Electronic accessory incorporating dynamic user-controlled audio muting capabilities, related methods and communications terminal
AssigneePaumax Oy
InventorsJuha YLÖNEN, Pasi AURANEN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electronic accessory device capable of dynamically muting the microphone and/or speaker responsive to predefined user control input, and a communications terminal at least functionally connected to the accessory for the transfer of audio signals and related signaling. Related methods for execution by the accessory and the terminal are presented.
Claims19
An electronic accessory, for a communications terminal, said accessory comprising:
- a microphone for capturing the voice of a local user operating the accessory, a communication interface for transmitting audio signals including signals based on the captured voice to the terminal and preferably also for receiving audio signals therefrom for audible reproduction by the accessory,
- a preferably momentary push-to-talk (PTT) switch for detecting the local user's explicit intent to provide voice input that is to be captured and delivered to one or more remote participants of ongoing full duplex type communication session via the terminal, and
- a control circuitry configured to mute, by default, the outgoing audio signal transmitted,
- wherein responsive to the actuation of the PTT switch by the local user said muting is temporarily overridden and the transfer of audio signal indicative of the captured voice signal of the local user thereby enabled, and responsive to a subsequent release of the PTT switch or detection of the occurrence of other predefined triggering event, the muting function is reactivated.
An accessory comprising a communication interface, such as Bluetooth™ and/or Bluetooth Low Energy™ compliant interface, for receiving audio signals from a terminal device for audible reproduction, a speaker configured to output sound preferably including the received audio signals, at least one proximity sensor to detect an obstacle in the monitored volume external to the accessory, and control circuitry that is configured, responsive to the detection of the obstacle, to substantially mute the speaker preferably until a predefined unmute condition such as removal of the obstacle is detected.
A communications terminal comprising a network interface, an optionally short-distance wireless communication type interface for communicating with an accessory including forwarding of received downlink audio signals to the accessory for audible reproduction, a memory for storing data, and processing circuitry configured to at least temporarily store, in said memory, the audio signals received via the network interface responsive to the receipt of a predefined notification signal from the accessory and preferably forward the stored audio signals to the accessory for audible reproduction via the communication interface following a detection of a fulfillment of predefined forwarding condition such as receipt or absence of the same or other predefined notification signal from the accessory.
A method for dynamically controlling muting of outbound audio signal in a microphone-containing accessory device functionally coupled to a communications terminal, comprising
- providing muted audio signal towards the terminal,
- detecting actuation of a preferably momentary PTT (push-to-talk) switch,
- overriding the muting and providing audio signal based on and indicative of a voice signal captured via the microphone towards the terminal, and
- responsive to a subsequent release of the PTT switch or detection of the occurrence of other predefined triggering event, reactivating the muting function.
A method for dynamically muting a speaker of an accessory device functionally coupled to a communications terminal, comprising
- preferably receiving, at the accessory device, audio signals from a functionally connected terminal device for audible reproduction,
- reproducing audio, preferably the received audio signals, via the speaker,
- detecting, preferably using a proximity sensor, an obstacle, such as hand, finger or arm of a user of the accessory device, in a monitored volume preferably close to the speaker, and
- responsive to the detection of the obstacle, substantially muting the speaker output preferably until a predefined unmute condition such as removal of the obstacle is detected.
A method for dynamically controlling delayed transfer of incoming remote audio signals to be performed by a communications terminal, comprising:
- receiving, at the communications terminal, downlink audio signals originated from a remote source such as a remote terminal of a remote user during a communication session, optionally a one-on-one or group call,
- providing the received audio signals towards a local accessory device for audible reproduction thereat,
- receiving from the local accessory device a notification signal indicative of muting the speaker of the accessory,
- switching from the more immediate forwarding to temporary buffering of the received audio signals in response to the receipt of said notification signal until a fulfillment of predefined forwarding condition is detected, such as a receipt of signaling indicating the end of the muting condition at the local accessory, whereupon the buffered audio signals are advantageously forwarded to the local accessory and the forwarding of received audio signals continues thereafter preferably again without such temporary buffering.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.