GENERAL PURPOSE DEVICE TO ASSIST THE HARD OF HEARING

• US 20170105875A1
• Filed: 10/10/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bariska, JR., Arthur J., Masser, Joel L., McKenzie, Kevin D., Tedesco, Eileen P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,662,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/04 Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense, e.g. through the touch sense electronic stimulation of auditory nerves A61N1/36036
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/117 by using a detection device for specific gases, e.g. combustion products, produced by the fire G08B17/103, G08B17/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00
• 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 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

An approach to notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events based on a configurable device. The device has microphones and associated buttons mounted on its surface. The user programs the device by depressing a selected button longer than a preconfigured time to place the device in listen mode. The user generates the desired audible event and the device records the audible event. The selected button is depressed again to instruct the device to associate the audible event with a visual alarm indicator of colored/flashing lights and/or a text projection. The device listens for the audible event and activates the visual alarm indicator when the device detects the audible event.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events, the method comprising:

selecting one or more audible events for visual alarm activation based on configuring a device, comprising a plurality of microphones, to record a sound, generating the sound and configuring the device to associate the sound with an audible event wherein the one or more audible events are associated with a unique at least one of one or more visual alarm indicators associated with the device;

detecting at least one of the one or more audible events based on an audible event sound level being greater that a predetermined sound level wherein the audible event is at least one of a smoke detector alarm, a fire alarm, an air raid alarm, a natural disaster alarm and a noxious gas alarm;

determining a direction of the audible event based on a pitch of the audible event wherein a plurality of microphones are configured such that each microphone is tuned to a different frequency for detecting the audible event;

responsive to detecting the at least one of the one or more audible events and determining the direction of the audible event, activating the unique at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events and the direction wherein the one or more visual alarm indicators comprises projecting a preconfigured text message associated with receipt of the audible event; and

responsive to receiving an acknowledgment associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events, deactivating the at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators.