Portable group communication device and method of use

• US 10,003,625 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loose Cannon Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loose Cannon Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Celinski, Peter, Eller, Aiden Riley, George, Alwyn Joy, Gupta, Naresh Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US15/190,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/012 Comfort noise or silence coding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A portable communication device comprises a user interface, one or more digital processors in electronic communication with the user interface, and at least one memory in electronic communication with the one or more digital processors, the one or more digital processors and the at least one memory collectively configured to implement simultaneous radio frequency voice communication between a user of the device and multiple other ones of the devices. The voice communication comprises: transmitting audio data corresponding to speech of the user to each of the other ones of the devices, receiving audio data from each of the other ones of the devices, and transmitting the received audio data to the user so as to direct to the user combined and simultaneous speech of users of each of the other ones of the devices.

Claims

1. One or more portable communication devices, comprising:

in each portable communication device, a user interface, one or more digital processors in electronic communication with the user interface, and at least one memory in electronic communication with the one or more digital processors, the one or more digital processors and the at least one memory collectively configured to implement simultaneous radio frequency voice communication between a portable communication device and multiple other ones of the one or more portable communication devices, the voice communication comprising;

pairing the portable communication device with another one of the one or more portable communication devices by a direct link between the portable communication device and the other one of the portable communication devices, wherein the pairing comprises sending from the portable communication device an invitation message, and in response to receiving an invitation response message from the other one of the portable communication devices, sending from the portable communication device a join acknowledge message acknowledging to the other one of the portable communication devices that the portable communication device and the other one of the portable communication devices have joined a group;

transmitting audio data corresponding to speech of a user directly via a wireless medium to each of the other ones of the portable communication devices,

receiving directly via the wireless medium audio data from each of the other ones of the portable communication devices, and

transmitting the received audio data to the user so as to provide to the user combined and simultaneous speech of users of each of the other ones of the portable communication devices, wherein the audio data transmitted and received between the portable communication device and each of the other ones of the portable communication devices are transmitted and received over the wireless medium only and are transmitted and received directly between the portable communication device and each of the other ones of the one or more portable communication devices.

2. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more portable communication devices comprises a rigid housing, and the user interface is positioned on the housing.

3. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes one or more of an electronic display, one or more buttons, one or more dials, a touch sensitive display, and an audible speech interface.

4. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 3, wherein the audible speech interface includes one or more of an audio speaker interface and at least one microphone interface.

5. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 4, further comprising computer readable instructions stored in the at least one memory, the instructions comprising instructions for carrying out one or more voice initiated processes.

6. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 5, wherein the one or more voice initiated processes include processes for one or more of voice activated transmission of the audio data, and determination of one or more commands from a voice of the user of the portable communication device.

7. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 6, wherein the commands include commands for muting the other ones of the portable communication devices, directing the transmitted audio data to only a subset of the other ones of the portable communication devices, and assigning an audible name to one or more of the other ones of the portable communication devices.

8. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 5, wherein the one or more voice initiated processes include processes for determining a volume of the speech of the user.

9. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, further comprising computer readable instructions stored in the at least one memory of each of the one or more portable communication devices, the instructions comprising instructions for initiating one or more of:

a broadcast-only mode in which the receiving audio data, the mixing, and the transmitting the mixed audio data are disabled;

an open mode allowing communication with devices besides the other ones of the portable communication devices;

a determination of a quality of the received audio data;

a determination of locations of the other ones of the portable communication devices;

a determination of whether one of the other ones of the portable communication devices is out of range or approaching out of range;

a determination of whether one of the other ones of the portable communication devices is turned off;

transmission of a distress signal;

a determination of a motionless state of one of the other ones of the portable communication devices;

a reduction in noise of the received audio data;

an echo reduction;

a generation of a comfort noise; and

a mixing of the received audio data with another audio data stream.

10. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 9, wherein the another audio data stream is a music stream provided from a locally connected device other than another portable communication device.

11. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, further comprising computer readable information stored in the at least one memory of each of the one or more portable communication devices, the information corresponding to one or more notifications for the user.

12. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 11, the notifications including one or more of a vibration alert, an illumination of a light, and a visual alert displayed on a display.

13. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 11, the notifications including an audible alert.

14. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, further comprising computer readable information stored in the at least one memory of each of the one or more portable communication devices, the information corresponding to a voice recording.

15. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, wherein in each portable communication device, the one or more digital processors and the at least one memory are collectively further configured to establish the group with the other ones of the portable communication devices so that the voice communication occurs only between the user of the portable communication device and the other portable communication devices of the group.

16. The one or more portable communication devices of claim 1, wherein the voice communication further comprises mixing the received audio data from the other ones of the portable communication devices, and the transmitting the received audio data to the user further comprises transmitting the mixed audio data to the user.