Context-aware filter for participants in persistent communication

• US 20060046707A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Allen, Paul G., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/005 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A processing device local context is determined, and a communication of the processing device is filtered at least in part according to the local context.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a processing device local context; and

filtering communication of the processing device at least in part according to the local context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one functional object of the local context.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the functional object of the local context further comprises:

a machine, control, tool, fixture, appliance, or utility feature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one of a designated area or zone, proximity to other devices or objects or people, or detecting a presence of a signal or class of signals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal or class of signals further comprises:

a wireless signal conforming to a known application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless signal conforming to a known application further comprises:

a short range or long range radio signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed further comprises:

at least one of identifying the source of spoken words, spoken words, music, a type of music, conversation, traffic sounds, vehicular sounds, or sounds associated with a service area or service establishment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed further comprises:

at least one sound of human activity, animal sound, weather sound, or nature sound.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

processing an image obtained from the local context.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing an image obtained from the local context further comprises:

processing one or more digital photographs of the local context.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises;

at least one of altering a level, pitch, tone, or frequency content of sound information of the communication of the processing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of removing, restricting, or suppressing sound information of the communication of the processing device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of altering the intensity, color content, shading, lighting, hue, saturation, reflectivity, or opacity of visual information of the communication of the processing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of removing, reducing, restricting, or suppressing visual information of the communication of the processing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the removing, reducing, restricting, or suppressing visual information of the communication of the processing device further comprises:

restricting visual information of the communication to one or more sub-regions of a camera field.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

substituting pre-selected sound information for sound information of the communication.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

substituting pre-selected visual information for visual information of the communication.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the pre-selected visual information further comprises:

a pre-selected background.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one device or person in proximity to the processing device.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a remote communication context for the processing device; and

filtering a communication of the processing device according to the remote context.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying an attribute of a caller.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the identifying an attribute of a caller further comprises:

identifying an identity of the caller.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein then identity of the caller further comprises:

the caller'"'"'s phone number or other communication address, the caller'"'"'s membership in a group, organization, or other entity, or the caller'"'"'s level of authority.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the attribute of a caller further comprises:

at least one of an age, gender, location, emotional state, or physical state of the caller.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

processing at least one image obtained from the remote context.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the processing at least one image obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing feature extraction on the at least one image.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the processing at least one image obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing at least one of facial or feature recognition on the image.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing voice recognition, tone detection, or frequency analysis on the at least one sound.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing voice recognition on the sound.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying at least one functional object of the remote context.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying at least one device or person proximate to a remote device with which the processing device is communicating.

34. A method comprising:

determining a processing device local context and determining a remote communication context for the processing device;

filtering communication of the processing device at least in part according to the local context; and

filtering a communication of the processing device at least in part according to the remote context.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one functional object of the local context.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the functional object of the local context further comprises:

a machine, control, tool, fixture, appliance, or utility feature.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one of a designated area or zone, proximity to other devices or objects or people, or detecting a presence of a signal or class of signals.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the signal or class of signals further comprises:

a wireless signal conforming to a known application.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the wireless signal conforming to a known application further comprises:

a short range or long range radio signal.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed further comprises:

at least one of identifying the source of spoken words, spoken words, music, a type of music, conversation, traffic sounds, vehicular sounds, or sounds associated with a service area or service establishment.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the identifying a sound or class of sound to which the device is exposed further comprises:

at least one sound of human activity, animal sound, weather sound, or nature sound.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

processing an image obtained from the local context.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the processing an image obtained from the local context further comprises:

processing one or more digital photographs of the local context.

45. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of altering a level, pitch, tone, or frequency content of sound information of the communication of the processing device.

46. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of removing, restricting, or suppressing sound information of the communication of the processing device.

47. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of altering the intensity, color content, shading, lighting, hue, saturation, reflectivity, or opacity of visual information of the communication of the processing device.

48. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

at least one of removing, reducing, restricting, or suppressing visual information of the communication of the processing device.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the removing, reducing, restricting, or suppressing visual information of the communication of the processing device further comprises:

restricting visual information of the communication to one or more subregions of a camera field.

50. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

substituting pre-selected sound information for sound information of the communication.

51. The method of claim 34, wherein the filtering communication of the processing device further comprises:

substituting pre-selected visual information for visual information of the communication.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the pre-selected visual information further comprises:

a preselected background.

53. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying an attribute of a caller.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the identifying an attribute of a caller further comprises:

identifying an identity of the caller.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein then identity of the caller further comprises:

the callers phone number or other communication address, the caller'"'"'s membership in a group, organization, or other entity, or the caller'"'"'s level of authority.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein then attribute of a caller further comprises:

at least one of an age, gender, location, emotional state, or physical state of the caller.

57. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context further comprises:

identifying at least one device or person in proximity to the processing device.

58. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

processing at least one image obtained from the remote context.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the processing at least one image obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing feature extraction on the at least one image.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the processing at least one image obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing at least one of facial or feature recognition on the image.

61. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing voice recognition, tone detection, or frequency analysis on the at least one sound.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the processing at least one sound obtained from the remote context further comprises:

performing voice recognition on the sound.

64. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying at least one functional object of the remote context.

65. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

identifying at least one device or person proximate to a remote device with which the processing device is communicating.

66. The method of claim 34, wherein determining a processing device local context and determining a remote communication context for the processing device further comprises:

determining at least one functional sound of the local context, and identifying at least one person of the remote context.

67. A method comprising:

applying at least one camera and at least one microphone to collect visual information and sounds of a wireless device local context; and

at least one of altering, restricting, removing or replacing visual information and sound of output signals of the wireless device, according to at least one of visual information and sounds of a wireless device local communication context.

68. A method comprising:

determining an identity of a caller; and

restricting, according to the identity of the caller, at least one of the visual information and sound of output signals of a wireless device.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein determining an identity of a caller further comprises:

processing a voice of the caller.