Methods and apparatus for sound management

• US 8,954,854 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jrvinen, Kari Juhani, Eronen, Antti, Arrasvuori, Juha Henrik, Vilermo, Miikka, Jrvinen, Roope Olavi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASILLAS, ROLAND J
• Application Number:
  US13/489,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 715/727
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

Systems and techniques for location based sound management. Information associated with a display is defined or selected based on user inputs and sounds associated with responsive locations of the display. Defining of the information associated with the display may be based at least in part on user touches to a touch screen display. Parameters for playback are also selected, such as a number of audio channels, based on user inputs that may similarly comprise user touches to the touch screen display. Playback parameters may be changed during playback based on user inputs occurring during playback.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

memory storing computer program code;

wherein execution of the computer program code by the at least one processor causes the apparatus to at least;

determine at least one user interaction parameter associated with at least one responsive location of a display, wherein the at least one responsive location of the display defines a geographic area and wherein the display presents visual information comprising the at least one responsive location, and wherein the at least one user interaction parameter indicates at least one of a selected geographic point and a boundary of a the geographic area;

determine an audio event associated with the at least one responsive location wherein the audio event is controlled based on the at least one user interaction parameter, wherein determining the audio event comprises including in the audio event at least one sound associated with the defined geographic area; and

generate at least one audio signal dependent on the audio event such that the at least one audio signal is associated with the at least one responsive location of the display, and wherein the generated at least one audio signal comprises a number of channels corresponding to the determined at least one user interaction parameter, and wherein the number of channels is controlled based on the number of substantially simultaneous user interactions with the display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one responsive location of the display is a location providing a visual indication that an input to the responsive location is interpreted to determine the audio event.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio event is at least one of a recording operation and a playback operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the geographic area is defined as the selected geographic point.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sound associated with the defined geographic area comprises a specified maximum number of sounds.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predefined maximum number of sounds are selected according to a specified ranking.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sound comprises at least one sound component and wherein the apparatus is further caused to up- and down-mix sound components as needed to allocate at least one sound component to each of the specified number of channels.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the computer program code further causes the apparatus to allocate at the least one sound to at least one channel to create a soundscape having a dimension based on the at least one user interaction parameter.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein execution of the computer program code further causes the apparatus to play a sound based on the audio signal and change at least one parameter for playing of the sound based at on the at least one user interaction parameter determined during playing of the sound based on the audio signal, wherein the at least one user interaction parameter is based on a user interaction with the at least one responsive location of the display.

10. A method comprising:

configuring at least one processor to cause an apparatus to at least;

determine at least one user interaction parameter associated with at least one responsive location of a display, wherein the at least one responsive location of the display defines a geographic area and, wherein the display presents visual information comprising the at least one responsive location, and wherein the at least one user interaction parameter indicates at least one of a selected geographic point and a boundary of a geographic area;

determine an audio event associated with the at least one responsive location wherein the audio event is controlled based on the at least one user interaction parameter; and

generate at least one audio signal dependent on the audio event such that the at least one audio signal is associated with the at least one responsive location of the display, and wherein the generated at least one audio signal comprises a number of channels corresponding to the determined at least one user interaction parameter and wherein the number of channels is controlled based on the number of substantially simultaneous user interactions with the display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one responsive location of the display is a location providing a visual indication that an input to the responsive location will be interpreted to determine the audio event.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio event is at least one of a recording operation and a playback operation.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the geographic area is defined as the selected geographic point.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one sound associated with the defined geographic area comprises a specified maximum number of sounds.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predefined maximum number of sounds are selected according to a specified ranking.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one sound comprises at least one sound component and wherein the actions further comprise up- and down-mixing sound components as needed to allocate at least one sound component to each of the specified number of channels.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising configuring the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to allocate the at least one sound to at least one channel to create a soundscape having a dimension based on the at least one user interaction parameter.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising configuring the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to play a sound based on the audio signal and change at least one parameter for playing of the sound based at on at least one user interaction parameter determined during playing of the audio signal, wherein the at least one user interaction parameter is based on a user interaction with at least one responsive location of the display.