Abstract: An improved enclosure device for protecting electronic equipment is disclosed. The enclosure device may include an adapter plate for attaching the electronic equipment to the enclosure device. The adapter plate is preferably configured to prevent damage to the electronic equipment when mounting the enclosure device to a generally vertical support. The enclosure device may include one or more inserts having an opening and a slit for receiving a cable so that the cable can be passed through the enclosure device. The insert preferably seals against the cable so that a barrier to water is created. As such, the electronic equipment may be protected from rain.

Abstract: A method of controlling an audio system includes generating a situation response model for a situation parameter, determining a situation parameter value, and at least one of (1) providing an audio system output as a function of the situation response model and the situation parameter value and (2) receiving an audio system input as a function of the situation response model and the situation parameter value.

Abstract: Techniques for muting participants in a communication session are described. A communication session, such as a teleconference or a video conference, may be established between a plurality of participants using devices. Each participant engaged in the communication session may be authorized to mute or un-mute other participants. Information related to the communication session may be provided to some of the participants, including but are not limited to, indications of when a participant is muted or unmuted, indications of which participant initiated a muting or un-muting, indications of volume of a participant, or indications of types of sounds in a communication session. Social controls, utilized through transparency (e.g., providing identifying indications), may reduce the chance of misuse of the muting functionality.

Abstract: A method for transmitting sound waves using a time-varying frequency-based symbol includes the steps of: storing waveform data in a digital form; converting the waveform data in the digital form into an analog signal; and outputting the analog signal as sound waves through a speaker. Herein, the waveform data in the digital form includes a symbol the frequency of which changes with time within a sound wave band.

Abstract: An earphone connection interface is provided. The earphone connection interface includes a first detector disposed at a first area to detect an electrical change according to a contact state of the first area, and a second detector disposed at a second area different from the first area to detect an electrical change according to a contact state of the second area.

Abstract: A multifunctional and removable electronic light emitting grip sleeve for a paintbrush configured to receive a paintbrush and to improve handling and controlling over the paintbrush. The electronic light emitting grip sleeve includes a brush encasement, a pistol grip, and a finger guard are ergonomically connected and contoured to improve the gripping capabilities of the electronic light emitting grip sleeve. A first and second elastic walls within the brush encasement secure a paintbrush that become lodged as it is inserted. A plurality of illuminating members of the brush encasement that is powered by an internal power source or an interchangeable illuminating brush head that is powered by a remote power source allows the painter to direct light on a painted surface as needed. Additionally, a multitude of electronic components are installed into the brush encasement to increase productivity and provide convenience for the painter.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a wireless in-ear utility device that rests in the user's ear canal near the user's eardrum. The in-ear utility device may be configured in a variety of ways, including, but in no way limited to a smart in-ear utility device, a flexible personal sound amplification product, a personal music player, a “walkie-talkie” and the like.

Abstract: An electronic device may play audio content to a user through a pair of earphones. The audio content may be content that is stored locally on the electronic device or may be streaming content that is provided by an online service. Control circuitry in the electronic device may monitor ear presence sensor structures in the earphones to determine whether the earphones are present in the ears of the user. In response to determining that the earphones have been removed from the ears of the user, the control circuitry may communicate with the online service provider. Communicating with the online service provider may include sending media streaming control commands to the online service provider. The media streaming control commands may, for example, include media streaming pause commands that instruct the online service provider to pause the audio content in response to the earphones being removed from the ears of the user.

Abstract: A method for perceptual enhancement of a received remote talker's voice, in the presence of local ambient noise, in an electronic voice communication system is provided. The method includes generating a pair of binaural voice signals from the remote talker's voice and manipulating the characteristics of the resulting pair of binaural signals. The two ears of the local listener are stimulated binaurally with the pair of binaural voice signals. The stimulating is performed adaptively as the ambient noise in the local listener's environment changes, thereby creating a perception of remote talker reacting actively to the local ambient noise, in a psycho-acoustically pleasing manner to the local listener.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and a system to determine an audio precompensation controller for an associated sound generating system including a total of N?2 loudspeakers, each having a loudspeaker input. The audio precompensation controller has a number L?1 inputs for L input signals and N outputs for N controller output signals, one to each loudspeaker. For each one of at least a subset of the N loudspeaker inputs, an impulse response is estimated at each measurement position. For each one of the L input signal(s), a selected one of the N loudspeakers is specified as a primary loudspeaker and a selected subset S including at least one of the N loudspeakers as support loudspeaker(s).

Abstract: A user interface includes a rotatable ring for controlling a function on an associated device, and a support ring for supporting the rotatable ring. The support ring includes a plurality of biasing elements, and a plurality of engagement members rotatably mounted on the biasing elements and configured to engage the rotatable ring so as to preload the biasing elements and thereby (i) biasing the rotatable ring toward a center position in which a central axis of the rotatable ring is coincident with a central axis of the support ring, and (ii) increasing resistance to rotational movement of the rotatable ring.

Abstract: A system for receiving multiple conversations or messages and for playing the multiple conversations or messages with a mobile device and wireless earpieces. The system may determine various presentation parameters based on various characteristics of the received messages and may play the messages such that audio appears at distinguishing locations around the user. The system may change how messages and/or conversations are played in response to recognize a change in the focus of the user based on detected user inputs, such as body movement gestures.

Abstract: A noise reducing device includes: an acoustic-to-electric conversion section for collecting noise and outputting an analog noise signal; an analog-to-digital conversion section for converting the analog noise signal into a digital noise signal; and a digital processing section for generating a digital noise reducing signal on a basis of the digital noise signal and a desired parameter. The device further includes: a retaining section for retaining a plurality of parameters corresponding to a plurality of kinds of noise characteristics; a setting section for setting one of the plurality of parameters as the desired parameter of the digital processing section; a digital-to-analog conversion section for converting the digital noise reducing signal into an analog noise reducing signal; and an electric-to-acoustic conversion section for outputting noise reducing sound on a basis of the analog noise reducing signal.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable headphone users to he hear audible announcements of relevance to the user. In the various embodiments, a user device, such as headphones, may receive an announcement, determine whether the announcement is of interest to the user, and pause the current audio output by the headphones and enable the user to hear the announcement. In an embodiment, an announcement system may transmit announcements audibly and via a wireless channel, for example via broadcast and/or multicast transmission, to enable user devices to receive announcements and play relevant announcements via the headphones. In another embodiment, an announcement system may embedded announcement identifiers within audible announcements to enable a user device to identify announcements of interest. In another embodiment, a user device may filter received audio to identify announcements of interest to the user based on recognized subject matter within the received audio.

Abstract: The present invention is a multifunctional electronic light emitting removable grip sleeve for a paintbrush. A paintbrush is to be inserted into an encasement to improve handling and control over the paintbrush. The encasement is ergonomic and smoothly contours to the hand of a painter or user. Within the encasement are two elastic walls that can be tapered to allow the handle of a paintbrush to become lodged as it is inserted. Atop the encasement is a plurality of illuminating sources, preferably LED's, which are used to direct light onto a painted surface. Additionally, a multitude of electronic components can be installed into the present invention in increase productivity and provide convenience for the painter. For example, Bluetooth technology can be implemented into the encasement, similar to cellular phones, along with a radio scanner, a stereo system, and a USB port. Painting is facilitated by using the present invention.

Abstract: Scaling, by a desired amount sm, the overall perceived loudness Lm of a multichannel audio signal, wherein perceived loudness is a nonlinear function of signal power P, by scaling the perceived loudness of each individual channel Lc by an amount substantially equal to the desired amount of scaling of the overall perceived loudness of all channels sm, subject to accuracy in calculations and the desired accuracy of the overall perceived loudness scaling sm. The perceived loudness of each individual channel may be scaled by changing the gain of each individual channel, wherein gain is a scaling of a channel's power. Optionally, in addition, the loudness scaling applied to each channel may be modified so as to reduce the difference between the actual overall loudness scaling and the desired amount of overall loudness scaling.

Abstract: A method of controlling an audio system includes generating a situation response model for a situation parameter, determining a situation parameter value, and at least one of (1) providing an audio system output as a function of the situation response model and the situation parameter value and (2) receiving an audio system input as a function of the situation response model and the situation parameter value.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for determining a stimulus based on a masking model of human hearing are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a signal that includes information indicative of one or more spectral components of a sound. The example method also includes determining a masking curve that includes information indicative of one or more masking spectral components. The masking curve is determined according to a masking model of human hearing that accounts for at least an effect due to temporal masking. The example method further includes generating a stimulus based on a difference between the one or more spectral components and the one or more masking spectral components. The stimulation allows a recipient to perceive at least a portion of the sound.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and device for self-adaptively eliminating noises. Said method comprises: filtering the signal received by a first microphone using a first filter, filtering the signal received by a second microphone using a second filter, and obtaining a signal with noises reduced by subtracting the filtered signals; wherein, in a noise segment, the coefficients of the first filter the second filter are updated respectively using the signal with noises reduced such that the noise component contained in the signal filtered by the first filter tends to be the same with the noise component contained in the signal filtered by the second filter; and in a noisy voice segment, the coefficients of the first filter and the second filter are remained unchanged respectively, the first filter and the second filter respectively use a coefficient updated in the noise segment last time to filter the signals received by the first microphone and the second microphone.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of processing an audio signal comprising outputting a first part of a first audio signal; picking up the output first part of the first audio signal as a second audio signal; comparing a second part of the first audio signal and the second audio signal; modifying the second part of the first audio signal based on the result of the comparison; and outputting the modified second part of the first audio signal. An audio signal output device is also disclosed.