Cue-aware privacy filter for participants in persistent communications

• US 20060026626A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Allen, Paul G., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/10
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing
• 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

Abstract

A cue, for example a facial expression or hand gesture, is identified, and a device communication is filtered according to the cue.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a cue; and

filtering a device communication according to the cue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cue comprises at least one of:

a facial expression, a verbal or nonverbal sound, a hand gesture, or some other body movement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cue comprises at least one of:

opening or closing a phone, deforming a flexible surface of the device, altering an orientation of the device with respect to one or more objects of the environment, or sweeping a sensor of the device across the position of at least one object of the environment.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a remote environment; and

filtering the device communication according to the cue and the remote environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the device communication comprises at least one of:

including a visual or audio effect in the device communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein filtering the device communication comprises at least one of:

blurring, de-saturating, color modification of, or snowing of one or more images communicated from the device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein filtering the device communication comprises at least one of:

altering the tone of, altering the pitch of, altering the volume of, adding echo to, or adding reverb to audio information communicated from the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

substituting image information of the device communication with predefined image information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein substituting image information further comprises:

substituting a background of a present location with a background of a different location.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

substituting audio information of the device communication with predefined audio information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein substituting audio information further comprises:

substituting at least one of a human voice or functional sound detected by the device with a different human voice or functional sound.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing information from the device communication.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein removing information from the device communication further comprises:

suppressing background sound information of the device communication.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

suppressing background image information of the device communication.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing a person'"'"'s voice information from the device communication.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing an object from the background information of the device communication.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing the image background from the device communication.

18. A method comprising:

a device monitoring an audio stream for at least one pattern, the audio stream forming at least part of a communication of the device; and

when the at least one pattern is detected in the audio stream, filtering the device communication in a manner associated with the pattern.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein detecting the pattern further comprises:

detecting a specific sound.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein detecting the pattern further comprises:

detecting at least one characteristic of the audio stream.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein detecting the at least one characteristic of the audio stream further comprises:

detecting whether the audio stream is subject to copyright protection.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

suppressing background sound information of the device communication.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

replacing background sound information of the device communication with different sound information.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing a person'"'"'s voice information from the device communication.

25. A method comprising:

a device monitoring a video stream for at least one pattern, the video stream forming at least part of a communication of the device; and

when the at least one pattern is detected in the video stream, filtering the device communication in a manner associated with the pattern.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein detecting the pattern further comprises:

detecting a specific image.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein detecting the pattern further comprises:

detecting at least one characteristic of the video stream.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein detecting the at least one characteristic of the video stream further comprises:

detecting whether the video stream is subject to copyright protection.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

suppressing background video information of the device communication.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

replacing background video information of the device communication with different video information.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

removing video information from the device communication.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein removing video information from the device communication further comprises:

removing an object from background video information of the device communication.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein filtering the device communication further comprises:

substituting a predefined background for the background video information in the device communication.

34. A wireless device comprising:

at least one data processing circuit;

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

detecting a cue comprising at least one of a facial expression, gesture, or other body motion, and filtering a communication of the wireless device according to the cue.

35. The wireless device of claim 34 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

suppressing background sound information of the device communication.

36. The wireless device of claim 34 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

suppressing background image information of the device communication.

37. The wireless device of claim 34 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting a predefined background for the image background in the device communication.

38. A wireless device comprising:

at least one data processing circuit;

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

monitoring an audio stream for at least one predefined pattern, information representing the audio stream forming at least part of a communication of the wireless device; and

when at least one predefined pattern is detected in the audio stream, filtering the wireless device communication in a manner associated with the predefined pattern.

39. The wireless device of claim 38 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting image information of the wireless device communication with predefined image information.

40. The wireless device of claim 38 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting audio information of the wireless device communication with predefined audio information.

41. The wireless device of claim 38 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting a predefined background for the image background in the wireless device communication.

42. The wireless device of claim 38 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting, according to the pattern, image information of the wireless device communication with predefined image information.

43. The wireless device of claim 38 wherein the logic to filter the device communication further comprises:

logic that when applied to determine the operation of the at least one data processing circuit results in the wireless device

substituting, according to the pattern, audio information of the wireless device communication with predefined audio information.