IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,587,836
Granted Patent B2
US 12,587,836 · App. 17/978,261 · Granted Mar 24, 2026

Privacy mode for a wireless audio device

Inventors: Rhodes B. Baker (Allentown, PA); Jeffrey Karc (Danielsville, PA); Galen E. Knode (Macungie, PA); Robert C. Newman, Jr. (Emmaus, PA); John B. Nill (North Wales, PA)
Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
H04W12/02G06F3/04817G06F3/0482H04R1/08G06F3/0488H04R3/00H04R29/004
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,587,836
App. No.
17/978,261
Granted
Mar 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Devices that record data from a space, such as audio or video devices having microphones and/or cameras, may have a privacy mode which allows a user to temporarily prevent the device from recoding audio or video of the space. The privacy mode may be a privacy cover, button, airgap, or other mechanism to obfuscate the acoustic or video signal, or to remove power and/or communication from the camera, microphone, control circuit, or to the entire device itself. Additionally, the privacy mode may be remotely enabled for multiple devices in a space.

Claims (64)

1 . An electrical load control apparatus comprising:

a control circuit selectivity transistionable between a FIRST, non-private, operating state and a SECOND, private, operating state;

a microphone circuit operatively coupled to the control circuit, the microphone circuit to receive sound and generate acoustic data from the received sound;

an acoustic noise generation circuit operatively coupled to the control circuit;

a communication circuit operatively coupled to a control circuit, the communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data to at least one external device;

wherein the control circuit to:

receive the acoustic data from the microphone circuit; receive an instruction in an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state;

responsive to an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state: cause the communication circuit to transmit the received acoustic data to the at least one external device; and

responsive to an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicate a first output signal to the acoustic noise generation circuit to generate an acoustic noise signal;

wherein the acoustic signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscated acoustic data; and

cause the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.

2 . The electrical load control apparatus of claim 1 , the control circuit to further:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:

cause the acoustic noise generation circuit to halt the generation of the acoustic noise signal.

3 . The electrical load control apparatus of claim 1 , the control circuit to further:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicate, to a system controller, a notification message that includes information indicative of the transition of the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state.

4 . The electrical load control apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one manually actuated input device operatively coupled to the control circuit;

wherein to receive the instruction in the input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state, the control circuit to;

receive, via an actuation of the at least one manually actuated input device, the instruction to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state.

5 . The electrical load control apparatus of claim 1 , the communication circuit to further:

receive a wireless input signal from a control device;

wherein to receive the instruction in the input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state, the control circuit to:

receive, via the communication circuit, the wireless input signal that includes the instruction to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state.

6 . An electrical load control method, comprising:

receiving, by a control circuit, acoustic data generated by a microphone circuit using sounds detected by the microphone circuit;

receiving, by the control circuit, an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between a FIRST, non-private, operating state and a SECOND, private, operating state;

responsive an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:

causing a communicatively coupled communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit to at least one external device; and

responsive an instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicating, by the control circuit, a first output signal to an acoustic noise generation circuit to cause a noise generation to generate a noise signal to obfuscate the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit;

wherein the acoustic noise signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscated acoustic data; and

causing, by the control circuit, the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.

7 . The method of claim 6 further comprising, responsive the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:

ceasing, by the control circuit, transmission of the first output signal to the acoustic noise generation circuit to halt the generation of the acoustic noise signal.

8 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising, responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicating, by the control circuit, a notification message that includes information indicative of the transition of the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state to a system controller.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising, responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state:

receiving, via an actuation of at least one operatively coupled input device, an input signal that includes the instruction to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state or the SECOND, private, operating state.

10 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising, responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state:

receiving, via the communication circuit, a wireless input signal that includes the instruction to reversibly transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state or the SECOND, private, operating state.

11 . A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by a control circuit in an electrical load control apparatus, causes the control circuit to:

receive acoustic data generated by an operatively coupled microphone circuit, the acoustic data based on sounds sensed by the microphone circuit;

receive an instruction in an input signal to reversibly transition the control circuit between a FIRST, non-private, operating state or a SECOND, private, operating state;

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:

cause a communicatively coupled communication circuit to transmit the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit to at least one external device; and

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicate a first output signal to an operatively coupled acoustic noise generation circuit to cause the noise generation circuit to obfuscate the acoustic data received from the microphone circuit;

wherein the acoustic noise signal generated by the acoustic noise generation circuit combines with sound collected by the microphone circuit to produce the obfuscaed acoustic data; and

cause the communication circuit to transmit the obfuscated acoustic data to the at least one external device.

12 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuit, cause the control circuit to:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the FIRST, non-private, operating state:

cease transmission of the first output signal to the acoustic noise generation circuit to halt the generation of the acoustic noise signal.

13 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuit, cause the control circuit to:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit to the SECOND, private, operating state:

communicate a notification signal that includes information indicative the transition of the control circuit in the SECOND, private, operating state to a system controller.

14 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuit, cause the control circuit to:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state:

receive the input signal to transition the control circuit from at least one manually actuated input device operatively coupled to the control circuit.

15 . The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by the control circuit, cause the control circuit to:

responsive to the instruction in the received input signal to transition the control circuit between the FIRST, non-private, operating state and the SECOND, private, operating state:

receive, via the communication circuit, a wireless input signal generated by a control device.