IP Library Granted Patent US 10,540,085
Granted Patent B2
US 10,540,085 · App. 15/180,875 · Granted Jan 21, 2020

Microphone control via contact patch

Inventors: Scott Wentao Li (Cary, NC); Timothy Winthrop Kingsbury (Cary, NC); Robert James Kapinos (Durham, NC); Russell Speight VanBlon (Raleigh, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
G06F3/0488H04R3/00H04R2499/11
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,540,085
App. No.
15/180,875
Granted
Jan 21, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

One embodiment provides a method, including: detecting, using a touch surface, facial contact of a user with an electronic device; determining, based on the facial contact of the user, a position of the electronic device relative to user's face; and toggling, based on the identified position, a characteristic of the electronic device. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (42)

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, using a touch surface of an electronic device, facial contact of a user with the touch surface;

identifying, using a processor, a percentage of the touch surface associated with the facial contact;

determining, using a processor, that a position of the electronic device making facial contact does not exceed a predetermined threshold of contact with the touch surface, wherein the predetermined threshold of contact is dynamically adjusted based on the percentage of the user's face in contact with the electronic device and historical user facial contact with the electronic device;

toggling at least one characteristic of the electronic device, wherein the at least one characteristic is associated with a microphone of the electronic device; and

executing an action, based on the toggling of the characteristic, to notify the user of the toggling.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least one of: muting a microphone of the electronic device, un-muting of a microphone, enabling a display device, disabling a display device, muting a speaker, unmuting a speaker, enabling a connection type, disabling a connection type.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining is further based on identifying, based on the detected facial contact, at least one of: a user ear and a user cheek.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identifying further comprises detecting that the user ear contact exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identifying further comprises detecting that the user cheek contact exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action comprises: an audio signal, a form of haptic feedback, and a visual indicator.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting, using the touch surface, facial contact of a user with an electronic device at regular intervals; and

determining, based on the facial contact of the user, a current user action, wherein the toggling is further based on the current user action.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the user action is at least one of: talking, chewing, laughing, coughing, drinking, yelling, and singing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises generating an image at predetermined intervals during a duration of a communication.

10. An information handling device, comprising:

a touch surface;

a processor;

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

detect, using the touch surface of an electronic device, facial contact of a user with the touch surface;

identify, using a processor, a percentage of the touch surface associated with the facial contact;

determine that a position of the electronic device making the facial contact does not exceed a predetermined threshold of contact with the touch surface, wherein the predetermined threshold of contact is dynamically adjusted based on the percentage of the user's face in contact with the electronic device and historical user facial contact with the electronic device;

toggle at least one characteristic of the electronic device, wherein the at least one characteristic is associated with a microphone of the electronic device; and

execute an action, based on the toggling of the characteristic, to notify the user of the toggling.

11. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least one of: muting a microphone of the electronic device, un-muting of a microphone, enabling a display device, disabling a display device, muting a speaker, unmuting a speaker, enabling a connection type, disabling a connection type.

12. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein to determine that the position of the electronic device making the facial contact is further based on identifying, based on the detected facial contact, at least one of: a user ear and a user cheek.

13. The information handling device of claim 12 , wherein the identifying further comprises detecting that at least one of: the user ear contact exceeds a predetermined threshold and the user cheek contact exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further executable by the processor to execute an action, based on the toggling of the characteristic, to notify the user of the toggling.

15. The information handling device of claim 14 , wherein the action comprises: an audio signal, a form of haptic feedback, and a visual indicator.

16. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

detect, using the touch surface, facial contact of a user with an electronic device at regular intervals; and

determine, based on the facial contact of the user, a current user action, wherein the toggling is further based on the current user action.

17. The information handling device of claim 16 , wherein the user action is at least one of: talking, chewing, laughing, coughing, drinking, yelling, and singing.

18. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein to determine that the position of the electronic device making facial contact comprises to generate an image at predetermined intervals during a duration of a communication.

19. A product, comprising:

a storage device having code stored therewith, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:

code that detects, using a touch surface of an electronic device, facial contact of a user with the touch surface;

code that identifies, using a processor, a percentage of the touch surface associated with the facial contact;

code that determines that the facial contact does not exceed a predetermined threshold of contact with the touch surface, wherein the predetermined threshold of contact is dynamically adjusted based on the percentage of the user's face in contact with the electronic device and historical user facial contact with the electronic device;

code that toggles at least one characteristic of the electronic device wherein, the at least one characteristic is associated with a microphone of the electronic device; and

code that executes an action, based on the toggling of the characteristic, to notify the user of the toggling.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 069870/0670 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2021
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LTD
Reel/Frame 055939/0434 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 13, 2016
From: LI, SCOTT WENTAO; KINGSBURY, TIMOTHY WINTHROP; KAPINOS, ROBERT JAMES; VANBLON, RUSSELL SPEIGHT
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 038899/0091 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170357360A1 · Dec 14, 2017