Methods and devices for creating and modifying sound profiles for audio reproduction devices

• US 8,891,794 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc. (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc. (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lin, Rocky Chau-Hsiung, Yamasaki, Thomas, Toki, Hiroyuki, Kanda, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing, Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US14/269,009
• Time in Patent Office: 200 Days
• Field of Search: 381312-316, 381/60, 381/320, 700/94, 709205-207, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Method and devices for processing audio signals based on sound profiles are provided. A reproduction device can request a sound profile based on user information, device information, media metadata or a combination. The sound profiles can be customized and shared across multiple devices. User interfaces allow for the input of information that allows the reproduction device or a server in the cloud to select, modify, store, and analyze sound profiles. Deeper analysis allows for the improvement of sound profiles for individuals and groups. Intensity scoring of a music library can also be conducted.

Claims

1. A device for reproducing enhanced media content, the media content including audio data, comprising:

a memory component capable of storing media content, wherein the media content includes audio data and audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content;

a transmitter component capable of transmitting information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content and audio metadata related to the audio data over a network, wherein the information about the device comprises information related to the consumption modality;

a receiver component capable of receiving a sound profile over the network, wherein the sound profile is capable of containing preselected parameters for modifying the audio data and an intensity score, wherein one or more preselected parameters in the sound profile are matched to one or more pieces of information in the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content and the information related to the consumption modality; and

a processor component capable of accessing the stored media content including the audio data from the memory component and the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, causing the transmitter component to transmit the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content and the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content over the network, accessing the sound profile received by the receiver component, and modifying the audio data in the media content according to the preselected parameters in the received sound profile.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface capable of allowing a user to change the preselected parameters contained within the received sound profile to create a changed sound profile.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the memory component is capable of storing the changed sound profile.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the transmitter component is capable of transmitting the changed sound profile.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter component is capable of transmitting an initial request for a set of sound profiles, wherein the receiver component is further configured to receive a set of sound profiles for a variety of genres, and wherein the processor component is further capable of selecting a sound profile matched to the genre of the audio data before applying the sound profile.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the intensity score relates to one of:

beats-per-minute or sound wave frequency of the audio data in the media content.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content comprises demographic information of a user and one or more of the preselected parameters in the sound profile are matched to the demographic information.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the media content is an MP3 file.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising an amplifier component capable of amplifying the modified audio data.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the sound profile comprises information for three or more channels.

11. A device for reproducing enhanced media content, the media content including audio data, comprising:

a memory component capable of storing media content, wherein the media content includes audio data and audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content;

a transmitter component capable of transmitting information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content and audio metadata related to the audio data over a network;

a receiver component capable of receiving a sound profile over the network, wherein the received sound profile is capable of containing preselected parameters for modifying the audio data and an intensity score, wherein one or more of the preselected parameters in the received sound profile are matched to one or more pieces of information in the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content; and

a processor component capable of accessing the stored media content including the audio data from the memory component and the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content, causing the transmitter component to transmit the information about the device for reproducing enhanced media content and the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content over the network, accessing the received sound profile received by the receiver component, and modifying the audio data in the media content according to the preselected parameters in the received sound profile.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising a user interface capable of allowing a user to change one or more of the parameters contained within the received sound profile to create a modified sound profile.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the audio metadata related to the audio data in the media content comprises a genre of audio data, the memory component is further capable of storing the modified sound profile and the genre of the audio data, and the processor component is capable of applying the modified sound profile to the audio data of a second piece of media content having the same genre.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the transmitter component is further capable of transmitting the modified sound profile.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the received sound profile was created by the same user on a different device.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the received sound profile is a modified sound profile that was modified using a sound profile created by the same user on a different device and was modified to match characteristics of the device for reproducing enhanced media content.

17. The device of claim 11, further comprising a pair of headphones connected to the device and capable of reproducing the modified audio data.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmitter component is further capable of transmitting the modified audio data to a speaker capable of reproducing the modified audio data.