Method of controlling the auditory response of wireless devices

• US 20030143992A1
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Humphrey, Thomas Ward, Moore, Larry Dean
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/042 with variable loudness of the ringing tone, e.g. variable envelope or amplitude of ring signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Cellular telephones, pagers, PDAs, and other wireless devices, are configured to network together when in close proximity with each other, measure the relative sound pressure level of their environment, and modify the auditory response of the wireless device based on established parameters. In this way, a wireless device may detect when it is in a quiet room with multiple other devices, which is indicative of a meeting that should not be disturbed, and thus defeat or modify its behavior to reduce interruptions of group events.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the response of a wireless communication device comprising the following steps:

providing a first wireless communication device capable of audibly responding;

networking said first device with a number of other wireless devices;

sampling the sound pressure level through a microphone used by the first device; and

,

selecting to modifying the audible response of the first device based on a count of other networked devices and the sampled sound pressure level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device is a cellular telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the other wireless communication devices are cellular telephones.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device is networked with the other wireless devices using Bluetooth.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the modification of the response of the first wireless communication device prevents the first wireless communication device from sounding an audible alert in response to a wireless communication.

6. A wireless communication device comprising:

a processor,

a wireless communications interface,

a speaker for producing an audible response,

a microphone, and

storage for executable code,

the processor executing the executable code to allow a provider to input threshold parameters, network the device with other wireless devices, sample the sound pressure level through the microphone, make comparisons between the threshold parameters and a count of other devices networked with the device, and the sampled sound pressure level, and modify the audible response of the wireless communication device based on the comparisons.

7. The wireless device of claim 6 wherein the wireless communication device is a cellular telephone.

8. The wireless device of claim 6 wherein the wireless communication device is a personal digital assistant.

9. The wireless device of claim 6 wherein the executable code includes Bluetooth software.

10. The wireless device of claim 6 wherein the selection to modify the response of the wireless communication device prevents the wireless device from sounding an audible alert in response to a wireless communication.

11. A program product for a wireless communication device, the program product comprising:

executable code to allow a provider to input thresholds for comparison to a count of networked devices and a sampled sound pressure level and in response modify the audible response of the wireless device, and a signal bearing media carrying said executable code.

12. The program product of claim 11 wherein the executable code further includes networking code for networking with other devices.

13. The program product of claim 12 wherein the networking code comprises Bluetooth compatible networking code.

14. The program product of claim 13 wherein the modification of the response of the wireless communication device to wireless communications comprises preventing the wireless communication device from sounding an audible alert.

15. The program product of claim 11 wherein said signal bearing media is a transmission-type media.