Ultrasonic near-field communication

1. A computer-implemented method for near-field communication, comprising:

detecting, by a source device located at a point-of-sale, the proximity of a receiving device;

encoding purchase data as a series of burst audio signals with one or more ultrasonic frequencies; and

transmitting the encoded purchase data to the receiving device, wherein the encoded purchase data is transmitted using a speaker of the source device,

wherein each of the burst audio signals is a burst signal sustained over a predefined period of time, each of the burst signal encoded with a fixed number of bits of information,

wherein each of the burst signals includes a signal from each of K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands within a predefined spectrum, and wherein the signal lasts for the predefined period of time and K is an integer, and

wherein N frequencies within each of the K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands are used to encode the purchase data, and wherein N is an integer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the purchase data is encoded by phase shift keying (PSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the encoded purchase data is analyzed for frequency detection with a Fourier Transform algorithm or a Goertzel algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source device is a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an iPod©, a manufacturing tool, or a device having one or more processors, one or more memory, and the speaker.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

activating the source device automatically by a sensor of the source device;

wherein the sensor is an IR sensor, an ultrasound detector, or an antenna to detect the proximity of the receiving device; or is an accelerometer or a gyroscope to detect motion to activate the source device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

activating the source device through an external device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic frequencies in the predefined spectrum are between 16 KHz and 22 KHz.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the series of burst audio signals includes a header, a payload, and error correcting codes.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the audio signal is encoded in M-way redundant frequency bands, and wherein M is an integer.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing one or more computer programs which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a set of operations for near-field communication, the one or more computer programs comprising:

instructions to detect, by a source device located at a point-of sale, the proximity of a receiving device;

instructions to encode purchase data as a series of burst audio signals with one or more ultrasonic frequencies; and

instructions to transmit the encoded purchase data to the receiving device, wherein the encoded purchase data is transmitted using a speaker of the source device,

wherein each of the burst audio signals is a burst signal sustained over a predefined period of time, each of the burst signal encoded with a fixed number of bits of information,

wherein each of the burst signals includes a signal from each of K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands within a predefined spectrum, and wherein the signal lasts for the predefined period of time and K is an integer, and

wherein N frequencies within each of the K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands are used to encode the purchase data, and wherein N is an integer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more computer program(s) is an iPhone© application or an Android© application.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the purchase data is encoded by phase shift keying (PSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the encoded purchase data is analyzed for frequency detection with a Fourier Transform algorithm or a Goertzel algorithm.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the source device is a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an iPod©, a manufacturing tool, or a device having one or more processors, one or more memory, and the speaker.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more computer program(s) further comprises instructions to activate the source device automatically by deploying a sensor of the source device; wherein the sensor is an IR sensor, an ultrasound detector, or an antenna to detect the proximity of the receiving device; or is an accelerometer or a gyroscope to detect motion to activate the source device.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic frequencies in the predefined spectrum are between 16 KHz and 22 KHz.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the series of burst audio signals includes a header, a payload, and error correcting codes.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the audio signal is encoded in M-way redundant frequency bands, and wherein M is an integer.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more computer program(s) further comprises instructions to:

activate the source device through an external device.

20. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media storing instructions operable, when executed by a processor, to:

detect, by a source device located at a point-of sale, the proximity of a receiving device;

encode purchase data as a series of burst audio signals with one or more ultrasonic frequencies; and

transmit the encoded purchase data to the receiving device, wherein the encoded purchase data is transmitted using a speaker of the source device,

wherein each of the burst audio signals is a burst signal sustained over a predefined period of time, each of the burst signal encoded with a fixed number of bits of information,

wherein each of the burst signals includes a signal from each of K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands within a predefined spectrum, and wherein the signal lasts for the predefined period of time and K is an integer, and

wherein N frequencies within each of the K non-overlapping ultrasonic frequency bands are used to encode the purchase data, and wherein N is an integer.

21. The media of claim 20 , wherein the one or more computer program(s) is an iPhone© application or an Android© application.

22. The media of claim 20 , wherein the purchase data is encoded by phase shift keying (PSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

23. The media of claim 20 , wherein the encoded purchase data is analyzed for frequency detection with a Fourier Transform algorithm or a Goertzel algorithm.

24. The media of claim 20 , wherein the source device is a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an iPod©, a manufacturing tool, or a device having one or more processors, one or more memory, and the speaker.

25. The media of claim 20 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to activate the source device automatically by deploying a sensor of the source device; wherein the sensor is an IR sensor, an ultrasound detector, or an antenna to detect the proximity of the receiving device; or is an accelerometer or a gyroscope to detect motion to activate the source device.

26. The media of claim 20 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic frequencies in the predefined spectrum are between 16 KHz and 22 KHz.