# US 2013/0156220 A1 · Selective spatial audio communication

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- Number: US 2013/0156220 A1
- Document ID: US20130156220A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/329,220
- Filed: 2011-12-17
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-17
- Assignees: Microsoft Corporation
- Inventors: Avi Bar-Zeev; Elad Gerson; Kenn Cartier; Eyal Ofek; Gur Kimchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130156220A1

## CPC

- G10L 21/0208: Noise filtering
- G10L 17/00: Speaker identification or verification techniques
- G10L 2021/02087: {the noise being separate speech, e.g. cocktail party}
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING

## Abstract

Audio data associated with a plurality of originating sources is obtained, the audio data directed to a participant entity. An originating entity associated with one of the originating sources is determined. A listener focus indication is obtained from the participant entity indicating a listener focus on the originating entity. A spatial positional relationship is determined between the participant and originating entities. A filtering operation is initiated to enhance a portion of the audio data associated with the originating entity, the portion enhanced relative to another portion of the audio data that is associated with the originating sources other than the first one. A spatialization of a stream of the first portion that is based on a participant positional listening perspective is initiated, based on the spatial positional relationship. Transmission of a spatial stream of audio data is initiated to the participant entity, based on the filtering operation and spatialization.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
an audio data acquisition component that obtains a first set of audio data associated with a plurality of originating sources, the first set of audio data directed to a first participant entity;
an audio source determination component that determines a first originating entity associated with a first one of the plurality of originating sources;
a focus determination component that obtains, via a device processor, a first listener focus indication from the first participant entity indicating a first listener focus on the first originating entity;
a spatial relationship component that determines a spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity;
an audio enhancement component that initiates a first filtering operation on the first set of audio data to enhance a first portion of the first set audio data that is associated with the first originating entity, the first portion enhanced relative to another portion of the first set of audio data that is associated with the plurality of originating sources other than the first one of the plurality of originating sources;
a spatialization component that initiates a spatialization of a stream of the first portion that is based on a first participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity; and
a spatial audio transmission component that initiates transmission of a spatial stream of audio data to the first participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatial relationship component determines the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity, based on a current distance and a direction relative to a current position associated with the first participant entity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatial relationship component determines the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity, based on a current navigational distance and a navigational direction relative to a current position associated with the first participant entity.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatial relationship component determines the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity, based on a dynamically changing distance and a dynamically changing direction relative to a position associated with the first participant entity.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein:
the spatial audio data stream includes information associated with provision of a listener perspective of receiving the first portion emanating from the first originating entity, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity, including one or more of:
a listener perspective associated with distance between the first participant entity and the first originating entity,
a listener perspective associated with a direction of positional difference between the first participant entity and the first originating entity, or
a listener perspective associated with environmental sounds noise associated with one or more objects in the geographic environment in proximity to the first participant entity or the first originating entity.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatialization component initiates the spatialization of the stream of the first portion, based on initiating one or more operations to generate a spatial audio data stream, wherein
the spatial audio data stream includes information associated with provision of a listener perspective of receiving the first portion emanating from the first originating entity, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the first originating entity.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the focus determination component obtains, via the device processor, the first listener focus indication from the first participant entity based on one or more of:
an audio input associated with a name associated with the first originating entity,
a selection indication indicating a selection of the first originating entity,
a direction of focus associated with a positional focus of a first body part associated with the first participant entity,
a direction of focus associated with a positional orientation of a second body part associated with the first participant entity,
a direction of focus associated with a movement of a third body part associated with the first participant entity, or
a direction of focus associated with a positional focus of a user device associated with the first participant entity.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein:
the selection indication indicating a selection of the first originating entity includes one or more of:
a touch input indicating selection of an icon displayed on a touchscreen display,
an audio selection based on an audio menu, or
a selection indication based on a selection activation on a displayed menu.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a group determination component that determines the plurality of originating sources; and
a group position determination component that determines spatial positions associated with each one of the plurality of originating sources.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a virtual participant determination component that determines one or more virtual participants included in the plurality of originating sources, wherein
the group position determination component determines spatial positions associated with the one or more virtual participants.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a group position transmission component that initiates a transmission of an indication of one or more of the spatial positions associated with each one of the plurality of originating sources.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the audio source determination component determines the first originating entity associated with the first one of the plurality of originating sources based on one or more of:
determining a geographic position of the first one of the plurality of originating sources,
determining an account associated with a device client that is associated with the first one of the plurality of originating sources,
determining an identification of the first one of the plurality of originating sources based on a voice recognition operation,
determining an identification of the first one of the plurality of originating sources based on a haptic input recognition operation,
receiving an indication of an identification of the first one of the plurality of originating sources from one or more of the plurality of originating sources, or
receiving an indication of an identification of the first one of the plurality of originating sources from the first participant entity.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the audio data acquisition component obtains the first set of audio data that includes a mixture of conversational audio data associated with a plurality of originating sources, the first set of audio data directed to at least the first participant entity.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein:
the audio enhancement component initiates the first filtering operation on the mixture of conversational audio data to enhance a first conversation that is associated with the first originating entity, the first conversation enhanced relative to another portion of the conversational audio data that is associated with the plurality of originating sources other than the first one of the plurality of originating sources.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatialization component initiates the spatialization of the stream of the first portion, based on one or more head related transfer functions.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the spatialization component initiates the spatialization of the stream of the first portion, based on generating a binaural audio stream associated with the first portion.

### Claim 17

A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and including executable code that causes at least one data processing apparatus to:
obtain, from a first participant entity, a first participant focus indication indicating a first focus of the first participant entity on a second participant entity;
obtain, via a device processor, a first portion of a set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as a first originating source, the first portion directed to the second participant entity, based on the first participant focus indication;
determine a spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
obtain, via the device processor, a second portion of the set of audio data associated with a third participant entity as a second originating source, the second portion directed to the second participant entity;
initiate a first filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the first portion, the first portion enhanced relative to another portion of the set of audio data that is associated with one or more originating sources other than the first originating source, the another portion including the second portion;
initiate a spatialization of the first portion that is based on a second participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity; and
initiate transmission of a first spatial stream of audio data to the second participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the executable code is configured to cause the at least one data processing apparatus to:
determine the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity based on a current distance and a direction relative to a current position associated with the first participant entity.

### Claim 19

A method comprising:
obtaining, from a first participant entity, a first participant focus indication indicating a first focus of the first participant entity on a second participant entity;
obtaining, via a device processor, a first portion of a set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as a first originating source, the first portion directed to the second participant entity, based on the first participant focus indication;
determining a first spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
obtaining, from the first participant entity, a second participant focus indication indicating a second focus of the first participant entity on a third participant entity;
obtaining, via the device processor, a second portion of the set of audio data associated with the first participant entity as the first originating source, the second portion directed to the third participant entity;
initiating a first filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the first portion, the first portion enhanced relative to a first other portion of the set of audio data that is associated with originating sources including at least one originating source other than the first originating source, the first other portion including the second portion;
initiating a first spatialization of the first portion that is based on a second participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the second participant entity;
initiating transmission of a first spatial stream of audio data to the second participant entity, based on the first filtering operation and the spatialization;
initiating a second filtering operation on the set of audio data to enhance the second portion, the second portion enhanced relative to a second other portion of the set of audio data that is associated with originating sources including at least one originating source other than the first originating source, the second other portion including the first portion;
initiating a second spatialization of the second portion that is based on a third participant positional listening perspective, based on the spatial positional relationship between the first participant entity and the third participant entity; and
initiating transmission of a second spatial stream of audio data to the third participant entity, based on the second filtering operation and the second spatialization.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein:
obtaining, from the first participant entity, the first participant focus indication indicating the first focus of the first participant entity on the second participant entity includes one or more of:
receiving an audio input associated with a name associated with the second participant entity,
determining a selection indication indicating a selection of the second participant entity,
determining a direction of focus associated with a positional focus of a first body part associated with the first participant entity,
determining a direction of focus associated with a positional orientation of a second body part associated with the first participant entity,
determining a direction of focus associated with a movement of a third body part associated with the first participant entity, or
determining a direction of focus associated with a positional focus of a user device associated with the first participant entity.