IP Library Granted Patent US 9,799,347
Granted Patent B2
US 9,799,347 · App. 14/457,789 · Granted Oct 24, 2017

Method and system for a headset with profanity filter

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,799,347
App. No.
14/457,789
Granted
Oct 24, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A gaming headset receives a plurality of audio channels comprising game audio channels and a chat audio channel during play of a particular game. The gaming headset monitors the received audio channels for predefined words that are associated with particular sounds in a data structure, and in response to detecting predefined words, filters out at least a portion of the detected predefined words from the received plurality of audio channels. The monitoring compares sounds on the received audio channels with the particular sounds in the data structure and also performs signal analysis on the audio channels during game play to detect the occurrence of the predefined words. The filtering mutes one or more of the plurality of audio channels so that the detected occurrence of the one of the predefined words is not output via speakers of the gaming headset.

Claims (54)

1. A method, comprising:

in a gaming headset that receives a plurality of audio channels during play of a particular game, wherein said plurality of audio channels comprises game audio channels and a chat audio channel:

monitoring said received plurality of audio channels for unique signatures associated with one or more predefined words;

comparing said unique signatures to signatures stored in said gaming headset;

detecting an occurrence of one of said one or more predefined words based on said comparison;

determining in which audio channel of said plurality of audio channels said occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is detected; and

in response to detecting an occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words, filtering out at least a portion of said detected one of said one or more predefined words from said determined audio channel and replacing said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words with predefined audio that is output via speakers of said gaming headset.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more predefined words are associated with one or more particular sounds in a data structure.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said monitoring comprises comparing sounds on said received plurality of audio channels with said one or more particular sounds in said data structure.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said filtering comprises muting one or more of said plurality of audio channels so that said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is not output via said speakers of said gaming headset.

5. The method according to claim 4 , comprising muting said chat audio channel while continuing to output said game audio channel via said speakers of said gaming headset.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said predefined audio comprises one or more tones so that said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is not output via said speakers of said gaming headset.

7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising determining a number of occurrences of said one or more predefined words in said received plurality of audio channels during a particular time period.

8. The method according to claim 7 , comprising upon said determined number of occurrences of said one or more predefined words during said particular time period rising above a threshold value, performing one or more of:

activating a parental alert;

activating an audio alert;

playing a warning message via speakers of said gaming headset;

powering down said gaming headset; and/or

communicating an alert from said headset to a second screen communication device.

9. The method according to claim 7 , comprising:

determining a source of said determined number of occurrences of said one or more predefined words; and

if said source of said detected occurrences of said one or more predefined words is said chat audio channel, muting said chat audio channel while continuing to output said game audio channel via said speakers of said gaming headset.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said monitoring comprises performing signal analysis on said plurality of audio channels during said play of said particular game for said detecting of said occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words.

11. A system, comprising:

a gaming headset that receives a plurality of audio channels during play of a particular game, wherein said plurality of audio channels comprises game audio channels and a chat audio channel, said gaming headset is operable to:

monitor said received plurality of audio channels for unique signatures associated with one or more predefined words;

compare said unique signatures to signatures stored in said gaming headset;

detect an occurrence of one of said one or more predefined words;

determine in which audio channel of said plurality of audio channels said occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is detected; and

in response to detecting an occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words, filter out at least a portion of said detected one of said one or more predefined words from said determined audio channel and replace said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words with predefined audio that is output via speakers of said headset.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said one or more predefined words are associated with one or more particular sounds in a data structure.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein said monitoring:

compares sounds on said received plurality of audio channels with said one or more particular sounds in said data structure; and

performs signal analysis on said plurality of audio channels during said play of said particular game for said detecting of said occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words.

14. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said filtering mutes one or more of said plurality of audio channels so that said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is not output via said speakers of said gaming headset.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein said gaming headset is operable to mute said chat audio channel while continuing to output said game audio channel via said speakers of said gaming headset.

16. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said predefined audio comprises one or more tones so that said detected occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is not output via said speakers of said gaming headset.

17. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said gaming headset is operable to determine a number of occurrences of said one or more predefined words in said received plurality of audio channels during a particular time period.

18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein upon said determined number of occurrences of said one or more predefined words during said particular time period rising above a threshold value, said gaming headset is operable to perform one or more of:

activate a parental alert;

activate an audio alert;

play a warning message via speakers of said gaming headset;

power down said gaming headset; and/or

communicate an alert from said headset to a second screen communication device.

19. The system according to claim 17 , wherein said gaming headset is operable to:

determine a source of said determined number occurrences of said one or more predefined words; and

if said source of said detected occurrences of said one or more predefined words is said chat audio channel, mute said chat audio channel while continuing to output said game audio channel via speakers of said gaming headset.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section that is executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

in a gaming headset that receives a plurality of audio channels during play of a particular game, wherein said plurality of audio channels comprises game audio channels and a chat audio channel:

monitoring said received plurality of audio channels for unique signatures associated with one or more predefined words;

comparing said unique signatures to signatures stored in said gaming headset;

detecting an occurrence of one of said one or more predefined words based on said comparison;

determining in which audio channel of said plurality of audio channels said occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words is detected; and

in response to detecting an occurrence of said one of said one or more predefined words, filtering out at least a portion of said detected one of said one or more predefined words from said received plurality of audio channels and replacing said detected occurrence of said one or more predefined words with predefined audio that is output via speakers of said gaming headset.

Assignments (13)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2026
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.; PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LLC
Reel/Frame 075315/0067 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 30, 2026
From: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 075311/0625 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 14, 2025
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.; PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LLC
Reel/Frame 072470/0260 →
ASSIGNMENT OF SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 4, 2025
From: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.; PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 072338/0059 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2025
From: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC, AS THE COLLATERAL AGENT
To: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.; PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LLC
Reel/Frame 072337/0391 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2024
From: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.; TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS LLC
To: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC, AS THE COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 066797/0517 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENTS Recorded Dec 19, 2018
From: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC
To: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
Reel/Frame 047954/0518 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENTS Recorded Dec 19, 2018
From: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC
To: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
Reel/Frame 047954/0394 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 29, 2018
From: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 045776/0648 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 13, 2018
From: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
To: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 045573/0653 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2015
From: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATION; VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 036189/0326 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 22, 2015
From: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
To: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 036159/0702 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2015
From: JESSUP, MICHAEL; KULAVIK, RICHARD
To: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
Reel/Frame 035892/0673 →