Abstract:
Disclosed is a method and system for altering settings on portable electronic devices based upon the surrounding sounds. The system and method create a series of improvements in electronic devices that enable a person to have a greater possibility to hear their name being called, important signals or emergency vehicles while using their electronic devices are in use by the instant user. An example embodiment (i) provides at least one sensor connected to a portable device, each sensor detecting surrounding sounds; (ii) recognizing a specific sound among the surrounding sounds by the at least one sensor by matching the specific sound to one of a plurality of reference sounds; and (iii) altering settings of the portable device from a first setting to a second setting, in a first event the specific sound matches with one of the plurality of reference sounds.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known that communication problems can occur when an individual is in the process of utilizing an electronic device, whether that device is a cell phone or a portable media player, certain problems in communication can arise. One such problem is that when a persons name is called while that person is using an electronic device, many times they do not hear their name being called. The same scenario is true of a person who may not have the ability to hear an emergency siren because they are listening to an electronic device, either using headphones or simply held to the ear. 
     Currently, electronic devices can be turned down manually if the user or someone nearby the user accesses the controls to the device or removes the headphones or device from the user&#39;s ear. Some devices may also respond to voice activated controls of the settings from the user to make adjustments to the specific controls of the device. 
     Conventional models have devices with noise limiters or maximum volume controls installed inside the devices. Devices may also have voice activated controls over settings such as volume or content selection. Manual operation of settings is still the most common way that volume control is adjusted. 
     Unfortunately, these controls do not address the problem that is encountered when someone using an electronic device has the volume raised to a level that they cannot hear their name being called, important announcements or emergency vehicles or warning bells. 
     Accordingly, the present invention creates a series of improvements in electronic devices that enable a person to have a greater possibility to hear their name being called, important signals or emergency vehicles while using their electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the ability to change the setting of an electronic device based upon the electronic sensing of certain stimuli or conditions by that device or a networked companion device. 
     In a preferred embodiment is a method and system that (i) provides at least one sensor connected to a portable device, each sensor detecting surrounding sounds; (ii) recognizing a specific sound among the surrounding sounds by the at least one sensor by matching the specific sound to one of a plurality of reference sounds; and (iii) altering settings of the portable device from a first setting to a second setting, in a first event the specific sound matches with one of the plurality of reference sounds. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary architecture of a system embodying the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a portable device of the present invention with head phone sensor. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a portable device of the present invention with head phone sensor set to ‘read and react’ to sounds. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a portable device of the present invention reacting to the sensing of siren audio by lowering the volume of the device. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates how the volume limiter sensing system by the present invention reacts when a user&#39;s name is spoken and sensed by the system. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates two different options by the present invention for placement of audio sensors. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a flow chart of the audio recognition and volume limiting system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a flow chart according to principles of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a computer environment in which the principles of the preset invention may be implemented. 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram of the internal structure of a computer from the  FIG. 9  computer environment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A description of example embodiments of the invention follows. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the architecture of the system  100  employing an embodiment of the present invention for automatically altering settings on electronic devices upon sensing the surrounding sounds. The system  100  may include a receiver  110  and a portable device  105 . The system  100  may alter the settings of the portable device  105 , for example, by creating a volume or video limiter. The portable device  105  may be a cell phone or any other type of digital music players, such as an iPod. The receiver  110  may include a processor  115  and a storage system  125 . The storage system  125  may be a non-volatile flash memory. The receiver  110  may be connected to the portable device  105  via a connection line  140  or a wireless connection (not shown). The receiver  110  is configured to sense surrounding sounds within the vicinity of the receiver  110 . The processor  115  may detect or recognize specific audio sound from the surrounding environment to sounds that are stored on the storage system  125 . The receiver  110  may be deployed as part of the portable device  105 . 
     The portable device  105  may include a device recorder  130 , such as a microphone  605  ( FIG. 6 ), a system management/processor  115  having software programs that decipher specific sounds among the surrounding sounds of the receiver  110  by waveform analysis or via traditional voice activation matching techniques where certain surround sounds, such as emergency sirens are pre-loaded into the device software program via locally cached storage system  125 . Other sounds such as the user&#39;s name, children&#39;s voices, children crying, etc. can be manually loaded by the user into the system  100  via the device recorder  130 . 
     By utilizing a waveform matching database to identify sounds, the device recorder  130 , such as a microphone  605  ( FIG. 6 ), passes all sounds to a waveform database (storage system  125 ) cached within access to a media layer  105  and developed according to the media players Application Programming Interface Guide (API). When the media player  105 , or other voice recognition application, such as one by Dragon Systems, plays a matching sound that is passed to and matched in the database (storage system  125 ) by voice activation or waveform analysis, the system management/processor  115  may then electronically signal the portable device  105  through a programming gateway in the device hardware API that results in the volume control message being sent and receiving a message to mute the volume for a specified period of time. This specified period of time can be set for until the user manually raises the volume, or any other increment of time that the portable device  105  may be set to. 
     Data from the surrounding sound external to the receiver  110  is ultimately processed by an application designed to call out functions that may cause the portable device  105  to alter its settings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are many functions to call resulting in the portable device to alter its settings. In one embodiment of the present invention, such specialized functions may be dynamic link libraries (DLLs)  141 . For example, a DLL may tag a sound so that the portable device  105  alters its settings. There may be numerous tags, each tag being associated with a particular reference sound stored on the storage system  125 . For example, the DLL tags a siren sound to cause the portable device to mute the volume. Moreover, there may be numerous DLLs, each having a different technique or means for altering the portable device  105  settings. 
     Dynamically linked libraries  141  may be originally created using an editor from any standard or proprietary computer language, such as, for example, C#, JAVA, JavaScript, JScript, C++, Visual Basic, VB. NET, etc. After the libraries are written, they are compiled into application project files, within the DLL  141 , which are then linked with the system management/processor  115 . The steps of writing and compiling dynamically linked libraries generally happen offline, before the execution of the system management/processor. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, additional dynamically linked libraries may be added during the execution of the system  100 , as deemed necessary by one of skill in the art. 
     For a portable device  105 , such as an iPod, which one does not think of as a device that can readily accept outside media instructions, this invention may also be valid. The iPod has been shown in practice via the Nike iPod to be able to feed, register and display externally sensed data with its iPod Nike hardware and software application which broadcasts a runner&#39;s real time progress to the user of the device via traditional audio or video programming being interrupted. This concept is applied wholly with this invention except it is applied for the sensing and recognition of certain sounds via voice recognition system, which can be applied internally and or externally to the device  105 , such as the iPod, to facilitate the safety, warning or increase external communication for the user. This external sensor system  100  may utilize radio frequency identification (RFID) exchanges between or one way sending from the receiver  110  to the portable device  105  that are then registered as data points via the RFID reader. The RFID reader data is converted to actual user readable data via the use of a database  125  being cached inside the portable device  105  for matching purposes. The co-owned patent application entitled “System and Method for RFID Voice Signature” by Gene S. Fein and Edward Merritt discloses methods for utilizing RFID exchanges. Other RFID data techniques are also suitable for the present invention. A display unit  120  displays the user readable data and other visual indicators of the operation of device  105  as will become clear later. 
     The surrounding sounds sensed by the receiver  110  and voice/audio matching software are reduced to a RFID signal  135  that is sent to the portable device  105  once it registers a “match” of sounds that are set to activate the volume mute or volume limiting function. This is similar to how the iPod Nike model functions. Also, the iPod has been shown to be able to be hacked to be able to interface with the linux operating systems and run different applications on the linux-hacked iPod, some of these related hacks can be found at www.ipodlinux.org. This is analogous to running the audio matching and volume limiting software and menu display. These settings may also be refined to add entertainment value to the device by adding commands such as, raising the volume when one hear a specific person&#39;s voice, someone calling one&#39;s name, a dog barking or airplane noise. The portable device  105  may also be set to play a specific song or video selection based upon the sensing of a specific noise. The specific noise may be the sounds that are stored in the storage system  125 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a rendering of a portable device  105 , such as an iPod, employing an embodiment of the present invention that produces audio. The portable device  105  is shown with a set of receivers  110 , such as earphones, to detect audio signals from the surrounding environment and may send them back to the portable device  105  for verification of a match or to make the match at the locally cached database  125  within the receivers  110 . If a match is found then the portable device  105  may, for example, limit the volume for a certain amount of time based upon default or custom user setting. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a rendering of an electronic device  105  employing an embodiment of the present invention that produces audio. The iPod  105  is shown with a set of receivers  110 , such as earphones, that are equipped with sensors  305  to gather in the surrounding sounds and send them back to the portable device  105  for verification of a match. If a match is found then the portable device  105  may limit the volume for a certain amount of time based upon default or custom user setting. The sensed surrounding sounds that activate the volume limiter force the volume limiter menu  310  to appear on the screen (display unit  120 ) as part of the volume limiter interface. The volume menu  310  may include an indication of the specific sound that was detected by the receivers  110 /sensors  305 . The indication may be user&#39;s name, police siren, ambulance siren, dog barking, baby crying, and other types of sounds. The indication may be in textual or graphical format on the portable device. These indications of specific sound may be a default setting by the manufacturers or may be set and adjusted by the user. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the sound of a siren generated by an emergency vehicle  405  in the vicinity of a person  410  utilizing an electronic device  105 , such as an iPod, employing an embodiment of the present invention. The sound generated by the vehicle  405  is sensed by the sensors  305  and then may be matched by the audio activation software embedded in the system management/processor  115  in the receivers  110  or audio delivery subsystem (earphones) connected to the iPod  105 . The audio activation software may also be embedded in the system management/processor  115  of the iPod  105 . A message is then sent to the iPod  105  in the form of an electrical impulse wired into the device  105  or in the form of an RFID signal that corresponds to a command for the device  105  to limit the volume or mute the volume based upon the sound sensed by the system and the settings currently in place on the device  105 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of the present invention reaching to the sound of a user&#39;s name being called by a person  505 . The person  505  calls the user&#39;s  410  ( FIG. 4 ) name, such as Bill, who is wearing the system  100 . The person  505  calls “Bill” within the vicinity of the user  410 , Bill. Bill  410  may be utilizing an electronic device  105  connected to receivers  110 . The sound generated by the person  505  is sensed by the sensors  305  and then matched by the audio activation software embedded in the system management/processor  115  in the receivers  110 . A message is then sent to the iPod  105  in the form of an electrical impulse wired into the device or in the form of an RFID signal from the sensors  305 /receivers  110  that corresponds to a command for the device  105  to limit the volume or mute the volume based upon the sound sensed by the system  100  and the settings currently in place on the device  105 . The audio match that is generated by the system  100  is displayed on the ‘Read and React’ menu  310  of Bill&#39;s  410  device  105 , here being the iPod. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a rendering of an electronic device  105  employing an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device  105  produces audio. The electronic device  105 , such as an iPod, is shown with a set of receivers  110 , such as earphones, that are equipped with sensors  305  to gather in the audio signals and send them back to the device  105  or match them locally at the sensor  305 /receiver  110 , for verification of a match. If a match is found, then the device  105  may limit the volume for a certain amount of time based upon default or custom user setting. In  FIG. 6 , the sounds to which sensor  305  and the invention software are sensitive are built (composed) into the device  105  using a microphone  605  coupled to device  105  as a design altering enhancement. This could also be accomplished by using one of the devices  105  existing ports  610 ,  615  as a fashioned microphone sensor or audio inputs. The user may increase the number of recognized sounds for matching purposes by recording new sounds into the microphone  605 . The new sound may be stored in the storage system  125  in the device  105  or in the receiver  110 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a flow chart  700  of the audio recognition and volume limiting system of the present invention. While a user is wearing the system  100 , the system  100  may detects surrounding sound (step  705 ) in the vicinity of the user  410 . The surrounding sound may be any audio sound, including the almost imperceptible sound of a remote control being turned to a specific position, channel or setting such as the method found in http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/10/28/ipoditunes_hcks.html listed as hack # 9 . Next, the receiver  110  (sensor  305 ) determines whether it recognizes a specific sound in the detected surrounding sounds (step  710 ). If the receiver  110 /sensor  305  does not recognize a specific sound, the receiver continues to detect the surrounding sounds at step  705 . However, if the receiver  110 /sensor  305  does recognize a specific sound, the system matches the specific sound to one of a plurality of reference sounds stored in the storage system at step  715 . Once step  715  matches the specific sound with one of the plurality of reference sounds, the system  100  at step  720  causes the electronic device to alter its setting from a first setting to a second setting. The first setting, for example, may be a volume set at a particular volume, while the second setting may be a lower volume than the first setting. As another example, the second setting may be to mute the electronic device or play a specific song, audio piece, message, video or the like. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates another flow chart  800  according to principles of the present invention. The system  100  may detect surrounding sound at step  805  in the vicinity of the system  100 . Next, the receiver determines whether it recognizes a specific sound in the surrounding sounds at step  810 . If the receiver does not recognize a specific sound, the receiver continues to detect the surrounding sounds at step  805 . The system may decipher the specific sound by using matching techniques such as waveform or voice activation at step  815 . However, if the receiver does recognize a specific sound, the system matches the specific sound to one of a plurality of reference sounds stored in the storage system at step  820 . Once it matches the specific sound with one of the plurality of reference sounds, the system  100  may trigger a RFID signal and send the RFID signal to the portable device for controlling one of the dynamic link library functions to do something else aside from lowering the volume, such as playing a specific song, video, image displayed on the portable device or even raising the volume (step  825 ). The electronic device may alter its settings from a first setting to a second setting at step  830 . The first setting, for example, may be a particular volume, while the second setting may be a lower volume than the first setting. As another example, the second setting may be to mute the electronic device or play a specific song or video. Once the portable device settings are altered, the system  100  at step  835  displays an indication of the specific sound on the portable device, for example, the ‘read and react’ menu  310  to alert the user to the specific sound. The device may also alert the user to the lowered volume by the use of a beep or other alarm or specific notice sound. The user may also update existing reference sounds stored in the storage system for matching purposes (step  840 ). The user may also add new reference sounds for matching purposes in the storage system (step  845 ). At step  850 , the system  100  determines whether the user input a timing duration in the portable device. Next, the system  100  determines whether the default or user input timing duration expired at step  855 . If the default or user input timing duration did not expire, the system remains at step  855 . If the default or user input timing duration did expire, the system  100  alters the settings of the portable device to a third setting (step  860 ). The third setting, for example, may be the same volume as the first setting or no sound (mute). The system  100  may then reset the default or user input timing duration at step  865  and start detecting the surrounding sounds again at step  805 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a computer network or similar digital processing environment in which the present invention may be implemented. 
     Client computer(s)/devices  50  and server computer(s)  60  provide processing, storage, and input/output devices executing application programs and the like. Client computer(s)/devices  50  can also be linked through communications network  70  to other computing devices, including other client devices/processes  50  and server computer(s)  60 . Communications network  70  can be part of a remote access network, a global network (e.g., the Internet), a worldwide collection of computers, Local area or Wide area networks, and gateways that currently use respective protocols (TCP/IP, Bluetooth, etc.) to communicate with one another. Other electronic device/computer network architectures are suitable. 
       FIG. 10  is a diagram of the internal structure of a computer (e.g., client processor/device  50  or server computers  60 ) in the computer system of  FIG. 9 . Each computer  50 ,  60  contains system bus  79 , where a bus is a set of hardware lines used for data transfer among the components of a computer or processing system. Bus  79  is essentially a shared conduit that connects different elements of a computer system (e.g., processor, disk storage, memory, input/output ports, network ports, etc.) that enables the transfer of information between the elements. Attached to system bus  79  is I/O device interface  82  for connecting various input and output devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, displays, printers, speakers, etc.) to the computer  50 ,  60 . Network interface  86  allows the computer to connect to various other devices attached to a network (e.g., network  70  of  FIG. 9 ). Memory  90  provides volatile storage for computer software instructions  92  and data  94  used to implement an embodiment of the present invention (e.g. storage system  125  and system management/processor  115 ). Disk storage  95  provides non-volatile storage for computer software instructions  92  and data  94  used to implement an embodiment of the present invention. Central processor unit  84  is also attached to system bus  79  and provides for the execution of computer instructions. 
     In one embodiment, the processor routines  92  and data  94  are a computer program product (generally referenced  92 ), including a computer readable medium (e.g., a removable storage medium such as one or more DVD-ROM&#39;s, CD-ROM&#39;s, diskettes, tapes, etc.) that provides at least a portion of the software instructions for the invention system. Computer program product  92  can be installed by any suitable software installation procedure, as is well known in the art. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the software instructions may also be downloaded over a cable, communication and/or wireless connection. In other embodiments, the invention programs are a computer program propagated signal product  107  embodied on a propagated signal on a propagation medium (e.g., a radio wave, an infrared wave, a laser wave, a sound wave, or an electrical wave propagated over a global network such as the Internet, or other network(s)). Such carrier medium or signals provide at least a portion of the software instructions for the present invention routines/program  92 . 
     In alternate embodiments, the propagated signal is an analog carrier wave or digital signal carried on the propagated medium. For example, the propagated signal may be a digitized signal propagated over a global network (e.g., the Internet), a telecommunications network, or other network. In one embodiment, the propagated signal is a signal that is transmitted over the propagation medium over a period of time, such as the instructions for a software application sent in packets over a network over a period of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or longer. In another embodiment, the computer readable medium of computer program product  92  is a propagation medium that the computer system  50  may receive and read, such as by receiving the propagation medium and identifying a propagated signal embodied in the propagation medium, as described above for computer program propagated signal product. 
     Generally speaking, the term “carrier medium” or transient carrier encompasses the foregoing transient signals, propagated signals, propagated medium, storage medium and the like. 
     Further, the present invention may be implemented in a variety of computer architectures. The computer network of  FIGS. 9 and 10  are for purposes of illustration and not limitation of the present invention. 
     While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. For example, the foregoing description of system responses (e.g., volume control, muting, song change, audio/visual indicators, etc.) to sensor detecting surrounding sounds is by way of illustration and not limitation. It is understood that the invention system may respond with a respective different setting for different detected surrounding sounds (muting in response to detected emergency alarm/siren, decreasing volume in response to detected human or animal noise, etc.). Further the invention system may utilize any combination of volume control, audio change and visual indication per setting change in response to detected surrounding sounds. The combination in some embodiments may be in series or in parallel or the like.