Input and Edit Functions Utilizing Accelerometer Based Earpiece Movement System and Method

• US 20180121160A1
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent, Belverato, Luigi, Steiner, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 10,942,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers

Abstract

A method for performing voice dictation with an earpiece worn by a user includes receiving as input to the earpiece voice sound information from the user at one or more microphones of the earpiece, receiving as input to the earpiece user control information from one or more sensors within the earpiece independent from the one or more microphones of the earpiece, inserting a machine-generated transcription of the voice sound information from the user into a user input area associated with an application executing on a computing device and manipulating the application executing on the computing device based on the user control information.

Claims

1. A method for performing voice dictation with an earpiece worn by a user, the method comprising:

receiving as input to the earpiece voice sound information from the user at one or more microphones of the earpiece;

receiving as input to the earpiece user control information from one or more sensors within the earpiece independent from the one or more microphones of the earpiece;

inserting a machine-generated transcription of the voice sound information from the user into a user input area associated with an application executing on a computing device;

manipulating the application executing on the computing device based on the user control information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user control information comprises a head gesture from the user, the head gesture detected using one or more inertial sensors of the earpiece.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user control information comprises a gesture made at or proximate the earpiece to alter a field and detected using one or more sensors of the ear piece.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the gesture is from a set consisting of a tap, a double tap, a triple tap, a hold, and a swipe.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user input area is within a document.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user control information is used to move between fields within the user input area.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user control information is used to indicate whether the machine generated transcription is accurate or not.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the gesture is used to change position within the document.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a voice command at the ear piece from the user at the one or more microphones of the earpiece; and

further manipulating the application executing on the computing device using the voice command.

10. An earpiece comprising:

an earpiece housing;

an inertial sensor disposed within the ear piece housing;

a processor disposed within the ear piece housing and operatively connected to the ear piece housing;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor;

wherein the earpiece is configured to sense head movements made by a user of the earpiece using the inertial sensor;

wherein the earpiece is configured to receive voice dictation from the user of the earpiece using the at least one microphone;

wherein the earpiece is configured to interpret the head movements into instructions and convey the instructions to a computing device in operative communication with the earpiece.

11. The earpiece of claim 10 further comprising a gesture control interface configured to detect gestures from a user made at or proximate the earpiece.

12. The earpiece of claim 11 wherein the gestures include at least one of a single tap, a double tap, a triple tap, a hold, and a swipe.

13. The earpiece of claim 11 wherein the earpiece is configured to convey the gestures to the computing device in operative communication with the earpiece.

14. The earpiece of claim 10 wherein the computing device includes a display.

15. A system comprising:

an earpiece comprising;

(a) an earpiece housing;

(b) an inertial sensor disposed within the ear piece housing;

(c) a processor disposed within the ear piece housing and operatively connected to the ear piece housing;

(d) at least one microphone operatively connected to the processor;

(e) wherein the earpiece is configured to sense head movements made by a user of the earpiece using the inertial sensor;

(f) wherein the earpiece is configured to receive voice dictation from the user of the earpiece using the at least one microphone;

(g) wherein the earpiece is configured to interpret the head movements into instructions and convey the instructions to a computing device in operative communication with the earpiece;

a software application executing on a computing device wherein the software application is configured to control receiving of voice sound information or text from voice sound information from the earpiece and the instructions from the head movements into a user input area.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the earpiece further comprises a gesture control interface operatively connected to the processor, wherein the gesture control interface detects one or more gestures made by the user.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the software application is a mobile application and the computing device is a mobile device.