Communication device audio transmission modification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11340865-B2
Application number	US-202016990013-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 computer-implemented method can include obtaining activity data corresponding to an environment where a communication device is located. The activity data can include audio data. The communication device can be configured to transmit the audio data. The method can further include identifying, based at least in part on the activity data, a potential audio disruption. The method can further include determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of a user of the communication device. The method can further include determining that the activity status is an inactive status. The method can further include modifying, in response to both the identifying the potential audio disruption and the determining 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 activity data corresponding to an environment where a communication device is located, the activity data comprising audio data, the communication device configured to transmit the audio data;
identifying, based at least in part on the activity data, a potential audio disruption;
determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of a user of the communication device;

determining that the activity status is an inactive status; and
modifying, in response to both the identifying the potential audio disruption and the determining that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device, the modifying 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 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.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the potential audio disruption comprises:
generating, based at least in part on the activity data, a potential-disruption rating; and
determining that the potential-disruption rating exceeds a disruption threshold.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the potential audio disruption comprises:
obtaining proximity data indicating a third-party distance between a third-party and the communication device; and
determining that the third-party distance does not exceed a threshold distance.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the activity data comprises event data, the event data including an event time corresponding to an occurrence of an event, the event data further including a communication time corresponding to a time during which the communication device is to be in operation; and
wherein identifying the potential audio disruption comprises determining that the event time coincides with the communication time.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data occurs at the event time.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory 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 activity data corresponding to an environment where a communication device is located, the activity data comprising audio data and image data, the communication device configured to transmit the audio data;
identifying, based at least in part on the activity data, a potential audio disruption;
determining, based at least in part on the audio data, an activity status of a user of the communication device;

determining that the activity status is an inactive status; and
modifying, in response to both the identifying the potential audio disruption and the determining that the activity status is the inactive status, a transmission of the audio data from the communication device, the modifying comprising reducing a volume of the audio data transmitted from the communication device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data comprises stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the stopping the transmission of the audio data from the communication device comprises muting a microphone of the communication device.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , 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.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the identifying the potential audio disruption comprises:
generating, based at least in part on the activity data, a potential-disruption rating; and
determining that the potential-disruption rating exceeds a disruption threshold.

14. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the identifying the potential audio disruption comprises:
obtaining proximity data indicating a third-party distance between a third-party and the communication device; and
determining that the third-party distance does not exceed a threshold distance.

15. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the activity data comprises event data, the event data including an event time corresponding to an occurrence of an event, the event data further including a communication time corresponding to a time during which the communication device is to be in operation; and
wherein identifying the potential audio disruption comprises determining that the event time coincides with the communication time.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the modifying the transmission of the audio data occurs at the event time.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• G10L25/51

  for comparison or discrimination · CPC title