IP Library Granted Patent US 11,496,925
Granted Patent B2
US 11,496,925 · App. 16/864,101 · Granted Nov 8, 2022

Methods and apparatus to determine virtual WiFi data rate

Inventors: Joseph Kerkes (Lutz, FL); Julio Villasante (Tampa, FL); Marko Panger (Skofije, SI)
Assignee: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
H04W28/06H04L1/1614H04W72/0446H04W72/0453H04W84/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,496,925
App. No.
16/864,101
Granted
Nov 8, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to determine virtual WiFi data rate. An example disclosed herein includes a control frame receiver to capture control frames from a user device. The example disclosed herein further includes a bitrate calculator to calculate a bitrate for each control frame by dividing a bitmap of a control frame by an amount of time between the control frame and a previously captured control frame. The example disclosed herein further includes an interval timer to control a length of time that the control frames are captured before calculating the virtual bandwidth. The example disclosed herein further includes a virtual bandwidth calculator to calculate the virtual bandwidth after the length of time, the virtual bandwidth calculated by dividing an average bitrate from the control frames by the length of time.

Claims (35)

1. An apparatus to determine virtual bandwidth, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory;

instructions in the at least one memory; and

processor circuitry to execute the instructions to:

capture control frames from a user device;

calculate a bitrate for each control frame by dividing a bitmap of a control frame by an amount of time between the control frame and a previously captured control frame;

control a length of time that the control frames are captured before calculating the virtual bandwidth;

determine an average bitrate based on calculated bitrates corresponding to the control frames and the length of time; and

calculate the virtual bandwidth after the length of time, the virtual bandwidth calculated by dividing the average bitrate from the control frames by the length of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the acknowledged frames corresponding to data frame packets from the user device acknowledged by the control frame.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to access at least one of a starting sequence number, a total time between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the bitmap, and a total count of acknowledged frames during the length of time from the control frames.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to generate a bandwidth event for the virtual bandwidth in response to the virtual bandwidth meeting a criterion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the criterion represents the virtual bandwidth being greater than zero.

6. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to at least:

capture control frames from a user device;

calculate a bitrate for each control frame by dividing a bitmap of a control frame by an amount of time between the control frame and a previously captured control frame;

control a length of time that the control frames are captured before calculating a virtual bandwidth;

determine an average bitrate based on calculated bitrates corresponding to the control frames and the length of time; and

calculate the virtual bandwidth after the length of time, the virtual bandwidth calculated by dividing the average bitrate from the control frames by the length of time.

7. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the bitmap is a number of acknowledged frames between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the acknowledged frames corresponding to data frame packets from the user device acknowledged by the control frame.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to access at least one of a starting sequence number (SSN), a total time between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the bitmap, and a total count of acknowledged frames during the length of time from the control frames.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the length of time may be five minutes.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to generate a bandwidth event for the virtual bandwidth in response to the virtual bandwidth meeting a criterion.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the criterion represents the virtual bandwidth being greater than zero.

12. A method to determine virtual bandwidth, the method comprising:

capturing control frames from a user device;

calculating a bitrate for each control frame by dividing a bitmap of a control frame by an amount of time between the control frame and a previously captured control frame;

controlling, by executing an instruction with a processor, a length of time that the control frames are captured before calculating the virtual bandwidth;

determining an average bitrate based on calculated bitrates corresponding to the control frames and the length of time; and

calculating the virtual bandwidth after the length of time, the virtual bandwidth calculated by dividing the average bitrate from the control frames by the length of time.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the bitmap represents a number of acknowledged frames between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the acknowledged frames corresponding to data frame packets from the user device acknowledged by the control frame.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including accessing at least one of a starting sequence number (SSN), a total time between the control frame and the previously captured control frame, the bitmap, and a total count of acknowledged frames during the length of time from the control frames.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the length of time is substantially five minutes.

16. The method of claim 12 , further including generating a bandwidth event for the virtual bandwidth if the virtual bandwidth meets a criterion.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the criterion represents the virtual bandwidth being greater than zero.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2021
From: KERKES, JOSEPH; VILLASANTE, JULIO; PANGER, MARKO
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 055345/0220 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →