broadcast computing device 131 and then sends the audio token to the account management system 140 via the network 120. For example, the user 101 selects the application 113 on the user computing device 110 and logs in to the application 113 on the user computing device 110 using a username and password. When the user 101 logs into the application 113, the application 113 communicates with the account management system 140 via the network 120. The application 113 activates the microphone component 119 of the user computing device 110 to listen for data transmitted over the audio communication channel. In some examples, one or more functions of the account management system 140 are performed by an application 113 on the user computing device 110 or by other functions of the user computing device 110. In some examples, one or more functions of the user computing device 110 are performed by the account management system 140.

The account management system 140 determines that the received audio token matches a stored audio token previously configured by the merchant system and extracts data associated with the audio token data. For example, the account management system 140 maintains a list in the data store 145 that lists the audio token data associated with each audio token. In an example, the data includes transaction data. The transaction data includes merchant system payment account information and a transaction total. In another example, the transaction data includes payment account information associated with the merchant system and two or more selectable items associated with a respective transaction total associated with each selectable item.

Based on the content of the audio token and/or the configuration of the application 113, the user computing device 110 may take any other suitable action.

In block 225, the user computing device 110 and the broadcast computing device 131 establish two-way communication based on the audio token. When the user computing device 110 communicates a return audio token to the broadcast computing device 131, two-way communication may be established.

For example, broadcast computing device 131 includes a speaker component 133 and a microphone component 134. The microphone component 134 is configured to receive audio tokens from the user computing device 110 or other device. In an example, broadcast computing device 131 communicates transmitting an audio token and receives an echo audio token from user computing device 110 to perform two-way communication. In this way, devices can discover each other. The user computing device 110 receives the token from the broadcast computing device, and the broadcast computing device 131 receives the token from the user computing device 110. In an example, this may be used at a point-of-sale terminal to provide transaction information back and forth. In another example, the broadcast computing device 131 may provide the user 101 with a token with a request for authentication data to allow access to the facility. The user computing device 110 provides the authentication back to the broadcast computing device 131 in the token. Accordingly, the broadcast computing device 131 may be configured to establish two-way communication between the broadcast computing device 131 and the user computing device 110 based on the received audio token and the received second audio token.

In some examples, the (first) audio token broadcast by broadcast computing device 131 is broadcast at a different frequency than the (second) audio token broadcast by user computing device 110. For example, the broadcast computing device 131 may broadcast at 5-10kHz and receive from the user computing device 110 at 10-15 kHz. For example, using different frequencies for different audio tokens allows for faster and/or more reliable detection of whether the respective audio token is intended for the broadcast computing device 131 or the user computing device 110. The two-way communication may additionally or alternatively direct the computing device to establish communication using a different technology, such as WiFi communication. Thus, after the broadcast computing device 131 and the user computing device 110 have been discovered and authenticated via audio-based communication using the audio token, the broadcast computing device 131 and the user computing device 110 may establish non-audio-based two-way wireless communication, e.g., NFC, bluetooth, or WiFi communication.

In this example, the broadcast computing device 131 broadcasts an audio token from the speaker component 133. The user computing device 110 receives the audio token in the microphone assembly 119. The user computing device 110 responds with an audio token to allow the broadcast computing device 131 to discover the user computing device 110. In an example, the audio token includes a user identification number or other identification data. When the broadcast computing device 131 receives the audio token from the user computing device 110, the broadcast computing device 131 may take any suitable action, such as communicating a URL of a website to the user computing device 110 via the additional audio token, or initiating a transaction between the user computing device 110 and a point of sale terminal associated with the broadcast computing device 131. In another example, after discovering the user computing device 110, the broadcast computing device 131 may initiate communication via another suitable technique, such as by initiating a WiFi connection.

Other examples

Fig. 3 depicts a computing machine 2000 and a module 2050, according to some examples. The computing machine 2000 may correspond to any of the various computers, servers, mobile devices, embedded systems, or computing systems presented herein. The module 2050 may include one or more hardware or software elements configured to facilitate the computing machine 2000 in performing the various methods and processing functions presented herein. The computing machine 2000 may include various internal or attached components, such as a processor 2010, a system bus 2020, a system memory 2030, a storage medium 2040, an input/output interface 2060, and a network interface 2070 for communicating with a network 2080.

The computing machine 2000 may be implemented as a conventional computer system, an embedded controller, a laptop computer, a server, a mobile device, a smartphone, a set-top box, a kiosk, a router or other network node, a vehicle information system, one or more processors associated with a television, a customized machine, any other hardware platform, or any combination or duplication thereof. The computing machine 2000 may be a distributed system configured to operate with multiple computing machines interconnected via a data network or bus system.

The processor 2010 may be configured to execute code or instructions to perform the operations and functions described herein, manage request flow and address mapping, and to perform computations and generate commands. The processor 2010 may be configured to monitor and control the operation of the components in the computing machine 2000. Processor 2010 may be a general purpose Processor, a Processor core, a multiprocessor, a reconfigurable Processor, a microcontroller, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated Logic, discrete hardware components, any other processing Unit, or any combination or repetition thereof. Processor 2010 may be a single processing unit, multiple processing units, a single processing core, multiple processing cores, a dedicated processing core, a coprocessor, or any combination thereof. According to some embodiments, the processor 2010 and other components of the computing machine 2000 may be virtualized computing machines executing within one or more other computing machines.

The system Memory 2030 may include a non-volatile Memory such as a Read-Only Memory ("ROM"), a Programmable Read-Only Memory ("PROM"), an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory ("EPROM"), a flash Memory, or any other device capable of storing program instructions or data with or without power applied. The system Memory 2030 may also include volatile memories such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), and Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM). Other types of RAM may also be used to implement the system memory 2030. The system memory 2030 may be implemented using a single memory module or a plurality of memory modules. While the system memory 2030 is depicted as being part of the computing machine 2000, those skilled in the art will recognize that the system memory 2030 may be separate from the computing machine 2000 without departing from the scope of the subject technology. It should also be appreciated that the system memory 2030 may include, or operate in conjunction with, a non-volatile storage device such as the storage media 2040.

The storage medium 2040 may include a hard disk, a floppy disk, a Compact disk Read only memory ("CD-ROM"), a Digital Versatile disk ("DVD"), a blu-ray disk, a tape, a flash memory, other non-volatile storage devices, a Solid State Drive ("SSD"), any magnetic storage device, any optical storage device, any electrical storage device, any semiconductor storage device, any physical-based storage device, any other data storage device, or any combination or duplication thereof. The storage media 2040 may store one or more operating systems, application programs, and program modules, such as module 2050, data, or any other information. The storage medium 2040 may be part of, or connected to, the computing machine 2000. The storage media 2040 may also be part of one or more other computing machines in communication with the computing machine 2000, such as a server, database server, cloud storage, network attached storage, and so forth.

The module 2050 may include one or more hardware or software elements configured to facilitate the computing machine 2000 in performing the various methods and processing functions presented herein. The module 2050 may include one or more sequences of instructions stored as software or firmware associated with the system memory 2030, the storage medium 2040, or both. Thus, the storage medium 2040 may represent an example of a machine or computer readable medium on which instructions or code may be stored for execution by the processor 2010. A machine or computer readable medium may generally refer to any medium(s) used to provide instructions to processor 2010. Such machine or computer-readable media associated with the module 2050 may include a computer software product. It should be appreciated that a computer software product including the module 2050 may also be associated with one or more processes or methods for communicating the module 2050 to the computing machine 2000 via the network 2080, any signal-bearing medium, or any other communication or communication technique. The module 2050 may also include hardware circuitry or information for configuring hardware circuitry, such as microcode or configuration information for an FPGA or other PLD.

The Input/Output (I/O) interface 2060 may be configured to couple to, receive data from, and transmit data to one or more external devices. Such external devices as well as various internal devices may also be referred to as peripheral devices. The I/O interface 2060 may include both electrical and physical connections for operatively coupling various peripheral devices to the computing machine 2000 or the processor 2010. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured to communicate data, address, and control signals between the peripheral device, the computing machine 2000, or the processor 2010. I/O Interface 2060 may be configured to implement any standard Interface, such as a Small computer system Interface (Small computer system Interface, "SCSI"), Serial-Attached SCSI ("SAS"), fibre channel, Peripheral Component Interconnect ("PCI"), PCI express (PCIe), Serial Bus, parallel Bus, advanced technology attachment ("advanced"), ATA, Serial ATA ("SATA"), Universal Serial Bus ("USB"), thunderbolt, firewire, various video buses, and the like. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured to implement only one interface or bus technology. Alternatively, the I/O interface 2060 may be configured to implement a plurality of interface or bus technologies. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured to operate as part of, all of, or in conjunction with the system bus 2020. The I/O interface 2060 may comprise one or more buffers for buffering transmissions between one or more external devices, internal devices, the computing machine 2000, or the processor 2010.

The I/O interface 2060 may couple the computer 2000 to various input devices including a mouse, touch screen, scanner, electronic digitizer, sensor, receiver, touchpad, trackball, camera, microphone, keyboard, any other pointing device, or any combination thereof. The I/O interface 2060 may couple the computing machine 2000 to various output devices including video displays, speakers, printers, projectors, haptic feedback devices, automation controls, robotic components, actuators, motors, fans, solenoids, valves, pumps, transmitters, signal transmitters, lights, and the like.

The computing machine 2000 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more other systems or computing machines on the network 2080 through a network interface 2070. The network 2080 may include a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), an intranet, the internet, a wireless access network, a wired network, a mobile network, a telephone network, an optical network, or a combination thereof. The network 2080 may be packet-switched, circuit-switched in any topology, and may use any communication protocol. The communication links within the network 2080 may include various digital or analog communication media such as fiber optic cables, free-space optics, waveguides, electrical conductors, wireless links, antennas, radio frequency communications, and so forth.

The processor 2010 may be coupled to the other elements of the computing machine 2000 or various peripheral devices discussed herein by a system bus 2020. It is to be appreciated that the system bus 2020 can be internal to the processor 2010, external to the processor 2010, or both. According to certain examples, the processor 2010, other elements of the computing machine 2000, or any of the various peripherals discussed herein may be integrated into a single device, such as a System On Chip (SOC), System On Package (SOP), or ASIC device.

In scenarios where the systems discussed herein collect or may utilize personal information about a user, the user may be provided with opportunities or options to control whether programs or features collect user information (e.g., information about the user's social network, social actions or activities, profession, the user's preferences, or the user's current location), or whether and/or how to receive content from a content server that may be more relevant to the user. In addition, certain data may be processed in one or more ways before it is stored or used, thereby removing personally identifiable information. For example, the identity of the user may be treated so that personally identifiable information cannot be determined for the user, or the geographic location of the user may be summarized where location information is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level) so that a particular location of the user cannot be determined. Thus, the user may have control over how information about the user is collected and used by the content server.

Embodiments may include a computer program that embodies the functions described and illustrated herein in a computer system including instructions stored in a machine-readable medium and a processor to execute the instructions. It will be apparent, however, that many different embodiments are possible in the programming of a computer, and these embodiments should not be construed as limited to any one set of computer program instructions. Moreover, a skilled programmer would be able to write such a computer program to implement the disclosed embodiments based on the accompanying flow charts and associated description in the application text. Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program code instructions is not considered necessary for a sufficient understanding of how to make and use the embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more aspects of the embodiments described herein may be performed by hardware, software, or a combination thereof, as may be embodied in one or more computing systems. Moreover, any reference to an action being performed by a computer should not be construed as being performed by a single computer, as more than one computer may perform the action.

The examples described herein may be used with computer hardware and software that perform the methods and processing functions described herein. The systems, methods, and processes described herein may be embodied in a programmable computer, computer-executable software, or digital circuitry. The software may be stored on a computer readable medium. For example, the computer readable medium may include floppy disks, RAM, ROM, hard disks, removable media, flash memory, memory sticks, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROMs, and the like. Digital circuitry may include integrated circuits, gate arrays, building block logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and the like.

The example systems, methods, and acts described in the previously presented embodiments are illustrative, and in alternative embodiments, certain acts may be performed in a different order, performed in parallel with each other, omitted entirely, and/or combined between different examples, and/or certain additional acts may be performed, without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments. Accordingly, these alternative embodiments are included within the scope of the following claims, which are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such alternative embodiments.

Although specific embodiments have been described in detail above, this description is for illustrative purposes only. It should be understood, therefore, that many of the aspects described above are not intended as required or essential elements unless explicitly described as such. Modifications of the disclosed aspects in addition to those described above and equivalent components or actions corresponding thereto may be made by persons of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures.

Claims (25)

1. A system for sending an audio token, comprising:

a storage device;

an audio speaker communicatively coupled to the storage device;

a microphone communicatively coupled to the storage device;

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device and the audio speaker, wherein the processor executes application code instructions stored in the storage device to cause the system to:

receiving a first audio token for communication to one or more computing devices, the first audio token comprising a set of data to be communicated to the one or more computing devices via the audio speaker communication;

broadcasting the first audio token over an audio communication channel on the audio speaker; and

receiving a second communication from a particular one of the one or more computing devices, the second communication including a second audio token that includes a set of data to be transmitted to the system via audio speaker communication of the particular one of the one or more computing devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first audio token comprises a request for authentication data and the second audio token provides authentication.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first audio token is broadcast at a different frequency than the second audio token.

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the system is configured to establish two-way communication between the system and the particular user computing device based on the received audio token and the received second audio token.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system is configured to establish bidirectional, non-audio based wireless communication.

6. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the data of the first and/or second audio tokens comprises one or more of text and images.

7. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the data of the first and/or second audio token comprises a uniform resource locator ("URL") associated with a website, and wherein the user computing device accesses the website based on the URL.

8. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the data of the first and/or second audio token comprises information associated with a financial transaction to enable the financial transaction to be conducted between the processor and a particular one of the one or more computing devices.

9. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the audio speaker broadcasts the first audio token at a configured volume.

10. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the second audio token is received by the system via an audio microphone.

11. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the particular user computing device broadcasts the second audio token via an audio speaker associated with the particular user computing device.

12. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the first audio token broadcast via the audio communication channel on the audio speaker is broadcast at a volume configured based on a predetermined range within which the one or more computing devices are capable of receiving the first audio token.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system has a configurable range for the first audio token based on volume difference or coding scheme.

14. The system of claim 12 or 13, wherein the system is configured to configure a range for the first audio token based on at least one of a size of a facility in which the system is located, a distance to the particular one of the one or more computing devices, and competing background noise.

15. A computer-implemented method of sending an audio token, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, an audio token for communication to one or more computing devices, the audio token comprising a set of data to be communicated to the one or more computing devices via audio speaker communication;

broadcasting, by the one or more computing devices, an audio token over the audio speaker via an audio communication channel; and

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a second communication from a particular one of the one or more computing devices, the second communication comprising a second audio token comprising a set of data to be transmitted to the one or more computing devices via audio speaker communication of the particular one of the one or more computing devices.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a second communication from a particular one of the one or more computing devices, the second communication comprising a second audio token comprising a set of data to be transmitted to the one or more computing devices via audio speaker communication of the particular one of the one or more computing devices.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 15 or 16, wherein the data comprises one or more of text and images.

18. The computer-implemented method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein data comprises a uniform resource locator ("URL") associated with a website, and wherein the user computing device accesses the website based on the URL.

19. A computer-implemented method as in any of claims 15 to 18, wherein data comprises information associated with a financial transaction to enable the financial transaction to be conducted between the processor and a particular one of the one or more computing devices.

20. The computer-implemented method of any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the second audio token is received by the processor via an audio microphone.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having embodied thereon computer executable program instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable transmission of an audio token, the computer executable program instructions comprising:

receiving a first audio token for communication to one or more computing devices, the first audio token comprising a set of data to be communicated to the one or more computing devices via audio speaker communication;

broadcasting the first audio token over an audio communication channel on the audio speaker; and

receiving a second communication from a particular one of the one or more computing devices, the second communication including a second audio token that includes a set of data to be communicated to the processor via audio speaker communication of the particular one of the one or more computing devices.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the data of the first and/or second audio token comprises information associated with a financial transaction to enable the financial transaction to be conducted between the processor and a particular one of the one or more computing devices.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 or 22, wherein the audio speaker broadcasts the first audio token at a configured volume.

24. The computer program product of any of claims 21 to 23, wherein the second audio token is received by the processor via an audio microphone.

25. The computer program product of any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the particular user computing device broadcasts the second audio token via an audio speaker associated with the particular user computing device.

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