Entertainment Audio Volume Reduction for Incoming Call Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household entertainment systems often generate high audio volumes, which can mask audio notifications from communication devices like phones, leading to missed incoming communications.
Innovation Solution
An audio communication device communicates with an entertainment system to reduce the audio volume of electronic devices, such as televisions or audio receivers, when an incoming call is received, allowing for notifications to be heard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the audio volume of the entertainment system is increased, then the user's attention is focused on the media content, but audio notifications from communication devices become masked and may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The audio volume of the entertainment system is made dynamic by automatically adjusting it based on detected communication device activity. The system transitions between different volume states (normal playback volume vs. reduced volume) depending on whether communication events are detected, allowing the volume to adapt to changing operational conditions rather than remaining static at a high level that masks notifications
Solution Approach 2:
The entertainment system implements feedback by monitoring the audio output for patterns characteristic of communication device notifications (such as telephone ringers or message alerts). When such patterns are detected, the system responds by reducing its own audio volume, creating a closed-loop control mechanism that prevents notification masking while maintaining normal entertainment playback during non-communication periods
2Loss of information
If the audio volume of the entertainment system is reduced, then audio notifications can be heard, but the user's attention may be diverted from the media content
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts audio volume based on the temporal context of communication events. Volume reduction is applied only during the specific time window when a notification is detected and for the duration necessary to ensure the notification is audible, then automatically restores to normal levels. This temporal precision ensures media content delivery reliability is maintained while enabling notification detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system takes preliminary anti-action by proactively reducing audio volume in anticipation of or immediately upon detecting a communication notification event. This preemptive volume reduction prevents the harmful effect of notification masking before it occurs, while the automatic restoration of volume after the event ensures that media content delivery is not permanently compromised
Data Source
AI summary
Presented is a method of facilitating use of an audio communication device, such as a telephone, in the presence of an electronic device capable of generating sound, such as a television or audio receiver. In the method, a message is received from the audio communication device, wherein the message indicates the audio communication device has received a request for an audio communication, such as a telephone call, from a second audio communication device. In response to receiving the message, an audio volume of the electronic device is reduced.