Personal audio assistant device and method

• US 10,236,012 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ST DetectTech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCarty, Taunya
• Application Number:
  US14/148,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2471 Configurable and interactive telephone terminals with subscriber controlled features modifications, e.g. with ADSI capability [Analog Display Services Interface] systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers H04M3/42; administration or customization of services H04M3/42136; by downloading data to substation equipment H04M3/42178
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• 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

Abstract

A personal audio assistant includes a housing for an electronic device, a first microphone for capturing audio, a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the first microphone, a communication module communicatively coupled to the first microphone and a user interaction element. The interaction element, logic circuit, and communication module are configured to form a peer-to-peer network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A personal audio assistant, comprising:

a housing for an electronic personal audio assistant device;

a first microphone of the electronic personal audio assistant device for capturing audio;

a logic circuit of the electronic personal audio assistant device;

a communication module of the electronic personal audio assistant device; and

a user interaction element of the electronic personal audio assistant device;

wherein the electronic personal audio assistant device communicates via peer-to-peer behavior to a peer electronic personal audio assistant device, which enables access, via the peer-to-peer behavior, to a remote server for analysis of captured audio by the first microphone, wherein the captured audio includes a request to share digital audio with the peer electronic personal audio assistant device, wherein the server determines that the peer electronic personal audio assistant device is a compliant device;

wherein the server provides the digital audio and the electronic personal audio assistant device relays the digital audio to the peer electronic personal audio assistant device.

2. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the user interaction element and the logic circuit control operations of the electronic personal audio assistant device and control media content in response to the analysis of the captured audio by the remote server.

3. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a second microphone.

4. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a speaker in the form of an ear canal receiver (ECR).

5. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a presentation device among a display, a touch sensitive screen, or a speaker used to complement detected voice commands by presenting text, images, webpages, audible outputs, or combination thereof.

6. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a second microphone, a speaker, and a sealing section, wherein the second microphone further captures audio and wherein the user interaction element and the logic circuit control operations of the electronic personal audio assistant device and control media content in response to the analysis of the captured audio by the remote server from the first microphone and the second microphone.

7. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a single button with multiple contacts coupled to the logic circuit and the user interaction element.

8. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction element enables a purchase, deletion, and skipping of audio content in response to a signal in response to a push of the single button.

9. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction element enables an addition to a wish list in response to a signal in response to a push of the single button.

10. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction element controls audio content volume in response to a signal in response to a push of the single button.

11. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the communication module wirelessly couples the electronic personal audio assistant device to a server.

12. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the communication module couples the electronic personal audio assistant device to a server via a wired connection.

13. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the electronic personal audio assistant device communicates via peer-to-peer behavior in response to detecting the peer electronic personal audio assistant device within range of the communication module.

14. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the user interaction element is a voice controlled interface.

15. The personal audio assistant of claim 13, wherein the logic circuit further uses global positioning system (GPS) location information to assist communicating via the peer-to-peer behavior.

16. A non-transitory memory containing instructions for controlling an electronic personal audio assistant device, the execution of the instructions by a processor of a computer system causing the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a peer electronic personal audio assistant device within wireless communication range of the electronic personal audio assistant device;

communicating via peer-to-peer behavior with the peer electronic personal audio assistant device in response to the detection of the peer electronic personal audio assistant device;

capturing an audio signal with a microphone;

detecting, with the processor, a voice command from the captured audio signal, wherein the captured audio signal includes a request to share digital audio with the peer electronic personal audio assistant device;

sending the captured audio signal to a remote server via peer-to-peer behavior;

receiving an instruction, via the peer-to-peer behavior, to control operations of the electronic personal audio assistant device in response to analysis by a remote server of the captured audio signal and analysis by remote server that the peer electronic personal audio assistant device is a compliant device; and

relaying the digital audio, from the remote server, to the peer electronic personal audio assistant device.

17. The non-transitory memory of claim 16, wherein the processor operates within the peer-to-peer behavior with the peer electronic personal audio assistant device in response to the detection of the peer electronic personal audio assistant device and in response to the voice command.

18. The non-transitory memory of claim 16, the processor operates within the peer-to-peer behavior to perform a commercial transaction in response to receiving a signal from a user interaction element.

19. The non-transitory memory of claim 16, wherein the electronic personal audio assistant device operates in a walkie-talkie mode.

20. The non-transitory memory of claim 16, wherein the peer electronic personal audio assistant device is detected and a communication module communicatively coupled to the processor communicates via the peer-to-peer behavior.