DESCRIPTION

The present patent concerns communication and data transmission systems, and more specifically it concerns a new system and method for transmitting information.

The purpose of the system is the transmission of information, such as the communication of data, bit strings, signalling and, more generally, information references.

The information is intended to be received mainly by mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and others, and processed by specific software applications installed on such devices.

Information transmission systems are known which make use of visual signals such as the well-known QR Code system.

The QR Code is a technology, now widespread and used frequently, which was developed and patented in 1994 by Denso Wave (a company of the Toyota Group).

In the QR code, the information is contained in a visual image, a two-dimensional bar code (or 2D code) consisting of black modules arranged within a white square pattern; the visual image is acquired by optical detection devices (led, webcam, ...), stored and intended to be interpreted and processed by software programs (or applications) generally activated on mobile devices.

The message associated with the QR Code consists, most often, of an information reference such as a URL address, an implementation command, a limited binary string which, appropriately interpreted by the software application for which it is intended, initiates an interaction or directs to a procedure that leads to the information to be sent to the end user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present patent, the information transmission system makes use of a sound transmission channel, up to now never taken into consideration and never used for the purpose of communicating synthesis and string codes, meant to simplify access to information or to initiate interaction procedures for end users of modem technologies. In the present system, the information reference, i.e. the data / information to be transmitted, is contained in a sound signal, generally of short duration, composed of one or preferably more frequencies, for example between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, which can be also extended in the domain of infrasound and that of ultrasound.

The sound signal is generated within an electronic device through software and is emitted precisely as a sound signal through a loudspeaker.

The sound signal is then acquired by acoustic detection devices such as the microphones and receivers of an electronic device, and more generally by electro-acoustic type transducers, stored and intended to be processed and interpreted by software programs or applications implemented in said or other electronic devices.

Some concepts that will be used in this description and which refer to the multidisciplinary technological field globally recognized as ICT (Information and Communication Technology) are defined below.

Information

The concept of "information" is closely related to the term "meaning" and the latter to the idea of "purpose".

Information, in its broadest expression, could be defined as the (connected) meaning that emerges and manifests itself, on the basis of conventions (codes, alphabets, languages, ...) between sentient beings or cognitive apparatuses, in all things or concepts (abstract or concrete, single or structured) which, in the shared objective reality, are recognized as having an end.

Information can have one or more expressive and interpretative forms and is expressed and differentiated in a qualitative and a quantitative value. The quality is connected to the expressive mode, the intrinsic meaning and the associated purpose, while the quantity is attributed to the measurement and to the dimensional aspects related to the adopted conventions.

In the context of ICT, the following are considered:

• the qualitative property in the general conception of the systems that must finalize the information;

• the quantitative domain for the precise definition of the devices that must manage the information.

Code

The notion of "code" associated with information leads directly to the definition of "convention".

The code (or even language, alphabet, lexicon, ...) is the tool that makes it possible to associate, store, manage information, according to standardized practices that are recognized, shared and related to human senses and detection systems. The code is essential for the creation of the message, that is, the most common means of expressing and transmitting information.

The code is the conventional basis used in the systems, articulated and structured even in multiple hierarchical levels, identified as fundamental tools that contain the information.

Examples:

• The code is the range of colours in the "visual" area.

• The code are the "musical notes" conventionally used to compose, interpret, and reproduce musical harmonies.

• The code is the sign (form) of elements which, when associated, lead to the formal definition of the conventional language (alphabet).

• The code is the phonetic root from which the composite "sound" expression is derived in the common language (lexicon).

The coding must be unique in nature, through procedures defined in advance, so that it is possible to translate the information according to a specific code, without ambiguity. In the context of ICT, the quintessential digital code is the binary one, the simplest conventional formal system that uses only two symbols (zero and one), to which any numeric representation can be traced back with a suitable binary map.

Communication

The definition of "communication" is directly linked to the concept of "information" .

A shared objective reality presupposes the possibility of having information in common (between sentient beings or cognitive apparatuses); this is possible only if the information can be transferred between individuals or from one place to another: this peculiarity (the transfer of information) is recognized as communication (mainly entrusted to messages).

In modem society and in universal conventions, there is a tendency to make the concepts of "communication" and "information" coincide, but in the engineering field communication must only be understood as "transmitting information". Therefore, on the basis of a common conventional code, it is necessary to assume the presence of a source emitting the information, a means (or channel) of transmission, a subject receiving and interpreting the information.

The concept of communication is also expressed in a quantitative and a qualitative value.

From an engineering point of view, the quantitative concept of communication expresses, in logarithmic terms, the uncertainty of a message among those considered conventionally possible. In practice, it refers to the same interpretative notion assumed in the information (in essence, it concerns also in this case the measurement and the dimensional aspects related to the adopted conventions), the quality is instead specifically defined as the ability to reconstitute the same information originated by the sender (in interpretative terms) in the message that arrives to the recipient.

In the context of ICT, the following are considered:

• the quantitative domain for the precise definition of the devices that must manage the communication;

• the qualitative property in the precise conception of the systems that have to transfer the communication.

The communication scheme

In the communication scheme, the sender and the recipient are, respectively, the source of the information and the subject designated to receive it (and to interpret it).

The mathematical model of communication envisages, as a Communication Process, an exchange of information between subjects who assume (and exchange) the roles of sender and recipient, and this every time the transmission of information takes place (mutual communication).

For the purposes of this report, it is assumed that the Communication Process is unilateral (or unidirectional from a sender to a recipient), taking into account that similar and more complex interrelationships could occur considering the alternation of the exchange of roles, the feedback and the multiplication of the functions analysed in the fundamental scheme (Figure 1).

Figure 1 shows the fundamental scheme of the communication process.

This interpretation of the Communication Process is better suited to most of the applications envisaged for the information transmission system described and claimed in the present patent application.

As can be seen in figure 1 1, the exchange of information between Sender and Receiver is carried out on a physical level by providing for a transduction towards the signal domain through the Encoding operation (or also: modulation, synthesis) and, by inverting it, through the operation of Decoding (or also: demodulation, analysis). The Transmitter is therefore the physical element that actually carries out the communication, interacting with the Receiver, through a Noise-affected Channel.

These elements will be specified below, with special reference to the new information transmission system.

Sound communication

Sound communication can be classified into various forms.

Sound communication associates and transmits information through a sound effect, perceptible by the human hearing system or by an acoustic detection device.

Among sound communications we can include:

• a vocal message, that is, expressed in words and phrases pronounced by a sentient being (or by a device that provides verbal meaning to the sounds emitted) and intended to be listened to and interpreted according to conventionally shared phonetic principles;

• a musical harmony, more or less structured, coordinated and rhythmic (possibly combined or integrated with appropriately modulated phonemes and words) with the aim of being interpreted as a melodious motif and composition, destined to be perceived to arouse pleasant sensations, instinctive emotions and/or intellectual satisfactions; • a more or less continuous signalling message (sound signal), variously (or solely) composed of audio frequencies (but which could also belong to the infrasound and/or ultrasound domain) of limited duration in time and intended to be decoded according to regulated interpretative rules.

Information reference

The innovation introduced by the new information transmission system involves the generation of a sound signal that contains information. This content is often not exhaustive and is identifiable in a denotation (or reference) that returns or initiates procedures that lead to predetermined actions or information.

In our system, the sender produces an information reference (a series of numbers and/or lexicons, a string of alphanumeric characters, a URL address, a series of data or conventional parameters associated with an APP, ...) which constitutes the core of the new information transmission system intended for the software application (APP).

An "Information Reference" is defined as that part of the associated information which, in this information transmission system, the sender wants to transmit to the potential recipient.

In practice, the sender entrusts to a sound signal, coded, modulated and produced according to the protocol of this system, the Information Reference which is the one to be interpreted by specific APPs.

In the event that the Information Reference is a URL address, the new system is particularly advantageous since it will be possible to send the encoding of this address, while the content of the information can be entered and modified by the sender directly on the Internet page.

Alternatively, the Information Reference can be a message that is sent to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to request authorization to access the information content. In this way, the ISP will control the recipients' access to the information that the sender wants to transmit. A diagram with the relative explanation of the latter solution is shown in a subsequent chapter called "ISP-BACK".

The sound signal

The sound signal produced, or the signal encoded according to the encoding protocol of the new information transmission system, is an audio file that will be stored, managed, processed and transmitted through ICT channels and equipment, such as in broadcasting systems.

The sound signal that a Sender must send is obtained with a procedure, for example, commissioned and performed by an ISP which, enabled to use the new information transmission system and equipped with a specific development program, encodes the Information Reference, i.e., the information to be transmitted, which was provided by the Sender.

The ISP then encodes this information and includes it in a digital audio file, for example in mp3, wav, midi, aac, etc. format, which will be transmitted to the client, that is, to the Sender.

The Sender, in turn, may use said audio file for its purposes of diffusion among end users or interaction with end users.

The sound signal is also recognizable by a human user; however, it can also be perfectly integrated into multimedia transmissions, together with forms of vocal message or musical harmony.

The sound signal contains appropriately coded and digitally modulated information that can only be interpreted through software applications (programs).

Once it reaches a receiver, i.e. the Receiving subject, said signal is managed by a program (APP), where it is interpreted and decoded, operations that will return the Information Reference, intended to initiate procedures to access the information/interactions that the sender wishes to send to the recipient.

Steps of the system

The use of the new system presupposes that the methods of use, that is, the procedures that are assumed to be useful for its advantageous exploitation, have been foreseen. A possible operational structure for the new information transmission system is set out below.

The generic transmission scheme, illustrated in Figure 2, brings together the functions and operational purposes of the new information transmission system and briefly outlines its operation. The purpose of the system is, ultimately, to lead the user towards the information/interaction that the sender wishes to send to the recipient.

The areas affected by the innovation and therefore subject to patent development concern:

• in the ISP management sector, the Encoding and Generation of the sound signal;

• in the context of software applications (APP), the interpretation and decoding of the sound signal.

Figure 2 shows the generic transmission scheme of the new information transmission system.

The preliminary activities carried out by the Sender, or by those who wish to send specific information to (or implement an interactive activity with) the Recipient user, provide for the preparation of the information/interaction (generally published/activated on the web) and its identification (with data, parameters and URL address) in an Information Reference.

The Information Reference, which by nature is generally complex, articulated and difficult to be reproduced and/or stored, can be sent to the recipients with a sound signal. For this reason, it must be encoded (according to the encoding protocol, described below) and included in an audio file (sound signal), an operation that can, for example, be carried out by an authorized ISP.

Once the audio file containing the information to transmit, coded and generated by the ISP, has been obtained, the Sender has the possibility to disclose/transmit it (on broadcasting channels, through multimedia devices, by means of loudspeakers in public environments, etc.), in such a way as to make it reach the potential Recipients concerned, who, equipped with electronic devices in which said APP allowing the audio file to be interpreted and decoded is installed, will thus be able to access, with the reconstituted Information Reference, the information/interaction prepared by the Sender.

Boundary conditions

In order to define the specifications of the new system in a coherent and exhaustive way, the main boundary condition is reported which is considered essential for the correct development of the theoretical scope of the innovation that is the subject of this study. Noise contrast through encoding

It should be noted that, in practice, sound signals are affected by noise. This term means, in the field of engineering, an unwanted signal that is opposed to the so-called useful signal, which is instead explicitly designed for the transport of information. In the case of sound communication, noise can be both an unwanted acoustic signal, as it is understood in common language, as well as a secondary effect due to the imperfections of the electrical devices capable of communicating the signal. In any case, the presence of noise in communications not only does not provide any contribution to the transport of information but makes it more difficult to execute.

The encoding of an information content in a message to be transmitted with a suitable signal, which in the case in question is a sound signal, therefore has the double function of conventional mapping that can be interpreted but also of contrasting noise.

Since noise generally has random and poorly structured characteristics, in the presence of overlap between the useful signal and the noise, it is still possible to isolate the useful signal as it has internal structural characteristics, as opposed to noise.

This property is generally present in any encoding; however, the theory identifies additional techniques, particularly suitable for countering noise even when the corruption it brings to the useful signal is considerable. Beyond the specific detail of the particular encodings, the general principle is to introduce redundancy in the signal, meaning a greater degree of structuring, not to increase the information content but solely aimed at contrasting the noise.

In light of this principle, the encoded sound signal must have both of these aspects related to the encoding, that is, not only provide for a conventional mapping of the information but do so in such a way as to present characteristics of robustness with respect to noise. In other words, the specifications of the coded sound signal guarantee that it is able to transmit the information content even in the presence of noise, within certain levels. The performance of the new system is actually linked to the ability to obtain this result.

The encoding protocol

The subject of the innovation and of the patent is constituted by the encoding system and the generation of the encoded sound signal, expressed in an audio fde, as well as the interpretation and decoding of the latter for the recomposition of the original Information Reference, i.e. the information content to be transmitted. Both of these processes are structured and obtained as described below.

The coded sound signal, produced in the form of an electrical signal, has in its mathematical envelope the information that the sender wishes to transmit to the recipient apparatus. This can be done through acoustic synthesis programs that are able to generate, modulate and compose audio frequencies according to defined standards. The rules for encoding the sound signal will not simply define the frequencies to be associated but must also introduce redundancy in the data to be transmitted.

Preliminary technical explanations

Two-dimensional structures for encoding information are already applied in the field of graphic signals. In this context, the reference one -dimensional structure is the one used for bar codes, which provide a reliable graphic signal typically used for product tracking. Reading the code through an optical scanning device allows it to be interpreted quickly and effectively.

Subsequent evolutions of this technology towards a two-dimensional structure are graphic codes, such as the QR Codes but also the VeriCode and the Data Matrix, which, compared to the barcode, increase the data content for the same graphic area.

The present information encoding system, on the other hand, involves a sound signal that presents a two-dimensional mapping along the directions of time and frequency. This solution, suitable for still practically unexplored scenarios, offers the advantage of efficient data transport in a way similar to a spatial two-dimensional code. In its elementary version, the coded sound signal of the present patent application has characteristics of content and robustness similar to those of a two-dimensional graphic code since, even in the presence of a different physical signal format, it has similar structural properties.

The structure of the message - coded sound signal

Before being disseminated, the coded sound signal can be processed, transformed and adapted, but originally it must be produced, that is, once the information to be associated has been defined, it must be previously coded.

Assuming that the information is digital (bit strings), it is necessary to adapt it in a specific structure, so that it assumes a defined configuration, to guarantee a suitable level of security in terms of specific preliminary encryption and reliability, in terms of redundancy and correction for the reconstruction of the original information. Unless further verification and management procedures are carried out, it is also possible to provide for the individual signals to vary according to predetermined frequency ranges and predetermined time steps conveyed.

The information that must be associated with the coded sound signal, or the information that is completely aggregated in the sound signal, is structured and made up of the following parts:

• Opening Marker of the signal, which may be in the form of an associated jingle recognizable by the detection systems;

• Info Core, that is, the core or central part, which contains the coded Information Reference, that is, the information to be transmitted;

• Closing Marker of the signal, which may be in the form of an associated jingle recognizable by the detection systems.

The coded sound signal is therefore temporally limited by two sequences, easily recognizable and identified as opening jingle (Opening Marker) and closing jingle (Closing Marker). These conventional sequences, in addition to having the function of denoting the beginning and end of the coded sound signal, also provide a unique identifier of the version used for the two-dimensional encoding of the information.

Figure 3 shows a temporal representation of the structure of the coded sound signal, where the Opening Marker is indicated with (A), the Info Core is indicated with (C) and the Closing Marker is indicated with (B).

Since the structure of the message to be transmitted must offer characteristics of robustness with respect to noise, the following measures will be used in the actual encoding of the coded sound signal.

— > The Opening Marker and the Closing Marker must be strongly structured; in fact, they constitute a control element for the communication, which does not carry any information, except that of the beginning or end of the message. However, their length and composition will be suited to allow them to be recognized both by automatic devices and by a human user, even in the presence of noise.

— > The Info Core will be expanded following the introduction of redundancy in the signal, in order to provide adequate protection against noise. This redundancy is the object of the encoding operations, where it is introduced, and of the decoding operations, where it is exploited to counteract the noise.

The configurative model of the Info Core, i.e. the signal core

According to the predefined methodological scheme, the information reference, that is, the set of information to be transmitted, is transformed into a succession of signals of predetermined duration with frequencies that can overlap over time (Info Core).

The Info Core contains a layer of coding implemented on several directions. By way of main example, consider a two-dimensional arrangement of the digital values of the signal along the directions of time and frequency. In the simplest possible version, the digital values are binary (0/1, i.e., absent/present). It is also possible to expand the coding layer into several levels, using disjoint frequency ranges.

An appropriate subdivision of time and frequency step, which provides the elementary resolution of the coding symbols, is identified within the coding layer.

Two-dimensional encoding

An example of a possible model could be found in the two-dimensional encoding, which is based on the information configuration of the QR Code, whose graphic reference model, that is, a two-dimensional image used for transporting coded information, generally adopts a square matrix of monochromatic pixels (with binary value 0/1) of standard dimensions, variable according to the purposes and the information content to be disclosed.

To obtain the same performance in the coded sound signal, the following choices can be made.

• A value N is first fixed, which depends on the characteristics of the encoding format used, for example N = 24.

• A sufficiently contained frequency range is used, including A values chosen as harmonics, that is, the fundamental frequencies that may or may not be present in the sound signal.

• An overall duration of a few seconds of the acoustic signal is set, divided into T time intervals, generally having the same duration.

A formatting analogous to a square spatial representation would correspond to setting A = T = N. For practical reasons related to implementation, however, it is possible to choose a rectangular rather than a square representation, in which the number of harmonics A does not coincide with the number of time intervals T, but a similar value is in any case retained for the product A x T.

Figure 4 shows, by way of example, a possible embodiment of the Time/Frequency matrix that can be implemented in the Info Core.

The format of the coded content

The overall content of the two-dimensional data structure is the result of an encoding operation carried out on an initial message (payload), the maximum allowed dimensions of which depend on the specific format used (which determines the N value) as well as on the desired robustness settings in terms of corrective capacity of the code.

In fact, as justified by information theory, error control is obtained by adding appropriate redundancy to the payload, which improves its recognition even in the presence of noise. It is also possible to provide for a dual formatting mode for the coded content, so that the generated two-dimensional structure has:

• the minimum possible frequency dimensions to contain the original message and the introduced redundancy, for example by limiting the number of harmonics used;

• the minimum possible duration to contain the original message and the introduced redundancy.

Another design choice concerns the specific encoding technique used for the generation of redundancy. In this context, it is possible to use highly efficient binary block codes such as Reed-Solomon codes, already used by graphic codes for error protection. Similarly to what happens with analogous systems in the field of graphic signals, these choices allow protection from error even in the case of loss of 30% of the coded sound signal. Generation of the acoustic signal

The part relating to the Info Core in the coded sound code corresponds to the sequencing of the time-frequency matrix structure according to the format specified in the example model described above. In a simplified acoustic generation, in a server accessible via the web, upon receipt of the sequence of characters to be encoded, the sound signal may be directly generated according to the encoding and structure shown and saved in a standard audio file format such as, for example, mp3, wav, midi, aac, ...

Interpretation and decoding

The system's sound information Receiver comprises an electronic device in which a software that interprets and decodes with certainty the coded sound signal detected by a microphone connected to the Recipient's device is installed and running. In practice, the electronic devices of the Recipient and the Receiver coincide.

In order to be perceived by electro-acoustic transducers, the coded sound signal, once coded and broadcast or transmitted, must be demodulated to extract the transmitted content and then decoded to obtain the original information. Through acoustic analysis programs, which are able to filter, select and transpose the audio frequencies, the demodulation system, after making the corrections, extracts and interprets the original information content, which will be further processed to achieve the information purposes of the system.

In the model described by way of example, the analysis of the generated coded acoustic signal thus takes place through the following two steps.

1. Interpretation of the structure of binary values in the directions of time and frequency starting from the acoustic signal; this operation is carried out by a piece of electroacoustic apparatus connected to an appropriate application that reads the frequency occupation values of the different harmonics and provides a coded binary output sequence.

2. Decoding of the binary sequence to obtain the original payload message, correcting the error, i.e., removing the redundancy and using it to verify the values received.

Depending on the implementation, the latter operation can be carried out locally, that is, on the recipient's mobile device, as long as the encoding format and the order of the frequency values adopted are communicated, in the same signal or by other means. Alternatively, it is possible to provide an external architecture, through a reference server, towards which the binary sequence is transmitted and interpreted.

Encryption

To allow a flexible and general implementation, the encoding and decoding scheme operates without any structural coding. However, since the content of the payload message is general, end-to-end encryption can be introduced into the system to protect any sensitive information.

Final technical considerations

The reception of data through the new information transmission system takes place automatically and, therefore, is executed more rapidly than any other form of data exchange taking place internally on the acoustic channel. Although other forms of data dissemination (or exchange) are possible through sound communication channels, these are not so general, as they depend on the technology and the equipment used in the transmission and reception devices.

The coded sound signal of this new system, on the other hand, is permanently inserted within the transmitted acoustic content, as it occurs, for example, for the insertion of QR codes in magazines, flyers, road signs, screen videos, and so on. The possible configurative models, adaptable to the sound channel and associable with the system, such as the two-dimensional encoding proposed by way of example, have great data storage capacity, always in relation to what is found in the graphic systems based on the visual channel. Interfacing with mobile devices or intelligent audio management systems allows rapid integration with text and video multimedia content, for example via hyperlinks.

The previously exemplified structure of two-dimensional time/frequency collocation of binary values is only one of the possible structures that can be adopted in the coding of the sound signal, in fact it is also possible to implement sequentialization models, multilevel modulation models, differential representation and other models.

As for the QR Code, also the present system for the transmission of information by means of a coded sound signal may include multi-modal management for the types of use of the Information Reference: for example, the purposes of the coded sound signal could be associated with a code of the static or dynamic type.

The information (the Information Reference) that will be entrusted to the transmission system, as well as the results of the encoding, generation, interpretation and decoding of the coded sound signal, will be classified, registered and stored in a database archive, exclusively managed by the ISP authorized to use the system.

Software

To preliminarily define the synthesis (encoding and generation) and analysis (interpretation and decoding) systems that will operate on the encoded sound code, the main functions of the software programs that must be implemented in the procedure of the new information transmission system are outlined.

Encoding and generation applications

The program intended to synthesize the coded sound signal, placed for example in a server managed by an ISP, can operate according to the following application procedure.

— > The program receives an input file that contains the Information Reference, which can be a URL address or any other information to be transmitted. The file is defined and normalized according to modes to be established in relation to the configurative models. — > Based on pre-established parameters and/or parameters included in the file itself, the Information Reference is encrypted and/or stored and/or associated with a so-called EIR (Encrypted Information Reference) file.

— > The program then modulates/synthesizes the EIR file into an enveloped sound signal, according to techniques that could include optimization (redundancy, error correction, noise reduction).

— > Finally, an audio file is generated which represents the coded sound signal (mp3, wav, midi, aac,...).

Acquisition and decoding applications

The analysis software, residing in a device accessible to the final recipient, can be implemented in specific applications (APP) created for certain purposes or have standard interpretation/implementation characteristics, for example as an exclusive addressing service dedicated to the Information Reference.

The generalized execution procedure includes the following operations.

-> It is activated and stopped by means of a specific sound signal which conveniently consists of said Opening Marker and/or said Closing Marker - generically associated with a very short musical jingle composed on purpose.

-> It records, interprets, that is, decodes but, generally, does not activate procedures, and stores the notification received (the Information Reference).

-> It provides for implementing the functions, actions or interactions that constitute the purposes of the application itself; for example, it notifies the user of the basic information of the Information Reference and the subsequent operational options.

-> The program should also give the possibility to consult the records of received reports, to delete them, to activate them, to forward them, to share them, etc.

Comparative Notes

From an application point of view, the use of the QR Code generally involves a direct and intentional interaction on the part of the recipient of the information, that is, the user "sees" the QR code, meaning the distinguishable box that defines it and, voluntarily, they frame it with the webcam of their smartphone or tablet. The software residing in the electronic device interprets the QR code, starting a specific operation that leads to the information prepared by the sender.

The use of the new system is generally based on an indirect interaction, prepared in the mobile device of the recipient, who "hears" the coded sound signal emitted by a sound source and detects it, automatically, through the microphone of their smartphone or other device. The resident software interprets it by starting a certain operation on the device, such as storage, notification, etc., which, subsequently, at the request of the recipient, leads to the information prepared by the sender.

In practice, the QR Code is positioned visually and spatially, being reproduced in the form of iconography in predetermined places. The potential Recipient sees it and, only if interested, activates their reading device on their mobile device, frames the code and is directed, generally immediately, to the desired information/interaction provided by the Sender.

The present new information transmission system, on the other hand, is broadcast sonically and temporally, that is, it is transmitted acoustically at certain times by specifically prepared audio systems. The mobile device (with active APP) of the user, meaning the recipient, immediately detects the coded sound signal and stores it, preparing a notification for the potential Recipient who, when they wish, starts the procedure to access the desired information/interaction provided by the Sender.

Multimedia and the aid of sound

A general overview of the current state of the art of multimedia communications is provided below, also outlining the importance of sound, integrated and provided in almost all applications and information and dissemination packages.

Multimediality is defined as the characteristic of a communication that integrates multiple expressive forms in the same support or information context. Generally, multimedia contents are meant to be contents that can be used, shared and possibly modified anywhere and on different devices.

Leaving aside the functional aspects of multimediality, which highlight how this type of communication affects culture, economy, sociality, etc., we shall consider only the physical aspects related to the various information contents that affect multiple sensory channels.

We speak of "multimedia content" when to communicate information, for example related to specific issues, we make use of many and different means of mass communication or media more or less simultaneously, for example: videos or animated images, iconographies or static images, audio, such as music and/or speech, written text or publications, and so on.

Multimediality is a valuable result of modem technologies and is very often accompanied by interactivity. Thanks to its expressive-communicative potential, multimedia has spread to many areas of society, involving all forms of communication. The web and new media are considered, by their very nature, to be multimedia and interactive.

The audio channel is used as an acoustic media support, that is, generally intended for listeners (living beings) who directly perceive and interpret the information content carried by sound waves that reach the hearing system.

The sound effects, music, speech, etc. entrusted to the audio channel, now present in numerous multimedia systems, provide an indispensable aid in the context of communication. But the audio channel is currently limited as regards the amount of information it is able to deliver to the listening user.

The new information transmission system, using the audio channel as a transmission medium, considerably expands the information that can be functionally integrated into the multimedia and interactive aspects of the communication itself.

Telecommunications and the power of broadcasting

The fields of application of the new information transmission system are innumerable and rely on the audio channel, which is considered available in many communication situations.

By way of illustration, the considerations regarding telecommunications and the so- called "broadcasting" are reported below.

In telecommunications, "broadcasting" refers to the transmission of information from a transmitting system to receiving apparatuses having general characteristics that are not specifically defined.

For example: Radio and Television belong to broadcasting systems. The term generically indicates the “one-to-many” transmission model, assuming an extremely high quality level for the professional tools used for these purposes, i.e., broadcasts.

An analogy, in the system of computer networks, corresponds to the term "streaming": a data packet can be delivered to all computers connected to the network, for example to all those on an ethemet network segment, or to all those on a IP subnet, etc., through interactive procedural procedures.

The most classic example of a broadcasting system is a high-power transmitter system and numerous receivers scattered throughout the area, such as radio equipment in cars, or televisions in homes. In this way, all receivers located in the coverage area of the transmitter pick up the signal, but the broadcaster is not able to know exactly who they are communicating with. Broadcasting is one way. The information is sent without a return channel and without the certainty that it will be received by all those to whom the sender wishes to transmit it.

Nonetheless, the power, effectiveness and usefulness of broadcasting systems are universally recognized and tested.

The decoded sound signal can be entrusted to different telecommunication systems, but broadcasting is certainly and naturally the most suitable one . A sender who, for example, uses the radio or television to disseminate, on a commercial or public service level, information that uses only or even the audio channel, often does not have much time to send, illustrate and complete their message, without considering the possibilities of interaction that could be activated and integrated into the mobile devices, now available to everyone.

The new information transmission system, which can be adopted in broadcasting communications, would thus become very useful and appreciable, because it is practical for the recipient and advantageous for the sender.

Applications, purposes and uses of the new information transmission system

The application areas of the new system are listed below by way of guide and nonlimiting example, with references to its use and purposes. For each of them, multiple and diversified implementation projects aimed at achieving objectives of social, cultural, didactic, entrepreneurial, economic utility could be explained, analyzed, developed, and synthesized.

The fields could include communication and dissemination in those situations or contexts in which sound diffusion and amplification systems are used, such as, for example:

• Radio and Television (broadcasting)

• Cinemas and theatres

• Public places and events

• Schools and universities

Meetings, conferences, and congresses

Events and fairs

Malls, shopping centers, and shops Reception, convivial and refreshment environments

With the adoption of the new system, in each of the aforementioned relational areas, it is possible to transmit the Information References for the purposes of the information/interaction that the sender wishes to send to the recipient. The following list summarizes the definition of some of the countless possibilities.

Updates and insights: Documents or information sources of a different nature, intended to be an aid in the display of news reports or cultural programs while they are broadcast on the radio or on television (broadcasting).

Reasons and correlations: Translated or interpreted texts, accompanying illustrations, implementation of procedures, ... intended to be an aid in broadcasting, mainly radio, in meetings, conferences and congresses, during teaching at school or in universities, in reception, convivial and refreshments environments, ...

Advertising and promotion: Notes, iconographies, animations and additional data, references and contact details, discount coupons, special offers, ... to increase the value of and the opportunities offered by commercial advertisements in audio and video spots broadcast on radio or television, but also in events and fairs, in malls and sales outlets, ...

Competitions and games: Instructions, rules and regulations, invitations to participate, interaction on entertainment occasions, ...

Surveys and analyses: Statistical research, direct or indirect surveys, interactive questionnaires in real time, ...

Utilities and equipment: Attributions, stories, references, testimonials, certifications, reviews, images, ...

The new system can also be used in times and situations in which interactions between mobile devices, or between the latter and fixed devices, can become immediate and practical, in operational circumstances that require data exchange or an interrelation such as, for example: direct access and/or connection for the transfer of data, information and iconographic sources; the transmission of identification credentials and accreditation operations; redirection to sources of in-depth information; the start of interactivity operations between applications;

Innovation area

Today's technology gives “visual transmission” the possibility of providing codes which, detected by optical reading devices, are easily and immediately interpreted by software programs which translate, mostly immediately, the information that a sender wishes to transmit to the recipient concerned.

The innovation of the present system refers to an acoustically perceptible code that can be detected by microphones (or electro-acoustic transducer devices) for inputting information into a computer or the like and, more particularly, to a sound signal composed of different frequencies variously modulated that "carry" data in binary language. The structure of the acoustic signal is such that it is encoded in a model with specifications that guarantee an adequate level of security (encryption) and reliability (reconstruction of the original information).

In a process of production and emission of a sound signal to be acoustically diffused in a transmission medium such as, for example, air, the original information, which in our case is in the form of a binary code available as an electrical signal, is subjected to a conversion process, even multiple if necessary, and to implementation in modulated frequencies attributable to the sound domain, including infrasound and ultrasound.

The electrical signal is subsequently amplified and conveyed to an electro-acoustic transducer, that is, an actuator which converts it into sound pressure waves, such as a loudspeaker, and which provides for propagating it in the transmission medium.

A generally known method for acquiring, recording and decoding a sound signal includes steps suited to detect the sound by means of an electro-acoustic transducer device such as a microphone and, once the specially modulated frequencies have been detected, to pass it to a software program that transposes the code in the form of bits. The latter operation must provide, without ambiguity, the original binary code, that is, the code that has been encoded to be transposed and broadcast in the sound signal.

Control procedure or ISP-BACK

According to the invention, the Information Reference may directly contain neither the information/data that the Sender wants to transmit, nor the URL address to access content, but rather it may contain a command to initiate an authorization request procedure.

The recipient's electronic device will receive the coded sound signal which is processed by the program installed in the device. This program activates the procedure for requesting authorization to the ISP, for example by calling, sending a message, accessing the website, etc. With this procedure, the Recipient then requests the ISP to be allowed to access the content of the Information Reference. At this point, the ISP checks the Sender's authorization request and sends the Recipient, that is, the program installed in their electronic device, the Information Reference containing the data/information that the Sender wants to transmit.

This procedure prevents the Recipient from accessing unverified or unauthorized content, for example via a URL address.

The ISP-BACK procedure is schematically shown in Figure 5.

Therefore, with reference to the preceding description, the following claims are expressed.

Preferred solution

In the preferred solution, the new information transmission method comprises the steps schematically outlined in Figure 6 and described below.

1) The primary user 10, that is, the sender who wants to send information with the aid of a sound signal contacts or uses the service provider or platform 20, called TISCODE SUPPLIER 20: the primary user 10 sends the information 11 they want to send, which can actually be any type of digital file called INFOTIS, to the receiving module 21 of the supplier 20. For example, to do this the primary user 10 accesses the website of the supplier 20 and sends the digital file 11. The service provider 20 then receives a digital file containing the information that the primary user/sender 10 wants to send to one or more end users/recipients 50. ) The receiving module 21 performs at least two actions here, namely:

2a) assigns a code called CNR to the fde 11 ;

2b) stores the file in a database 22 called TISTORE 22; wherein the CNR code is data that identifies the position of the file in the database; in practice, the service provider 20, residing on a remote platform, interfaces with the primary user 10 by means of said receiving module 21. ) The service provider 20 includes an encoder 23, which receives the CNR code and transforms it into a sound signal 12 which is provided to the primary user 10 for use. The sound signal 12, therefore, is not the encoding of the actual INFOTIS 11, but of the CNR code. ) The primary user 10 can use the sound signal 12 by broadcasting it through any transmission channel 30 that allows the transmission and diffusion of sound: radio, TV, loudspeaker, etc., generically called MEDIA. ) The sound signal 12 emitted by the transmission channels 30 is detected by a microphone or detector 41 of a device 40 in the hands of a user 50, who is the recipient of the message; the device 40 is an electronic device such as, for example, a smartphone, a tablet or a PC, in which a specific application 60, called APP TISCODE 60, is installed. ) The detector 41 sends the sound signal 12 to the decoder 61 inserted in the application 60 or implemented in the platform 20 (Figure 6a), which decodes it, obtaining the CNR code. ) The CNR code is sent to the database TISTORE 22, which ) returns the INFOTIS 11 contained therein, via connection to the data network, to the application 60 installed in the device 40 which detected the sound signal 12. Basically, the database 22 returns the message only upon delivery of the corresponding CNR. ) The reader module 62 of the application 60 finally displays a notification for and/or interprets and/or interacts with the INFOTIS 11, making it available to the end user 50. ) In the event a notification of the INFOTIS 11 is displayed, the end user 50 may decide to interact with the notification itself to receive the original file 11, or to activate a procedure provided within one or more applications in their device 40. ) All such events, that is, the transmission of the notification related to the file 11 and the transmission of the original INFOTIS 11, or the possible activation of procedures in the end user's device 40, are recorded as events in the TISCODE SUPPLIER 20 of the service provider. ) The primary user 10 subsequently has the possibility of querying the system to find out the cumulative, marketing and/or geolocation data, on a statistical basis and anonymously, which the TISCODE SUPPLIER 20 has detected during the calls of the devices 40 concerned and initiated by the procedure for picking up the sound signal 12. ) The end user 50 has the possibility of configuring the TISCODE APP 60, selecting the commodity areas of interest; that is, when the primary user 10 uploads their digital file into the TISCODE SUPPLIER 20, they can specify the commodity classification of the type of INFOTIS of interest; if this classification is active in the configuration of the TISCODE APP 60 that picks up the sound signal, then the end user 50 can see and has access to the notification related to the original information, otherwise not. More specifically, this step involves the following operations: determination of a plurality of categories or commodity areas to which said messages (11) may relate; definition of the category or commodity area of the message (11) to be sent; configuration of said application (60) by said end user (50) to select one or more of said categories or commodity areas of interest; verification, by said application (60), of whether the sound signal (12) received relates to one of said categories or commodity areas selected by the end user (50); selective authorization for the message (11) and/or receipt of the notification if said message (11) relates to one of said categories or commodity areas selected by the end user (50). ) All the management operations performed by the primary user 10 by interfacing with the service provider's TISCODE SUPPLIER 20 are granted after registration (log) and protected by unique access credentials.