Method for distributed sound collection and event triggering

• US 7,659,814 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/379,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20070275670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/541, 340/545, 340/569, 340/573.1, 340/679, 340/531, 340/533, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/517, 34053914-53917, 340/539.26, 379 37- 45, 379/51, 455/404.1, 381/56
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer implemented method for sending alerts. A distributed sensor receives a sound and determines whether the sound matches a preset criterion. If so, the distributed sensor transmits an event to a central portal device.

Claims

1. A method in a distributed sensor for sending alerts comprising:

responsive to detecting a sound with the distributed sensor, determining whether the sound matches a preset criterion, wherein the preset criterion includes the beginning or ending of a characteristic sound, and wherein the distributed sensor includes a microphone, a controller and means to communicate;

transmitting an event to a central portal device for processing in response to determining that the sound matches the preset criterion, wherein the event is a signal that includes a distributed sensor identification, and sound identification; and

sending an alert to a user device wherein an alert includes a sound alert, a string or picture that indicates nature and origin of the alert, and wherein the user device includes at least one of a personal digital assistant, a phone, a pager, or a laptop computer, wherein the alert can be rendered on the user device as at least one of a text message or an audible message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining further comprises:

determining that a residual sound record associated with the sound is unstored.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the residual sound record includes time information originating within a period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the microphone receives a sound, and wherein receiving the sound comprises isotropically or unidirectionally receiving the sound.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps:

determining if audio is requested; and

transmitting the audio in response to the determination that audio is requested.

6. A tangible computer storage medium having a computer program product encoded thereon, the computer program product including computer usable program code for reporting an event, the tangible computer storage medium comprising:

computer usable program code, responsive to detecting a sound with a distributed sensor, for determining whether the sound matches a preset criterion, wherein the preset criterion includes the beginning or ending of a characteristic sound, and wherein the distributed sensor includes a microphone, a controller and means to communicate;

computer usable program code for transmitting an event to a central portal device for processing in response to determining that the sound matches the preset criterion, wherein the event is a signal that includes a distributed sensor identification, and sound identification; and

computer usable program code for sending an alert to a user device, wherein an alert includes a sound alert, a string or picture that indicates nature and origin of the alert, and wherein the user device includes at least one of a personal digital assistant, a phone, a pager, or a laptop computer, wherein the alert can be rendered on the user device as at least one of a text message or an audible message.

7. The tangible computer storage medium of claim 6 wherein determining further comprises:

computer usable program code for determining that a residual sound record associated with the sound is unstored.

8. The tangible computer storage medium of claim 7 wherein the residual sound record includes time information originating within a period.

9. The tangible computer storage medium of claim 6 further comprising:

computer usable program code for isotropically receiving or unidirectionally receiving a sound at the microphone.

10. The tangible computer storage medium of claim 6 further comprising:

computer usable program code for determining if audio is requested; and

computer usable program code for transmitting the audio in response to the determination that audio is requested.

11. A data processing system comprising:

a storage containing computer usable program code for reporting an event;

a bus system connecting the storage to a processor; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code, responsive to detecting a sound with a distributed sensor, to determine whether the sound matches a preset criterion, wherein the preset criterion includes the beginning or ending of a characteristic sound, and wherein the distributed sensor includes a microphone, a controller and means to communicate;

to transmit an event to a central portal device for processing in response to determining that the sound matches the preset criterion, wherein the event is a signal that includes a distributed sensor identification, and sound identification; and

to send an alert to a user device, wherein an alert includes a sound alert, a string or picture that indicates nature and origin of the alert, and wherein the user device includes at least one of a personal digital assistant, a phone, a pager, or a laptop computer, wherein the alert can be rendered on the user device as at least one of a text message or an audible message.

12. The data processing system of claim 11 wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code:

to determine that a residual sound record associated with the sound is unstored.

13. The data processing system of claim 12 wherein the residual sound record includes time information originating within a period.

14. The data processing system of claim 11 wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code:

to isotropically receive or unidirectionally receive a sound at the microphone.

15. The data processing system of claim 11 wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code:

to determine if audio is requested; and

to transmit the audio in response to the determination that audio is requested.