Three-dimensional generalized space

• US 10,203,839 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Seligmann, Doree Duncan, John, Ajita, Sammon, Michael J., Skiba, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US15/296,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 348485, 348 47, 381 92, 381310, 700 94, 704 9, 707756, 709203, 709223, 715850, 715808, 725 12, 340905, 345419, 345473, 706 46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/65 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image

Abstract

According to one embodiment, audio and non-audio data can be represented as sound sources in a three-dimensional sound space adapted to also provide visual data. Non-audio data can be associated with audio sound sources presented in the sound space. Navigation within this combined three-dimensional audio/visual space can be based primarily on the audio aspects of the sound sources with the details of the non-audio data being presented on demand, for example, when the listener navigates through the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space to a particular sound source at which point the non-audio data associated with that sound source can be presented.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting, by a processor, information from one or more data sources, the collected information comprising at least in part non-audio data from at least one of the one or more data sources;

processing, by the processor, the collected information into a plurality of sound sources based on one or more attributes of the collected information;

presenting, by the processor, the plurality of sound sources in a combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprising the plurality of sound sources playing at a same time in a three-dimensional sound space of the combined audio/visual space, wherein each of the plurality of sound sources is assigned a respective location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to one another, and wherein a user is assigned a current location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to each respective location; and

presenting, by the processor, at least one graphical presentation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space based on navigation within the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the collected information into a plurality of sound sources further comprises converting at least some of the non-audio data to audio data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the collected information into a plurality of sound sources further comprises grouping the selected sound sources based on the one or more attributes of the collected information and assigning the grouped sound sources to the respective location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space relative to one another based on the one or more attributes of the collected information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the converted non-audio data comprises the attributes of the collected non-audio data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprises presenting the converted attributes for the sound source or a group of sound sources.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the collected information into the plurality of sound sources comprises associating the non-audio data with at least one sound source.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein associating the non-audio data with at least one sound source further comprises generating the at least one sound source representing the non-audio data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space further comprises:

receiving an input from the user to navigate to a new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space; and

based on the input, changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein presenting the at least one graphical representation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space is further based on changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprises one of a video conferencing environment, a social media environment, a virtual classroom environment, or a collaboration environment.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor and storing a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to provide a combined three-dimensional audio/visual space by;

collecting information from one or more data sources, the collected information comprising at least in part non-audio data from at least one of the one or more data sources;

processing the collected information into a plurality of sound sources based on one or more attributes of the collected information;

presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprising the plurality of sound sources playing at a same time in a three-dimensional sound space of the combined audio/visual space, wherein each of the plurality of sound sources is assigned a respective location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to one another, and wherein a user is assigned a current location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to each respective location; and

presenting at least one graphical presentation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space based on navigation within the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space by the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein processing the collected information into a plurality of sound sources further comprises:

converting at least some of the non-audio data to audio data;

grouping the selected sound sources based on the one or more attributes of the collected information; and

assigning the grouped sound sources to the respective location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space relative to one another based on the one or more attributes of the collected information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the converted non-audio data comprises the attributes of the collected non-audio data and wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprises presenting the converted attributes for the sound source or a group of sound sources.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein processing the collected information into the plurality of sound sources comprises associating the non-audio data with at least one sound source.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein associating the non-audio data with at least one sound source further comprises generating the at least one sound source representing the non-audio data.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space further comprises:

receiving an input from the user to navigate to a new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space; and

based on the input, changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space, wherein presenting the at least one graphical representation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space is further based on changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

collect information from one or more data sources, the collected information comprising at least in part non-audio data from at least one of the one or more data sources;

process the collected information into a plurality of sound sources based on one or more attributes of the collected information;

present the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprising the plurality of sound sources playing at a same time in a three-dimensional sound space of the combined audio/visual space, wherein each of the plurality of sound sources is assigned a respective location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to one another, and wherein a user is assigned a current location in the three-dimensional sound space relative to each respective location; and

present at least one graphical presentation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space based on navigation within the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space by the user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein processing the collected information into a plurality of sound sources further comprises:

converting at least some of the non-audio data to audio data;

grouping the selected sound sources based on the one or more attributes of the collected information; and

assigning the grouped sound sources to the respective location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space relative to one another based on the one or more attributes of the collected information.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the converted non-audio data comprises the attributes of the collected non-audio data and wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space comprises presenting the converted attributes for the sound source or a group of sound sources.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,

wherein presenting the plurality of sound sources in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space further comprises:

receiving an input from the user to navigate to a new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space; and

based on the input, changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space, wherein presenting the at least one graphical representation of the non-audio data in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space is further based on changing each respective location of the plurality of sound sources relative to the new location in the combined three-dimensional audio/visual space.