Sound ID System Local Pattern Recognition for Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voice-activated devices, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, raise privacy concerns as they transmit and store users' conversations and sounds in the cloud, allowing unknown entities to access and monitor personal data.
Innovation Solution
A Sound ID System that uses a device with a microphone to recognize pre-recorded sound patterns and keywords, only transmitting specific actions to the cloud or other devices when these patterns are detected, ensuring that no other sound or conversation data is stored or transmitted, maintaining user privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If voice-activated devices transmit and store all conversations and sounds in the cloud, then the device can provide comprehensive voice assistance and processing capabilities, but user privacy is compromised as unknown entities can access and monitor personal data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential functionality (voice pattern recognition and keyword detection) from the cloud dependency, allowing the device to operate with minimal cloud interaction. Only pre-defined actions are transmitted to the cloud, while all other processing occurs locally, thus maintaining privacy while preserving core voice assistance capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local processing of voice data by storing pre-recorded sound patterns and keywords in the device's memory and performing recognition operations locally using a processor. This ensures that personal conversations and sounds remain on the device and are not transmitted to the cloud, maintaining user privacy while enabling voice-activated functionality
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the device processes and stores all sound data locally, then user privacy is maintained, but the device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-recording sound patterns, signatures, and keywords in the device's memory before operation. This allows the processor to perform simple pattern matching operations rather than complex speech analysis, significantly reducing computational requirements while maintaining privacy through local processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by only transmitting pre-determined actions to the cloud when specific sound patterns are recognized, rather than transmitting all processed data. This minimizes cloud interaction and reduces the computational burden of data management while maintaining privacy protection
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the device transmits only pre-determined actions to the cloud, then privacy is maintained, but the voice processing capability is limited compared to full cloud-based processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice processing functionality into two parts: local pattern recognition and keyword detection, and cloud-based action execution. This segmentation allows the device to maintain privacy by keeping sensitive voice data local while still leveraging cloud capabilities for executing pre-defined actions, balancing privacy preservation with functional capability
Data Source
AI summary
A “SOUND ID SYSTEM” comprise a Device with a microphone that continuously monitors the surrounding environment. Pre-recorded personalized or unique sound patterns, signatures, and/or key words, and/or their derivatives, are stored in the Device. When such a pre-determined pre-recorded sound pattern, signature, or key words, or their derivatives, are recognized by the Device, a corresponding pre-determined action or action sequence will be sent to the Cloud, or other devices, to execute. Such other devices can attach, co-habitat, and wired/wirelessly connect to the Device, or share some components with the Device. If the Device does not recognize any particular pre-recorded sound pattern, signature or key words, or their derivatives, then the Device will not transmit to disclose to any outside device or other entity, any monitored sound information.