Method and apparatus for computer communication using audio signals

• US 20050049732A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zilca, Ran D., Zlatsin, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

An acoustic communication device includes a computer device having an acoustic transmitter and/or an acoustic receiver. A signal processing module processes sound signals such that the transmitter and/or receiver are employed to permit acoustic communication between computer devices using sound signals.

Claims

1. An acoustic communication device comprising:

a computer device including at least one of an acoustic transmitter and a receiver; and

a signal processing module for processing sound signals such that the at least one of the transmitter and receiver are employed to permit acoustic communication between computer devices using sound signals.

2. The communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiver includes a microphone.

3. The communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes a speaker.

4. The communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the sound signals are converted at a receiving computer into one of stored data and commands, which are performed, by the receiving computer.

5. The communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal-processing module translates sound into digital information to communicate with one or more external computer devices.

6. The communication device as recited in claim 1, further comprising one or more transceiver devices for propagating the sound signals to remote computer devices.

7. The communication device as recited in claim 6, wherein the transceiver devices are incorporated into a computer device.

8. The communication device as recited in claim 6, wherein the transceiver devices function as repeaters without demodulating received signals.

9. A device network comprising:

a plurality of computers;

each computer including a signal-processing module for processing sound signals such that an ambient environment surrounding the computers is employed to propagate compression waves to acoustically communicate between the computers using sound signals.

10. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein each computer device includes at least one of a receiver and a transmitter.

11. The network as recited in claim 10, wherein the receiver includes a transducer.

12. The network as recited in claim 10, wherein the transmitter includes a transducer.

13. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein the sound signals are converted at a receiving computer into one of stored data and commands, which are performed, by the receiving computer.

14. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one computer includes an administration computer, and the administration computer provides acoustic commands to other computer devices within an acoustic range area of the administration computer.

15. The network as recited in claim 14, wherein the administration computer diagnoses and recovers malfunctioning computer systems and computer networks using wireless acoustic communication.

16. The network as recited in claim 9, further comprising one or more transceiver devices for propagating the sound signals to remote computer devices.

17. The network as recited in claim 16, wherein the transceiver devices are incorporated into a computer device.

18. The network as recited in claim 16, wherein the transceiver devices function as repeaters without demodulating received signals.

19. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein the network includes at least one of personal computers, personal digital assistants and handheld electronic devices having one of a receiver and a transmitter.

20. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein the computer devices perform backups using wireless audio communication.

21. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein the ambient environment includes one of air and water.

22. The network as recited in claim 9, wherein the signal-processing module is provided in a software program.

23. The network as recited in claim 9, further comprising a service machine, which receives data transmitted by sound to catch signals and record content from computer devices in an emergency to thereby save the content of the computer devices.

24. The network as recited in claim 23, wherein the service machine is portable and carried by one or more emergency personnel.

25. The network as recited in claim 9, further comprising emergency sirens acoustically discernable by the computer devices, the sirens playing data encoded in sound to alert the computer devices of an event.

36. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of converting the information received acoustically into digital data.

37. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the step of recording the information to provide a back-up service includes providing a pay service.

38. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising the step of providing a service machine, which receives data transmitted by sound to catch signals and record content from computer devices in an emergency to thereby save the content of the computer devices.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein the service machine is portable and carried by one or more emergency personnel.

26. A method for communicating between computer devices, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer device including at least one of an acoustic transmitter and a receiver, and a signal-processing module for processing sound signals;

transmitting acoustic vibrations;

receiving and translating the acoustic vibrations such that the at least one of the transmitter and receiver are employed to permit acoustic communication between computer devices using sound signals.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of translating includes converting the sound signals into one of stored data and commands, which are performed by a receiving computer device.

28. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the steps of diagnosing and recovering malfunctioning computer systems and computer networks using wireless acoustic communication.

29. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of propagating the sound signals to remote computer devices by employing one or more transceiver devices.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the transceiver devices are incorporated into a computer device.

31. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein the transceiver devices function as repeaters without translating received signals.

32. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of performing backups of computer devices using wireless audio communication.

33. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of providing a service machine, which receives data transmitted by sound to catch signals and record content from computer devices in an emergency to thereby save the content of the computer devices.

34. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the service machine is portable and carried by one or more emergency personnel.

35. A method for acoustically communicating between computer devices to provide back-up services, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer device including at least an acoustic receiver, and a signal-processing module for processing sound signals;

receiving information acoustically from at least one other computer device; and

recording the information to provide a back-up service.

40. An alert system, comprising:

a siren which acoustically transmits encoded digital information when activated, the siren being disposed at an arbitrary location; and

the digital information being received by one or more distributed computer devices within an audible range of the siren to determine a message provided in the encoded digital information.