PROVIDING NOTIFICATION SOUNDS IN A CUSTOMIZABLE MANNER

• US 20120213393A1
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Foo, Edwin W., Hughes, Gregory F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,526,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/43 Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/55 Communication between hearing aids and external devices via a network for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/61 Aspects relating to mechanical or electronic switches or control elements, e.g. functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/353 Frequency, e.g. frequency shift or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

Broadly speaking, the embodiments disclosed herein describe an apparatus, system, and method that allow a user to perceive notifications (audible or otherwise) corresponding to an external event in any manner deemed appropriate.

Claims

1. A method performed for presenting an audible rendering of an event notification signal generated by a notifying device in response to an external event, comprising:

receiving the event notification signal at a processing device in communication with an output device;

processing the event notification signal by the processing device in accordance with a user preference to form the audible rendering of the event notification signal;

passing the audible rendering of the event notification signal to the output device presenting the audible rendering of the event notification signal by the output device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the output device is included in an accessory unit in communication with the processor, and wherein the processing the event notification signal comprises:

modifying at least some of the characteristics of the audible rendering of the event notification signal in accordance with a user specified preference.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a user remapping preference;

forming a remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal in place of the audible rendering of the event notification signal in accordance with the user remapping preference;

passing the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal to the output device; and

presenting the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal by the output device, wherein the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal is different from the audible rendering of the event notification signal.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing device is a portable computing device in communication with the accessory unit.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the portable computing device is arranged to:

receive the event notification signal,

process the event notification signal to form the audible rendering of the event notification signal,

establish a communication channel with the accessory unit and

use the communication channel to pass the audible rendering of the event notification signal to the output device of.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the accessory unit is a hearing aid and wherein the processing device is included within the hearing aid.

7. A system arranged for providing hearing assistance, comprising:

a hearing assistance device in communication with the computing device comprising an output device arranged to provide an output suitable for being audibly perceived by a user of the system, wherein a processor in the computing device;

receives an event notification signal provided by a notifying device indicating that an event has occurred, processes the event notification signal in accordance with an audio processing profile to form an audible rendering of the event notification signal, passes the audible rendering of the event notification signal to the output device, and presents the audible rendering of the event notification signal by the output device.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the computing device is a portable communication device and the hearing assistance device is a hearing aid.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the processor in the portable communication device further operates to remap the processing of the event notification signal from the audible rendering of the event notification signal to a remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal by:

receiving a user remapping preference;

processing the event notification signal to form the remapped audible rendering of the event notification in accordance with the user remapping preference; and

passing the remapped audible rendering of the event notification to the hearing aid.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the remapped audible rendering is further processed in accordance with the audio processing profile.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the hearing assistance device is a hearing aid and the audio processing file is a hearing aid profile comprising at least one hearing aid parameter used to condition the remapped audible rendering.

12. Non-transient computer readable medium for storing computer code executable by a processor in a hearing assistance device for presenting an audible rendering of a notification signal generated by a notifying device in response to an external event, comprising:

computer code for receiving the event notification signal at a processing device in communication with the hearing assistance device;

computer code for processing the event notification signal by the processing device in accordance with a user preference to form the audible rendering of the event notification signal;

computer code for passing the audible rendering of the event notification signal to an output device; and

computer code for presenting the audible rendering of the event notification signal by the output device.

13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the computer code for processing the event notification comprises:

computer code for modifying at least some of the characteristics of the audible rendering of the event notification signal in accordance with the user preference.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

computer code for forming a remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal in place of the audible rendering of the event notification signal, the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal in accordance with a user preference;

computer code for passing the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal to the output device of the hearing aid; and

computer code for presenting the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal by the hearing aid output device, wherein the remapped audible rendering of the event notification signal is different from the audible rendering of the event notification signal.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the hearing assistance device is a hearing aid.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the processing device is included within the hearing aid.

17. A hearing assistance device for presenting an audible version of an event notification signal generated by a notifying device in response to at least one external event, comprising:

a processor;

a data storage device arranged to store at least a user preference;

an output device; and

an interface in communication with the processor for receiving the event notification signal, wherein the processor processes the event notification signal to form the audible version of the event notification signal in accordance with the user preference, passes the audible version of the event notification signal to the output device, and presents the audible version of the event notification signal by the output device.

18. The hearing assistance device as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor further processes the event notification by audibilizing the event notification in accordance with the user preference by modifying at least some of the audible features of the audible version of the event notification.

19. The hearing assistance device as recited in claim 17 wherein the processor uses a user remapping preference to remap the audiblized event notification to a remapped audibilization of the event notification.

20. The hearing assistance device as recited in claim 17, wherein the processing device is included in a portable computing device.