Headset based telecommunications platform

• US 8,902,315 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eyeCam Inc.
• Original Assignee: Foundation Productions LLC
• Inventors: Fisher, Ronald Eugene, Davis, Bryan Jonathan, Bushard, Bradley Brian, Fisher, James, Patil, Nitin, Young, Ben, Johnson, Daniel, Meyer, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/714,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 348/164, 348/373, 348/370
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0272 for a projector or beamer module assembly constructional features of projectors per se G03B21/00; constructional details of projectors using electronic spatial light modulators per se H04N9/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A hands-free wireless wearable GPS enabled video camera and audio-video communications headset, mobile phone and personal media player, capable of real-time two-way and multi-feed wireless voice, data and audio-video streaming, telecommunications, and teleconferencing, coordinated applications, and shared functionality between one or more wirelessly networked headsets or other paired or networked wired or wireless devices and optimized device and data management over multiple wired and wireless network connections. The headset can operate in concert with one or more wired or wireless devices as a paired accessory, as an autonomous hands-free wide area, metro or local area and personal area wireless audio-video communications and multimedia device and/or as a wearable docking station, hot spot and wireless router supporting direct connect multi-device ad-hoc virtual private networking (VPN). The headset has built-in intelligence to choose amongst available network protocols while supporting a variety of onboard, and remote operational controls including a retractable monocular viewfinder display for real time hands-free viewing of captured or received video feed and a duplex data-streaming platform supporting multi-channel communications and optimized data management within the device, within a managed or autonomous federation of devices or other peer-to-peer network configuration.

Claims

1. A modular communications apparatus, comprising:

an earpiece module comprising a microphone, an earphone, an antenna, a microprocessor, an expandable memory storage, a high-speed data port, an internal battery, and a removable and rechargeable external earpiece battery; and

a camera phone module comprising a microprocessor, an expandable memory storage, a high-speed data port, and an internal battery;

said earpiece module and said camera phone module each comprising a complementary connector with which the camera phone module and the earpiece module are each electrically and mechanically engaged;

wherein when said earpiece module and said camera phone module are disengaged, each said module exhibits independent functionality and when each module is paired wirelessly or engaged both modules operate interdependently as a unified apparatus;

wherein when the camera phone module and the earpiece module are disengaged;

the earpiece module is independently operable as any of a standalone media player and a wireless communications device for communication with the detached camera phone module and other wireless devices over a network; and

the detachable camera phone module is independently operable as a hand-held, GPS enabled, wide, local, and personal area network phone; and

wherein when the camera phone module and the earpiece module are engaged;

the attached camera phone and earpiece operate as a unified point-of-view (POV) video camera and telecommunications headset having a form factor that is wearable by a user hands-free with the earphone positioned in the user'"'"'s ear; and

the weight of the attached camera phone module extends in front of the user'"'"'s ear and is counter-balanced by the weight of said removable and rechargeable external earpiece battery that is attached to the earpiece module behind the user'"'"'s ear.

2. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a flip out display on the attached camera phone module which, when said camera phone module is worn as a headset, is extendable to be worn over the user'"'"'s eye as a monocular viewfinder display.

3. The modular communications apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the flip out display is extended in front of the user'"'"'s eye as a monocular viewfinder display, a second camera above the flip out display operates as an eye and facial motion sensor.

4. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second earpiece module that when paired wirelessly or engaged with said earpiece module operate as a unified hands-free media player and set of stereo headphones.

5. The modular communications apparatus of claim 4, further comprising at least one of:

a second camera phone module that is paired wirelessly or engaged with said second earpiece module and said camera phone module and worn as a headset on the user'"'"'s other ear;

an adjustable neckpiece battery module for interconnecting said earpiece module, said second earpiece module, said camera phone module and said second camera phone module for at least one of;

stereo sound;

expanded networking;

media functionality;

memory;

power; and

operation as a unified dual camera;

operation as binocular display telecommunications headset.

6. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of

a multimedia heads-up display glasses module operable as a single unified binocular display telecommunications headset when paired wirelessly or engaged with in combination the earpiece module and the camera phone module;

and

a modular device, data, and network management system and gateway for establishing a communications network with each module.

7. The modular communications apparatus of claim 6, wherein said modular device, data, and network management system and gateway is adapted to perform at least one of:

configuring each individual module for engagement and disengagement, or for wireless pairing, and autonomous or unified operation; and

expanding to engage/disengage one or more modules in any of a synchronized, ad-hoc or coordinated, hierarchical, or managed network organizational model to effect a standard modular device and data management system.

8. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera phone module further comprises:

a module housing physically containing any of;

a GPS enabled wide, local, and personal area network telephone, including a camera, microphone, and speaker;

a laser range finder and light, motion and orientation sensors;

an optical zoom and autofocusing system;

a retractable and extendable tilting viewfinder screen; and

an Infrared night vision camera.

9. The modular communications apparatus of claim 8, further comprising within the camera phone housing module at least one of:

a module for automatically zooming and focusing on people and objects in the camera'"'"'s field of view by using the laser range finder and IR light and motion sensor to identify the distance to objects in the camera'"'"'s field of view, and for automatically selecting an optimum optical zoom and focal distance to one or more objects;

a module for detecting eye and facial movement to identify objects of interest and interpretation of the eye and facial movement for hands-free control of the camera and automation of camera optical zoom and auto focusing system;

a module for capturing voice input and interpreting the voice input as any of a voice command, voice activation, and speaker authentication; and

a module for detecting motion and orientation as an event for triggering action of one or more devices contained within the camera phone housing module.

10. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor performing power management tasks of a power management subsystem that optimize use of power, including automatically determining, based on power availability, at least one of;

which communication protocol to use;

whether to use a camera light or not; and

which recording options to use.

11. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, said earpiece module further comprising at least one of:

a slot for plugging in a removable storage device;

a power and data port for an external removable battery module or neckpiece battery;

a high speed power and data port for connecting the earpiece module with the camera phone module; and

at least one button for controlling playing of media.

12. The modular communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein when the camera phone module is engaged with the earpiece module, the modular communications apparatus is enabled to perform at least one of the following:

a microphone contained within a camera phone module is selectively disabled or used in coordination with a corresponding earpiece module microphone for selective noise cancelation or selective voice recognition and audio recording, wherein the earpiece module is operable to provide voice input commands to each of the earpiece module and camera phone module;

a speaker contained within a camera phone module is selectively disabled, and a corresponding headphone speaker contained within the earpiece module is operable to provide output from the camera phone module; and

the camera phone module is operable to store media or data to, or retrieve media or data from, the removable storage device contained within the earpiece module.

13. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a docking station configured to receive a plurality of modules and further configured to provide external power accessory battery charging, a host connection, and peripheral expansion to said modules.

14. The modular communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of sunglasses having integrated therein;

an eyeglass frame holding two lenses comprising displays that provide a binocular see-through media display;

the eyeglass frame comprising right and left arm supports, each arm comprising an optical and digital zoom camera and supporting an earpiece headphone;

the eyeglass frame further comprising an eye motion scanner; and

a module for providing devices attached to the eyeglass frame access to a wireless network.

15. The modular communications apparatus of claim 14, wherein the modular communications apparatus is further configured for at least one of:

monitoring any of eye and facial movements with the eye motion scanner, and controlling a zoom and hands-free camera with the eye and facial movement information received over the wireless network;

wherein the two lenses comprise left and right lenses further configured for day and near infrared binocular visual display of captured video content from a video camera;

wherein the wireless network is operable to transfer multimedia data to and from a device that is not attached to said modular communications apparatus; and

wherein the wireless network is operable to transfer audio data between said apparatus and a mobile telephone that is not attached to said modular communications apparatus.