Apple patent involves methods for altering speech during cell phone use

Posted by Dennis Sellers Jul 2, 2009 at 4:55am

Want to alter your speech during a conversation on your cell phone? A new Apple patent (number 20090171670) indicates that some day you may be able to do just that—though you won’t be able to make yourself sound like, say, Sean Connery (though that would be pretty cool). The patent involves methods for altering speech during cell phone use.

The present invention includes systems and methods for altering a cellular phone user’s speech so that the speech can be less bothersome to third parties in the surrounding area and so that the user has more privacy. Sound cancellation can be used to cancel, reduce, or modify the user’s voice so third parties cannot hear the voice as easily or so that the user’s voice cannot be understood. Furthermore, the user device can encourage the user to speak in a lower voice.

The user device can accomplish this encouragement by indicating to the user their level of speech. In this manner, the user knows when he may lower his voice and yet still provide an adequate volume of speech for the cellular phone. Additionally, the user device can encourage the user to speak in a lower voice by audibly playing back the user’s voice in real time.

Here’s Apple’s background and summary of the invention: “This relates to methods and systems for altering speech during cellular phone use. More particularly, this can reduce, cancel, or modify a cellular phone user’s speech as perceived by a surrounding third party. Additionally, this can encourage a cellular phone user to lower his level of speech while the cellular phone is in use.

“Cellular phones have rapidly become an enjoyable and useful commodity utilized by a large percentage of the population. It is not uncommon to see cellular phones being used by people in a large variety of circumstances and environments. However, despite their great convenience and utility, cellular phone use can sometimes become a nuisance and a bother to third parties in the surrounding area.

“Additionally, since a third party can hear the user’s conversation, the user may not always have the amount of privacy which he desires. As used herein, “third parties” and “third party” refer to people in the general vicinity of the user who are able to hear the user’s conversation.

“For example, if someone is speaking on a cellular phone, the speaker’s voice could potentially become an annoyance to anyone nearby. This is especially true if the user is speaking in a loud and boisterous manner. Additionally, if a user is in a noisy environment, the user may have the tendency to raise his or her voice in order to overcome the ambient noise. This occurs even if the raised voice is completely unnecessary and the cellular phone does not require the user to raise his or her voice in such a manner. Thus, not only is the user disturbing one or more surrounding people, but the user could potentially lower his voice and still allow the cellular phone to acquire a loud enough voice signal.

“From another point of view, the user may desire to have a private and secure conversation on a cellular phone without needing to relocate to a secluded location. Thus, it is desirable to have a system which can allow a user to have a private conversation while still being situated in the audible range of third parties.

“In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, systems and methods for altering a user’s speech during cellular phone use are discussed herein. An audio communication device (sometimes referred to herein as a user device), such as a cellular phone, a personal computer equipped with iChat.TM., etc. can alter a user’s voice so that it is less annoying and bothersome to third parties. Additionally, the user device can provide more privacy for the user. The user device can accomplish these goals through methods such as sound cancellation and/or preventative feedback.

[0008]In one embodiment, the user device can perform sound cancellation by first acquiring the user’s audio signal (i.e., voice). The user device can then process the user’s voice to create a secondary audio signal. The secondary signal can be created by the user device in a manner which will allow the signal to be audibly projected (e.g., played through a speaker). The secondary signal will then interfere with the user’s audio signal. When the secondary signal interferes with the user’s audio signal, the secondary signal may cancel, reduce, or modify the user’s audio signal. This may cause third parties to hear a form of the user’s voice which is inaudible, lower in volume, or unintelligible.

“In one embodiment, the user device can encourage the user to speak more quietly. The user device can accomplish this by acquiring the user’s voice and then audibly playing the user’s voice back to the user in real time. This can cause the user to hear her own voice at a higher volume, thus encouraging the user to lower her voice.

“In one embodiment, the user device can encourage the user to speak more quietly by indicating the user’s level of speech to the user. Once the user is made aware of her own voice’s volume, she can know when she is speaking too loudly and may then subsequently lower her voice. While aspects have been described with respect to an embodiment, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments can be combined and/or mixed together.”

The inventors are Robert Bailey, Lawrence Heyl and Stephan Schell. The graphic below illustrates a system that can operate in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

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