IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,556,877
Granted Patent B2
US 12,556,877 · App. 18/644,324 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Environmental condition based spatial audio presentation

Inventors: Arthur Charles Tomlin (Kirkland, WA); Kendall Clark York (Bellevue, WA); Jeffrey Sipko (Kirkland, WA); Adolfo Hernandez Santisteban (Bothell, WA); Aaron Daniel Krauss (Snoqualmie, WA); Andrew Frederick Muehlhausen (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
H04S7/303G06F3/165H04S3/008H04S2400/01H04S2400/11H04S2420/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,556,877
App. No.
18/644,324
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wearable spatial audio device is provided. The wearable spatial audio device includes one or more audio speakers, one or more processors, and a storage machine holding instructions executable by the one or more processors. Map data is obtained for a real-world environment that includes one or more dynamic audio objects. A device-specific subset of audio tracks is obtained, and a device-specific spatialized audio mix of the device-specific subset of audio tracks that is based on the map data is obtained. An indication of a change in an environmental condition relative to one or more of the dynamic audio objects is received. The device-specific spatialized audio mix is adjusted based on the change in the environmental condition.

Claims (59)

1 . A first spatial audio output device, comprising:

one or more first audio speakers;

a communication subsystem;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to:

receive a first set of time-stamped audio tracks associated with a dynamic audio object;

initiate playback, through the one or more first audio speakers, of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks associated with a dynamic audio object;

detect a first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks;

in response to detecting the first command:

adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks based on the first command, and

provide the first command to a second spatial audio output device comprising one or more second audio speakers to cause an adjustment of an audio playback of a second set of time-stamped audio tracks on the second spatial audio output device;

receive, from the second spatial audio output device, a second command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks; and

in response to receiving the second command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks based on the second command.

2 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks comprises a command to stop the playback, pause the playback, fast-forward the playback, reverse the playback, skip to a chapter of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, or skip to a bookmark of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

3 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the playback is adjusted based on a time stamp in the first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

4 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the logic machine to:

before detecting the first command to adjust playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, detect a command to initiate playback; and

in response to detecting the command to initiate playback, communicatively connect with the second spatial audio output device,

wherein initiating the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks comprises initiating the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks in response to detecting the command to initiate playback.

5 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 4 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the logic machine to:

in response to detecting the command to initiate playback, communicatively connect with the dynamic audio object.

6 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks based on the second command comprises stopping the playback, pausing the playback, fast-forwarding the playback, reversing the playback, skipping to a chapter of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, or skipping to a bookmark of first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

7 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first spatial audio output device is a wearable device.

8 . The spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of time-stamped audio tracks is a user-specific set of audio tracks received as a stream from a server.

9 . The first spatial audio output device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of time-stamped audio tracks is associated with a location of the first spatial audio output device relative to the dynamic audio object in an environment.

10 . A computer-implemented method performed at a first spatial audio output device comprising one or more first audio speakers, the method comprising:

detecting a playback command to initiate playback of a first set of time-stamped audio tracks associated with a dynamic audio object;

in response to detecting the playback command:

communicatively connecting with the second spatial audio output device, and

initiating playback, through the one or more first audio speakers, of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks;

detecting a first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks; and

in response to detecting the first command:

adjusting the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks based on the first command, and

providing the first command to a second spatial audio output device comprising one or more second audio speakers to cause an adjustment of an audio playback of a second set of time-stamped audio tracks on the second spatial audio output device.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks comprises a command to stop the playback, pause the playback, fast-forward the playback, reverse the playback, skip to a chapter of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, or skip to a bookmark of first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the playback is adjusted based on a time stamp in the first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

after adjusting the playback, receiving, from the second spatial audio output device, a second command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks; and

in response to receiving the second command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, adjusting the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks based on the second command.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving the first set of time-stamped audio tracks as a stream from a server.

15 . A system, comprising:

a first spatial audio output device, comprising:

one or more first audio speakers,

a first communication subsystem,

a first logic machine, and

a first storage machine holding first instructions executable by the first logic machine; and

a second spatial audio output device comprising one or more second audio speakers, wherein the first instructions are executable by the first logic machine to:

initiate playback, through the one or more first audio speakers, of a first set of time-stamped audio tracks associated with a dynamic audio object;

detect a first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks; and

in response to detecting the first command:

adjust the playback based on the first command, and

provide the first command to the second spatial audio output device to cause an adjustment of an audio playback of a second set of time-stamped audio tracks on the second spatial audio output device, wherein the second set of time-stamped audio tracks is different from the first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the second set of time-stamped audio tracks is associated with the dynamic audio object.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the first command to adjust the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks comprises a command to stop the playback, pause the playback, fast-forward the playback, reverse the playback, skip to a chapter of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, or skip to a bookmark of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the first instructions are further executable by the first logic machine to:

before detecting the first command to adjust playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks, detect a command to initiate playback; and

in response to detecting the command to initiate playback, communicatively connect with the second spatial audio output device,

wherein initiating the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks comprises initiating the playback of the first set of time-stamped audio tracks in response to detecting the command to initiate playback.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17660671 · Apr 26, 2022
Continuation 16884284 · May 27, 2020
Continuation 15922791 · Mar 15, 2018
Related Publication 20240276170A1 · Aug 15, 2024
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