SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONNECTING A USER OF A HANDS-FREE INTERCOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20150304470A1
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cheatham, Jesse R. III, Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Petroski, Robert C., Rudder, Eric D., Tan, Desney S., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wilson, Andrew, Wing, Jeannette M., Wood, Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y.H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0291 Door telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A hands-free intercom may include a user-tracking sensor, a directional microphone, a directional sound emitter, and a communication interface. The user-tracking sensor may determine a location of a user so the directional microphone can measure vocal emissions by the user and the directional sound emitter can deliver audio to the user. The hands-free intercom may determine whether the user is communicatively coupled via a mobile device to a remote entity. The hands-free intercom may be configured to receive a handoff of the communicative coupling, for example, by acting as a peripheral of the mobile device, by requesting the handoff, and/or the like. The hands-free intercom may be configured to deliver communications from the user to an appliance and vice versa. The hands-free intercom may manage access rights of the various entities to prevent unauthorized communications.

Claims

1. A hands-free intercommunication system for automatically receiving call handoffs from mobile communication devices, the system comprising:

a directional microphone configured to measure vocal emissions by a user;

a directional sound emitter configured to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves configured to frequency convert to produce the audio; and

a communication interface configured to;

determine the user is communicatively coupled to a remote entity via a mobile communication device of the user, and

communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of the remote entity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the communication device of the remote entity by communicatively coupling the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the mobile communication device of the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile communication device treats the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter as peripherals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the communication device of the remote entity by communicatively coupling to the remote entity over a communication network without routing communication through the mobile communication device of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine the user is communicatively coupled to the remote entity by detecting vocal emissions by the user.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine the user is communicatively coupled to the remote entity by receiving an indication from a user-tracking sensor of a position of the mobile communication device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine the user is communicatively coupled to the remote entity by prompting the mobile communication device of the user for a status.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine the user is communicatively coupled to the remote entity by receiving a notification from the mobile communication device of the user.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein a user-tracking sensor is configured to receive a user gesture indicating the directional sound emitter and the communication device of the remote entity should be communicatively coupled.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional microphone is configured to receive vocal emissions indicating the directional sound emitter and the communication device of the remote entity should be communicatively coupled.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device of the user is configured to determine when to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the remote entity.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine when the user is leaving the range of at least one or the directional sound emitter and the directional microphone, and the communication interface is configured terminate the communicative coupling between the directional sound emitter and the communication device of the remote entity in response to the user leaving the range.

48. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to indicate to at least one of the mobile communication device of the user and a service provider that a communicative coupling between the mobile communication device of the user and the communication device of the remote entity should be established.

51. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device of the user is configured to determine that the communicative coupling of the directional sound emitter and/or the directional microphone with the communication device of the remote entity should be terminated.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the mobile communication device of the user is configured to determine that the communication interface is out of communicative contact.

4-10. -10. (canceled)

13-14. -14. (canceled)

18-35. -35. (canceled)

40-47. -47. (canceled)

49-50. -50. (canceled)

53-79. -79. (canceled)

80. A hands-free intercommunication system for automatically communicatively coupling a user to an appliance, the system comprising:

a directional microphone configured to measure vocal emissions by the user;

a directional sound emitter configured to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves configured to frequency convert to produce the audio; and

a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the appliance.

84. The system of claim 80, wherein the communication interface communicatively couples the user to the appliance in response to a user gesture detected by a user-tracking sensor.

85. The system of claim 80, wherein the communication interface communicatively couples the user to the appliance in response to a vocal identification of the appliance by the user.

87. The system of claim 80, wherein the vocal emissions by the user comprise a request for the appliance to start an activity.

89. The system of claim 87, wherein the request indicates the appliance should notify the user when the activity is completed.

91. The system of claim 80, wherein the vocal emissions by the user comprise a request for a status of the appliance.

99. The system of claim 80, wherein the vocal emissions by the user comprise a request to change settings of the appliance.

102. The system of claim 80, wherein a user-tracking sensor is configured to determine an activity of the user, and wherein the communication interface is configured to instruct the appliance to change settings based on the activity of the user.

103. The system of claim 80, wherein the communication interface is configured to instruct the appliance to change settings based on the location of the user.

108. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver an indication from the appliance that an activity has been completed.

109. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver an indication from the appliance that a consumable substance is low.

111. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver a reminder of current settings.

113. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver a notification of a change in activity.

121. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver a report of an error.

123. The system of claim 80, wherein the directional sound emitter is configured to deliver a request for permission to contact a maintenance provider.

125. The system of claim 80, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine whether the appliance is permitted to communicate with the user.

141. The system of claim 80, wherein the communication interface is configured to determine whether the user is permitted to communicate with the appliance.

81-83. -83. (canceled)

86. (canceled)

88. (canceled)

90. (canceled)

92-98. -98. (canceled)

100-101. -101. (canceled)

104-107. -107. (canceled)

110. (canceled)

112. (canceled)

114-120. -120. (canceled)

122. (canceled)

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126-140. -140. (canceled)

142-165. -165. (canceled)

166. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for automatically receiving call handoffs from mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

causing a directional microphone to measure vocal emissions by the user;

causing a directional sound emitter to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves configured to frequency convert to produce the audio;

determining the user is communicatively coupled to a remote entity via a mobile communication device of the user; and

communicatively coupling the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to a communication device of the remote entity.

188. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein communicatively coupling comprises transmitting a request to the mobile communication device of the user to transfer the communicative coupling with the remote entity.

190. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein communicatively coupling comprises transmitting a request to a service provider to transfer the communicative coupling with the remote entity to the communication interface.

192. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a notification to the mobile communication device of the user that the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter are communicatively coupled to the user.

194. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a notification to the mobile communication device of the user that the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter are not available to be communicatively coupled to the user.

195. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a notification to a service provider that the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter are communicatively coupled to the user.

221. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 166, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the user has rights to use the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter.

167-187. -187. (canceled)

189. (canceled)

191. (canceled)

193. (canceled)

196-220. -220. (canceled)

222-243. -243. (canceled)

244. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code configured to cause a processor to perform a method for automatically receiving call handoffs from mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

causing a directional microphone to measure vocal emissions by the user;

causing a directional sound emitter to deliver audio to the user by emitting ultrasonic sound waves configured to frequency convert to produce the audio;

determining the user is communicatively coupled to a remote entity via a mobile communication device of the user; and

communicatively coupling the directional microphone and the directional sound emitter to the mobile communication device of the user.

245-330. -330. (canceled)