PERSONAL AUDIO ASSISTANT DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20140119574A1
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLC
• Original Assignee: Personics Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 10,236,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2471 Configurable and interactive telephone terminals with subscriber controlled features modifications, e.g. with ADSI capability [Analog Display Services Interface] systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers H04M3/42; administration or customization of services H04M3/42136; by downloading data to substation equipment H04M3/42178
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A personal audio assistant includes a housing for an electronic device, a first microphone for capturing audio, a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the first microphone, a communication module communicatively coupled to the first microphone and a user interaction element. The interaction element, logic circuit, and communication module are configured to form a peer-to-peer network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A personal audio assistant, comprising:

a housing for an electronic device;

a first microphone for capturing audio;

a logic circuit communicatively coupled to the first microphone;

a communication module communicatively coupled to the first microphone; and

a user interaction element, where the interaction element, logic circuit, and communication module are configured to form a peer-to-peer network.

3. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a second microphone.

4. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a speaker in the form of an ear canal receiver (ECR).

5. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, further comprising a presentation device among a display, a touch sensitive screen, or a speaker used to complement detected voice commands by presenting at least one among text, images, webpages, or audible outputs at the presentation device.

6. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a second microphone, a speaker, and a sealing section.

7. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the personal audio assistant further comprises a single button with multiple contacts coupled to the logic circuit and user interaction element.

8. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction unit enables a purchase, deletion, and skipping of audio content in response to a signal in response to the push of the single button.

9. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction unit enables an addition to a wish list in response to a signal in response to the push of the single button.

10. The personal audio assistant of claim 7, wherein the user interaction unit controls audio content volume in response to a signal in response to the push of the single button.

11. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the communication module wirelessly couples the electronic device to a server.

12. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the communication module couples the electronic device to a server via a wired connection.

13. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the user interaction element, logic circuit and communication module forms a peer-to-peer network in response to detecting a peer device within range of the communication module.

14. The personal audio assistant of claim 1, wherein the user interaction element is a voice controlled interface.

15. The personal audio assistant of claim 13, wherein the logic circuit further uses global positioning system (GPS) location information to assist forming the peer-to-peer network.

2. The personal audio assistant, wherein the user interaction element and logic circuit are configured to control operations of the electronic device and to control media content.

16. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling an electronic device, the execution of the instructions by one or more processors of a computer system causing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

capturing an audio signal with one or more microphones;

detecting with the one or more processors, a voice command from the captured audio signal;

detecting a peer device within wireless communication range of the electronic device; and

forming a peer-to-peer network with at least the peer device in response to at least the detection of the peer device.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more processor operate within the peer-to-peer network with the peer device in response to the detection of the peer device and in response to the voice command.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the one or more processors operate within the peer-to-peer network to perform a commercial transaction in response to receiving a signal from a user interaction element.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the electronic device operates in a walkie-talkie mode.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the peer device is detected and the peer-to-peer network is formed with the one or more processors and a communication module communicatively coupled to the one or more processors.