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US 12,587,836 B2Granted
Privacy mode for a wireless audio device
AssigneeLutron Technology Company LLC
InventorsRhodes B. Baker, Jeffrey Karc, Galen E. Knode, Robert C. Newman, Jr., John B. Nill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Devices that record data from a space, such as audio or video devices having microphones and/or cameras, may have a privacy mode which allows a user to temporarily prevent the device from recoding audio or video of the space. The privacy mode may be a privacy cover, button, airgap, or other mechanism to obfuscate the acoustic or video signal, or to remove power and/or communication from the camera, microphone, control circuit, or to the entire device itself. Additionally, the privacy mode may be remotely enabled for multiple devices in a space.
Claims15
An electrical load control apparatus comprising:
- a control circuit selectivity transistionable between a FIRST, non-private, operating state and a SECOND, private, operating state;
- a microphone circuit operatively coupled to the control circuit, the microphone circuit to receive sound and generate acoustic data from the received sound;
- an acoustic noise generation circuit operatively coupled to the control circuit;
- a communication circuit operatively coupled to a control circuit, the communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data to at least one external device;
- wherein the control circuit to:
- receive the acoustic data from the microphone circuit;
- receive an instruction in an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state;
- responsive to an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:
- cause the communication circuit to transmit the received acoustic data to the at least one external device;
- and
- responsive to an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:
- communicate a first output signal to the acoustic noise generation circuit to generate an acoustic noise signal;
- wherein the acoustic signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscated acoustic data;
- and
- cause the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.
12 more elements
An electrical load control method, comprising:
- receiving, by a control circuit, acoustic data generated by a microphone circuit using sounds detected by the microphone circuit;
- receiving, by the control circuit, an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between a FIRST, non-private, operating state and a SECOND, private, operating state;
- responsive an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:
- causing a communicatively coupled communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit to at least one external device;
- and
- responsive an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:
- communicating, by the control circuit, a first output signal to an acoustic noise generation circuit to cause a noise generation to generate a noise signal to obfuscate the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit;
- wherein the acoustic noise signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscated acoustic data;
- and
- causing, by the control circuit, the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.
7 more elements
A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by a control circuit in an electrical load control apparatus, causes the control circuit to:
- receive acoustic data generated by an operatively coupled microphone circuit, the acoustic data based on sounds sensed by the microphone circuit;
- receive an instruction in an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between a FIRST, non-private, operating state or a SECOND, private, operating state;
- responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:
- cause a communicatively coupled communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit to at least one external device;
- and
- responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:
- communicate a first output signal to an operatively coupled acoustic noise generation circuit to cause the noise generation circuit to obfuscate the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit;
- wherein the acoustic noise signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscaed acoustic data;
- and
- cause the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.