IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,154,364
Granted Patent B1
US 10,154,364 · App. 16/125,715 · Granted Dec 11, 2018

Moving an emoji to move a location of binaural sound

Inventor: Philip Scott Lyren (Bangkok, TH)
H04S7/303G06F3/04817H04R5/02H04R5/04H04R2499/11H04S2420/01
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,154,364
App. No.
16/125,715
Filed
Sep 9, 2018
Granted
Dec 11, 2018
Kind
B1
Examiner
ANWAH, OLISA
Art Unit
2655
USPC
381/303
Abstract

During an electronic communication between a first user and a second user, an electronic device of the second user displays a graphical representation at a located selected by the first user. The graphical representation provides an indication to the second user where binaural sound associated with the graphical representation will externally localize to the second user. Subsequent movement of the graphical representation changes a location where the binaural sound externally localizes to the second user.

Claims (56)

1. A method executed by one or more electronic devices during an electronic communication between a first user with an electronic device and a second user with an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electronic device of the second user and from the electronic device of the first user, an emoji and a first location where binaural sound will externally localize with respect to a head of the second user when sound of the emoji plays to the second user;

displaying, with a display of the electronic device of the second user, the emoji that shows the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the head of the second user when the sound of the emoji plays to the second user;

receiving, at the electronic device of the second user, a command from the second user to move the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the head of the second user when the sound of the emoji plays to the second user to a second location where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the head of the second user when the sound of the emoji plays to the second user;

displaying, with the display of the electronic device of the second user, the emoji that shows the second location where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the head of the second user when the sound of the emoji plays to the second user; and

playing, upon activation of the emoji and after executing the command to move the first location to the second location, the binaural sound to the second user so the binaural sound externally localizes to the second user at the second location selected by the second user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the electronic device of the first user and from the first user, the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the head of the second user when the sound of the emoji plays to the second user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

playing, upon activation of the emoji and before executing the command to move the first location to the second location, the binaural sound to the second user so the binaural sound externally localizes to the second user at the first location selected by the second user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, on the display of the electronic device of the second user, an image that represents the head of the second user; and

displaying, on the display of the electronic device of the second user, the emoji with respect to the image that represents the head of the second user to display where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to the second user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, on the display of the electronic device of the second user, the emoji at a coordinate location with respect to an image representing the head of the second user; and

playing, upon activation of the emoji, the binaural sound to the second user at a sound localization point (SLP) having azimuth and elevation coordinates equal to the coordinate location of the emoji with respect to the image representing the head of the second user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emoji is simultaneously displayed with an image that represents the second user to display a relative location where the binaural sound will externally localize to the head of the second user upon activation of the emoji.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the electronic device of the second user and from the electronic device of the first user, azimuth and elevation coordinates that indicate the first location selected by the first user where the binaural sound will externally localize to the second user; and

expediting playing of the binaural sound to the second user by processing, with a digital signal processor (DSP) and before the second user activates the emoji to hear the binaural sound, the binaural sound with a pair of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) that have coordinates equal to the azimuth and elevation coordinates received from the electronic device of the first user.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that one or more electronic devices execute in a computer system in which a first person with a first portable electronic device (PED) communicates with a second person with a second PED, the method comprising:

receiving, at the second PED and from the first PED, a first location where binaural sound will externally localize to the second person upon activation of an emoji;

displaying, with the second PED, the emoji that shows the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize to the second person upon activation of the emoji;

receiving, at the second PED and from the second person, an instruction that changes the first location to a second location where the binaural sound will externally localize to the second person upon activation of the emoji; and

playing, with the second PED and upon activation of the emoji, the binaural sound that originates to the second person at a sound localization point (SLP) at the second location.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

displaying, with the second PED, the emoji that shows the second location where the binaural sound will externally localize to the second person upon activation of the emoji.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

determining azimuth and elevation coordinates for where the second location is located on a display of the second PED;

obtaining a pair of head related transfer functions (HRTFs) that have azimuth and elevation coordinates equal to the azimuth and elevation coordinates for where the second location is located on the display of the second PED; and

processing, with a digital signal processor and upon activation of the emoji, sound with the HRTFs to generate the binaural sound that originates to the second person at the SLP.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

displaying, on the second PED, an image that represents the second person; and

displaying, on the second PED, the emoji at a location with respect to the image to display where the binaural sound will externally localize relative to the second person upon activation of the emoji.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

receiving, at the second PED and from the first PED, azimuth and elevation coordinate locations that provide the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize to the second person upon activation of the emoji, wherein the second PED displays the emoji at the azimuth and elevation coordinate locations to display where the binaural sound will externally localize with respect to a head of the second person.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

expediting playing of the binaural sound to the first location by convolving, before the second person activates the emoji to hear the binaural sound, sound of the emoji into the binaural sound with a pair of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) with azimuth and elevation coordinates equal to azimuth and elevation coordinates of the first location.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 storing the instructions that execute such that the method further comprises:

displaying, with the second PED, an image that represents a head of the second person with the emoji displayed at the first location with respect to the head of the second person to provide a visual indication for the SLP.

15. A method comprising:

improving an electronic communication between a first user with a portable electronic device (PED) and a second user with a PED by:

displaying, with the PED of the second user, an emoji with a visual indication that shows a first location where binaural sound will externally localize outside a head of the second user, the first location being provided by the first user;

moving, with the PED of the second user and in response to a command from the second user, the visual indication to change the first location to a second location where the binaural sound will externally localize outside the head of the second user; and

processing, with a digital signal processor (DSP) and in response to activation of the emoji after moving the visual indication, sound of the emoji with one or more pairs of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to provide the sound of the emoji as the binaural sound that externally localizes outside the head of the second user to the second location.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

processing, with the DSP and in response to activation of the emoji before moving the visual indication, the sound of the emoji with HRTFs to provide the sound of the emoji as the binaural sound that externally localizes outside the head of the second user to the first location, wherein the PED of the second user plays the binaural sound to the first location outside the head of the second user before moving the visual indication and plays the binaural sound to the second location outside the head of the second user after moving the visual indication.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

expediting playing of the binaural sound to the second user by processing, with the DSP, the sound of the emoji with HRTFs having azimuth and elevation coordinates corresponding to the first location in anticipation of receiving a command by the second user to play the binaural sound at the first location.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

displaying, with the PED of the second user and after changing the visual indication from the first location to the second location, the emoji with the visual indication that shows the second location where the binaural sound will externally localize outside the head of the second user.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

switching, with the PED of the second user and upon receiving one or more commands from the second user, between playing the binaural sound at the first location being provided by the first user and playing the binaural sound at the second location being provided by the second user, wherein the first location has a negative azimuth coordinate location with respect to the head of the second user and the second location has a positive azimuth coordinate location with respect to the head of the second user.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, at the PED of the second user and from the PED of the first user, coordinate locations that include azimuth and elevation coordinates for the first location where the binaural sound will externally localize outside the head of the second user; and

displaying, with a display of the PED of the second user, the emoji at the first location having coordinate locations on the display derived from the azimuth and elevation coordinates received from the PED of the first user.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 8, 2024
From: LYREN, PHILIP SCOTT
To: PELAGIC CONCEPTS LLC
Reel/Frame 069221/0921 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,245,021