Smart ringer

• US 6,993,349 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Martinez, Paul, Beith, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/908,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20030017859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.4, 455/567
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/044 according to the level of ambient noise

Abstract

A telephone monitors ambient noise, and alters the characteristics of the audible ring to distinguish the sound of the ringing telephone from the ambient noise. Such characteristics include the decibel level, the sound frequency, and the rhythmic pattern or the ringing sound.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a ringing sound emitted from a wireless telephone, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a rhythmic sound level variation in an ambient noise environment around the wireless telephone;

selecting a ringing sound decibel level;

modifying a ringer rhythmic sound level for the ringing sound such that the ringing sound is distinguishable from the rhythmic sound level variation in the ambient noise environment; and

outputting the modified ringing sound at the selected ringing sound decibel level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the rhythmic sound level variation in the ambient noise environment comprises the steps of:

sampling the ambient noise environment for a time period;

analyzing the sampled ambient noise environment for rhythmic sound level variation over the time period, and

selecting the ringer rhythmic sound level variation based upon the analysis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ringer rhythmic sound level variation for the modified ringing sound has a different beats per time period than the rhythmic sound level variation of the ambient noise environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ringer rhythmic sound level variation for the modified ringing sound is out of phase with the rhythmic sound level variation of the ambient noise environment.

5. A method for controlling a ringing sound of a plurality of ringing sounds emitted from a wireless telephone, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the decibel level of an ambient noise environment,

monitoring the sound frequency of the ambient noise environment, and

monitoring the rhythmic sound level variations of the ambient noise environment;

selecting the ringing sound of the plurality of ringing sounds, the ringing sound having a default decibel level, a default frequency, and a default rhythmic sound level variation; and

adjusting at least one of the default decibel level, the default frequency, and the default rhythmic sound level variation of the selected ringing sound to differ from at least one of the monitored decibel level, the monitored sound frequency, and the monitored rhythmic sound level variations.

6. A wireless telephone, comprising:

a ringer for producing at least one ringing sound of a plurality of ringing sounds, the ringer having a default ringer decibel level;

a sound detection unit for detecting ambient noise in proximity to the wireless telephone, and for outputting an ambient noise signal; and

a controller electrically connected to the ringer and the sound detection unit, the controller comprising;

means for monitoring the ambient noise signal from the sound detection unit for an ambient noise characteristic of a plurality of ambient noise characteristics of the ambient noise,

means for adjusting the default ringer decibel level, and

means for adjusting the at least one ringing sound of the plurality of ringing sounds such that the ringing sound has a ringing characteristic distinguishable from the detected ambient noise characteristic.

7. The wireless telephone of claim 6, wherein the ambient noise characteristic comprises at least one of a sound frequency and a rhythmic sound variation.

8. The wireless telephone of claim 6, wherein the ambient noise characteristic comprises an ambient decibel level, and wherein the means for adjusting the default ringer decibel level adjusts the at least one ringing sound to be substantially five decibels higher than the ambient decibel level.

9. The wireless telephone of claim 6, wherein the ambient noise characteristic comprises an ambient sound frequency, and wherein the means for adjusting the at least one ringing sound adjusts a ringer frequency of the at least one ringing sound to be different than the ambient sound frequency.

10. The wireless telephone of claim 6, wherein the ambient noise characteristic comprises an ambient rhythmic sound variation, and wherein the means for adjusting the at least one ringing sound adjusts a ringer rhythmic sound variation of the at least one ringing sound to be different than the ambient rhythmic sound variation.