METHODS, DEVICES AND SYSTEMS FOR CREATING OR SHARING A VISUAL INDICATOR PATTERN

• US 20140270099A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sorenson Ip Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sorenson Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Winsor, Eric, Walters, Lane, Shimek, Phillip, Johnson, Miranda, Nelson, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,824,640 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2475 for a hearing impaired user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and devices for creating or sharing a visual indicator pattern for indicating a condition of an incoming communication. A storage device stores a plurality of visual indicator patterns for displaying on a spatial visual indicator. A user interface is configured to receive a command from a user. Responsive to the command, a user-created visual indicator pattern is stored on the storage device, or another visual indicator pattern is received from, or shared with, another user.

Claims

1. A spatial visual indicator device comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of visual indicator patterns and a plurality of possible conditions of an incoming communication;

a spatial visual indicator configured to display the plurality of visual indicator patterns; and

a user interface configured to, responsive to receiving a command from a user, perform at least one operation selected from the group consisting of;

cause a visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns to be shared over a communication network;

cause another visual indicator pattern to be received through the communication network and stored on the storage device; and

enable the user to create and store a user-programmed visual indicator pattern to the storage device.

2. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 1, further comprising:

a control circuit, configured to;

detect a current condition of the incoming communication;

compare the current condition with the plurality of possible conditions; and

direct the spatial visual indicator to display a visual indicator pattern assigned to a condition of the plurality of possible conditions that matches the current condition.

3. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 1, wherein the spatial visual indicator comprises a plurality of illuminatable elements.

4. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of illuminatable elements are configured for at least one of color-varying and brightness-varying.

5. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of illuminatable elements comprises a plurality of red green blue (RGB) light emitting diodes (LEDs).

6. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 3, further comprising:

a lens in front of at least a portion of the plurality of illuminatable elements, the lens comprising;

a back side offset from and facing the portion of the plurality of illuminatable elements; and

a front side opposite the portion of the plurality of illuminatable elements.

7. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein the back side of the lens includes a plurality of valleys and a plurality of peaks defined by a plurality of facets.

8. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of facets forms approximately a ninety (90) degree angle with an adjacent facet of the plurality of facets.

9. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein each of the front side, an inside surface, and an outside surface of the lens is substantially smooth.

10. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the front side, an inside surface, and an outside surface of the lens includes one or more facets.

11. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein the lens comprises any one or more materials from the group consisting of a transparent plastic, a translucent plastic, a glass, a clear acrylic, a trivex, and a polycarbonate.

12. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein the lens comprises a material with a refractive index of approximately 1.49.

13. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of illuminatable elements are secured to a plate-like member in a ring pattern surrounding an aperture in the plate-like member; and

the spatial visual indicator device further includes;

a camera lens assembly exposed by the aperture; and

a sleeve including one or more connecting receptacles configured to connect to one or more connecting members of the lens such that an inner surface of the lens and an outer surface of the sleeve are not in physical contact with each other, the sleeve further configured to slip around the camera lens assembly to secure the lens to the camera lens assembly.

14. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of illuminatable elements are secured to a plate-like member including one or more connecting receptacles configured to connect to one or more connecting members of the lens such that the lens may be mounted to the plate-like member in front of the plurality of illuminatable elements.

15. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 1, wherein the spatial visual indicator device is implemented as a communication device for the hearing impaired.

16. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to display a plurality of illuminatable element selection options and a plurality of options for editing one or more illuminatable element that correspond to one or more selected illuminatable element selection options.

17. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of visual indicator patterns comprises a sequential series of frames.

18. The spatial visual indicator device of claim 17, wherein the user interface is configured to enable a user to edit a visual indicator pattern on a frame-by frame basis.

19. A method of visually indicating an incoming signal, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of possible conditions of the incoming signal and a plurality of visual indicator patterns in a storage device;

detecting a current condition of the incoming signal that matches one or more of the plurality of possible conditions;

assigning one or more of the plurality of possible conditions a visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns;

directing a spatial visual indicator to display a visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns that is assigned to the at least one of the plurality of possible conditions that matches the current condition responsive to detecting the current condition; and

at least one of;

sharing a visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns through a communication network;

receiving another visual indicator pattern through the communication network; and

creating a user-created visual indicator pattern with a user interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting the current condition of the incoming signal matching one or more of the plurality of possible conditions comprises detecting a caller identification of an incoming telephone call signal in at least one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and an internet protocol (IP) network.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein enabling the user to create the additional visual indicator pattern with the user interface comprises providing a plurality of illuminatable element selection options corresponding to a plurality of illuminatable elements of a spatial visual indicator and a plurality of options for editing one or more selected illuminatable element selection options.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the other visual indicator pattern through the network comprises receiving the other visual indicator pattern from another user through the network.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the other visual indicator pattern through the network comprises downloading the other visual indicator pattern from a website.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein sharing the visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns through the network comprises sending the visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns to another user.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein sharing the visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns through the network comprises uploading the visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns to a website.

26. A visual indicator system, comprising:

a communication device configured to communicate with a communication network;

a storage device configured to store a plurality of visual indicator patterns, and a plurality of possible conditions, each condition of the plurality of possible conditions corresponding to one of a plurality of visual indicator patterns;

a spatial visual indicator configured to display the plurality of visual indicator patterns;

a control circuit configured to monitor the communication network and detect a current condition of an incoming communication, the control circuit further configured to direct the spatial visual indicator to display a visual indicator pattern of the plurality of visual indicator patterns corresponding to a condition of the plurality of possible conditions that matches the current condition; and

a user interface configured to sense a user input, and responsive to the user input, cause the control circuit to perform at least one operation selected from the group consisting of;

send at least one of the plurality of visual indicator patterns through the communication network;

receive through the communication network and store on the storage device an additional visual indicator pattern; and

create and store a user-created visual indicator pattern on the storage device.

27. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the user interface is integrated with the communication device.

28. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the user interface is integrated with a portable communication device remote from the communication device.

29. The visual indicator system of claim 28, wherein the portable communication device comprises one of an infrared remote control, a tablet computer, and a cellular telephone device.

30. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the spatial visual indicator is integrated with the output device of the user interface.

31. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the spatial visual indicator includes one or more of a lens, a diffuser, and an infinity mirror.

32. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of visual indicator patterns includes at least one of an altering colors and brightness pattern, a dimming tail pattern, a rainbow pattern, a sparkling pattern, a police pattern, a fire pattern, and a caution pattern.

33. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the user interface is further configured to send the at least one of the plurality of visual indicator patterns to another user.

34. The visual indicator system of claim 26, wherein the user interface is further configured to receive the additional visual indicator pattern from another user.