Communication Devices

• US 20090180623A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sellen, Abigail, Williamson, John, Frohlich, David, Rumsey, Francis, Lindley, Sian, Oleksik, Gerard, Brown, Lorna, Robson, Dominic, Durrant, Abigail
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices

Abstract

The disclosure relates to communication devices which monitor an audio environment at a remote location and convey to a user a representation of that audio environment. The “representation” may be an abstraction of the audio environment at the remote location or may be a measure of decibels or some other quality or parameter of the audio environment. In some embodiments, the communication devices are two-way devices which allow users at remote locations to share an audio environment. In some embodiments, the communication devices are one way devices. In some embodiments, the communication devices may have the form of a window and be arranged to present sound in a manner that mimics sound received through a window. In such embodiments, the more open the window is, the more sound is relayed by the communication device.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising a processing means arranged to monitor an audio environment at a remote location and to process audio data from that audio environment to create data which conveys a representation of that audio environment, the communication device further comprising a presentation means arranged to present the representation of the audio environment to a user of the communication device, and a transmitter/receiver unit arranged to allow two-way communication with a second communication device.

2. A communication device according to claim 1 in which representation of the audio environment is comprises measured parameters relating to the audio environment at the remote location.

3. A communication device according to claim 1 in which the presentation means comprises a speaker and the representation of the audio environment is an audible abstraction of the audio environment at the remote location.

4. A communication device according to claim 3 comprising a selection means arranged to allow the degree to which the audio environment is abstracted to be selected by a user.

5. A communication device according to claim 1 which comprises a selection means arranged to allow a user to choose a level of privacy.

6. A communication device according to claim 4 in which the selection means comprises at least one of the following:

(i) a moveable portion of the communication device

(ii) a motion detector

(iii) a proximity sensor.

7. A communication device according to claim 1 which comprises an indicator means to indicate when its local audio environment is being transmitted to a second communication device.

8. A communication device according to claim 1 which comprises a memory arranged to store a record of an assessed audio environment.

9. A communication device according to claim 8 which comprises a display means arranged to display the stored record.

10. A communication device according to claim 1 which comprises a memory arranged to hold parameters associated with acceptable limits for the audio environment and the processing means is further arranged to detect when the audio environment exceeds those limits.

11. A communication device according to claim 1 in which the audio environment monitored at the remote location is the audio environment caused by the user of the device.

12. A method of conveying a representation of an audio environment at a remote location comprising:

providing a first communication device at the remote location, wherein said first communication device is capable of receiving audio data relating to the audio environment local to the first device,

providing a second communication device capable of presenting a representation of the audio environment,

receiving audio data at the first communication device;

processing the audio data to provide data which is a representation of the audio environment;

transmitting data from the first device to the second device;

presenting the representation of the audio data at the second communication device;

wherein data may be sent directly or indirectly from the first communication device to the second communication device and wherein the step of processing the audio data may occur at the first or at the second device, or at an alternative processing device.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which the first communication device is capable of presenting a representation of the audio environment, and the second communication device is capable of receiving audio data relating to the audio environment local to the second communication device, the method further comprising:

receiving audio data at the second communication device;

processing the audio data to provide data which is a representation of the audio environment local to the second communication device;

transmitting data from the second device to the first device;

presenting the representation of the audio data at the first communication device;

wherein data may be sent directly or indirectly from the first communication device to the second communication device and wherein the step of processing the audio data may occur at the first or at the second device, or at a remote processing device, and

the processing of the audio data relating to the audio environment local to the second communication device is substantially similar to the processing of the audio data relating to the audio environment local to the first communication device.

14. A method according to claim 13 which further comprises setting parameters associated with acceptable limits for a local audio environment collaboratively by:

controlling the audio environment local to the first device;

making an input to one or both communication devices when the audio environment local to the first device adversely affects the audio environment at the second device;

recording parameters associated audio environment when the input is made.

15. A method according to claim 14 which further comprises:

controlling the audio environment local to the second device;

making an input to one or both communication devices when the audio environment local to the second device adversely affects the audio environment at the first device;

recording parameters associated audio environment when the input is made.

16. A method according to claim 15 which further comprises monitoring the audio environment at the first and/or the second device and causing the first and/or second device to include in the presentation of the representation of the audio environment a representation of whether that audio environment is within the recorded parameters.

17. A communication system comprising at least one microphone wherein the at least one microphone is arranged to transmit sound and speaker unit is arranged to relay the transmitted sound wherein the speaker unit comprises processing circuitry arranged to receive sound and a moveable panel arranged to control the volume with which sound is relayed through the speaker unit, wherein the moveable panel has a plurality of positions between a shut position and open position and the speaker unit is arranged to relay sound at a minimum volume shut position and at a maximum volume when the moveable panel is in the open position.

18. A communication system according to claim 17 in which the moveable panel is arranged to slide in the manner of a sash window.

19. A communication system according to claim 17 which comprises a plurality of microphones and the speaker unit comprises a selection means arranged to allow a user of the system to select from which microphone sound is relayed.

20. A communication system according to claim 17 in which the processing circuitry of the speaker unit is arranged to provide an abstraction of the sound received by the microphones and to relay the abstraction of the sound.