Apparatus, method and article for providing audio of different programs

• US 9,544,682 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phuc H., Bruhn, Christopher William
• Primary Examiner(s): PRINCE, JESSICA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US13/910,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 348/78
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A system enables two different users to independently view and listen to two completely different programs being displayed concurrently on the same display (e.g., in a split screen mode), or on multiple displays that are visible by different users, by sending the audio signal of one of the programs being displayed to the headphone device of the user currently looking at that program being displayed on the display. In one embodiment, the headphone device includes a camera mounted on the headphone device that is positioned to detect and/or track eye movements/positions or other movements of the user wearing the headphone device to determine which program that user is currently looking at.

Claims

1. A method of providing audio of different programs comprising:

performing an initial calibration including receiving an identifier of a headphone device of a user via a signal modulated to communicate the identifier of the headphone device and assigning the headphone device to a profile of the user based on the received identifier;

selecting, by at least one computer processor, an audio signal of a program the user is currently looking at based on received input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at of a plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user;

transmitting to the headphone device, by at least one computer processor, the selected audio signal of the program the user is currently looking at based on the selection of the audio signal of the program the user is currently looking at, wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at is received from a camera device that is attached to a device that outputs the program the user is currently looking at or to one or more other devices, wherein at least one of the other devices is connected non-wirelessly to the device that outputs the program the user is currently looking at;

generating, by at least one computer processor, the input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user by at least associating a position of an eye of the user with a location on the one or more displays associated with one of the plurality of programs being displayed on the location; and

recalibrating when the user moves locations by associating another position of the eye of the user with the location on the one or more displays.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by at least one computer processor, the plurality of programs to be displayed on the one or more displays.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the audio signal includes transmitting the audio signal wirelessly to a wireless transceiver of a headphone device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the headphone device is associated with the user and the one or more displays are also visible by another user, and further comprising:

selecting, by at least one computer processor, an audio signal of a program the other user is currently looking at based on received input indicative of which program the other user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on the one or more displays also visible by the other user; and

wirelessly transmitting, by at least one computer processor, the selected audio signal of the program the other user is currently looking to a wireless transceiver of another headphone device associated with the other user based on the selection of the audio signal of the program the other user is currently looking at.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user is based on tracking one or more of:

eye movements and eye positions of the user.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user is based at least in part on tracking the eye movements and eye positions of the user via a camera.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user is based on tracking movements of the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user is based at least on tracking head movements of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the input indicative of which program a user is currently looking at is received from the headphone device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of programs are being concurrently displayed on one display.

11. A headphone device comprising:

a headphone device member wearable by a user;

at least one speaker device physically attached to a member of the headphone device;

a control unit physically attached to the member; and

a camera physically attached to the member that is positioned and configured to track one or more of;

eye positions and eye movements of a user wearing the headphone device member, wherein the control unit includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory having computer executable instructions stored thereon, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to;

cause an initial calibration to be performed by sending an identifier of the headphone device via a signal modulated to communicate the identifier of the headphone device to cause an assignment to occur of the headphone device to a profile of the user based on the sent identifier;

generate output indicative of which program the user is currently looking at including output indicative of eye movements and eye positions of the user captured by the camera; and

transmit the output indicative of which program the user is currently looking at.

12. The headphone device of claim 11 wherein the transmitting output indicative of which program the user is currently looking at includes wirelessly transmitting the output indicative of one or more of:

eye movements and eye positions of the user captured by the camera.

13. The headphone device of claim 11 wherein the transmitting output indicative of which program the user is currently looking at includes wirelessly transmitting output indicative of position of the headphone device.

14. The headphone device of claim 11 wherein the transmitting output indicative of which program the user is currently looking at includes wirelessly transmitting output indicative of location of the headphone device.

15. The headphone device of claim 11 further comprising a microphone device on the headphone device, the microphone device positioned and configured to detect at least one voice command, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the controller to:

generate output indicative of a program, the audio of which is to be sent to the headphone device based on the detected voice command; and

transmit the output indicative of the program.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions thereon, that when executed by a computer processor, cause the following to be performed:

performing an initial calibration including receiving an identifier of a headphone device of a user via a signal modulated to communicate the identifier of the headphone device and assigning the headphone device to a profile of the user based on the received identifier;

receiving input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at of a plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user including input from a camera indicative of a current direction the user is looking, wherein the input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on one or more displays visible by the user is generated by at least associating a position of an eye of the user with a location on the one or more displays associated with one of the plurality of programs being displayed on the location based on the received input from the camera indicative of the current direction the user is looking;

performing one or more of selecting of and transmitting, to the headphone device, of an audio signal of a program the user is currently looking at based on the received input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at of the plurality of programs concurrently being displayed on the one or more displays visible by the user, wherein the input indicative of which program the user is currently looking at is received from a camera non-wirelessly connected to a receiving device configured to generate the plurality of programs for display; and

recalibrating when the user moves locations by associating another position of the eye of the user with the location on the one or more displays.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the input from a camera indicative of a current direction the user is looking includes input indicative of one or more of:

a position of the user'"'"'s head, a position of the user'"'"'s eyes, a direction in which the user is looking, movements of the user, movements of the user'"'"'s eyes and gestures of the user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the input indicative of which program the user is currently looking is based on a voice command of the user.