SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MOBILE DEVICES USING DIGITAL/ACOUSTIC TECHNIQUES
First Claim
1. A peer-to-peer method of acoustically and bi-directionally communicating information between a first portable device and a second portable device, the method comprising:
- encoding the information in a signal that, when converted into acoustic energy at an acoustic transducer of the first portable device, is characterized in that the acoustic energy is discernable to a human ear yet the encoding of the information therein is not perceivable by the human apart from the acoustic energy itself;
transmitting the acoustic energy from the acoustic transducer of the first portable device toward the second portable device across an air gap that constitutes a substantially entirety of the distance therebetween; and
after transmitting the acoustic energy, receiving at the first portable device a communication from the second portable device, the communication including an invitation to communicate via a wireless technology.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques have been developed for transmitting and receiving information conveyed through the air from one portable device to another as a generally unperceivable coding within an otherwise recognizable acoustic signal. For example, in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention(s), information is acoustically communicated from a first handheld device toward a second by encoding the information in a signal that, when converted into acoustic energy at an acoustic transducer of the first handheld device, is characterized in that the acoustic energy is discernable to a human ear yet the encoding of the information therein is generally not perceivable by the human. The acoustic energy is transmitted from the acoustic transducer of the first handheld device toward the second handheld device across an air gap that constitutes a substantially entirety of the distance between the devices. Acoustic energy received at the second handheld device may then be processed using signal processing techniques tailored to detection of the particular information encodings employed.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A peer-to-peer method of acoustically and bi-directionally communicating information between a first portable device and a second portable device, the method comprising:
-
encoding the information in a signal that, when converted into acoustic energy at an acoustic transducer of the first portable device, is characterized in that the acoustic energy is discernable to a human ear yet the encoding of the information therein is not perceivable by the human apart from the acoustic energy itself; transmitting the acoustic energy from the acoustic transducer of the first portable device toward the second portable device across an air gap that constitutes a substantially entirety of the distance therebetween; and after transmitting the acoustic energy, receiving at the first portable device a communication from the second portable device, the communication including an invitation to communicate via a wireless technology. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A portable device comprising:
-
one or more acoustic transducers capable of converting a first signal into outgoing acoustic energy; a transmit path that encodes in the first signal, first information destined for one or more remote receivers, wherein the first signal is characterized in that outgoing acoustic energy converted therefrom is discernable to a human ear yet the encoding of the first information therein is not perceivable by the human apart from the acoustic energy itself; and
a receive path that receives a communication from the second portable device, wherein the communication includes an invitation to communicate via a wireless technology. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification