Differential planes for video I/O in a hearing impaired application

• US 8,301,193 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lynch, John David, Miller, Eric Eugene, Todd, Charles Daniel, Panpaliya, Monika Kishor
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US12/263,688
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-356, 709201-207, 709217-248, 4554121-417, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 4555501-560, 4555751-5759, 455 901- 903
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A mobile communications device, method, and medium are provided for enhanced video communications for hearing-impaired users. A hearing-impaired call mode can be selected by a user, causing the device to establish a hearing-impaired call mode configuration. Establishing a hearing-impaired call mode configuration can include disabling a microphone and speakers and enabling an adjustable camera. The adjustable camera can tilt, pan, change focus, and the like to maintain a region of interest within a viewing angle of the camera.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of establishing a call mode configuration on a mobile communications device the method comprising:

implementing a display, a call mode selector, an adjustable video camera, a microphone, and a speaker on the mobile communications device, wherein the adjustable video camera includes a pivotal lens that allows a capture of images of a user;

providing a first call mode configuration corresponding to a first call mode, wherein the microphone and the speaker are enabled;

receiving a user selection of a second call mode, wherein the second call mode comprises a hearing-impaired (HI) call mode; and

establishing a second call mode configuration corresponding to the second call mode, wherein establishing the second call mode configuration comprises disabling the speaker, disabling the microphone, and enabling the adjustable camera, and wherein the second call mode configuration comprises an HI call mode configuration.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the first call mode comprises a normal voice call mode.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the first call mode comprises a normal video call mode, and further wherein the display is configured to render a video signal received by the device.

4. The media of claim 1, further comprising configuring the display to render video signals received by the device.

5. The media of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the viewing direction of the adjustable video camera such that a region of interest is maintained within an angle of view of the camera, wherein the region of interest comprises a user'"'"'s head and hands.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of establishing a hearing-impaired (HI) call mode configuration on a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

implementing a display, a call mode selector, an adjustable video camera, a microphone, and a speaker on the mobile communications device, wherein the adjustable video camera includes a pivotal lens that allows a capture of images of a user;

receiving a user selection of a hearing-impaired (HI) call mode; and

establishing an HI call mode configuration, wherein establishing an HI call mode configuration comprises;

disabling the microphone and the speaker;

enabling the adjustable video camera;

determining a region of interest, wherein the region of interest comprises the user'"'"'s head and hands;

adjusting a viewing direction of the adjustable video camera such that the region of interest is maintained within an angle of view of the adjustable camera;

adjusting a focal length of the adjustable video camera such that the region of interest comprises a substantial portion of a screen area associated with a video frame captured by the adjustable video camera; and

adjusting at least one of a contrast setting and a brightness setting such that movement of the user'"'"'s hands is captured with maximal contrast with respect to other aspects of a series of video frames captured by the adjustable video camera.

7. The media of claim 6, further comprising configuring the adjustable video camera to capture video in black and white.