Movable barrier control system component with audible speech output apparatus and method

• US 20050256718A1
• Filed: 05/11/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group LLC
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Fitzgibbon, James J., Daniel-Wayman, Robert, Robb, Eric J., Gregori, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/0083 Sound emitting devices, e.g. loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/0087 Sound receiving devices, e.g. microphones
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0021 for overhead or roll-up doors, e.g. garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/816 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/40 for gates

Abstract

An automated movable barrier control system component (11) as comprises a part of a movable barrier control system (10) has an audible speech output device (21) operably coupled thereto. These elements can share a common housing (22). The audible speech output device (21) can audiblize one or more items of stored speech content relating to one or more aspects of the component itself, other components within the system, and/or the system itself.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an automated movable barrier control system component comprising at least one of;

a movable barrier operator;

a fixed-location remote control user interface;

an audible speech output device operably coupled to the automated movable barrier control system component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the automated movable barrier control system component comprises a movable barrier operator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the automated movable barrier control system component comprises a fixed-location remote control user interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the fixed-location remote control user interface comprises a wall-mounted remote control user interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the fixed-location remote control user interface comprises a wireless fixed-location remote control user interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the fixed-location remote control user interface comprises a hard-wired fixed-location remote control user interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device and the automated movable barrier control system component share a common housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises a digitized voice audible speech output device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises a synthesized voice audible speech output device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises a speaker.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises an electrical signal output port.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises a modulated wireless signal transmitter.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the modulated wireless signal transmitter comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the radio frequency transmitter comprises a frequency modulation radio frequency transmitter.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the frequency modulation radio frequency transmitter comprises a short-range transmitter.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the radio frequency transmitter comprises an amplitude modulation radio frequency transmitter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the amplitude modulation radio frequency transmitter comprises a short-range transmitter.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the modulated wireless signal transmitter comprises an optical signal transmitter.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the modulated wireless signal transmitter comprises an audio signal transmitter.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audible speech output device comprises at least a first speaker and a second speaker.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first speaker is disposed proximal to the automated movable barrier control system component.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the second speaker is disposed distal to the automated movable barrier control system component.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a memory that operably couples to the audible speech output device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the memory has stored therein digitized speech content.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the memory has stored therein text content.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the audible speech output device comprises a text-to-speech synthesizer.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the memory has stored therein speech content.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the speech content corresponds to at least one predetermined message.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises information regarding an operating condition as corresponds to an automated movable barrier control system.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises information that explains a given action of an automated movable barrier control system.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the information explains a given automated action of an automated movable barrier control system.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises installation instructions as correspond to installation of an automated movable barrier control system.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises information regarding the automated movable barrier control system component.

34. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises information regarding an aspect of an automated movable barrier control system component other than the automated movable barrier control system component.

35. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises a question.

36. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the at least one predetermined message comprises a plurality of predetermined messages.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the plurality of predetermined messages comprise a same message content as delivered by different voices.

38. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the plurality of predetermined messages comprise a same substantive message content as delivered with alternative wording.

39. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the plurality of predetermined messages comprise a same substantive message content as delivered in alternative languages.

40. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the plurality of predetermined messages comprise at least a first message as corresponds to first substantive content and a second message as corresponds to second substantive content, wherein the first and second substantive content are different from one another.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the first message corresponds to a first operational state of at least some aspect of an automated movable barrier control system and the second message corresponds to a second operational state of at least some aspect of the automated movable barrier control system, wherein the first and second operational states are different from one another.

42. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the first message corresponds to a first automated movable barrier control system component and the second message corresponds to a second automated movable barrier control system component, wherein the first and second automated movable barrier control system component are different from one another.

43. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein the first and second automated movable barrier control system components are different from one another with respect to at least one of:

an on-board operating system;

an on-board operating system version;

an on-board user interface capability;

a brand of manufacture;

a product model;

a characterizing trademark

44. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the speech content comprises a system user'"'"'s speech information.

45. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the speech content comprises a celebrity'"'"'s speech information.

46. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the speech content comprises gender recognizable speech content.

47. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the gender recognizable speech content comprises male voice speech content.

48. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the gender recognizable speech content comprises female voice speech content.

49. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising an audio information input device operably coupled to the automated movable barrier control system component.

50. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the audio information input device comprises a speech recognition input device.

51. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the speech recognition input device comprises a speaker-independent speech recognition input device.

52. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the speech recognition input device comprises a speaker-dependent speech recognition input device.

53. A method for use in a movable barrier operator system comprising:

providing predetermined speech content;

detecting a predetermined trigger event as corresponds to the movable barrier operator system and other than a predetermined trigger event as corresponds to an interactive speech recognition activity;

providing at least a portion of the predetermined speech content in response to the predetermined trigger event.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein providing predetermined speech content comprises providing at least one predetermined speech message.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein providing the at least one predetermined speech message comprises providing a message regarding the predetermined trigger event.

56. The method of claim 54 wherein providing the at least one predetermined speech message comprises providing a message regarding a cause of the predetermined trigger event.

57. The method of claim 54 wherein providing the at least one predetermined speech message comprises providing a message regarding an operational state of at least a portion of the movable barrier operator system.

58. The method of claim 57 wherein providing the message regarding an operational state of at least a portion of the movable barrier operator system comprises providing a present operational state of the at least a portion of the movable barrier operator system.

59. The method of claim 54 wherein comprises providing at least one predetermined speech message comprises providing a plurality of predetermined speech messages.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein providing a plurality of predetermined speech messages comprises providing a plurality of predetermined speech messages that relate to information regarding installation of at least some portion of a movable barrier operator system.

61. The method of claim 53 wherein providing predetermined speech content comprises providing predetermined speech content comprising a warning.

62. The method of claim 61 wherein providing predetermined speech content comprising a warning further comprises providing non-speech audio content.

63. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises receiving a signal from a movable barrier operator.

64. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises detecting a failure of a movable barrier operator.

65. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises detecting activation of an alarm condition.

66. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises detecting a warning state of a movable barrier operator.

67. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises detecting automatic activation of a movable barrier operator.

68. The method of claim 53 wherein detecting a predetermined trigger event further comprises detecting user input.

69. The method of claim 68 wherein detecting user input comprises detecting user assertion of a pressure-responsive user interface.

70. The method of claim 53 and further comprising:

providing additional predetermined speech content;

detecting a predetermined trigger event as corresponds to an interactive speech recognition activity;

providing at least a portion of the additional predetermined speech content in response to the predetermined trigger event as corresponds to the interactive speech recognition activity.