Digital Signage Voice Control via Mobile Device Intermediary

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Solution Overview

Problem

Digital signage systems face challenges with voice interaction due to high installation costs, privacy concerns, ambient noise, and voice interference issues, particularly in public areas, and lack of intelligence in processing user interactions.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilize a mobile device to establish wireless communication with digital signage, allowing voice control through the mobile device's microphone, synchronizing audio and video information, and enabling voice-based commands to control digital signage operations, thereby eliminating the need for expensive microphone arrays and speakers, and providing private audio output.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If digital signage includes voice input through microphone arrays and audio output through speakers, then voice/audio interactivity is achieved, but installation cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoice/audio interactivityVSAvoidinstallation cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses the user's mobile device as an intermediary to perform voice recognition and audio output functions. Instead of equipping digital signage with expensive microphone arrays and speakers, the system leverages the mobile device's existing audio capabilities through wireless communication, thereby achieving voice interactivity without significant additional installation costs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device serves multiple functions: it acts as a voice input device, audio output device, and communication bridge between the user and digital signage. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for dedicated voice interaction hardware at the signage location, reducing overall system complexity and cost

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If digital signage includes voice input through microphone arrays in public areas, then voice interaction is enabled, but privacy is compromised due to public audio output

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoice interactionVSAvoidprivacy loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device serves as a private intermediary channel for audio communication. Voice commands are captured by the mobile device's microphone, processed, and responses are delivered through the mobile device's speaker or earpiece, keeping audio interactions private and confined to the user's personal device rather than broadcasting through public signage speakers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Audio output is localized to the user's mobile device rather than being broadcast publicly through signage speakers. This ensures that only the intended user hears the audio response, maintaining privacy while still enabling voice interaction functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If digital signage includes microphone arrays in public areas, then voice input is captured, but ambient noise and voice interference problems occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevoice input capabilityVSAvoidvoice recognition accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device's microphone serves as a personal intermediary for voice capture, positioned close to the user's mouth. This proximity and personal positioning reduce the impact of ambient noise and interference from other voices in public areas, improving voice recognition accuracy compared to fixed signage microphones that must capture audio from a distance in noisy environments

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Ease of operation

If digital signage generates audio output through speakers, then audio information is provided, but unwanted audio is generated in public areas

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio information deliveryVSAvoidunwanted audio

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device acts as a private audio channel, delivering audio information directly to the user through the device's speaker or earpiece. This eliminates unwanted audio broadcast in public areas while maintaining effective audio information delivery to the intended recipient

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Audio output is localized to the individual user's mobile device rather than being broadcast through public signage speakers. This ensures audio is delivered only to the intended user without creating unwanted noise for surrounding people, resolving the contradiction between audio delivery and unwanted audio generation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11800173B1Voice interaction with digital signage using mobile device

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 KIRLEY JOSEPH F

AI summary

A digital signage system allows a person to use the person's own mobile device as a voice input device to the digital signage system and also can leverage the person's mobile device in other ways such as by accepting other inputs from the mobile device, providing various outputs to the mobile device, or utilizing communication capabilities of the mobile device.