Intelligibility of overlapping audio

• US 9,214,975 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Kreitzer, Stuart S, Corretjer, Jesus F
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/087,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20150147990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 455/500, 455/501, 455/512, 455/517, 455/518, 455/520, 455/521, 455/132
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/16 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/16 Sequence circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/50 Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers H04M3/487 takes precedence; centralised dictation systems H04M11/10; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided by which a radio communication device with multi-watch receivers improves the comprehension of a high-priority message when the high-priority message is overlapped in time with a normal-priority message. A first receiver of the radio communication device receives a first incoming message over a first channel, and a second receiver of the radio communication device receives a second incoming message over a second channel. The radio communication device, upon receiving the first and second incoming messages, detects that a portion of the first incoming message overlaps in time with a portion of the second incoming message. The radio communication device further determines whether at least one of the first or the second incoming message is a high-priority message and repeats the determined high-priority message when at least one of the first or second incoming messages is a high-priority message.

Claims

1. A method for communicating using a radio communication device comprising a plurality of receivers, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first receiver of the plurality of receivers of the radio communication device, a first audio message over a first channel and playing back the first audio message;

receiving, by a second receiver of the plurality of receivers of the radio communication device, a second audio message over a second channel and playing back the second audio message;

detecting, by the radio communication device, that a played back portion of the first audio message overlaps in time with a played back portion of the second audio message;

determining, by the radio communication device, that one of the first audio message and the second audio message is a priority audio message; and

after completion of play back of both the first and second audio messages, repeating the playing back, by the radio communication device, of the determined priority audio message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a third receiver of the plurality of receivers of the radio communication device, a third audio message over a third channel; and

repeating, by the radio communication device, the third audio message when the third audio message is determined as the priority audio message by the radio communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second audio messages are audio video messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein audio and video is repeated when the determined priority audio message is an audio video message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the played back portion of the first audio message overlaps with the slaved back portion of the second audio message comprises detecting whether the played back portion of the first audio message and the played back portion of the second audio message is being played back simultaneously at the radio communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority of the priority audio message is determined based on one or more of:

information content of the priority audio message, a channel on which the priority audio message is received, a talk group on which the priority audio message is received, an audio quality of the priority audio message, a sender of the priority audio message, a type of the priority audio message, and a volume of audio in the priority audio message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received first and second audio messages are played in real-time starting from a time period the first and second audio messages are received and the priority audio message is repeated after both the first audio message and the second audio message complete playing in real-time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein both the first and second audio messages are determined to have a same priority and further wherein both the first and second audio messages are repeated sequentially by the radio communication device after completion of real-time play back of both the first and second audio messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein different side tones are superimposed during respective sequential repeated playback of the first audio message and the second audio message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein repeating of the determined priority audio message is enabled by a manual input to the radio communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a side tone is superimposed on the repeated priority audio message to distinguish the repeated priority audio message from the prior real-time play back of the audio message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a side tone is superimposed on the repeated priority audio message to identify a source of the repeated priority audio message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeating of the determined priority audio message is ceased when a new incoming audio message is received by the radio communication device.

14. A radio communication device, comprising:

a plurality of receivers for receiving incoming audio messages;

a memory for storing incoming audio messages;

one or more speakers for playing back audio messages; and

a controller configured to;

receive, via a first receiver of the plurality of receivers, a first audio message over a first channel and play back, via the one or more speakers, the first audio message;

receive, via a second receiver of the plurality of receivers, a second audio message over a second channel and play back, via the one or more speakers, the second audio message;

detect that a played back portion of the first audio message overlaps in time with a played back portion of the second audio message;

determine that one of the first audio message and the second audio message is a priority audio message; and

after completion of play back of both the first and second audio messages, repeat the play back, via the one or more speakers, of the determined priority audio message.

15. The radio communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to superimpose a side tone on the repeated priority audio message to distinguish the repeated priority audio message from the prior real-time play back of the audio message.

16. The radio communication device of claim 14, further comprising a user selectable interface for selectively enabling repeating of the priority audio message.

17. The radio communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller determines the priority of the priority audio message based one or more of:

an information content of the priority audio message, a channel on which the priority audio message is received, a talk group on which the priority audio message is received, an audio quality ratio of the priority audio message, a sender of the priority audio message, a type of message of the priority audio message, and a volume of audio in the priority audio message.

18. The radio communication device of claim 14, wherein the received first and second audio messages are played in real-time starting from a time period the first and second audio messages are received and the priority audio message is repeated after both the first audio message and the second audio message complete playing in real-time.

19. The radio communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to superimposes a side tone on the repeated priority audio message to identify a source of the repeated priority audio message.

20. The radio communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to cease replay of the priority audio message when a new incoming audio message is received by the radio communication device.