IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,553,355
Granted Patent B2
US 11,553,355 · App. 17/179,330 · Granted Jan 10, 2023

Methods and apparatus to recognize metered devices connected to proprietary WiFi extenders

Inventors: Anton Kljun (Bloke, SI); Joseph Kerkes (Lutz, FL); Marko Panger (Plavje, SI); Marko Usaj (Izola, SI)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04W16/26H04L61/5014H04W8/005H04W72/0406H04L2101/622H04W84/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,553,355
App. No.
17/179,330
Granted
Jan 10, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to recognize metered devices connected to proprietary WiFi extenders are disclosed herein. In some examples, a first device comprising at least one memory including a table, and at least one processor to broadcast a first message to a network extender, the first message including a first address associated with a second device and a message identifier, identify, in response to obtaining a second message including the message identifier, a second address embedded on a data link layer of the second message, and store the second address in the table in association with the second device.

Claims (66)

1. A first device comprising:

at least one memory including a table; and

at least one processor to:

broadcast a first message to a network extender, the first message including a first address associated with a second device and a message identifier;

identify, in response to obtaining a second message including the message identifier, a second address embedded on a data link layer of the second message; and

store the second address in the table in association with the second device.

2. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first address is a first media access control (MAC) address and the second address is a second MAC address and the network extender modifies the first MAC address to create the second MAC address.

3. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first message is to be received by the network extender, the first message including the first address, the first address indicating to the network extender the first message is from the second device.

4. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first message and the second message are dynamic host control protocol discovery messages.

5. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the second device is associated with a status, the status indicating whether data from the second device is credited.

6. The first device of claim 1 , the at least one memory further including:

a timeout, the timeout being a predetermined time; and

a second table, the second table including:

a set of extender MAC addresses corresponding to a set of network extenders;

credentials associated with a first extender MAC address of the set of extender MAC addresses, the first extender MAC address associated with a first network extender of the set of network extenders;

a set of MAC addresses associated with a set of devices; and

a set of statuses associated with the set of MAC addresses.

7. The first device of claim 6 , wherein the at least one processor is to perform at least one connection to a subset of network extenders of the set of network extenders utilizing a subset of MAC addresses of the set of MAC addresses, in response to an event indicating at least one of an input message, the timeout being elapsed, or an update of the second table.

8. The first device of claim 6 , wherein the at least one processor is to connect to the first network extender based on the first extender MAC address and the credentials.

9. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is to obtain:

the second message from a router; and

data including a third address corresponding to at least one of the second address or the first address, the data credited to the second device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory including a table;

an output handler to broadcast a first message to a network extender, the first message including a first address associated with a second device and a message identifier;

an input handler to identify, in response to obtaining a second message including the message identifier, a second address embedded on a data link layer of the second message; and

a table controller to store the second address in the table in association with the second device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first address is a first media access control (MAC) address and the second address is a second MAC address and the network extender modifies the first MAC address to create the second MAC address.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first message is to be received by the network extender, the first message including the first address, the first address indicating to the network extender the first message is from the second device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first message and the second message are dynamic host control protocol discovery messages.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second device is associated with a status, the status indicating whether data from the second device is credited.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , the at least one memory further including:

a timeout, the timeout being a predetermined time; and

a second table, the second table including:

a set of extender MAC addresses corresponding to a set of network extenders;

credentials associated with a first extender MAC address of the set of extender MAC addresses, the first extender MAC address associated with a first network extender of the set of network extenders;

a set of first MAC addresses associated with a set of devices, the set of first MAC addresses including the first MAC address; and

a set of statuses associated with the set of first MAC addresses.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the output handler is to perform at least one connection to a subset of network extenders of the set of network extenders utilizing a subset of first MAC addresses of the set of first MAC addresses, in response to receiving instructions from at least one of a communications interface, a clock engine, or the table controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the communications interface is to send the instructions in response to an input message, the clock engine is to send the instructions in response to the timeout being elapsed, and the table controller is to send the instructions in response to completing updates on the second table.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the table controller is to store a set of second MAC addresses identified by the input handler to the table, the set of second MAC addresses associated with the subset of first MAC addresses connected to the subset of network extenders.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the output handler is to connect to the first network extender based on the first extender MAC address and the credentials.

20. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the input handler is to obtain:

the second message from a router; and

data including a third address corresponding to at least one of the second address or the first address, the data credited to the second device.

21. A method comprising:

broadcasting a first message to a network extender, the first message including a first address associated with a second device and a message identifier;

identifying, in response to obtaining a second message including the message identifier, a second address embedded on a data link layer of the second message; and

storing the second address in a table in association with the second device.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first address is a first media access control (MAC) address and the second address is a second MAC address and the network extender modifies the first MAC address to create the second MAC address.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first message is to be received by the network extender, the first message including the first address, the first address indicating to the network extender the first message is from the second device.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first message and the second message are dynamic host control protocol discovery messages.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the second device is associated with a status, the status indicating whether data from the second device is credited.

26. The method of claim 21 , further including:

determining whether a timeout has elapsed, the timeout being a predetermined time; and

storing data in a second table, the second table including:

a set of extender MAC addresses corresponding to a set of network extenders;

credentials associated with a first extender MAC address of the set of extender MAC addresses, the first extender MAC address associated with a first network extender of the set of network extenders;

a set of first MAC addresses associated with a set of devices, the set of first MAC addresses including the first MAC address; and

a set of statuses associated with the set of first MAC addresses.

27. The method of claim 26 , further including performing at least one connection to a subset of network extenders of the set of network extenders utilizing a subset of first MAC addresses of the set of first MAC addresses, in response to at least one of receiving an input message, determining the timeout has elapsed, or updating the second table.

28. The method of claim 27 , further including storing a set of second MAC addresses to the table, the set of second MAC addresses associated with the subset of first MAC addresses connected to the subset of network extenders.

29. The method of claim 27 , further including connecting to the first network extender based on the first extender MAC address and the credentials.

30. The method of claim 21 , further including obtaining:

the second message from a router; and

data including a third address corresponding to at least one of the second address or the first address, the data credited to the second device.

Assignments (5)
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 Apr 11, 2022
From: KLJUN, ANTON; KERKES, JOSEPH; PANGER, MARKO; USAJ, MARKO
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 059564/0895 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 26, 2022
From: KLJUN, ANTON; KERKES, JOSEPH; PANGER, MARKO; USAJ, MARKO
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 058774/0121 →
Continuity (1)
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