Event notification on a mobile device using binaural sounds

• US 9,167,368 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: De Jong, Janice Leigh, Pasquero, Jerome, Griffin, Jason Tyler, Reeve, Scott David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US13/336,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20130163765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/56, 381/58, 381/61, 381/26, 381/309, 381/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/304 For headphones

Abstract

In one example, information is presented to a user through an electronic device in a non-visual manner. In this example, an informational event is received. Next, a determination is made if the informational event has been previously associated with a binaural sound sequence, the binaural sound sequence includes a user'"'"'s nominal ear spacing for sound localization in a 3D space. The binaural sound sequence is presented to a multimedia port, in response to a binaural sound sequence being previously associated with the event. The localization in the 3D space using a binaural sound can be associated with importance, future times, source of information associated with the event, a person associated with the event, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method on an electronic device comprising:

receiving an informational event;

determining if the informational event has been previously associated with a binaural sound sequence, the binaural sound sequence including a nominal ear spacing and ear shape of a particular user for sound localization in a 3D space; and

sending the binaural sound sequence defining separate localized points creating a gauge in the 3D space with i) a minimum value, ii) a maximum value, and iii) at least one value for the informational event through a multimedia port, in response to the binaural sound sequence being previously associated with the informational event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational event is a set of words presented by a predictive search algorithm, the binaural sound sequence is a sequence of words representing search results of the predictive search algorithm, and the sending the binaural sound sequence includes sending each word in the set of words separately as a localized distinct point within the gauge in the 3D space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational event is associated with a measured value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational event is a measured value and the binaural sound sequence is localized between the minimum value and the maximum value substantially along a concentric region surrounding the user within the 3D space.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the measured value is associated with at least one of:

a battery level;

a wireless signal strength;

a volume;

a display setting;

processor usage;

storage usage; and

memory usage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the informational event is at least one of a calendar event and a time event, and the binaural sound sequence is localized substantially along a concentric region surrounding a head of the user within the 3D space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the binaural sound sequence is localized substantially along at least two concentric regions each at different distances from the user and each surrounding the user within the 3D space.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the concentric regions represents a different level of importance previously associated with the event.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the concentric regions represents a different future period of time associated with the event.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the concentric regions represents a different source for the event.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the concentric regions represents a different individual sender of information associated with the event.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a word from the set of words after the binaural sound sequence is sent through the multimedia port.

13. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a binaural presentation manager communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, the binaural presentation manager configured to perform;

receiving an informational event;

determining if the informational event has been previously associated with a binaural sound sequence, the binaural sound sequence including a nominal ear spacing and ear shape of a particular user ear for sound localization in a 3D space; and

sending the binaural sound sequence defining separate localized points creating a gauge in the 3D space with i) a minimum value, ii) a maximum value, and iii) at least one value for the informational event through a multimedia port, in response to the binaural sound sequence being previously associated with the informational event.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the informational event is a set of words presented by a predictive search algorithm, the binaural sound sequence is a sequence of words representing search results of the predictive search algorithm, and the sending the binaural sound sequence includes sending each word in the set of words separately as a localized distinct point within the gauge in the 3D space.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the informational event is associated with a measured value.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the informational event is a measured value.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the measured value is associated with at least one of:

a battery level;

a wireless signal strength;

a volume;

a display setting;

processor usage;

storage usage; and

memory usage.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit configured to perform;

receiving an informational event;

determining if the informational event has been previously associated with a binaural sound sequence, the binaural sound sequence including a nominal ear spacing and ear shape of a particular user'"'"'s ear for sound localization in a 3D space; and

sending the binaural sound sequence defining separate localized points creating a gauge in the 3D space with i) a minimum value, ii) a maximum value, and iii) at least one value for the informational event through a multimedia port, in response to the binaural sound sequence being previously associated with the informational event.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the informational event is associated with a measured value.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the informational event is a measured value and the binaural sound sequence is localized between the minimum value and the maximum value substantially along a concentric region surrounding the user within the 3D space.