Mobile audio input device controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10599148-B2
Application number	US-201715798430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2017
Priority date	Jun 3, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A method, system, and/or computer program product controls operations of a mobile audio input device. One or more processors detect a first location of a mobile audio input device. The processor(s) detect a second location of the user. The processor(s) then direct the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location and, in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, to activate the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, a first location of a mobile audio input device;
detecting, by one or more processors, a second location of a user;
directing, by one or more processors, the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location;
determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has reached the second location; and
in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, activating the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, a physical gesture from the user to identify the user that desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing, by one or more processors, the primary user over other users from the group of users based on the primary user making the physical gesture before the other users from the group of users.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, a signal from an electronic device held by the user to identify the user that desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the electronic device is a first user device that is capable of receiving messages from a second electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises:
enabling, by one or more processors, the first user device to receive a message from the second electronic device in response to the microphone on the mobile audio input device being activated at the second location.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, a signal from an electronic device held by the user that the user desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device; and
disabling, by one or more processors, the microphone on the mobile audio input device until a signal is received from the electronic device to re-activate the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
in response to the microphone being re-activated, providing, by one or more processors, an indicator on the electronic device that the microphone has been re-activated.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing, by one or more processors, use of the mobile audio input device by the primary user over other users from the group of users based on biometric sensor readings taken of the primary user.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing, by one or more processors, use of the mobile audio input device by the primary user over other users from the group of users based on a personal profile of the primary user.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than a predetermined amount of time; and
in response to determining that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than the predetermined amount of time, issuing, by one or more processors, directions to a controller on the mobile audio input device to move the mobile audio input device away from the second position.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than a predetermined amount of time; and
in response to determining that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than the predetermined amount of time, issuing, by one or more processors, a signal to an electronic device advising the user that the mobile audio input device will move away from the second position after an additional period of specified time.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile audio input device is a primary audio input device from a group of audio input devices within a predefined space, and wherein the method further comprises:
providing, by one or more processors, priority of use to the primary audio input device based on a distributed leader election, wherein the distributed leader election identifies the primary audio input device according to a user of the primary audio input device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile audio input device comprises an electronic pointing device that is capable of directing a visual cue on a display, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, by one or more processors, an instruction to cause the electronic pointing device to direct a visual cue on the display at a user-selected position; and
in response to receiving the instruction to cause the electronic pointing device to direct the visual cue on the display to the user-selected position, directing, by one or more processors, the electronic pointing device to direct the visual cue on the display at the user-selected position.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile audio input device is a smart phone being carried by the user, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by one or more processors, that the user holding the smart phone is to be designated as a next speaker; and
in response to determining that the user holding the smart phone is to be designated as the next speaker, activating, by one or more processors, the smart phone as the mobile audio input device.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile audio input device is an aerial drone that is capable of autonomous movement.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile audio input device is a terrestrial drone that is capable of autonomous movement.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage mediums, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to detect a first location of a mobile audio input device;
program instructions to detect a second location of the user;
program instructions to direct the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location;
program instructions to determine that the mobile audio input device has reached the second location; and
program instructions to, in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, activate the peripheral on the mobile audio input device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the peripheral device is from a group consisting of a microphone, a camera, and a pointer.

19. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer readable memories, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to detect a first location of a mobile audio input device;
program instructions to detect a second location of the user;
program instructions to direct the mob

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Kim Minkyong
• Pickover Clifford A
• Salapura Valentina
• Vukovic Maja

Classifications

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• B64C2201/108

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G06K9/00355

  Physics · mapped topic