Method and apparatus for personalized conference and hands-free telephony using audio beaming

• US 20040042615A1
• Filed: 09/04/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Scholte, Alexander Martin
• Granted Patent: US 6,937,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/387.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08

Abstract

The present invention is directed to the provision of a personalized speaker phone and hands-free telephony. In particular, the present invention allows communications to be output along a narrowly defined path, rather than being broadcast. In this way, a private voice communication signal can be provided to a user, even though the user is not holding the output device to the user'"'"'s ear. Furthermore, by providing audible signals along narrowly defined paths, different audible signals may be provided to users at the same location, without interfering with one another.

Claims

1. A method for providing a private speaker phone output signal, comprising:

providing a voice communication device;

receiving at said voice communication device a transmitted first voice signal;

providing a first acoustic transducer interconnected to said voice communication device; and

outputting a first ultrasound signal from said first acoustic transducer, wherein said first ultrasound signal produces an audible reproduction of said first voice signal along a first projection path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a microphone interconnected to said voice communication device; and

transmitting a voice signal received at said microphone.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at said voice communication device a transmitted second voice signal;

providing a second acoustic transducer interconnected to said voice communication device; and

outputting a second ultrasound signal from said second acoustic transducer, wherein said second ultrasound signal produces an audible reproduction of said second voice signal along a second projection path.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first voice signal is received from a first talker and wherein said second voice signal is received from a second talker.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said first projection path and said second projection path converge in an area occupied by a first user.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said first voice signal is received from a first voice channel and wherein said second voice signal is received from a second voice channel.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said first voice signal comprises a first channel of a first stereo signal and said second voice signal comprises a second channel of said first stereo signal.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said first acoustic transducer and said second acoustic transducer are separated by a first distance.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein said transmitted second voice signal is a translation of said first voice signal.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein said first projection path is not aligned with said second projection path.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a position of said first acoustic transducer, wherein said first projection path is altered.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said audible reproduction of said first voice signal is not audible to a listener not located along said projection path.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said voice communication device is interconnected to at least one of a switched circuit telephony network and a packet data network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said switched circuit telephony network comprises the public switched telephony network, and wherein said packet data network comprises the Internet.

15. A speaker phone apparatus, comprising:

a first transmitted voice signal input;

a first oscillator for producing a first carrier signal;

a first modulator interconnected to said first transmitted voice signal input and to said oscillator, wherein said first carrier signal is modulated by a transmitted voice signal received at said first transmitted voice signal input to produce a first modulated signal; and

a first acoustic transducer, wherein said first acoustic transducer produces a reproduction of said transmitted voice signal along a first projection path.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a speaker interconnected to said first transmitted voice signal input, wherein in a first mode of operation an area limited output is provided by said acoustic transducer, and wherein in a second mode of operation a broadcast output is provided by said speaker.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a second acoustic transducer, wherein said second acoustic transducer produces a reproduction of said transmitted voice signal along a second projection path.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said first and second projection paths intersect one another.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a second transmitted voice signal input;

a second modulator interconnected to said second transmitted voice signal input and to said first oscillator, wherein said first carrier signal is modulated by a transmitted voice signal received at said second transmitted voice signal input to produce a second modulated signal; and

a second acoustic transducer, wherein said second acoustic transducer produces a reproduction of said second transmitted voice signal along a second projection path.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a second transmitted voice signal input;

a second oscillator for producing a second carrier signal;

a second modulator interconnected to said second transmitted voice signal input and to said second oscillator, wherein said second carrier signal is modulated by a transmitted voice signal received at said second transmitted voice signal input to produce a second modulated signal; and

a second acoustic transducer, wherein said second acoustic transducer produces a reproduction of said second transmitted voice signal along a second projection path.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said first acoustic transducer comprises an array having a plurality of transducer elements.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said transducer elements comprise membrane transducer elements.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said transducer elements comprises piezoelectric transducer elements.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said first carrier signal has a frequency of above about 40 kHz.

25. A speaker phone apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving at least a first transmitted voice signal; and

means for projecting said at least a first transmitted voice signal along a first projection path, wherein an audible reproduction of said transmitted voice signal is produced along said first projection path.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for receiving a voice signal from a user located along said first signal path.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for projecting a second transmitted voice signal along a second projection path, wherein an audible reproduction of said transmitted voice signal is produced along said second projection path.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said first and second projection paths intersect one another.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said first transmitted voice signal comprises a first channel and said second transmitted voice signal comprises a second channel of a stereo signal.