SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MOBILE DEVICES USING DIGITAL/ACOUSTIC TECHNIQUES

• US 20170251308A1
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smule, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Smule, Inc.
• Inventors: Cook, Perry R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,103,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

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.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A peer-to-peer method of acoustically communicating information between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:

encoding information for pairing with the first device in a signal that, when converted into acoustic energy at an acoustic transducer of the first device, is characterized in that the acoustic energy is discernible 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 device toward the second device; and

receiving a request from the second device to pair with the first device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first device is a portable device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second device is a portable device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving at the acoustic transducer of the first device second acoustic energy, wherein second information encoded in the second acoustic energy is not perceivable by a human ear; and

extracting, at the first device, the encoded information from the second acoustic energy.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a user input in association with the encoded information from the second acoustic energy.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein encoding the information includes in response to receiving the user input, encoding the information.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after receiving the request from the second device, pairing with the second device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second devices are Bluetooth devices.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the information is a passcode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein use of the passcode by the second device allows the second device to connect to the first device by sending the request.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the acoustic energy includes transmitting the acoustic energy from the acoustic transducer of the first device toward the second device across an air gap that constitutes a substantially entirety of the distance therebetween.

13. A computer program product encoded in one or more media, the computer program product including instructions executable on a processor of the first device to cause the first device to perform the method of claim 2.

14. A device, comprising:

a transmit path that encodes in a signal, information for pairing with the device, wherein the signal is characterized in that outgoing acoustic energy converted therefrom is discernible to a human ear yet the encoding of the information therein is not perceivable by the human apart from the acoustic energy itself;

a transmitter that transmits the acoustic energy from an acoustic transducer of the device toward a second device; and

a receiver that receives a request from the second device to pair with the device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the information is a passcode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein use of the passcode by the second device allows the second device to connect to the device by sending the request.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the device is a portable device.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the device is a base station for one or more devices.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the second device is a portable device.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the device and the second device are peer devices.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein after the request is received, the device pairs with the second device.