Systems and methods for positioning a user of a hands-free intercommunication

• US 10,116,804 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cheatham, III, Jesse R., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Petroski, Robert C., Rudder, Eric D., Tan, Desney S., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wilson, Andrew, Wing, Jeannette M., Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh Kien
• Application Number:
  US14/848,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 379159, 379160, 37916701, 37916705, 37916708, 37916711, 37916714
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17821 characterised by the analysis of the input signals only
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17827 Desired external signals, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17837 by retaining part of the ambient acoustic environment, e.g. speech or alarm signals that the user needs to hear
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17873 using a reference signal without an error signal, e.g. pure feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/60 related to security aspects in telephonic communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/205 Eavesdropping prevention - indication of insecurity of line or network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 : for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 : Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 : Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 : Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 : Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 : Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/00 : Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A hands-free intercom may include a user-tracking sensor, a directional microphone, a directional sound emitter, a display device, and/or a communication interface. The user-tracking sensor may determine a location of a user so the directional microphone can measure vocal emissions by the user and the directional sound emitter can deliver audio to the user. The hands-free intercom may provide privacy to the user. The hands-free intercom may prevent an eavesdropper from hearing the user'"'"'s vocal emissions, for example, by canceling the vocal emissions at the eavesdropper'"'"'s ear. The directional sound emitter may deliver out-of-phase sound to cancel the vocal emissions. The hands-free intercom may also, or instead, cancel ambient noise at the user'"'"'s ear. The hands-free intercom may measure or predict a filtration of the sound to be canceled and compensate for the filtration when canceling the sound.

Claims

1. A hands-free intercommunication system for automatically connecting a user to an entity of interest, the system comprising:

a user-tracking sensor that determines a location of the user;

a directional microphone that measures vocal emissions by the user, wherein the measured vocal emissions include identifying the entity of interest with which the user would like to communicate;

a communication interface that communicatively couples the directional microphone and a directional sound emitter to a communication device of the entity of interest, wherein the communication interface determines whether to couple the communication device of the entity of interest to the user based on the location of the user; and

a directional sound emitter that delivers audio received at the communication device of the entity of interest to the user, wherein the directional sound emitter emits audio received the entity of interest using a plurality of inaudible ultrasonic sound waves that frequency convert to produce audible audio corresponding to the received audio the entity of interest for the user at the location of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface determines whether the entity of interest is within a listening range of the user, and wherein the communication interface communicatively couples the user to the entity of interest if the entity of interest is not within the listening range.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication interface determines whether the entity of interest is within the listening range based on responsive vocal emissions the entity of interest.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication interface determines whether the entity of interest is within the listening range based on responsive motion the entity of interest.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface selects the entity of interest from among one or more entities identified by the user-tracking sensor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user-tracking sensor occupies a plurality of structures.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface selects the entity of interest from among one or more entities that nominally occupy a structure comprising the hands-free intercommunication system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface further adds an additional participant based on a further vocal emission by the user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface further adds an additional participant based on a gesture by the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface locates the entity of interest based on a beacon coupled to the entity of interest.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the beacon transmits a signal selected from the group consisting of a radio frequency signal, an infrared signal, and an ultrasonic signal.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface further encrypts communications if the communication device is external to the hands-free intercommunication system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface further:

receives a request from a remote entity to communicatively couple to the user; and

determines whether to couple the remote entity to the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication interface determines whether to couple the remote entity to the user based on one or more access rules.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the communication interface determines whether to couple the remote entity to the user based on which room the user is occupying.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the room is selected from the group consisting of a bedroom, a bathroom, an office, and a kitchen.

17. A hands-free intercommunication system for automatically connecting a user to an entity of interest, the system comprising:

a user-tracking sensor that;

determines a location of the user,

identifies a non-tactile gesture by the user, and

determines the entity of interest with which the user would like to communicate based on the non-tactile gesture;

a directional microphone that measures vocal emissions by the use;

a communication interface that communicatively couples the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of the entity of interest to the user based on the location of the user; and

a directional sound emitter that delivers audio received at the communication device of the entity of interest to the user, wherein the directional sound emitter emits audio received the entity of interest using a plurality of inaudible ultrasonic sound waves that frequency convert to produce audible audio corresponding to the received audio from the entity of interest for the user at the location of the user.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for automatically connecting a user to an entity of interest, the method comprising:

determining a location of the user;

measuring vocal emissions by the user using a directional microphone, wherein the measured vocal emissions includes identifying the entity of interest with which the user would like to communicate;

determining whether to forward a connection request to a user device based on the location of the user;

communicatively coupling the user device to a communication device of the entity of interest; and

delivering audio received at the communication device of the entity of interest to the user device via a directional sound emitter, wherein the directional sound emitter emits audio received from the entity of interest using a plurality of inaudible ultrasonic sound waves that frequency convert to produce audible audio corresponding to the received audio from the entity of interest for the user at the location of the user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein communicatively coupling the user comprises recording the vocal emissions and delivering the recorded vocal emissions after identification of the entity of interest.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises delivering an audio indication to the user prior to delivery of the recorded vocal emissions to the entity of interest.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the audio indication comprises a contact status indicator associated with the communication device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein identifying the entity of interest comprises selecting the entity of interest from among family members of the user.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the family members comprise a domesticated animal.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein identifying the entity of interest comprises selecting the entity of interest based upon a calendar of the user.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request from a remote entity to communicatively couple to the user device; and

determining whether to couple the remote entity to the user.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein determining whether to couple comprises determining whether to couple the remote entity to the user device based on whether the user is alone.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein determining whether to couple comprises determining whether to couple the remote entity to the user device based on an identity of a person near the user.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein determining whether to couple comprises determining whether to couple the remote entity to the user device based on a relationship between the person near the user and the remote entity.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising detecting an eavesdropper by continuously monitoring for eavesdroppers during communicative coupling.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the entity of interest comprises an appliance.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the entity of interest comprises a computer system.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the user comprises an appliance.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the user comprises a computer system.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the directional microphone comprises a metamaterial array.

35. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code that causes a processor to perform a method for automatically connecting a user to an entity of interest, the method comprising:

determining a location of the user,

identifying a gesture by the user;

determining the entity of interest with which the user would like to communicate based on the gesture;

communicatively coupling the user to the entity of interest;

measuring vocal emissions by the user using a directional microphone;

delivering the measured vocal emissions by the user to the entity of interest; and

delivering audio from the entity of interest to the user, wherein the delivery is performed by emitting a plurality of inaudible ultrasonic sound waves from a directional sound emitter that frequency convert to produce audible audio corresponding to the audio the entity of interest for the user at the location of the user.