General purpose device to assist the hard of hearing

• US 9,747,814 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bariska, Jr., Arthur J., Masser, Joel L., McKenzie, Kevin D., Tedesco, Eileen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US14/887,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20170110031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 340502, 34053911, 340566, 3405731, 340692, 340 44, 340691, 381 56, 381 57, 367 99, 367107
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/04 Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense, e.g. through the touch sense electronic stimulation of auditory nerves A61N1/36036
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/117 by using a detection device for specific gases, e.g. combustion products, produced by the fire G08B17/103, G08B17/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/41 Detection or adaptation of hearing aid parameters or programs to listening situation, e.g. pub, forest
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

An approach to notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events based on a configurable device. The device has microphones and associated buttons mounted on its surface. The user programs the device by depressing a selected button longer than a preconfigured time to place the device in listen mode. The user generates the desired audible event and the device records the audible event. The selected button is depressed again to instruct the device to associate the audible event with a visual alarm indicator of colored/flashing lights and/or a text projection. The device listens for the audible event and activates the visual alarm indicator when the device detects the audible event.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events, the method comprising:

selecting one or more audible events for visual alarm activation wherein each of the one or more audible events is associated with a unique at least one of one or more visual alarm indicators associated with a device;

detecting at least one of the one or more audible events, wherein the detecting comprises determining a direction of the audible event based on the audible event frequency;

responsive to detecting the at least one of the one or more audible events, activating the unique at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events; and

responsive to receiving an acknowledgment associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events, deactivating the at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the one or more audible events comprises:

instructing the device to record a sound;

generating the sound; and

instructing the device to associate the sound with an audible event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing notification of emergencies based on detecting an alarm greater than a preconfigured sound level and associating the alarm with a preconfigured visual alarm indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the alarm is an audible output from at least one of a smoke detector alarm, a fire alarm, an air raid alarm, a natural disaster alarm and a noxious gas alarm.

5. An apparatus for notifying hard of hearing individuals of audible events, the apparatus comprising:

a power supply for powering the apparatus;

one or more microphones for detecting one or more audible events and generating an associated independent visual alarm for the one or more audible events, wherein each of the one or more microphones are tuned to a different frequency;

one or more buttons wherein at least one of the one or more buttons are associated with at least one of the one or more microphones for configuring the associated microphone to detect a selected audible event and for acknowledging any of the associated independent visual alarms;

one or more visual indicators wherein at least one of the one or more visual indicators is configured to activate, based on the associated independent visual alarm, when the selected audible event is detected;

a control computer for controlling one or more inputs associated with the one or more buttons, one or more inputs associated with the one or more microphones and one or more outputs associated with the one or more visual indicators; and

a spherical shell for mounting the power supply, the one or more microphones in a radially distributed pattern around a surface of the spherical shell, the one or more buttons, the one or more visual indicators and the control computer, wherein the spherical shell is attached to a base suitable for placement on a flat surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the shell has a plurality of facets and the one or more microphones are attached to a portion of the plurality of facets and one of the plurality of facets is a base suitable for placement on a flat surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more visual indicators are at least one of different colored lights, flashing lights, strobe lights, a text projector and a display.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the buttons are momentary contact buttons.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein any sound louder than a preconfigured level is associated with a preconfigured audible event.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control computer determines a function of the one or more buttons based on how long the one or more buttons is depressed.

11. A system for notifying hard of hearing individuals of audible events, the system comprising:

a plurality of apparatuses wherein each apparatus comprises;

a power supply for powering the apparatus;

one or more microphones for detecting one or more audible events and generating an associated independent visual alarm for the one or more audible events, wherein each of the one or more microphones are tuned to a different frequency;

one or more buttons wherein at least one of the one or more buttons is associated with at least one of the one or more microphones for configuring the one or more microphones to detect a selected audible event and for acknowledging any of the associated independent visual alarms;

one or more visual indicators wherein at least one of the one or more visual indicators is configured to activate, based on the associated independent visual alarm, when the selected audible event is detected;

a network component for providing communications to other apparatuses;

a control computer for controlling a first one or more inputs associated with the one or more buttons, a second one or more inputs associated with the one or more microphones, outputs associated with the one or more visual indicators and communications associated with the network component; and

a spherical shell for mounting the power supply, the one or more microphones in a radially distributed pattern around a surface of the spherical shell, the one or more buttons, the one or more visual indicators and the control computer, wherein the spherical shell is attached to a base suitable for placement on a flat surface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the shell has a plurality of facets and the one or more microphones are attached to a portion of the plurality of facets and one of the plurality of facets is a base suitable for placement on a flat surface.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more visual indicators are at least one of different colored lights, flashing lights, strobe lights, a text projector and a display.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein any sound louder than a preconfigured level is associated with a preconfigured audible event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein a first apparatus activates at least one of the one or more visual indicators based on notice from the control computer received from a second apparatus.