Managing target sound playback

1. A method for controlling target sound playback, the method comprising:

configuring a display screen of a control device to display a target sound user setting for controlling target sound playback, wherein the target sound user setting controls a stored target sound level parameter that is stored within memory of the control device;

generating a target sound sequence in accordance with the target sound user setting;

driving a speaker with the target sound sequence; and

if target sound playback is not enabled, then automatically presenting a prompt via the control device or via a headphone when media playback starts, to set a target sound level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a variable level setting, separate from a user volume setting of the control device, that sets the stored target sound level parameter.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the variable level setting indicates a level i) as being relative to a media playback level or ii) for use during media playback.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising

configuring the display screen to display a further target sound user setting having a further variable level setting that sets a further stored target sound level parameter that is used only during media playback or during a phone call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a schedule setting to play the target sound sequence at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a sound type setting.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the sound type setting indicates at least one of:

waves or ocean, rainfall, stream, forest, birds, and a synthesized sound being a type of noise such as pink noise or white noise.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the display screen is a touchscreen, and configuring the display screen to display the user setting comprises

responding to a single finger swipe on the touchscreen during lock screen state or during home screen state, by directly displaying a plurality of commonly used controls which includes the target sound user setting and one or more of: a wireless local area network switch, screen brightness, volume, calculator, portrait orientation lock switch, flashlight, and camera.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the media playback is audio content from a game, music, movie, or podcast application or a web browser running in the control device.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising

if target sound playback is enabled, then automatically fade-in the target sound sequence at a level that is in accordance with the target sound user setting and in response to detecting that i) a user is wearing one or more headphones or ii) media playback has started.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the target sound sequence continuously drives the speaker without any gain reduction while a system notification audio signal such as a message alert, a calendar reminder, or a ringtone is also simultaneously driving the speaker.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising

continuously driving the speaker with the target sound sequence until i) detecting that a headphone having the speaker has been removed from a user's ears or ii) detecting that the headphone having the speaker is being used in a phone call, and in response reducing gain of the target sound sequence or pausing playback of the target sound sequence.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the gain of the target sound sequence that is driving the speaker is reduced during the phone call and is then raised in accordance with the target sound user setting when the phone call has ended.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the target sound playback of the target sound sequence enables a listener to avoid distractions from internal sound sources or external sound sources that the listener hears simultaneously with the target sound playback.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that configure a processor to:

configure a display screen of a control device to display a target sound user setting for controlling target sound playback, wherein the target sound user setting comprises i) a target sound enable setting, and ii) a variable level setting, wherein the variable level setting sets a stored target sound level parameter that is stored within memory of the control device, wherein the stored target sound level parameter controls a level of the target sound playback only during media playback, wherein the media playback is audio content from a music, movie or podcast application or a web browser running in the control device; and

generate a target sound sequence in accordance with the target sound user setting, wherein the target sound sequence is to drive a speaker.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a further variable level setting that sets a further stored target sound level parameter, wherein the further stored target sound level parameter controls the level of the target sound playback during absence of media playback.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the variable level setting and the further variable level setting are separate from a user volume setting of the control device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the variable level setting is separate from a user volume setting of the control device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a schedule setting to specify playback of the target sound sequence at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the display screen is a touchscreen, and configuring the display screen to display the user setting comprises

responding to a single finger swipe on the touchscreen during lock screen state or during home screen state, by directly displaying a plurality of commonly used controls which includes the target sound user setting and one or more of: a wireless local area network switch, screen brightness, volume, calculator, portrait orientation lock switch, flashlight, and camera.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to

if target sound playback is not enabled, then automatically prompt, via the control device or via a headphone in which the speaker is integrated, when media playback starts, to set a target sound level.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 15 as integrated into the control device along with the processor.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the control device is a smartphone, a smartwatch, a laptop computer, a tablet computer or a desktop computer.

24. A method for controlling target sound playback, the method comprising:

configuring a display screen of a control device to display a target sound user setting for controlling target sound playback, wherein the target sound user setting comprises i) a target sound enable setting, and ii) a variable level setting, wherein the variable level setting sets a stored target sound level parameter that is stored within memory of the control device, wherein the stored target sound level parameter controls a level of the target sound playback only during media playback, wherein the media playback comprises audio content from a music, movie or podcast application or a web browser running in the control device; and

generating a target sound sequence in accordance with the target sound user setting, wherein the target sound sequence is to drive a speaker.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a further variable level setting that sets a further stored target sound level parameter, wherein the further stored target sound level parameter controls the level of the target sound playback during absence of media playback.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the variable level setting and the further variable level setting are separate from a user volume setting of the control device.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the variable level setting is separate from a user volume setting of the control device.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the target sound user setting comprises a schedule setting to specify playback of the target sound sequence at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the display screen is a touchscreen, and configuring the display screen to display the target sound user setting comprises

responding to a single finger swipe on the touchscreen during lock screen state or during home screen state, by directly displaying a plurality of commonly used controls which includes the target sound user setting and one or more of: a wireless local area network switch, screen brightness, volume, calculator, portrait orientation lock switch, flashlight, and camera.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein if target sound playback is not enabled, then automatically prompting, via the control device or via a headphone in which the speaker is integrated, when media playback starts, to set a target sound level.

31. The method of claim 24 as performed by a processor in the control device.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the control device is a smartphone, a smartwatch, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a desktop computer.