Communication device audio transmission modification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11340864-B2
Application number	US-202016990002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2020
Priority date	Aug 11, 2020
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A method can include obtaining audio data corresponding to a user of a communication device. The communication device can be configured to transmit the audio data. The method can further include obtaining proximity data indicating a user distance between the user and the communication device. The method can further include determining that the user distance exceeds a threshold distance. The method can further include determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of the user. The method can further include determining that the activity status is an inactive status. The method can further include modifying, in response to the determining that the threshold distance is exceeded and that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
obtaining audio data corresponding to a user of a communication device, the communication device configured to transmit the audio data;

obtaining proximity data indicating a user distance between the user and the communication device;
determining that the user distance exceeds a threshold distance;
determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of the user;
determining that the activity status is an inactive status; and
modifying, in response to the determining that the threshold distance is exceeded and that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device, the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprising reducing a volume of the audio data transmitted from the communication device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprises stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device comprises muting a microphone of the communication device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the proximity data comprises first proximity data from a first mobile device and second proximity data from a second mobile device;
wherein the first proximity data comprises a first device distance between the first mobile device and the communication device, the first device distance indicating a first user distance between the user and the communication device;
wherein the second proximity data comprises a second device distance between the second mobile device and the communication device, the second device distance indicating a second user distance between the user and the communication device;
wherein the first user distance does not exceed the threshold distance; and
wherein the second user distance exceeds the threshold distance.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising transmitting a notification about the modifying to the second mobile device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the activity status comprises generating, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity rating, the activity rating corresponding to the activity status of the user; and
the determining that the activity status is the inactive status comprises determining that the activity rating does not exceed an activity threshold.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the proximity data comprises analyzing an image comprising the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the proximity data comprises obtaining a device distance between the communication device and a discrete mobile device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the obtaining the device distance comprises obtaining, by the communication device, a sound generated by the discrete mobile device.

10. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory in communication with the processor, the memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
obtaining audio data corresponding to a user of a communication device, the communication device configured to transmit the audio data;
obtaining proximity data indicating a user distance between the user and the communication device;
determining that the user distance exceeds a threshold distance;
determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of the user;
determining that the activity status is an inactive status; and
modifying, in response to the determining that the threshold distance is exceeded and that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device, the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprising reducing a volume of the audio data transmitted from the communication device.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprises stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device comprises muting a microphone of the communication device.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the proximity data comprises first proximity data from a first mobile device and second proximity data from a second mobile device;
wherein the first proximity data comprises a first device distance between the first mobile device and the communication device, the first device distance indicating a first user distance between the user and the communication device;
wherein the second proximity data comprises a second device distance between the second mobile device and the communication device, the second device distance indicating a second user distance between the user and the communication device;
wherein the first user distance does not exceed the threshold distance; and
wherein the second user distance exceeds the threshold distance.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising transmitting a notification about the modifying to the second mobile device.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the determining the activity status comprises generating, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity rating, the activity rating corresponding to the activity status of the user; and
the determining that the activity status is the inactive status comprises determining that the activity rating does not exceed an activity threshold.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
obtaining audio data corresponding to a user of a communication device, the communication device configured to transmit the audio data;
obtaining proximity data indicating a user distance between the user and the communication device;
determining that the user distance exceeds a threshold distance;
determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of the user;
determining that the activity status is an inactive status; and
modifying, in response to the determining that the threshold distance is exceeded and that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device, the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprising reducing a volume of the audio data transmitted from the communication device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprises stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device comprises muting a microphone of the communication device.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the proximity data comprises first proximity data from a first mobile device and second proximity data from a second mobile device;
wherein the first proximity data comprises a first device distance between the first mobile device and the communication device, the first device distance

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Silverstein Zachary A
• Reynolds Spencer Thomas
• Fox Jeremy R
• Jepperson Jacob Ryan

Classifications

• H04M2203/2094

  Proximity · CPC title

• H04M3/568

  audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants (echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30) · CPC title

• H04M3/40

  Applications of speech amplifiers · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• G10L25/51

  for comparison or discrimination · CPC title