Intelligent muting of a mobile device

• US 9,392,088 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Strazisar, Bradley Park, Bowen, Toby John, Kelso, Scott Edwards, Nicholson, John Weldon, Perrin, Steven Richard, Roper, Matthew Price, Wang, Song Erin, Zhang, Jianbang
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahsan, Umair
• Application Number:
  US13/737,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20140194102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/421, 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 379/421
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A device includes a transceiver, a microphone, a sensor, and a controller coupled to receive signals from the sensor and to place the device into a mute mode when the signals from the sensor are indicative of a user action to reduce transmission of the user'"'"'s voice.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a transceiver;

a first sensor comprising an array of microphones to capture a user'"'"'s voice to provide at least one of time difference of arrival information and triangulation information corresponding to the user'"'"'s voice;

a second sensor to sense angular movement of the device while a call is being hosted by the device; and

a controller coupled to the transceiver and the sensor to receive the at least one of time difference of arrival information and triangulation information and use such information to determine a distance of a user'"'"'s voice from the array of microphones, and to place the device into a mute mode in response to the sensed angular movement exceeds a selected amount of movement, and overriding muting of the device in response to the distance not exceeding a mute distance threshold, and unmuting the device if the sensed angular movement is indicative of a user moving the device back to their mouth.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the second sensor comprises a gyroscope.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the second sensor further comprises an angular rotation sensor to provide signals indicative of a user action to reduce capture of the user'"'"'s voice that correspond to a rate of change of an angular rotation of the device of at least a selected amount corresponding to the microphone being moved away from the user'"'"'s mouth.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the first sensor provides signals indicative of a user holding a hand over a microphone of the device.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the second sensor further comprises:

an accelerometer to provide signals indicative of the device being moved, wherein a movement of at least a selected distance is indicative of a user moving the device away from the user'"'"'s mouth; and

wherein the first sensor comprises a microphone proximity sensor indicative of a microphone being moved away from the user'"'"'s mouth.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second sensors comprise multiple sensors to sense angular position of the device, angular rate of change, and user distance from the microphone, and wherein signals from the sensors are fused together to provide the signals indicative of a user action to reduce capture of the user'"'"'s voice by the microphone and thereby to reduce transmission of the user'"'"'s voice via the transceiver.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the array of microphones provide a distance signal indicative of a distance of a user'"'"'s mouth from the device as a function of voice signals, and wherein the controller uses the distance signal to override placing the device in a mute mode when the device is detected as having been rotated, but is still within a selected distance of the user'"'"'s mouth.

8. A method comprising:

sensing angular movement of a device while a call being hosted by the device is in progress;

determining a distance of a user'"'"'s voice from an array of microphones that provide at least one of time difference of arrival information and triangulation information corresponding to the users voice;

placing the device in a mute mode such that sound is not transmitted by the device if the sensed angular movement exceeds a selected amount of movement indicative of a user action to reduce capture of the user'"'"'s voice

overriding muting of the device based on the determined distance of the user'"'"'s voice from the array of microphones not exceeding a threshold; and

unmuting the device if the sensed movement is indicative of a user moving the device back to their mouth.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the angular movement includes angular rotation indicative of a user moving the device away from their mouth.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein sensing angular movement of the device comprises:

sensing angular position of the device;

sensing angular rate of change of the device;

sensing user distance from the array of microphones; and

providing an indication of whether to place the device in the mute mode as a function of a combination of two or more of the sensed angular position, sensed angular rate of change, and sensed user distance from the microphone.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the angular movement is an angular rotation, a distance, and a movement representative of the array of microphones being moved away from a user'"'"'s voice.

12. A computer readable storage device having instructions to cause a mobile device to perform a method, the method comprising:

sensing angular movement of a device while a call being hosted by the device is in progress;

determining a distance of a user'"'"'s voice from an array of microphones that provide at least one of time difference of arrival information and triangulation information corresponding to the users voice;

placing the device in a mute mode if the sensed angular movement exceeds a selected amount of movement indicative of a user moving the device away from their mouth;

overriding muting of the device based on the determined distance of the user'"'"'s voice from the array of microphones not exceeding a threshold; and

unmuting the device if the sensed movement is indicative of a user moving the device back to their mouth.

13. The computer readable storage device of claim 12 wherein sensing angular movement of the device comprises:

sensing angular position of the device;

sensing angular rate of change of the device;

sensing user distance from the array of microphones; and

fusing together signals from the sensing to provide an indication of whether to place the device in the mute mode.