Non-audio Notification for Audible Events
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional notification systems in information handling devices often fail to effectively notify users of specific audio events, especially in noisy environments or for hearing-impaired individuals, as they rely solely on audible cues which may go unnoticed, and provide non-specific feedback for detected noises without indicating the particular noise detected.
Innovation Solution
The system receives audio input through a microphone and processes it to match sound characteristics with predetermined noises stored in a library, providing non-audio notifications such as visual or haptic feedback customized for each recognized sound category, allowing users to be informed of specific events like a doorbell or a crying baby without relying on sound.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If audible notifications are used to notify users of audio events, then the notification method is simple and direct, but the notification effectiveness deteriorates in noisy environments or for hearing-impaired users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a non-audible notification channel (visual display) as an intermediary to convey audio event information. Instead of directly notifying users through sound, the system detects audio events, identifies them, and presents the information through a visual interface, thereby bypassing the harmful effect of environmental noise on notification effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the acoustic notification mechanism with an optical/visual notification mechanism. The audio notification system is substituted with a visual display system that shows icons or messages representing detected audio events, eliminating the dependency on audible signals and making notifications effective in noisy environments and for hearing-impaired users
2Loss of information
If generic non-audio notifications are provided for detected noises, then notification coverage is improved, but information specificity deteriorates as users cannot identify the particular noise detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-identifies and categorizes common audio events (doorbell, baby crying, glass breaking, etc.) before actual detection. By having a predefined library of audio event types with associated visual icons, the system can quickly match detected sounds to known categories without requiring complex real-time analysis, thus maintaining information specificity while controlling complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users by displaying visual representations of the specific audio events detected. The notification includes icons or messages that correspond to the identified noise type, giving users immediate feedback about what sound was detected while keeping the system relatively simple through pattern matching approaches
Data Source
AI summary
An aspect provides a method, including: receiving audio input via an audio receiver of an information handling device; matching, using a processor, the audio input to a predetermined audio; and providing a non-audio notification matched to the predetermined audio. Other aspects are described and claimed.