Switching binaural sound

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10080093-B2
Application number	US-201715826721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2015
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

A method provides binaural sound to a person through electronic earphones. The binaural sound localizes to a sound localization point (SLP) in empty space that is away from but proximate to the person. When an event occurs, the binaural sound switches or changes to stereo sound, to mono sound, or to altered binaural sound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method executed by one or more electronic devices in a computer system to switch binaural sound to one of stereo sound and mono sound during an electronic communication between a person and a user, the method comprising:
executing, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system, the electronic communication that provides a voice of the user in binaural sound to the person such that the voice of the user in the binaural sound externally localizes to the person to a sound localization point (SLP) in empty space that is at least three feet away from a head of the person;
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, packet loss of data traveling across a network during localization of the voice to the SLP in empty space;
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, the binaural sound to the one of stereo sound and mono sound when the packet loss reaches a threshold; and
providing, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the switching, the voice of the user to the person in the one of stereo sound and mono sound.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, when the packet loss is below the threshold; and
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the determining that the packet loss is below the threshold, the voice of the user back to being provided to the person as the binaural sound externally localizing to the SLP in empty space.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, when the person is at a location that prohibits localizing the voice to the SLP in empty space; and
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the determining when the person is at the location, the binaural sound to the one of stereo sound and mono sound.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, when the SLP in empty space overlaps with another SLP of another user; and
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the determining when the SLP overlaps with the another SLP, the binaural sound to the one of stereo sound and mono sound to prevent overlap of the SLP in empty space with the another SLP.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sensing, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, when an object interferes with the SLP in empty space; and
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the sensing when the object interferes with the SLP in empty space, the voice of the user from the binaural sound externally localizing to the SLP in empty space to the one of stereo sound and mono sound localizing inside a head of the person.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and at the SLP in empty space, an image that represents the user;
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, when a location of the image is not congruent with a location of the SLP in empty space; and
switching, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and in response to the determining that the location of the image is not congruent with the location of the SLP in empty space, the binaural sound to the one of stereo sound and mono sound.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, an incoming call that desires to localize a voice of a caller at the SLP in empty space;
determining, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication and for the incoming call, a permission to localize to the SLP in empty space;
localizing, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, the voice of the caller to the SLP in empty space when the permission to localize to the SLP in empty space is granted; and
providing, by the one or more electronic devices in the computer system during the electronic communication, the voice of the caller in the one of stereo sound and mono sound when the permission to localize to the SLP in empty space is denied.

8. A method executed by a computer system to change a voice of a user from being provided in binaural sound, the method comprising:
providing, through earphones or headphones, a person with the voice of the user in the binaural sound during a voice exchange between the person and the user such that the voice of the user localizes to the person at a sound localization point (SLP) in empty space that is at least three feet away from the person;
detecting, by the computer system, another voice of another person during the voice exchange between the user and the person; and
changing, by the computer system and in response to the detecting of the another voice of the another person, the voice of the user from being provided to the person as the binaural sound through the earphones or the headphones to being provided to the person as the one of stereo sound and mono sound through the earphones or the headphones.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
providing, by the computer system, an alert to notify the person that the computer system changed the voice of the user from being provided to the person as the binaural sound through the earphones or the headphones to being provided to the person as the one of stereo sound and mono sound through the earphones or the headphones.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
sensing, by the computer system during the voice exchange, a presence of the another person at the SLP; and
changing, by the computer system during the voice exchange and in response to the sensing of the another person at the SLP, the voice of the user from being provided to the person as the binaural sound through the earphones or the headphones to being provided to the person as one of stereo sound and mono sound through the earphones or the headphones.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
changing, in response to activation of a switch located on or in communication with the earphones or the headphones, the voice of the user from being provided to the person as the binaural sound through the earphones or the headphones to being provided to the person as the one of stereo sound and mono sound through the earphones or the headphones.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
receiving, from the person and to the computer system, a verbal command to change the voice of the user from being provided to the person as the binaural sound through the earphones or the headphones to being provided to the person as the one of stereo sound and mono sound through the earphones or the headphones; and
changing, by the computer system and in response to receiv

Assignees

• Lyren Philip Scott
• Norris Glen A

Inventors

• Lyren Philip Scott
• Norris Glen A

Classifications

• H04S7/30

  Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field · CPC title

• H04S7/305

  Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space (H04S7/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10L19/22

  Mode decision, i.e. based on audio signal content versus external parameters · CPC title

• H04S1/007 Primary

  in which the audio signals are in digital form (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02) · CPC title

• H04R5/04

  Circuit arrangements, {e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments (combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S)} · CPC title