Audio File Transfer via Audible DTMF Tones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for transferring audio files between devices, such as toys and storybooks, often require physical connections like USB cords or wireless technologies, limiting the use of common microphones and speakers optimized for human-audible frequencies.
Innovation Solution
The method involves audibly broadcasting audio files using dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones to communicate metadata and commands, allowing file transfer between devices without additional communication channels, utilizing frequencies within the human-audible range to enable common microphone and speaker usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical connections like USB cords or wireless technologies are used for audio file transfer, then reliable file transfer is achieved, but device complexity and limitation of common microphone/speaker usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the speaker and microphone universal by enabling them to serve dual purposes: the speaker outputs both audio content and metadata tones, while the microphone captures both audio and metadata. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated communication hardware, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable file transfer capability through the existing audio pathway.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the audio content transmission and metadata transmission into a single communication pathway. Instead of using separate channels for audio files and control data, the system combines both functions into one speaker-microphone pathway, using frequency differentiation to separate the two types of information, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Loss of information
If dedicated communication channels are used for audio file transfer, then accurate metadata transmission is ensured, but ease of operation decreases due to physical connections required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical USB connection system with an acoustic communication system. Instead of requiring physical plugging in of cables or pairing through wireless protocols, the system uses sound waves carried through the speaker and captured by the microphone to transmit both audio content and metadata, making the operation simpler while maintaining accurate information transfer through frequency-based encoding.
3Productivity
If frequencies outside human-audible range are used for metadata, then data transmission capacity increases, but compatibility with common microphones and speakers decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the frequency parameters of the metadata encoding to fall within the human-audible range (20 Hz to 20 kHz). By selecting tone frequencies that are audible to humans, the system ensures compatibility with standard microphones and speakers while maintaining sufficient data transmission capacity through the use of dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling and frequency-shift keying (FSK) modulation techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables seamless audio file transfer between devices using standard microphones and speakers, facilitating the recording and sharing of user responses to prompts without the need for physical connections, while ensuring accurate metadata transmission and file identification.
Implementation Method 1
The audio file is transferred by audibly broadcasting the audio file content. One or more audible tones may also be used to communicate commands that delineate the beginning and/or end of a file broadcast.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention use one or more audible tones to communicate metadata during a transfer of an audio file. Embodiments of the present invention communicate an audio file from a speaker in a recording device (e.g., a recordable book, toy, computing device) to a microphone in a receiving device. The audio file is transferred by audibly broadcasting the audio file content. The audio file may be a recording made by the user (e.g., the user singing a song, a child responding to a storybook prompt intended to elicit a response). The file transfer process uses one or more audible tones, such as dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (“DTMF”) tones to communicate metadata associated with the audio file. Audible tones may also be used to communicate commands that delineate the beginning and/or end of a file broadcast.