Personal audio assistant device and method

• US 10,236,013 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Original Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCarty, Taunya
• Application Number:
  US14/148,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 a device, a first microphone within or on the housing where the first microphone captures audio, a communication module within the housing, a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the device, and an interaction element. The interaction element and logic circuit are configured to initiate control of audio content or initiate at least an operation of the device in response to an analysis of the audio. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A personal audio assistant, comprising:

a housing for a portable communication device;

a first microphone within or on the housing, wherein the first microphone captures audio;

a communication module within the housing, wherein the communication module supports a communications protocol enabling communication with a remote server via a communication network for transmission of the audio captured at the first microphone to the remote server and receipt of instructions transmitted by the remote server;

a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the portable communication device; and

an interaction element, wherein the interaction element and logic circuit are configured to;

cooperatively initiate control of audio content of the portable communication device in response to the audio captured at the first microphone and analyzed at the remote server and in response to the instructions received from the remote server, wherein, upon activation of the interaction element, the interaction element provides a command to the logic circuit to thereby cause the logic circuit to provide the audio content to a receiver in accordance with a registration parameter provided during a registration process, wherein the audio content is provided in accordance with a relative audiogram provided during the registration process that describes a hearing threshold level as a function of frequency, wherein the registration parameter is an allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and a counter value that keeps track of a number of times the audio content has been played, and wherein an auditory signal is emitted by the receiver when a counter value associated with playing the audio content is greater than or equal to the allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and where the logic circuit does not send the audio content to the ear canal receiver when the counter value is greater than or equal to the allowed number of times.

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

3. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the logic circuit is configured to initiate navigational control of the audio content stored in a memory storage unit.

4. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a memory storage unit communicatively coupled to the logic circuit.

5. The personal audio assistant of claim 4, wherein the memory storage unit is remote from the housing.

6. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises advanced eye-wear.

7. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises an earphone.

8. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises at least a portion of a personal computer system, a personal music player system, a personal monitoring system, an automotive audio system, a home audio system, an avionics audio system, a personal video system, a mobile cell phone system, a personal digital assistant system, a standalone accessory, an advanced eye-wear system with acoustical transducers, or a combination thereof.

9. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein access to the audio content is from the remote server.

10. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein analysis of the audio captured at the first microphone also occurs at the portable communication device.

11. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a second microphone in the form of an ear canal microphone.

12. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the housing forms a portion of a vehicle.

13. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant comprises the first microphone in the form of a first ambient microphone and further comprises a second microphone in the form of a second ambient microphone.

14. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the communication module forms a peer-to-peer network within a proximity of the communication module using a location sensing device.

15. The personal audio assistant of claim 2, wherein the logic circuit is configured to perform a search of a web in response to a voice command received by the voice controlled interface.

16. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a presentation device among a display, a touch sensitive screen, or a speaker communicatively coupled to the first microphone to complement detected voice commands by presenting text, images, webpages, audible outputs at the presentation device, or a combination thereof.

17. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant receives results in response to a voice command captured at the first microphone via text-to-speech synthesis of text results provided from the remote server.

18. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises a portion of a cellular phone.

21. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the interaction element and logic circuit are further configured to initiate the at least one operation of the portable communication device in response to the audio captured at the first microphone and analyzed at the remote server and in response to the instructions received from the remote server, and wherein the at least one operation of the personal audio assistant comprises invoking delivery of text to speech, invoking incoming processing of email via text-to-speech, invoking outgoing processing of email via speech to text, invoking delivery of text to speech of stock market information, invoking delivery of time and date information, invoking delivery of medication reminders, invoking delivery of location information from a GPS system, invoking delivery and presentation of a URL address or content from the URL address, invoking delivery and presentation of audible information, invoking delivery and presentation of textual information, invoking delivery and presentation of visual information, invoking the operation of the device or of a device operatively connected to the device, or a combination thereof.

19. A mobile phone device, comprising:

a housing for the mobile phone device;

a first microphone within the housing, wherein the first microphone captures audio;

a communication module within the housing, wherein the communication module supports a communications protocol enabling communication with a remote server via a communication network for the transmission of the audio captured at the first microphone to the remote server and receipt of instructions transmitted by the remote server;

a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the mobile phone device;

a memory storage unit communicatively coupled to the logic circuit; and

a voice controlled interface that operates cooperatively with the logic circuit to initiate control of audio content output in response to both detected voice commands in the audio captured by the first microphone and analyzed at the remote server and the instructions received at the mobile phone device from the remote server, wherein, upon activation of the voice controlled interface, the voice controlled interface provides a command to the logic circuit to thereby cause the logic circuit to provide the audio content to a receiver in accordance with a registration parameter provided during a registration process, wherein the audio content is provided in accordance with a relative audiogram provided during the registration process that describes a hearing threshold level as a function of frequency, wherein the registration parameter is an allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and a counter value that keeps track of a number of times the audio content has been played, and wherein an auditory signal is emitted by the receiver when a counter value associated with playing the audio content is greater than or equal to the allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and where the logic circuit does not send the audio content to the ear canal receiver when the counter value is greater than or equal to the allowed number of times.

20. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing for the portable electronic device;

a first microphone within the housing, wherein the first microphone captures audio;

a communication module within the housing, wherein the communication module supports a communications protocol enabling communication with a remote server via a communication network for the transmission of the audio captured at the first microphone to the remote server and receipt of instructions transmitted by the remote server;

a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the portable electronic device;

a memory storage unit communicatively coupled to the logic circuit; and

a voice controlled interface that operates cooperatively with the logic circuit to initiate at least one operation of the portable electronic device, wherein the at least one operation includes initiating a financial transaction, wherein the initiation of the at least one operation is performed in response to both audio captured at the first microphone and analyzed at the remote server and the instructions received at the portable electronic device from the remote server, and wherein, upon activation of the voice controlled interface, the voice controlled interface provides a command to the logic circuit to thereby cause the logic circuit to provide audio content to a receiver in accordance with a registration parameter provided during a registration process, wherein the audio content is provided in accordance with a relative audiogram provided during the registration process that describes a hearing threshold level as a function of frequency, allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and where the logic circuit does not send the audio content to the ear canal receiver when the counter value is greater than or equal to the allowed number of times and wherein an auditory signal is emitted by the receiver when a counter value associated with playing the audio content is greater than or equal to the wherein the registration parameter is an allowed number of times the audio content can be played, and a counter value that keeps track of a number of times the audio content has been played.