General purpose device to assist the hard of hearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9662245-B2
Application number	US-201615289442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

An approach to notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events based on a configurable device. The device has microphones and associated buttons mounted on its surface. The user programs the device by depressing a selected button longer than a preconfigured time to place the device in listen mode. The user generates the desired audible event and the device records the audible event. The selected button is depressed again to instruct the device to associate the audible event with a visual alarm indicator of colored/flashing lights and/or a text projection. The device listens for the audible event and activates the visual alarm indicator when the device detects the audible event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for notifying a person who is hard of hearing of audible events, the method comprising:
selecting one or more audible events for visual alarm activation based on configuring a device, comprising a plurality of microphones, to record a sound, generating the sound and configuring the device to associate the sound with an audible event wherein the one or more audible events are associated with a unique at least one of one or more visual alarm indicators associated with the device;
detecting at least one of the one or more audible events based on an audible event sound level being greater that a predetermined sound level wherein the audible event is at least one of a smoke detector alarm, a fire alarm, an air raid alarm, a natural disaster alarm and a noxious gas alarm;
determining a direction of the audible event based on a pitch of the audible event wherein a plurality of microphones are configured such that each microphone is tuned to a different frequency for detecting the audible event;
responsive to detecting the at least one of the one or more audible events and determining the direction of the audible event, activating the unique at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events and the direction wherein the one or more visual alarm indicators comprises projecting a preconfigured text message associated with receipt of the audible event; and
responsive to receiving an acknowledgment associated with the at least one of the one or more audible events, deactivating the at least one of the one or more visual alarm indicators.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bariska Jr Arthur J
• Masser Joel L
• Mckenzie Kevin D
• Tedesco Eileen P

Classifications

• G08B17/117

  by using a detection device for specific gases, e.g. combustion products, produced by the fire (G08B17/103, G08B17/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• G08B5/22

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B21/14

  Toxic gas alarms (G08B21/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61F11/04 Primary

  Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense, e.g. through the touch sense {(electronic stimulation of auditory nerves A61N1/36036)} · CPC title

• G09B21/009 Primary

  Teaching or communicating with deaf persons (G09B21/04 takes precedence) · CPC title