IP Library Granted Patent US 10,623,199
Granted Patent B2
US 10,623,199 · App. 15/698,267 · Granted Apr 14, 2020

Outputting audio based on user location

Inventors: Nathan J. Peterson (Oxford, NC); Brian Jules Jaeger (Wake Forest, NC); Joshua Neil Novak (Wake Forest, NC); Nicholas Richard Roberts (Cary, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) PTE LTD
H04L12/2829G06F3/165G06F3/167H04L12/282H04L12/2812H04W4/029H04W4/33
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,623,199
App. No.
15/698,267
Granted
Apr 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

For outputting audio based on a user's location, an apparatus is disclosed. A system, method, and program product also perform the functions of the apparatus. The apparatus for outputting audio based on a user's location includes a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The processor receives an audible command to output audio and associates the audible command with a particular user. Additionally, the processor monitors a location of the particular user and output audio, based on the command, from a device nearest a location of the particular user.

Claims (34)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor to:

receive an audible command to output audio;

associate the audible command with a particular user;

monitor a location of the particular user, wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises determining whether the user is located in a particular room of a plurality of rooms, each room having a stationary digital personal assistant device located therein; and

output audio, based on the command, from a device nearest a location of the particular user, wherein outputting audio from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises instructing a mobile digital personal assistant device associated with the particular user to output the audio in response to determining that the user is not located in any of the plurality of rooms containing a stationary digital personal assistant device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein outputting audio from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises the processor identifying the device nearest a location of the particular user and transferring the audible command to the identified device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein associating the audible command with the particular user comprises identifying the particular user from voice analysis of the audible command.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises receiving additional audio data from one or more of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices and determining that the user is located in a particular room of the plurality of rooms based on the additional audio data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a camera device that captures image data, wherein associating the audible command with the particular user comprises the processor identifying the particular user from image data in response to receiving the audible command to output audio.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises capturing image data from one or more of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices and determining that the user is located in a particular room of the plurality of rooms based on the additional image data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the audible command to output audio is a command to output a notification at a certain time, wherein outputting audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises transferring the command to output the notification at the certain time to the device nearest the location of the particular user.

8. A method comprising:

receiving an audible command to output audio;

associating, by use of a processor, the audible command with a particular user;

monitoring a location of the particular user, wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises determining whether the user is located in a particular room of a plurality of rooms, each room having a stationary digital personal assistant device located therein; and

outputting audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user, wherein outputting audio from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises instructing a mobile digital personal assistant device associated with the particular user to output the audio in response to determining that the user is not located in any of the plurality of rooms containing a stationary digital personal assistant device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein associating the audible command with the particular user comprises identifying the particular user from voice analysis of the audible command.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising capturing image data in response to receiving the audible command to output audio, wherein associating the audible command with the particular user comprises identifying the particular user from image data.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises receiving additional audio data and determining that the user is located in a particular room of the plurality of rooms based on the additional audio data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving the additional audio data comprises receiving audio data from one or more of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining that the user is located in a particular room of the plurality of rooms based on the additional audio data comprises detecting the users voice in the audio data of a particular one of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices and determining that the user is located in the room associated with the particular one of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising capturing image data in response to receiving the audible command to output audio, wherein monitoring the location of the particular user comprises determining that the user is located in a particular room of the plurality of rooms based on the image data.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein receiving the image data comprises receiving image data from one or more of the plurality of stationary digital personal assistant devices.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the audible command to output audio comprises receiving a command to output streaming audio content at a first device, wherein outputting audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises transferring the command to output streaming audio content to a second device nearest the location of the particular user, the second device being located in a different room than the first device.

17. A program product comprising a computer readable storage medium that is not a transitory signal that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to:

receive an audible command to output audio;

correlate the audible command with a particular user;

track a location of the particular user, wherein tracking the location of the particular user comprises determining whether the user is located in a particular room of a plurality of rooms, each room having a stationary digital personal assistant device located therein; and

output audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user, wherein outputting audio from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises instructing a mobile digital personal assistant device associated with the particular user to output the audio in response to determining that the user is not located in any of the plurality of rooms containing a stationary digital personal assistant device.

18. The program product of claim 17 , wherein the audible command is received at a first device and the audio is output at a second device located in a different room than the first device.

19. The program product of claim 17 , wherein the audible command to output audio is a command to output a notification at a specified time, wherein outputting audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises monitoring a current time and outputting the notification at the device nearest the location of the particular user in response to the current time matching the specified time.

20. The program product of claim 17 , wherein the audible command to output audio is a command to output streaming audio content at a first device, wherein outputting audio based on the command from a device nearest a location of the particular user comprises transferring the command to output streaming audio content to a second device nearest the location of the particular user, the second device being located in a different room than the first device.

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 Jan 26, 2021
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LTD
Reel/Frame 055110/0378 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 7, 2017
From: PETERSON, NATHAN J.; JAEGER, BRIAN JULES; NOVAK, JOSHUA NEIL; ROBERTS, NICHOLAS RICHARD
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 043526/0541 →