Audio interface unit for supporting network services

• US 8,321,228 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Gartrell, Andrew Julian, Newman, John-Rhys, Arbisi, Thomas Ernst, Thimaporn, Pawena, Bestle, Nikolaj, Wever, Pascal, Chipchase, Jan, James, Simon David
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Qi
• Application Number:
  US12/548,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270, 704/272, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

Techniques for providing network services at an audio interface unit include determining, based on spoken sounds of a user of an apparatus received at a microphone of the apparatus, whether to present audio data received from a different apparatus. If it is determined to present the received audio data, then presentation of the received audio data at a speaker of the apparatus is initiated. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a data communications bus; and logic encoded in one or more tangible media configured to performs the above steps. In some embodiments, the apparatus does not include a visual display and does not include a keypad of multiple buttons.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data communications bus; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media configured to;

determine, based on spoken sounds of a user of the apparatus received at a microphone in communication with the tangible media through the data communications bus, whether to present at a speaker audio data received from a different apparatus, wherein the received audio data includes one or more alerts;

if it is determined to present the received audio data, then initiate presentation of the received audio data at the speaker in communication with the tangible media through the data communications bus;

determine, based on data received from an in-ear detector in communication with the data communications bus, whether the speaker is in place in an ear of the user; and

if the speaker is determined not in place in the ear of the user, then terminate presentation of the received audio data at the speaker, filter the received audio data for later presentation, and store the filtered audio data.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the apparatus does not include a visual display and does not include a plurality of buttons.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a memory in communication with the data communications bus and including computer instructions, the memory and the computer instructions configured to, with the logic, cause the apparatus to at least determine whether to present the audio data and, if it is determined to present the audio data, then to initiate the presentation of the received audio data.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the microphone is configured to be worn by the user of the apparatus, the apparatus further comprising:

a wireless transceiver for receiving over a wireless communication link the audio data from the different apparatus;

the speaker being configured to be worn in the ear of the user; and

the in-ear detector being configured to determine when the speaker is disposed in the ear of the user.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the wireless transceiver is at least one of:

a cellular telephone transceiver;

a wireless network interface following the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area network (WLAN); and

a wireless network interface following the IEEE 802.15 standard wireless personal area network (WPAN).

6. An apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the determination whether to present the audio data further comprises sending data indicating the spoken sounds to a remote service and receiving, from the remote service, data indicating whether to initiate presentation of the audio data, and

wherein the one or more alerts include one or more calls, one or more text and voice messages, one or more user-set alarms, one or more appointment reminders, or a combination thereof.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the data indicating whether to initiate presentation of the audio data is the audio data to be presented.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein,

the tangible media is further configured as a speech to text module;

and

the determination whether to present the audio data further comprises converting the spoken sounds to text in the speech to text module and determining whether to initiate presentation of the audio data based on the text.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising a memory in communication with the data communications bus and including data indicating a limited vocabulary of text for the speech to text module, wherein the limited vocabulary represents a limited set of verbal commands to which the apparatus responds.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

the tangible media is further configured as a text to speech module; and

the initiation of the presentation of the received audio data at the speaker further comprises converting audio data received as text from the different apparatus to speech in the text to speech module.

11. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is small enough to be hidden in an article of clothing worn by the user.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a single button to indicate a context sensitive user response to the presentation of the received audio data at the speaker.

13. A method comprising:

determining, by an apparatus, based on spoken sounds of a user of the apparatus received at a microphone of the apparatus, whether to present at a speaker associated with the apparatus audio data received from a different apparatus, wherein the received audio data includes one or more alerts;

if it is determined to present the received audio data, then initiating, by the apparatus, presentation of the received audio data at the speaker

determining, based on data received from an in-ear detector in communication with the apparatus, whether the speaker is in place in an ear of the user; and

if the speaker is determined not in place in the ear of the user, then terminating presentation of the received audio data at the speaker, filtering the received audio data for later presentation, and storing the filtered audio data.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the determination whether to present the audio data further comprises sending data indicating the spoken sounds to a remote service and receiving, from the remote service, data indicating whether to initiate presentation of the audio data, and the one or more alerts include one or more breaking news alerts, one or more social network status changes, or a combination thereof.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein the received audio data is filtered based upon relevancy to a filtering time point, a time point of the later presentation, or a combination thereof.

16. A method as in claim 13, further comprising:

causing, at least in part, presentation of a user query to specify one or more audio preferences, one or more alert conditions, or a combination thereof,

wherein one or more audio preferences include parameters with respect to how to mix different simultaneous audio sources, which earbud to use for alerts when one or more earbuds are available, how to respond when the one or more earbuds are not in an ear, what words to use for different apparatus actions, what words to use in different alert contexts, what network addresses to use for one or more audio services, names for different audio sources, names for different contacts, or a combination thereof.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform at least the following:

determining, based on spoken sounds of a user of an apparatus received at a microphone of the apparatus, whether to present at a speaker of the apparatus audio data received from a different apparatus, wherein the received audio data includes one or more alerts;

if it is determined to present the received audio data, then initiating presentation of the received audio data at the speaker;

determining, based on data received from an in-ear detector in communication with the apparatus, whether the speaker is in place in an ear of the user; and

if the speaker is determined not in place in the ear of the user, then terminating presentation of the received audio data at the speaker, filtering the received audio data for later presentation, and storing the filtered audio data.