JP2003531505A - Authentication method for personal communicator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A method of authentication using an electronic device includes providing a computer having a voice receiving and generating subsystem equipped with a microphone, providing a personal communicator using a communication network, and using the communication network. Starting a connection to the personal communicator by the computer, and identifying the personal communicator in response to an acoustic response of the personal communicator to the start of the connection. Preferably, the personal communicator is a cellular telephone.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

(Related Application) This application is related to US Provisional Application No. 60/115231, filed January 8, 1999,
No. 60/1222687 filed on Mar. 3, 1999, No. 60/143220 filed on Jul. 9, 1999, No. 60/145342 filed on Jul. 23, 1999,
And “Card for Interaction with a Computer” filed on Sep. 14, 1999
Is an 119 (e) application named This application is also August 2, 1999
PCT application PCT / IL99 / 00470 filed on 7th, and PCT application PCT / IL99 / 00506 filed on September 16, 1999, October 1, 1999
Japanese application “Computer Communications” (Agent reference number 100/01190)
Also, “Card for Interaction with A Computer” filed on October 4, 1999.
(Partial continuation application of agent reference number 100/01189)
The T application has been filed by the applicant, Comsense Technology Limited, at the Israeli Receiving Office, with the United States designated. The disclosures of all of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to methods of interacting with a computer,
In particular, it relates to methods of using acoustic signals for such communications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Computer network components that communicate using radio, wire, or infrared radiation are well known. In addition, some home appliances are controlled using ultrasonic remote control. Other types of dedicated ultrasonic acoustic links are also known.

However, such a dedicated communication mechanism requires that special communication hardware be installed in the computer network component. Installing such hardware on existing computers can be costly and / or problematic. Moreover, some electronic circuits and / or computer-embedded devices, such as cellular phones, may be "sealed" products, and no internal components may be added to such products.

PCT publications WO96 / 10880, WO94 / 17498, WO93 / 2
1720 and WO 93/11619 describe electronic devices that transmit coded information to a telephone microphone using a DTMF-like coding scheme, the disclosures of which are disclosed in PCT publications. Are incorporated herein by reference. Addresses that can be used before February 1, 1999: "http: ///
www. entone. com / html / tech_def. html "
WWW page proposes using such a device to transmit audible DTMF-like tones to a personal computer using the computer's sound card.

Two-way communication between a smart card and a telephone communication system using audible DTMF-like tones is described in US Pat. No. 5,583,933, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of some preferred embodiments of the present invention is to simplify the interaction between electronic devices by removing the general requirement of installing dedicated communication hardware in the device. That is. Some suitable electronic devices include computers (eg desktops and laptops), televisions, watches, PDAs (personal digital assistants), electronic organizers, electronic toys, electronic games, voice response devices, wireless communication devices, answering machines, Desktop phones. The term "electronic device" as used herein is used to contemplate a wide range of devices including electronic circuits. In some embodiments described below, particular types of electronic devices, such as computers and toys, have been selected. this is,
This is because some of the embodiments described below will be more useful for one type of electronic device than for other types of electronic devices. However, such examples are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

An object of some preferred embodiments of the present invention is an input and / or output channel designed to communicate with a human user and not an electronic device, Preferably, an acoustic channel, but in some cases a visual channel, is used to allow the electronic device to communicate. In other cases, the communication channel is not originally intended to communicate with external components, such as diskette drives.

An object of some preferred embodiments of the present invention is to read from and write to smart cards using standard computer hardware without the need for special hardware installation. Is to be able to. This is especially useful for electronic wallets and Internet commerce where the trading method may not be widely accepted due to the cost of installing dedicated hardware. Further, the use of smart cards provides a way to solve the security and margin transaction availability issues associated with electronic commerce.

One aspect of some preferred embodiments of the present invention is that a computer or other device establishes communication with a personal communicator.
Authentication method for authenticating an individual. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer listens to the personal communicator's response to the communication setup to determine that the communicator is indeed by the computer. Alternatively or additionally, the computer sends an acoustic signal to the communicator and hears the signal arrive. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is no requirement to install special hardware in the computer for this authentication.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention relates to communicating with a computer using a sound card installed in the computer. In some computer configurations, the installation is permanent and is, for example, part of the motherboard chipset. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a device, preferably a smart card, sends information to the microphone of the sound card and receives information from the computer using the loudspeaker of the sound card (or of the computer). . Preferably, this transmission is a non-audible acoustic frequency,
For example, ultrasonic frequencies or very low frequencies are used. 20 standard music cards
Specifically designed to generate music over audible audio frequencies such as between 16 Hz and 16 kHz, but in the near ultrasonic frequency range (eg between 16 kHz and 50 kHz) and very low frequency range (eg 0.01 Hz to 20 or 40 Hz). Note that) limits the receiving and transmitting capabilities. The definition of audible frequency typically varies from user to user, which in some embodiments affects the choice of frequency used. In some cases, personalization software for frequency selection may be provided. Also, in some applications, the higher end of the audible range,
For example, 14 kHz to 16 kHz can be used. This is because the sensitivity to that frequency is very low, even for those who can detect it.

Ultrasonic communication has several advantages over voice communication: (A) A small number of transducers may be used. (B) The transmission efficiency is improved. (C) Usually, the noise level is small. (D) A resonant frequency with a wavelength on the order of the size of a credit card can be used. (E) Higher data rates can be achieved.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the ultrasonic frequencies used are low or high audible frequencies, for example between 15 kHz and 24 kHz, more preferably between 17 kHz and 20 kHz, some preferred frequencies. 21 kHz in the embodiment
between z and 23 kHz. Often, standard audio components can be used to transmit and / or receive these frequencies. This usually results in lower data rates, and lower frequencies may be preferable to higher frequencies even though they are more easily disrupted. These particular frequencies are proposed because they meet industry standards for sampling on audio cards (eg "SoundBlaster"). If other sampling frequencies are available, the preferred frequency can be adjusted accordingly. Preferably,
The lowest frequency used is chosen to be inaudible to humans. In some cases, frequency selection may depend on the age of the person.

The advantage of ultrasound over high frequency transmission is that the range of ultrasound transmission can be easily controlled by changing its amplitude. Typically, ultrasonic transmissions do not pass through walls, possibly increasing safety by limiting eavesdropping and obstruction from outside the room. Moreover, ultrasonic transmission typically does not interfere with the operation of electronics even when used in high power settings. Therefore, ultrasonic communication is better suited to those who use pacemakers and the hospital environment. Another advantage of acoustic transmission is that it reduces the actual health hazard perceived by the user.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention relates to communication between electronic devices using acoustic waves. As an alternative to, or in addition to, electronic devices that communicate using high frequency, variable magnetic field, infrared, visible light, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic devices communicate using acoustic waves. You can
In some cases, for example when communicating with a set-top box according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, one direction of communication is acoustic and the other direction is non-acoustic, eg High frequency or infrared (one direction is acoustic waves from the television, the other is infrared in the same manner as using infrared remote control). In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the acoustic waves used for communication are incorporated into the sound used for the normal operation of the sound-producing device, for example by means of a modulated beep. Alternatively or additionally, the sound is non-audible, for example of ultrasound, infrasound, low amplitude, and / or causes only slight changes in the amplitude and / or frequency of the existing voicing signal. Absent.

It should be noted that many electronic devices include microphones and / or speakers. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a microphone and / or speaker is used to communicate with the device. In one example, an acoustic smart card (
Or an "electronic wallet" card) communicates with such devices using sound waves and / or ultrasound. Such smart cards can carry the information stored therein. In some cases, the information may be, for example, RSA or DS
It is encrypted using the A encryption.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a smart card is provided with a smart card, optionally requiring a simple software installation but no hardware installation (assuming some acoustic hardware is present), You can "swipe" with many existing computers and electronic devices. Such simple swiping should make it easy for Internet shoppers to accept the use of the card. In some cases, the swiping software can be downloaded as a Java Applet or as a script in another network programming language.

In some embodiments, another type of electronic device is in communication. For example, a PDA can communicate with a cellular phone, each including a microphone and a speaker. Another example is programming a name and number stored on a PDA into a cellular telephone, or the cellular telephone querying the PDA for a particular telephone number. Alternatively or additionally, the network can be formed from multiple such devices, possibly with one device forwarding the message from the first device to the second device. Alternatively, or in addition, peripherals, without the need for wiring or special hardware,
An acoustic connection can be used to connect to the computer. In some embodiments, by properly programming the electronic device, only one acoustic transducer (microphone or speaker) can be controllable to act as both a receiver and a transmitter.

Many computers are commercially available with Sound-Blaster compatible sound subsystems, stereo speakers, and microphones. Some computers are equipped with other types of sound systems, which in some cases also have varying frequencies to compensate for different circuits or sampling characteristics to support the application of preferred embodiments of the invention. .. Typically, this sound system is designed to produce music and other audible sounds. In addition, many computers include internal speakers and modem speakers. U
Some computers use USB speakers that are directly connected to the SB (Universal Serial Bus).

It is understood that, in some embodiments of the present invention, sound communication is adapted to use, control, and / or process the device at the device, not merely passing through the device. I want to be done. For example, a telephone may interpret a computer information encoded signal rather than transmitting the signal over the telephone network, as is done in the art. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a wireless telephone is implemented using ultrasonic communication between a base station and a handset. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the base station is incorporated in a computer that communicates with the telephone. Optionally wireless communication uses the same loudspeaker and / or microphone used to communicate with the person using the telephone and / or computer. Additionally or alternatively, the handset is used for Internet telephony through a computer without a cradle or other special connection between computer and telephone.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention relates to interfacing a device (possibly a toy) with a computer system without installing special or dedicated hardware in the computer. Such interfaces may use EM coupling to a cable connected to the computer, detection of the radio frequency signal RF from the computer, or direct input to a mouse or keyboard. In one preferred embodiment, a loudspeaker already installed in the computer is used to interrogate the identification device using ultrasound. Preferably, a computer microphone is used to detect the response from the queried device. In some embodiments, particularly for toys, the query may include audible tones. Therefore, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, no special computer hardware is required so that inexpensive and / or simple communication between one device and another device or computer is feasible. Moreover, it becomes easier to interface the input device with a computer program that is responsive to the input device. Additionally or alternatively, ultrasonic communication can be used to download programs and / or music files to a toy or other device. In some cases, the program and / or music files are downloaded directly from the Internet as sound files, possibly reducing the need for dedicated toys (or devices) to program the software interface,
Or lose. In some cases, the toy and / or device emits a sound in response, which sound is transmitted back over the Internet.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the acoustic waves used for communication, or optionally another set of acoustic waves, may be used to determine the relative position and / or orientation of the electronic device. .. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pointing device interrogates the transponder and uses the built-in speaker of the electronic device to detect the position, orientation, and / or movement of the device, thereby "touched", or The touch screen is emulated by identifying the pointed position. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the transponder is implemented using the speaker and microphone of the pointing device, for example when the device is a cellular telephone.

For example, one or more of the following sound generators may be available in one personal computer. Sound generated by built-in speakers, modem speakers, and mechanical devices such as hard disk drives and diskette drives. These sound generators can also be used to transmit information.

One aspect of some preferred embodiments of the present invention relates to visual communication between devices using embedded hardware. In one example, a video camera with many computers can be used to accept the visual signal from the second device. Such visual signaling may be temporal, for example by blinking a screen or LEDs. Alternatively or additionally, signaling uses a spatial code, for example, by the remote camera identifying the visual spatial pattern on the screen using OCR or the like. In some cases, the blinking frequency is higher than what a human observer perceives to reduce oversight. Note that the communication between the screen and the video camera allows for increased bandwidth and / or enhanced error correction due to the large number of transmit and receive pixels available. Alternatively or additionally, an existing IR port is used as the source, which is detectable by many CCD cameras.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention relates to using high frequencies rather than acoustic waves to communicate with the device. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the high frequency generated by the computer speaker, rather than the generated sound, is detected by the second device. In one exemplary embodiment, the smart card detects high frequencies generated by the telephone loudspeaker rather than sound. Alternatively or additionally, the device can induce an electric field in the microphone by transmitting a high frequency field at ultrasonic or sonic frequencies. Alternatively, or additionally, the computer can generate measurable and codeable electromagnetic waves by transmitting information simultaneously to multiple data buses,
As a result, a stronger signal is detected outside the computer.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the present invention relates to detecting the coincidence of high frequency and acoustic pulses to determine the distance between objects. If two pulses are generated simultaneously, the delay between their detection depends on the distance between the objects. Two pulses can be generated by a single device, such as a computer speaker, or a computer speaker and BlueTooth R
It can also be generated by a separate device such as an F-link. In one exemplary application, a computer speaker produces two pulses at the same time, and a microphone on a smart card detects two pulses, one corresponding to high frequencies and the other corresponding to acoustic waves. In some cases, two sensors are provided on the card, one for each modality, although a synthetic sensor such as a piezoelectric microphone is preferred. The processing can be done with a smart card. Alternatively, the acquired signal can be transferred to a computer for processing. One exemplary method of determining the delay is by automatic correction of the received signal. The pulses used may be symmetric or asymmetric in time.

One aspect of some preferred embodiments of the present invention is that a computer microphone is used to capture ambient sounds and then a computer is used to analyze these sounds, after which the results of this analysis are used. And then looking for events that occur in the neighborhood. Optionally, these sounds are transmitted to the remote location as a sound file or as a data file for basic and / or further analysis. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device is designed and / or programmed to generate a sound (possibly in the ultrasonic range), which sound represents a current state or a particular event. Therefore, eavesdropping on these sounds makes it possible to determine the status of the electronic device. In one example,
A malfunctioning fax machine produces one hum and / or a fax arriving at a working fax machine produces another hum or sound pattern.
A computer near the facsimile machine can ask for status and events and transmit this information, optionally using a computer network, to the user of the information. In some cases, existing sounds produced by a fax machine (beeps, print noises, etc.) can be identified by a computer without the need for special programming of the fax machine to produce the new sound. .

One aspect of some preferred embodiments of the present invention relates to interrogating electronic devices using acoustic channels. Such queries should not adversely affect the operation of the device. In one example, a device is a network component such as a hub. In another example, the device is a computer. 1 of the present invention
In one preferred embodiment, the acoustic channels are controlled by a computer without interfering with the work of the person using the computer (eg analyzing received information, generating outgoing transmissions, and possibly executing some software). To be done.

An aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention relates to using non-air transmission of sound to communicate with speakers and / or microphones. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, sound is transmitted via an electrical cable in the home, for example between two outlets. In another exemplary embodiment, the casing of the device and / or the cable connected thereto is used to propagate acoustic or ultrasonic signals to or from a microphone.

One aspect of some preferred embodiments of the invention is that the thin client (th)
in-client) displays information and / or uses ultrasound to transmit an input signal to a controller of a small lightweight client. An advantage of such an architecture is that the controller may be any suitable electronic device with a speaker, with any suitable software changes or suitable hardware connections. In one example application, the user
A wristwatch-like instrument can be used to display status and / or control a home automation system. Alternatively or additionally, the wristwatch may emit a radio transmission (or other message) that is ultrasonically transferred to the wristwatch, for example by a computer with a radio card or by a digital radio. Optionally, the instrument includes one or more input signals that can again be transferred to the controller, preferably again by ultrasound. These input signals can be mapped to the control mechanism of the controller or can interact with appropriate software in the controller. Some embodiments allow software execution on the instrument, but this is not preferred. Alternatively or additionally, acoustic transmission is preferred, but in some preferred embodiments of the invention, high frequency or other transmission methods are used.

Therefore, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of communicating with an electronic device comprising providing a computer having an audible sound reception / generation subsystem including a microphone, encoded with information. A method is provided that includes transmitting at least one ultrasonic acoustic signal from a source to a computer, and receiving the at least one signal by the microphone, as detected by the computer.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of communicating with an electronic device comprising providing a computer having an audible sound reception / generation subsystem including a microphone and a loudspeaker. Transmitting at least one encoded first acoustic signal from a source to a computer; receiving the at least one signal by the microphone as detected by the computer; and the detected signal In response to, a method is provided that includes transmitting at least one second audio signal encoded with information to the source using the loudspeaker. Preferably, at least one of said at least one first signal and at least one second signal comprises an ultrasound signal.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of communicating with an electronic device, the method comprising providing an electronic electronic device having a sound receiving / generating subsystem that includes a microphone and a loudspeaker. Transmitting at least one encoded ultrasonic acoustic signal from a source to an electronic device, receiving the at least one signal by the microphone, as detected by the electronic device, and the detected A method is provided that includes, in response to a signal, transmitting at least one second ultrasonic acoustic signal encoded with information to the source using the loudspeaker. Preferably, the electronic device comprises a computer.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of communicating with an electronic device, comprising providing a telephone having a sound receiving / generating subsystem including a microphone, at least encoded with information. A method is provided that includes transmitting an acoustic signal from a source to a telephone and receiving the at least one signal to be used to control the telephone by the microphone. Preferably, the acoustic signal comprises an ultrasonic signal.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of communicating with an electronic device comprising providing a computer having a sound receiving / generating subsystem including a microphone, at least encoded with information. A method is provided that includes transmitting an acoustic signal from a source to a computer, receiving the at least one signal by the microphone, and transferring the indication of the information to a remote computer via the Internet. . Preferably, the instructions comprise a sound file.
Alternatively, the instructions comprise a data file.

[0036]   In a preferred embodiment of the invention said acoustic signal comprises an ultrasonic signal.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer comprises a PDA (personal digital assistant). Alternatively, the computer comprises a portable computer. Alternatively, the computer comprises a desktop computer.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises processing the at least one sound by the computer. Preferably, the processing comprises extracting the encoded information. Alternatively or additionally, the process includes determining a distance between the microphone and the source. Alternatively or additionally, the process includes determining movement of the microphone relative to the source. Preferably, the movement comprises an angular movement. Alternatively,
Or additionally, the movement comprises a translational movement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said processing comprises determining the spatial position of said microphone relative to said source. Preferably, the spatial position is 1
It is a dimensional space position. Alternatively, the spatial position is a two-dimensional spatial position. Alternatively, the spatial position is a three-dimensional spatial position.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the processing comprises emulating a touch screen using the received at least one sound. Alternatively or additionally, the processing includes emulating a pointing device with the received at least one sound.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the received at least one
Controlling at least one movement of the toy in response to one sound.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device comprises a wireless communication device. Alternatively, the device comprises a toy.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device comprises a computer peripheral. Preferably, the peripheral device includes a printer.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention said information comprises programming information. Alternatively or additionally, the information includes music.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the source comprises a toy. Preferably, the information comprises a built-in player input signal.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the source comprises a smart card.
Alternatively, the source comprises a wireless communication device. Alternatively, the source comprises a computer. Alternatively, the source comprises a computer peripheral device.

[0047]   In one preferred embodiment of the invention said information comprises personal information.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises logging into a computer system in response to said at least transmitted signal.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the received at least one
Transmitting at least one second acoustic signal in response to the one signal.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the acoustic signal comprises a human audible sound. Preferably, the sound has a dominant frequency above 10 kHz.

[0051]   Alternatively, the sound has a very low frequency main frequency.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention said information is encoded using an amplitude signal below a human threshold. Alternatively or additionally, the information is encoded using amplitude variations below a human threshold.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sound is generated at a frequency outside the normal operating frequency range for the sound subsystem. Alternatively or additionally, the sound subsystem is designed to generate musical sounds.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sound subsystem comprises a sound card. Preferably, the sound card is SoundBlast
er compatible sound card included.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the sound subsystem is designed for audible communication with a human operator.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of less than 70, 60 or 50 kHz. Alternatively or additionally, the ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of less than 35 kHz. Alternatively, or in addition,
The ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of less than 25 kHz. Alternatively or additionally, the ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of about 21 kHz. Alternatively or additionally, the ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of about 20 kHz. Alternatively or additionally, the ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of about 19 kHz. Alternatively or additionally, the ultrasonic signal has a dominant frequency of about 18 kHz.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of creating a smart card terminal, comprising: providing a general purpose computer having a general purpose sound subsystem; and providing smart card terminal software to the computer. A method is provided, including loading, for the software to control the sound system to receive acoustic waves from a smart card smart card and to transmit acoustic waves to the smart card. Preferably, the software analyzes the received acoustic waves to determine the information encoded by the acoustic waves. Alternatively or additionally, the software retransmits the acoustic wave to a remote computer,
A remote computer analyzes the received acoustic waves to determine the information encoded by the acoustic waves. Alternatively or additionally, loading the smart card terminal software includes downloading the software via the Internet. Alternatively or additionally, the acoustic wave comprises ultrasound. Alternatively or additionally, the smart card comprises a memory for storing financial accounts. Alternatively or additionally, the software encrypts the information encoded by the transmitted acoustic wave. Alternatively or additionally, the smart card comprises a memory for storing identification information about the cardholder. Alternatively or additionally, the smart card comprises a processing unit for analyzing the information received from the computer and for generating a response to the computer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a processor and a sound subsystem designed to generate music, the speaker generating acoustic waves, and the acoustic waves detecting A sound subsystem with a microphone, a memory, and software installed in the memory, the software analyzing acoustic waves received by the microphone and encoded by the acoustic waves. A computer system is provided that recognizes information and the software uses the speaker to transmit an information-encoded acoustic wave responsive to the recognized information. Preferably, the acoustic waves include ultrasonic acoustic waves.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a method of connecting a peripheral device to a computer, the method comprising: providing a general purpose computer including a sound generation / reception subsystem; Analyzing sound received by the computer to detect acoustic transmissions from the peripheral, and transmitting information from the computer to the peripheral using the subsystem using coded sound transmission. A method is provided that includes performing.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of communicating with a computer driving a computer component that is not designed to generate a field in a way that generates a parasitic electromagnetic field. Providing a magnetic field by a computer, the field being encoded with information by the generation, and further comprising receiving the encoded field by an electronic device. To be done. Preferably, the electronic device receives the waves using a high frequency antenna. Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device receives the waves using a microphone. Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device receives the waves using a microphone. Alternatively or additionally, the electromagnetic field has a main AC frequency between 10 kHz and 100 kHz.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of detecting electromagnetic radiation by a computer, comprising: generating an electromagnetic field encoding information; sampling a microphone channel associated with the computer. And detecting the artifacts caused by the field and decoding the information by the computer. Preferably, the associated computer is physically connected to the microphone channel. Alternatively, the associated computer is connected to the microphone via a computer network connection.
Connected to a channel.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electromagnetic field is a side effect of driving a speaker. Preferably, the electromagnetic field is a side effect of driving a speaker.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electromagnetic fields are 10 kHz and 100 kHz.
It has a main AC frequency between Hz.

Also according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of emulating a microphone using a speaker, comprising providing a computer having a speaker channel and a microphone channel, the computer speaker To a microphone channel, and receiving a signal for the microphone channel via the speaker. Preferably, the coupling comprises coupling using a coupler.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coupler for an audio channel, the first connector for selectively driving a speaker or receiving an input signal from a microphone. A second connector for sending a signal to a microphone channel, a third connector for receiving a speaker drive signal from a speaker channel, and a speaker for selectively using the first connector And a circuit for driving or receiving a signal from the microphone. Preferably, the circuit receives a switching command via the speaker channel.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of determining the status of an electronic device, comprising receiving an information-encoded acoustic signal generated by said device and analyzing said signal. , And responsive to the information to determine an operational status associated with the device. Preferably, the status comprises the status of the device. Alternatively or additionally, the status comprises the status of a second device connected by computer communication with the device. Alternatively or additionally, the status comprises the status of the network of which the device is a part. Alternatively or additionally, the analysis includes a computer analysis separate from the circuitry used to acquire the signal. Alternatively or additionally, the signal is generated by the device in response to an inquiry by the receiving second device. Preferably, the inquiry does not interrupt other activities of the device.

Alternatively, the signal is generated by the device independent of interrogation by a second device.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention said signal is a sound wave signal. Alternatively, the signal is an ultrasonic signal.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the method is such that the signal is generated using an existing speaker that is not designed to communicate with a second device when the device is designed. Including programming existing devices.
Preferably said programming comprises software programming in which only memory storage locations are changed. Alternatively or additionally, the programming comprises hardware programming in which the electronic circuitry of the device is modified.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device comprises a computer. Alternatively, the electronic device comprises a network hub. Alternatively,
The electronic device includes a network switch. Alternatively, the electronic device comprises a network router.

Also according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for a single user computer to be accessed by a second user without interrupting the activity of the first user, the method comprising: Is provided by the user of the computer to the computer, receiving the command by the computer, and executing the command by the computer. Preferably, the command is ultrasonically encoded. Alternatively, or in addition, the receiving may be performed by the computer's sound
Sound, including receiving using a microphone connected to the card
The card is designed for audio applications.

Also according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention a computer networking method, the method comprising the provision of first, second and third computers and acoustic transmission between the computers. A method is provided that includes transmitting message encoded data from one computer via a second computer to a third computer. Preferably, the acoustic transmission utilizes a sound card specifically designed to process audible sounds. Alternatively or additionally, the acoustic transmission utilizes ultrasonic waves having a frequency below 50 kHz.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a wireless peripheral device for an electronic device, comprising: a microphone for receiving ultrasonic acoustic transmissions having a frequency of less than 70 kHz from the electronic device. There is provided a peripheral device comprising a circuit for processing the transmission, and a display device for displaying a result of the processing. Preferably, the peripheral device comprises an input element and a speaker for transmitting sound to the electronic device in response to an input from the input element.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the peripheral device comprises a print engine for printing the results of the processing. Alternatively or additionally, the processing only comprises converting the signal from an acoustically encoded format to a format suitable for the display. Alternatively, the processing includes processing the information encoded by the transmission.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device comprises a computer. Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device comprises a radio. Alternatively or additionally, the peripheral device includes a speaker for the electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, the peripheral device includes a time display device representing a time signal generated by the electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, the peripheral device includes a status display device representative of status signals generated by the electronic device.

Also according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a wireless peripheral device for an electronic device, comprising: a speaker for transmitting ultrasonic acoustic transmission having a frequency of less than 70 kHz from the electronic device. There is provided a peripheral device comprising a circuit for generating the transmission and an input element for receiving an input encoded by the transmission. Preferably, the peripheral device comprises a microphone for receiving ultrasonic transmissions from the electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, the input element comprises a bar code reader. Alternatively or additionally, the input element comprises a smart card reader. Alternatively or additionally, the input element comprises a pointing device. Alternatively or additionally, the input element comprises a keyboard.

Also according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of communicating with a computer, comprising providing a computer having a data line connected to at least one particular peripheral device, using an electromagnetic field coupler. Providing a data transmission to the computer by injecting a signal into the data line and identifying the source of the data transmission by the computer.

Also according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of communicating with a computer, the method comprising: providing a computer having a data line connected to at least one particular peripheral device; Is provided by the computer, and receiving the data transmission from the computer by eavesdropping on the data line using an electromagnetic field coupler.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of injecting data from a non-bonded peripheral into a computer, the data being transmitted from the non-bonded peripheral to a tap, and the tap A method is provided that includes physically activating a peripheral device coupled to the computer. Preferably, the physical activation comprises activating a key on the keyboard. Alternatively, physical activation comprises vibrating the mouse to activate it.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of communicating with a computer, the data transmission occurring by the computer, the component not designed to transmit the data, A method is provided that includes controlling by the computer to perform the transmission of the data and receiving by the second device the data transmission from the computer. Preferably, the computer controls the activity of mechanical components of the computer to transmit the data by modulation of mechanical sounds generated by the computer. Alternatively or in addition, the computer may activate the status LED of the computer to activate the L
It is controlled to transmit the data by modulating the illumination of the ED. Alternatively,
Alternatively or additionally, the computer controls the activity of electrical components of the computer to transmit the data by modulation of parasitic high frequency signals generated by the computer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a method of transmitting data over a computer network, the method comprising: providing a sound file in a first location; A method is provided that includes transmitting via a computer network to a second location and transmitting the sound file as an acoustic sound to a processing unit at a third location.

Also according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of transmitting data over a computer network, the data encoding as acoustic sound at a first location, A method is provided that includes transmitting the file as an acoustic sound to a second location; transmitting the acoustic sound as a sound file to a third location via the network.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the network comprises the Internet.

Also according to one preferred embodiment of the invention, a method of analyzing an acoustic signal, the method comprising: receiving the signal using a microphone, the microphone converting the signal into an analog electrical signal; A method is provided that includes using the analog signal to drive at least one digital data lead of an integrated circuit, and processing the signal using the integrated circuit. Preferably, the method comprises amplifying the electrical signal before the drive.

Also according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a method for determining the time of flight of a pulse between two electronic devices, the method comprising: Based on the simultaneous generation of electromagnetic pulses, using a single detector associated with a second electronic device to detect both acoustic and electromagnetic pulses, and the delay between the reception of two pulses A method is provided that includes determining a time of flight of the acoustic pulse between two devices.

Also in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of acoustic communication, comprising: estimating an echo duration for an acoustic band, and transmitting data using the acoustic band. , A silence period is provided between the data elements, the silence period having a duration responsive to the echo duration. Preferably, the data elements are coded using the FSK coding protocol using individual frequencies. Alternatively or additionally, estimating comprises estimating based on the expected communication geometry. Alternatively, the estimating comprises estimating a duration based on at least one acoustic calibration generated adjacent to the data transmission.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of communicating with an electronic device is presented, the method comprising providing a computer having a voice receiving / generating subsystem including a microphone, a personal computer utilizing a communication network. Providing a communicator, initiating a connection of the computer with the personal communicator via the communication network, and the personal communicator in response to a voice response of the personal communicator to the initiation of the connection Including specifying. Preferably, initiating the connection includes utilizing dedicated hardware to directly access the communication network from the computer. Preferably, the hardware comprises a dialer card.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, initiating a connection uses dedicated hardware and utilizes a link between a non-computer network and the communication network to allow the computer to connect to a network other than the communication network. Including direct access to non-computer data networks. Alternatively, initiating a connection includes requesting a second computer to create such a connection, the request being made via a computer network.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the initiation by the computer comprises causing the personal communicator to generate an identifiable voice response. Preferably it comprises requesting a discernible voice response by said computer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said method comprises transmitting to said personal communicator an audible tone a data signal to be received by said computer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of authentication is also presented, the method comprising providing a computer having a voice receiving and generating subsystem with a microphone, a personal communicator utilizing a communication network. A closed loop including a connection between the computer and the personal communicator via the communication network, and a voice communication portion between the computer and the personal communicator and a portion on the communication network. Sending an authentication signal, above. Preferably, the computer initiates opening the connection. Alternatively, the personal communicator initiates the opening of the connection.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the authentication signal comprises a sound wave generated by the computer and transmitted as a sound to the personal communicator.

Alternatively or additionally, the authentication signal comprises a sound wave generated by a remote computer and transmitted to the personal communicator via the communication network. Preferably, the remote communicator initiates the connection. Preferably, in this method, the remote computer causes the personal communicator to generate a voice, and the voice is detected by the computer as an instruction to request authentication.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the authentication signal is at least predominantly at the voice frequency. Preferably, the signal is encoded using a DTMF-like encoding technique.

Alternatively or additionally, the authentication signal comprises the frequency of ultrasound waves.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method according to any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the personal communicator comprises a cellular telephone. Preferably, the personal communicator comprises a programmable cellular telephone. Preferably, the cellular telephone comprises a Java ™ programmable cellular telephone.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the personal communicator has a pager. Alternatively, the personal communicator comprises a cordless phone.

The invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the non-limiting preferred embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer 20 and an electronic device 30 capable of performing communication using sound waves, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Current,
Most computers on the market include a sound system 24, which is typically a sound card connected to at least one microphone 26 and at least one speaker 28. Many electronic devices include a microphone 34 and a speaker 36. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, computer 20 and electronic device 30 communicate using these standard components, which are typically designed for human communication rather than computer communication. In some cases, the electronic device (or computer) may include a jack to which one or more speakers and one or more microphones may be connected. Preferably, such connected acoustic elements are placed on the unobstructed part of the device, preferably at a location where the element has a wide field of view.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the popular "Sound-Blas"
using standard sound cards such as "ter", electronic devices, toys and / or
Or it generates acoustic and / or ultrasonic signals to (and for) other objects. The acoustic signal can be audible or inaudible, for example with predominantly ultrasonic or very low frequencies. Preferably frequencies of 22 kHz, 24 kHz and 32 kHz are used. This is because standard sound cards have these sampling rates (
And / or multiples thereof, eg, 44 kHz and 48 kHz). As used herein, the term "main frequency" is used to describe a frequency band in which most of the energy of the information carrying the signal is concentrated. In some cases, the information carrying portion of the signal is not at the main frequency generated by the card, for example when the ultrasonic signal is overlaid on different audible tones.

In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the sound card is adapted to operate in the near-ultrasonic region, for example by increasing its sampling frequency. In general, microphones and loudspeakers used in computer systems can support low frequency ultrasound waves with sufficient fidelity without adaptation. However, in some cases, a special ultrasonic sensing microphone or ultrasonic effective speaker may be used. In other cases, the sensitivity of a particular microphone and / or loudspeaker may be determined prior to or during communication with the electronic device. In one example, the frequency sensitivity (and / or directional sensitivity) of a microphone can be determined if devices with known properties transmit equally strong signals at several frequencies. In a similar fashion, the computer can generate signals that are detected by these sounds as well as the device and analyzed to determine the output characteristics of the particular loudspeaker used. Further, a self-tuning procedure can be performed by using the computer's microphone and listening to the computer's output. In some cases, both the device and the computer sound system can be tuned by combining self-tests and cross-tests.

In some cases, the microphone and / or sound card may
It is sufficiently sensitive to receive RF signals from the object that are relevant to producing an acoustic signal, even when no acoustic signal is being transmitted (eg, there are no loudspeakers). Alternatively, or in addition, the object may detect the RF signal generated by the speaker or sound card during the generation of ultrasonic waves.
These RF signals are generally less affected by the lack of line-of-sight than ultrasonic signals. In an exemplary embodiment, a device for communication with a telephone handset (or other device in which the speaker and microphone have been replaced),
It can be reduced by allowing the detection of sound from the phone to be emulated by detection of the RF field from the phone speaker. Therefore, make the smart card smaller and place it against the phone microphone,
It is also possible to receive signals from the telephone loudspeakers. Alternatively, or additionally, the device can transmit an RF field to generate an electrical signal at a telephone microphone. These transmitted and received signals can be ultrasound waves, or they can be, for example, sound waves known in the art as DTMF or DTMF type signals.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, acoustic communication or the like can be used to program the toy and / or receive information from the toy, eg, US Pat. No. 5,752,880. The RF link is substituted for this purpose, as described by. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, music can be downloaded from the Internet directly to the toy, for example by modulating the ultrasound signal to carry an MP3 sound file. Alternatively, or in addition, such links can be used for real-time communication with toys.

Some embodiments of the present invention do not require the electronic device to communicate with a computer. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of two communicating electronic devices 30 and 30 '. In one example, the PDA communicates with the printer. In another example, the organizer communicates with satellite phones. In some cases, such communications are used to exchange data files and / or share functions such as modem connections. In some cases, the port adapter may need to be plugged into the port, which may be, for example, a sonic-to-parallel adapter that translates between an acoustic signal and a parallel port signal. Is.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a computer network uses existing hardware such as audio cards, loudspeakers, and microphones to transmit sound waves transmitted between computers for communication. To use. Preferably, the sound waves are ultrasonic waves. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a computer network or the like is used to connect a PDA or portable computer to another computer, which may be, for example, a data transfer or peripheral device such as a modem, printer or storage device. It is done to share the equipment. Thus existing PDA's (including loudspeakers and microphones) can use desktop computer modems without the need for additional hardware within the PDA, and perhaps with only minor software changes.
This software modification may be done in the application software on the PDA and / or in the operating system software, depending on the embodiment. In another example, a sound-enabled smart card (as described below) can print or back up information using a standard desktop computer. Alternatively, or additionally, such networks can be used in small offices, for example for file sharing or printer sharing.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a standard communication protocol / language is defined to allow many types of devices to communicate and / or share resources using that standard language. . Alternatively, existing network languages can be used.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, sonic and / or ultrasonic communication is provided for a fee-charged item, using a reactive component, possibly a passive transponder, to charge a fee. Or used to pay a fee (human, package, or vehicle). In another example, such communications are used to pay transportation fares for subways or buses. Alternatively, or in addition, the acoustic mechanism described herein may be used for an automatic refueling / billing system, optionally transmitting billing and / or mileage information to a pump receiver. Control the fuel flow and / or verify the fuel type. In some cases, car dashboard speakers, car horns, alarm speakers, car radio speakers or dedicated speakers are used to provide the required acoustic and / or ultrasonic signals. In some cases, as mentioned above, it is the RF signal generated by the speaker that is detected. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a car radio speaker is adapted to produce the required sound by transmitting electromagnetic waves from a dedicated electronic device to the radio or its loudspeakers.

Alternatively to the use of a computer, or even in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a set-top box of, for example, a cable TV system is used to transmit and / or receive acoustic signals. It Preferably a microphone is connected to this set top box. Alternatively, or in addition, the transmission back to the set top box may be detected by the set top box using an IR signal. In one example, the set top box includes software that analyzes the signal. Such signals may include the response of the electronic device and / or toy to sounds produced by the television or set top box. Alternatively, or additionally, the set top box adds sound (or ultrasound) to the video and / or audio stream decompressed by the set top box. Alternatively, or additionally, the set top box adds temporal and / or spatial light modulation to the video stream for detection by the light sensitive electronic device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the detection of the signal by the electronic device (or computer) comprises the binary detection of the signal, ie the detection of the on / off state. Additionally, or alternatively, more complex signal detection and analysis techniques can be implemented, such as signal amplitude, frequency, frequency spectrum, Doppler shift, amplitude and / or duration. Change of, detection of number of iterations,
Speech recognition and / or other pattern recognition of sounds. It is possible to use different information encoding protocols, which are AM, FM, PSK, QPS.
Including K encoding and / or pulse length encoding. The signals transmitted may include the behavior of the transmitting device, location, environment, nearby devices, locally sensed information, logical states, responsiveness, requests for information, and / or responses to such requests.

Detection and / or analysis of such signals may also be performed on a computer in communication with the electronic device. The physical detection circuit is preferably located on the device. Additionally or alternatively, the detection circuitry is also located on the computer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the microphone 34 (or microphone 26) comprises a directional microphone, for example a stereophonic microphone, or a microphone in which the frequency response is not spatially uniform, to determine the direction of the sound source. Help or suppress noise.

On September 16, 1998, the “The C
on control of Toys and Devices by Sounds
PCT application PCT / IL98 / 00450, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a sound activated toy. In detail,
This application describes various sound generators that accidentally produce sound as a result of movement, for example, this is noise from beads or the rustling material in a box. Such a sound generator will be connected and / or attached to the toy to produce a signal that is captured by another toy or device when the toy moves. This PCT application also describes the use of directional microphones and / or two or more microphone elements to detect the direction and / or position of sound. Additionally or alternatively, the relative distance is determined based on the amplitude of the sound.

“Interactive Toys” filed Dec. 14, 1998
Israel application 127569, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes various toys and electronic devices that interact using sound waves. These applications contain information that aids in the design and use of acoustically controlled devices and is applicable to some preferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a smart card 40 that communicates with a computer. It should be noted that while smart cards are a special case of electronic devices, conventional smart cards do not include acoustic input / output channels, especially those for ultrasound at low ultrasound frequencies.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the smart card 40 comprises an acoustic element 42, a processor 44 for controlling this acoustic element, and a memory 46 for storing information. Such smart cards can use a single piezoelectric transducer (possibly a film layer) for both transmission and reception.

Since many electronic devices include speakers and / or microphones,
Such a card can communicate with any such device that has the appropriate software. Due to the increasing size of electronics, in some cases smart cards can be emulated using PDA or other electronic means (and vice versa) in terms of both size and functionality. is there. Additionally or alternatively, such smart card functionality may also be exhibited by a cellular phone or laptop computer. The advantage of laptop computers and PDAs is their convenient user interface. The advantage of cellular phones is the possibility of real-time and / or offline communication with a central location.

A particularly desirable use of such smart cards is for authentication, ie for authenticating electronic commerce using digital signature methods. In such applications, the card can be used to provide encrypted or signed information to a vendor over the Internet or a telephone by transmitting sound waves from a sound card to a computer. You can These sound waves can be transferred to a vendor or verification device as a sound file or a data file. The smart card can generate information in response to the information presented by the computer acoustically, or using a human to enter data into a sound file for the smart card.

The software protection method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a passive ID tag that responds to an inquiry. In one example, such a tag is attached to the case of a software CD and the computer on which the software executes runs C.
The software operates only when it is possible to inquire a special code for D using ultrasonic waves or sound wave signals. Alternatively, or in addition, the ID tag may be attached to the CD itself and / or attached (or incorporated) to the equipment used to interact with the software. Alternatively or additionally, the tag is permanently attached to the computer case and / or monitor and / or other internal or external components (ie,
Damaged by removing). Alternatively or additionally, the ID tag is plugged in as a pass-through hasp. The passing hasp is
It does not interact with the data lines passing through it, but utilizes the power of the power lines. Software authentication utilizes acoustic communication between the hasp and microphone and / or speaker. Instead of software protection, a device that can easily be stolen such a method, such as a PDA or laptop computer,
It can also be used to protect These devices can use an internal speaker and / or microphone to detect if the required ID tag is nearby.

The authentication system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably a personal communicator for authentication and / or login to a computer or other device requiring authentication, such as an electronic turnstile. To use. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the user dials the computer into his personal communicator (eg, pager, cellular phone, cordless phone or satellite phone) and listens to the ringing tone or other response of the personal communicator. To be authenticated. In a local cellular network, the computer may dial the Leo extension number. The personal communicator is preferably programmed to generate a distinctive ring tone, at least for computer calls. Alternatively or in addition, the computer may be capable of requesting a distinctive ring (eg, requesting such a ring from a telephone company, pager service provider, or switch).

It should be noted that different types of personal communicators utilize different types of communication networks. For example, analog pager networks include intermediaries, and cellular pager networks include local cells.
ll), the telephone network includes the exchange of telephones, and the integrated LAN-telephony network utilizes the same network for voice and data communication.

Alternatively or additionally, the user may instruct the computer, for example using a pre-assigned number or a computer-provided number (or the number that the computer calls the user), and the computer may give some sound to the personal communicator. Authentication is performed by sending it to the computer and listening to the sound using the microphone in the computer room. Preferably the sound is an audible sound. In some cases, DTMF
It is a sound. Alternatively or additionally, the sound comprises the frequency of ultrasound waves, utilizing, for example, the frequencies described herein. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer utilizes a dedicated sound to determine the attributes of the personal communicator, such as distance from the computer. Alternatively or additionally, the user may have a personal communicator (eg its acoustic I / O section) when the user's communicator indicates an incoming call or in response to a request from the computer.
Should be placed close to the computer's microphone and / or speaker. Alternatively or additionally, the authentication signal is transmitted by acoustic means to the personal communicator and sent back to the computer via the personal communicator's communication network.

Alternatively or additionally, in order to connect a telephone, the personal communicator responds to ambient room sound (eg ultrasound or DTMF sounds from a computer) with an ID code. Good. Alternatively or additionally, the user dials a code from a personal communicator to cause the computer to receive DTMF tones using the computer's microphone,
You may enter the code into your computer. Alternatively, the computer may detect individual ring tones of the personal communication device as an indication that the remote computer is using the device to indicate that the remote computer is about to begin the authentication sequence. Alternatively, the request to perform the authentication process is sent through the computer network or by the user's request from the input device of the computer,
You may reach the computer.

Some types of personal communicators, such as JAVA® programmable cellular phones, are easy to program. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, such a telephone is reprogrammed into an ID card.
Such reprogramming (eg, downloading a new program from a cellular provider or other provider directly to the cellular phone) is required (ch
allenge) or in response to a user keying in a code when the user anticipates such a challenge. Emulation of smart cards or ID cards by cellular phones or other programmable electronic devices is described throughout this specification. However, the advantage of cellular phones is that at least some of the logic can be located on the computer side that communicates with the cellular phone.

In some cases, the cellular telephone acts only as an input / output device for the remote computer. Therefore, the personal communicator can be used to establish a direct link between two computers. Such a link can be used to authenticate the holder of the personal communicator. Such links are typically more difficult to compromise than links for computer networks. The personal communicator is passive on the link. Alternatively, the personal communicator may be active in the link. For example, the personal communicator may perform some data processing and / or encryption processing. Additionally, data is transmitted through the personal communicator and through a computer network, eg, one of the channels containing the encryption key of the other channel. Alternatively, or additionally, the data being transmitted to the personal communicator is transmitted as an electronic data packet, which is converted to voice for the local computer.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, several levels of authentication are provided. For example,
Cellular phones transmit IDs embedded in the hardware using sound waves. Alternatively or additionally, the cellular phone may digitally sign messages passing through it with an ID. The user may be required to type the code that the computer has eavesdropped on, and / or the remote code may be provided from the third computer via the cellular network. Therefore, the user is required to have the correct cellular phone, know the code, and / or respond and have third party support.

Occasionally, the personal communicator will have a call forwarding function, ie, a call will occur (
It may have a function of transferring a call from the call was placed) to the communicator to another communicator. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the personal communicator sends (audibly) the communicator's hard embedded ID code to prove that it is the dialed principal. Some communicators cannot regulate such transmissions. In the Caller ID system, the personal communicator is required to dial back to the computer (manually or automatically) and send information using the Caller ID feature or from the personal communicator. By doing so, the communicator is specified. Alternatively or additionally, a callback mechanism is used. For example,
The user only calls the computer, the computer calls back, and assists in the authentication only when the correct source telephone number is given. Alternatively or additionally, the computer may be capable of making a call only to a communication device that does not have a call transfer function. Alternatively or additionally, the computer may check the service provider's Internet page or other online database to ensure that the call forwarding feature is not active. The connection from such a computer can also be used when requesting individual ring tones.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer includes communication hardware for direct connection with a modem, IVR card, dialer card, or other personal communicator. Alternatively or additionally, the computer can be connected to a second computer, for example via the Internet, and the other computer connects and / or authenticates to the personal communicator. In one example, the local computer only works for audio I / O. In one example, an SMS message is sent from a computer to a cellular phone over the Internet, and the arrival of the message and / or its reproduction by the holder of the cellular phone serves as an identification.

The above procedure is for authentication. A special type of authentication is for money transfers. Many types of money transfer methods are known in the art and can be adapted to the present invention. In particular, smart cards for storing electronic money and sending it to computers using various computer communication methods are described herein. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage may be at a remote location using a real-time communicator device. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a money token that loses value in a short time (for example, a few seconds) is
From the checkout location, it is transmitted as sound via the cellular telephone to the target computer (acoustic activated cash register). The target computer sends the token back to the accounting location over the computer network for refund. In some devices, tokens may be refunded without sending them back to the accounting location. For example, if the target computer is the originator, or if a central banker is used.

Although the above authentication method is described as using acoustic waves, in a computer that can use Bluetooth, the above method can also be realized by a personal communicator that can use Bluetooth. However, implementing such means is less preferred, as it puts restrictions on personal communicators and computers.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the authentication method utilizes ID tag inquiry instead of a personal communicator. The ID tag can also be a smart card. In some embodiments of the invention, such tags are R
It is queried directly with F, and in another embodiment acoustic waves and / or ultrasonic waves are used (depending on the structure of the tag).

Preferably, the tag is responsive to acoustic signals and in some cases ultrasonic signals. Additionally, the tag uses the energy of the interrogation signal to generate the response signal. Alternatively or in addition, the tag is interrogated with a tag-specific code. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, such tags are used for computer logon authentication. For example, when approaching the wearer's computer, the computer will automatically log on with that username. Alternatively or additionally, the computer may require an ID card nearby in addition to the standard logon procedure. Alternatively or additionally, the computer may periodically query the ID card to confirm that the card carrier is nearby. Alternatively or additionally, the computer may query the card for information specific to that user, such as voice ID or personal information. The computer can thus ask the user for a voice response and compare the responses (voiceprint and / or content) to confirm that the card carrier is the original card carrier.

In some embodiments of the invention, the card utilizes speech input. In another embodiment, the card provides for the absence, quality of sound waves,
Detecting a number and / or another characteristic may result in true speech recognition.
on) or matching is not required.

The user may carry two cards, one for general authentication and the other containing personal information. In this case, the computer may make an inquiry to both cards.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a smart card docking station 110 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The smart card 112 is inserted into the reader 110. The reader portion 114 may be, for example, RF, magnetic field, ultrasound, IR and / or
Or configured to communicate with the smart card using any other communication protocol. In some cases, multiple such regions 114 are provided, one for each different physical protocol. These communications with the card are preferably converted into acoustic communications using acoustic transducer 116 and transmitted to a remote computer or other electronic device using the methods described herein, And / or is received thereby. Therefore, the owner of a smart card can easily interact with a standard computer without installing a dedicated reader on the computer. Instead, the smart card owner will carry a miniature adapter 110 that can communicate with the computer wirelessly. Alternatively, the smart card is configured with an ultrasonic communication protocol so that swiping can be performed without the need for docking station 110.

Alternatively, or additionally, docking station 110 is specifically designed for magnetic cards, such as common credit cards. Station 1
10 preferably includes a sensitive magnetic field detector in region 114 for docking
The magnetic strip is read when the card is inserted into the station. Therefore, standard magnetic card swiping is possible with many existing electronic devices without the need to connect dedicated hardware. The dedicated station is, for example, 1
It can be thinner than 0 mm or even thinner than 5 mm. Preferably, the docking station has a closed configuration, but it is also possible to envisage an open docking station with a contra holding the sensor and the card against it. Card swiping is
Although a one-way communication process, in some cases two-way communication may be preferable, for example, where the user is informed about the purchase, eg, quantity, number of times,
This is the case, for example, when collecting type and certification confirmation. In some embodiments, this information may be stored by station 110, as described below.

Alternatively, or in addition, station 110 may include a PDA, a cellular telephone,
It can be adapted so that it can be added to the port of an "organizer", or other portable electronic device. Such stations convert electronic signals at the ports into acoustic and / or ultrasonic signals that can be recognized by a computer.

Dedicated stations can be manufactured for each device and each smart card type. Alternatively, a single station can be configured for multiple device types, which may include auto-sensing circuitry to detect the logic of the output port. One example of such detection is by "transmitting" a known signal from the device and determining the settings that allow the station to detect that signal. Another example of automatic detection is by automatically recognizing characteristics of the device, such as the amplitude or shape of the transmission. Alternatively, station 110 may include a switch or other user interface for manually selecting between different types of electronic devices.

Although acoustic communication is preferred in at least one direction of communication (computer to smart card or smart card computer), one or both of the directions of communication may be temporary or permanent to other directions. It is also possible to use technology. For example, the card may be IRDA IR communication standard or Bluetooth R
It is possible to use the F communication standard. Alternatively, one of the directions is manual, for example the device shows the user what he should enter into the other device.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the station 110 may enhance the functionality of the device or magnetic card, possibly enhancing that functionality to that of a smart card, or less versatile. Not to improve smart card functionality. For example, station 110 provides vendor authentication by decrypting the encrypted signal transmitted by the vendor, which the magnetic card cannot read and / or process. In another example, station 110 includes memory for tracking usage of magnetic cards. In another example, station 100 may provide the positioning function.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spatial angle between the sound source and the plurality of microphones is determined by analyzing the phase difference at the microphones. Alternatively,
Alternatively or additionally, other methods known in the art can be used for positioning. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the relative positions of the pulsed sound source and the plurality of microphones are determined by the solution time of the flight equation.
It is thus possible to determine the relative position of the electronic device and / or the computer with respect to the other electronic device or the smart card, which is used to control the operation and / or cooperation of one of the aforementioned electronic devices. Can be used.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, four microphones are used to determine the three-dimensional position. The source of r = (x ₀ , y ₀ , z ₀ ) and M _i = (x _i ,
For “i” microphones of y _i , z _i ), the distance between the source and the microphone is D _i = || r−M _i ||. The acoustic velocity "c" can be known, for example, based on the known velocity in air. Alternatively, this can be determined by measuring the time of flight between the source and the microphone, which has an affirmed known relative position. The difference between the distances is preferably D (i, j
) = Di−Dj = c ^* dt (i, j), where dt (i, j) is defined as the difference between the time of arrival at microphone i and the time of arrival at microphone j. To be done. For N microphones, there are N-1 independent different dDs. In the optimal configuration, four microphones located at the vertices of the tetrahedron can be used to determine the position of the source. Due to practical considerations, such an arrangement may not be possible. Preferably, more than four microphones are used so that a higher resistance to noise and / or a higher positioning accuracy can be obtained. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the three-dimensional position is determined by numerically or analytically solving three equations of the form dD = c ^* dt (i, j) = || r−M _i || − || r−M _j ||, where (i, j
) Is preferably selected to be (1,2), (2,3), (3,4). However, it is also possible to use any other three independent pairs of microphones. In some cases, it is convenient if one of the electronic devices acts as a transponder, which receives the signal and / or the received signal and / or
Or it sends back a signal indicating the time of the flight.

In some embodiments of the invention, the positioning method described above may be applied using a passive tag on the object whose position is to be detected. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, such tags are R generated by a speaker.
The F-field is used to be powered by the computer speaker. Alternatively, other RF generating computer components can be used and this power supply can be used to make the tag responsive. Alternatively, this power supply can be used for other uses. Alternatively, powering may be by using standard smart card RF coupling peripherals.

The position determination can be based on the transponding signal incident on the object. Alternatively, the object may carry a signal that encodes the time of arrival of the interrogation signal. Therefore, the positioning accuracy may be higher than the frequency of the interrogation signal, assuming that the object has a clock with a higher resolution than the frequency of the interrogation signal.

The touch screen according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses acoustic transmission to detect the position of a touch instrument such as a pen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the position of the pen is determined using one or more microphones and / or speakers mounted on the pen, which is the computer and / or other speakers and / or microphones. Sending signals to and / or receiving signals from the controller. In some cases, the three-dimensional position of the touch device is 2
It is discriminated using four acoustic elements, such as one microphone and two speakers. It should be noted that computers typically include a modem speaker, an internal speaker, and / or an optional keyboard speaker, and a sound card speaker. However, these days, standard installations do not provide internal speakers. In addition, some computers include ultrasound pointing devices or other ultrasound ports. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the smart card is capable of communicating using this ultrasonic communication port.

A more basic type of position detection may be based on detecting interruptions by the object of the ultrasonic beam between the speaker and the microphone.

Alternatively, or in addition to position detection using a responsive object, radar type position or range detection may be used, where a computer microphone causes the reflection of ultrasound waves from the object. , And this wave is generated by the computer speaker. By only detecting the relative difference between the reflections from different objects, the relative distance of the objects can be determined without knowing the exact position of the sound source.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the microphone detects both the acoustic pulse and the electromagnetic pulse produced as a side effect of producing this acoustic pulse.
Since the electromagnetic pulses are substantially simultaneous, this can be used as a clock or reference time to determine the time of flight of the acoustic pulses. Furthermore, because the transponder microphone can detect both types of pulses, the retransmission of the signal detected by the transponder can be used to determine not only the total time of flight, but the component time of flight to the transponder. It is possible to determine.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the positioning method uses an adjustment process, in which the positioned instrument is placed in one or more known positions to make corrections to the speaker and microphone positions. To be able to Alternatively, or in addition, the tuning method is used to make modifications to the transit time (of the electronic signal that produces the acoustic wave and / or sound) and / or reflection, wavelength dependent attenuation and / or broadband attenuation.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, different types of touch screens are
The position of the touch device is detected based on the detection and position determination (2D or 3D) of the sound generated when the touch device touches the "touch sensitive" surface. The surface can be coated with a sound-producing material, such as a crinkle-paper, to provide a particular sound.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for example, as described above, the object to be queried receives an ultrasound signal and sends it back to the computer microphone. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computer analyzes the time of flight and / or other attributes of the transmission to determine the distance from the object, its position relative to it, its velocity of movement, and / or other spatial attributes. . In some cases, multiple sources or receivers can be placed on the object to help determine the angular motion of the object. Alternatively, or additionally, Doppler analysis of the response can be used to detect changes in distance. Alternatively, or additionally, the change in distance is determined by comparing two consecutively measured distances. Multiple sources, for example, timing of signal generation,
It is possible to distinguish by the frequency band used and / or the coding of the transmitted signal.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the object responds immediately to the interrogation signal. Alternatively, the object delays its response to the interrogation signal, for example by a few milliseconds. Alternatively, or in addition, the object may have a frequency different from the received frequency, eg, 24 kHz in response to a 20 kHz query.
To transmit. Alternatively or additionally, the signal transmitted by the object is received by a transducer, which then transmits this signal to a computer, for example acoustically or using electromagnetic coupling. Alternatively, or additionally, the object can respond with an identification code. Alternatively, or in addition, the object modulates its transmission with an envelope, which envelope preferably conveys information about the status of the object as an identification code and / or eg the position of the toy's arm. Play a role for. In some cases, the object relays information from more remote objects. For identification, the object sends an ID code, for example, periodically or even by a user pressing a button on the object (or by deflating the object), even without a prompt from the computer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an object uses the discharge of a coil through a transistor to amplify the signal it receives, where the transistor acts as a variable resistor and / or a waveform controller. To do.

In some preferred embodiments of the invention, the generated sound is transmitted indirectly via the existing network. An example of a suitable network is a telephone network, preferably a digital network, where the sound is transferred from one phone to another. Another example of a suitable network is Intercom
System. Another example of a suitable network is a LAN or the internet. Furthermore, as described below, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted (acoustic and not as electromagnetic waves) through electrical wiring or pipes such as water or gas pipes.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a wireless telephone system communicates with a base station, eg, a computer or telephone, using ultrasonic communication as described herein. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, by tracking which base station is communicating with which handset, and the base station seeks out the handset,
By allowing the handset to change base stations, the office telephone network or computer network can act as a local cellular network for communication.

In many situations, there will be multiple smart cards (or other electronic devices that use ultrasound for communication) within the area at a single time. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the different devices make adjustments so that they do not transmit simultaneously. In one example, a central computer allocates time, frequency, or coding (CDMA) slots. In another example, the ALOHA algorithm is used to avoid collisions.

Some embodiments of the invention contemplate other ways to communicate with a computer (or other device) without installing hardware. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication tap 102 for a computer 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration of FIG. 5, the taps are preferably located on the communication line to the existing peripheral device 104. Thus, the user may not even need to access the back of the computer, let alone the internal workings of the computer. The electronic device 106, toy, and / or smart card preferably sends signals to and / or receives signals from the tap 102. Additionally, or alternatively, device 106 may use one tap for reception and one tap for transmission. In some cases, devices use taps only for one direction of communication.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the taps are placed on a cable, network cable, camera cable, and / or SCSI connection to the printer. Additionally or alternatively, the taps are located on a serial cable, eg, a mouse cable. Additionally, or alternatively, the tap
Place on the modem line to be received by the modem, for example by placing it on a telephone line or by plugging a tap into another telephone socket.
Additionally or alternatively, the tap is located on the game controller line. Additionally or alternatively, the tap is located on the loudspeaker line. This type of tap is able to detect signals that cannot be regenerated by loudspeakers, for example at very high frequencies, eg above 50 kHz. Additionally, or alternatively, the taps are located on the microphone line and optionally use the microphone line and / or the microphone itself as a sonic, ultrasonic, or non-acoustic antenna (eg, RF). Additionally or alternatively, the tap is located on the display cable line.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tap comprises an electromagnetic coupler, which is capable of inducing a signal in a cable passing in or near the tap. Additionally, or alternatively, the tap detects signals in the line and directs them to the device 10.
6 can be transmitted. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the signal is at a carrier frequency and / or signal frequency different from the normal signal passing through the line. Additionally or alternatively, the signals are transmitted in the opposite direction (input signal on an output line such as a printer or output signal on an input line such as a mouse). Additionally or alternatively, the signal encodes information, which is detected and removed from the data stream within the computer. Additionally, or alternatively, the signal is
Asynchronous over synchronous lines. Additionally, or alternatively, the signal is transmitted only when the signal is not expected by the computer and / or peripherals.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a piezoelectric actuator (or other vibrating element) is connected to the mouse (or microphone). The actuator causes the mouse to vibrate with an amplitude of 1 or 2 screen pixels (or less), which vibration is detected by software in the computer as a signal from the toy. It is possible to transmit the return signal to the tap associated with the actuator via a serial cable, which signal is preferably encoded so that it is recognized by the tap and / or ignored by the mouse. ing.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the device 106 uses a tap on a keyboard attached to the computer 100 to operate the computer 102.
To send a signal to. Such an action may be, for example, mechanical or magnetic (eg, a keyboard with a magnetic switch). Preferably the key used is the shift key. In addition, or in the alternative, the signal from the computer is detected by detecting the illumination of an LED on the keyboard, for example a "Num Lock" LED.

Alternatively, or in addition, the tap may illuminate another LED on the computer,
For example, power, sleep, CD-ROM, and / or hard disk LEDs
Detects the lighting of. Alternatively, or in addition, the tap may be via noise or vibration generated by initiating and / or modulating the operation of mechanical components of the computer, such as diskette drives, disk drives, and CD-ROM drives. Detect the information to be transmitted. Alternatively, or in addition, the tap detects a signal generated by an overcurrent thereto when the device, eg, a CD-ROM, is powered on, or enters a sleep mode, for example. Detect changes in CPU RF amplitude and / or frequency, such as those caused by.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tap “learns” the electromagnetic and / or acoustic profile of a particular computer or part thereof and learns the effects of various commands on this profile. When the computer wants to communicate with the tap, it is preferably the maximum for the profile,
The command determined to have the most prominent and / or fastest effect is used to modify this profile.

Additionally or alternatively, the device 106 uses a converter that plugs into a parallel port and the serial port and / or is optically coupled to or located near the IR port. It Preferably, the transducers pass through the transducers through which the printer and / or other peripherals can normally communicate with the computer. This transducer can then send a signal to the remote device by a wired or wireless method.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the taps and / or converters can automatically detect which type of cable is tapped / the port is connected to it. Such taps preferably include a microprocessor or integrated circuit for analyzing the signal on the cable, as well as a transducer for coupling the signal to and from the cable. Preferably, such detection is by analyzing the amplitude, frequency, and / or synchronization of the signal passing through the line. Additionally, or alternatively, the computer detects which line is tapped, by detecting certain interference on that line. Alternatively, or additionally, software on the computer will send a test signal on the line, which will be detected by the tap. In some cases, the tap can detect the signal, even if it is not programmed with the type of line over which the signal is transmitted. Alternatively, when taps are used, a configuration program is run to allow the user to define what is tapped on the tap and / or the computer.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the smart card taps the computer directly, eg via a data line, eg to a peripheral or another computer, or for use of the smart card. This is done using an RF antenna embedded in the smart card to detect the signal being transmitted.

In an example embodiment of a device using tapping, a passthrough hasp is provided, which is connected to a port. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hasp uses power from the power line but does not interact with data flowing through the port. Authentication of software using the hasp preferably uses acoustic communication between the hasp and the microphone and / or speaker of the computer. Alternatively, the hasp may interact with a signal flowing through the port, which signal is not suitable for use as data, which may result in an incorrect CRC, for example using the wrong protocol. Signals that have, are asynchronous in a synchronous connection, or have the wrong frequency. Such hasps can also be used to protect easily stolen devices, such as PDAs or laptop computers, which use their internal speaker and / or microphone to provide the required ID tag. Can be detected nearby. If the ID tag is not detected, the device may be inoperable, behave incorrectly, or report that it has been stolen.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the appropriate software is installed on the computer 100. Preferably, this software does an automatic installation. Preferably, the computer is not used for any other purpose while device 106 communicates with it. Additionally, or alternatively, the software
A distinction can be made between "normal" signals and signals associated with taps. In one example, the provided keyboard driver can detect special codes and / or data sequences on the keyboard line and remove them from the received data, leaving only the rest of the received data on the computer. Passed to 100 operating systems. Additionally, or alternatively, the provided mouse driver can detect spurious and / or small mouse movements and recognize them as tap-related signals, as described above. Additionally or alternatively, the printer driver may recognize the data on the cable as coming from the tap rather than from the printer. Additionally, or alternatively,
The data sent to the tap is preferably sent as data that will be rejected or ignored by the peripheral, eg, with incorrect parity settings or other intentional errors. Additionally, or in the alternative, or in addition to using taps for communicating with toys, such taps may be used to add peripherals to computer 100. As mentioned above, the tap may include processing elements such that the signal coupled to the cable does not interfere with the normal operation of the cable, for example, this signal may be present on the cable by other signals. When not transmitted. Alternatively, such processing may be performed by the tap-using device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the signal received on the computer is used to
It does this by modifying running programs and / or generating commands to other electronic devices, preferably using computer generated sounds, but in some cases using dedicated connections. In an exemplary application, a computer game is provided in which a computer display responds to an external sound, such as a boring pin knocking sound.

Acoustic communication can also be used to communicate between an input device and a computer program, such as a wireless keyboard or mouse and a computer. In another example, the light pen transmits a signal to the play station that is responsive to the pixel intensity detected by the photodetector on it. Alternatively, or additionally, a synchronization signal is transmitted from the computer and / or set top box to the pen to synchronize pixel detection with TV raster scan. These transmissions may be additional or alternative to position and / or direction transmissions. Alternatively, or in addition, the transmission may be used to transmit information displayed on the output device or on the output portion of the input device, for example to illuminate a light there and / or text and / Or display graphics.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a non-impact computer checkup according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. User 142 is using computer 140. A user 146 wants to query the computer 140, for example, to analyze network functionality problems. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the smart card 144 (or other electronic device) communicates with the computer 140 using acoustic or tap channels without interfering with the activity of the user 142, as described above. You can Alternatively, or additionally, smart card 144 may be used to interrogate devices that do not have an interface, such as hub 148. One advantage of acoustic communication for these uses is that it does not generate a significant amount of RF interference and does not require significant (or no) modification on the critical installed base of hardware. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, hardware devices such as hub 148 and computer 140 are RF or audible, continuously "humming" their status without the need to query the hardware. By listening to the ham, the situation is identified.

Cards, such as card 144, also give their owners privileges in the form of better services (eg, priority on file servers, connection speed to the Internet), and / or relax various security restrictions. It can also be used to For example, a business owner can come to his employee's desk, activate his card, and make files available that were previously unattainable. Note that this process of modifying the behavior of the computer does not require (although such logon is possible) to log on to the computer. Instead, the computer recognizes the owner even if it remains logged on to other users.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, when a card or other device is used for logon, a hysteresis type logic is used, where the logon requires a high quality define signal. On the other hand, logoff (and in some cases automatic logoff) is delayed until there is virtually no contact with the card. The lack of contact can be detected by the lack of detection of the periodic signal generated by the card. Therefore, maintaining contact after the logon is reached does not require a high quality connection.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a computer communication setup using sound, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Computer 152 is a microphone 156 used to detect activity sounds of other electronic and / or mechanical devices.
including. Activity sounds may include natural sounds, such as the sounds of a page sorter used in photocopiers. Alternatively, or additionally, this may include a beacon sound, for example, a beep sound generated by fax machine 150 when a fax arrives. Fax machine 150 may or may not be connected to a computer (not shown). Alternatively, or in addition, this may include artificial sounds, such as sounds that carry special information specifically generated for computer 152.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, computer 152 transmits an indication of the sensed activity to a remote computer, such as computer 154. Thus, the user at computer 154 can be informed of incoming faxes or unanswered telephone calls even when in a different room and the fax machine is not connected to a standard computer network. .

Alternatively, or additionally, analysis of sounds detected by microphone 156 can be used to determine other occurrences at computer 152. In one example, microphone 156 is used to make phone conversations, dialed numbers (
Detecting the DTMF sound), the sound of the paper being shuffled, the breathing sound, the snoring of the user during sleep, the average number of ring bells until the call is answered, the habit of typing You can log your habits. Alternatively, or in addition, the microphone 156 can be used to detect room use or glass breakage, possibly acting as a burglar alarm.

Alternatively, or in addition, a microphone can be used to detect electromagnetic impulses produced by the operating device. Typically, each device has a different electromagnetic signature. Different signatures may be generated for the device to operate and / or for different modes of operation when the device is switched on or off. Thus, the computer-microphone combination can be used to detect the operation of devices such as photocopiers, door chimes, and computers. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a video input card is used to provide microphone-sound
Analyze higher frequencies of electromagnetic radiation than can be detected by the card combination. It is therefore possible to analyze noise signals that are normally rejected by signal processing algorithms to detect important information about activity in the vicinity of the microphone,
Be understood.

In an example device that uses ultrasound to communicate with a computer,
An output filtering circuit is provided. These filtering circuits preferably include operational amplifiers with filters for specific frequencies for input and output, depending on the communication protocol used. If inaudible frequencies are used, the filter should preferably suppress or block output at audio frequencies to reduce user discomfort.

The communication protocol is preferably a digital binary code in which the bits are transmitted using frequency modulation, pulse width modulation, on-off keying and / or any combination of the above. Error correction altitudes, eg, parity code, Gray code, or Hamming code, as known in the art, can be used. It should be noted that when ultrasonic frequencies are used, the range of available frequencies may be limited due to the low capabilities of the computer sound card.

In the receiving process, the signal received by the device is converted into data bits by either time domain analysis or Fourier analysis. After this, preferably error checking is performed. The received information can be decrypted (if needed). Alternatively, or in addition, the received information may be encrypted, verified, and / or signed for storage in local memory. Local memory may include ROM, RAM, EPROM, EPROM and / or other types of memory known in the art. The information to be transmitted can be encrypted before transmission.

Software on the computer receives the detected signal, filters it and opens the protocol. Preferably, the software uses an IIR bandpass filter and / or a low pass filter to suppress the noise.

The received and filtered signal is then demodulated into data bits, eg by time domain analysis or Fourier analysis. Preferably, the data transmission error is corrected. This data can then be analyzed locally and / or transmitted to a remote location, such as the seller's computer. In some embodiments, the software is Java® or Active.
Written in Internet languages such as X.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, acoustic detection uses the maximum resolution and / or sensitivity provided by the microphone, ie below the noise threshold defined for audio use. use. Alternatively, or additionally, repetitive and / or periodic ambient sounds are detected and removed or ignored from the input signal. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, ambient sounds are characterized as such during a calibration step that can be performed periodically.

In some cases, one or more of the following problems may be encountered, which include echo, interference (acoustic or electromagnetic), as well as higher frequencies (> 10 kHz). Including directional and weak reception issues. Furthermore, many microphones and speakers behave poorly or erratically at these frequencies. It should be noted that by detecting RF rather than acoustic signals, acoustic interference can be suppressed and / or reception can be less sensitive to range and directionality. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the received sound signal is processed using known signal processing such as filtering, equalization, echo cancellation. The preferred modulation methods used are PWM, FSK, QPSK, and on-
Includes off keying. Preferred frequency band types include single band, wide band, spread spectrum band, and frequency hopping band. The preferred protocol is one or more start-stop sync bits, a constant length message and / or
Or use variable length messages. In some cases, the device and / or computer includes logic to determine the exact frequency being used for transmission, such as frequencies caused by incorrect manufacturing and / or environmental influences. Corrects hopping and frequency shift. Error detection methods can be used, such as CRC (preferably 32 bits), parity, checksum, Blowfish, Hamming code, retransmission / BCD code, and Gray code. is there.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, periods of silence are provided between data bits within the protocol, other than on-off keying. In one example, the FSK protocol is provided with silence between frequency pulses. Preferably, the duration of silence is long enough so that the echo (or other artifact) from the original pulse does not overlap with the next pulse. This period can be fixed, for example it is based on its expected shape if the electronic device is used.
Alternatively, the protocol may adapt based on the instantaneous echo conditions. Alternatively, or in addition, the pulse duration may be modified to overcome noise, echo, and / or other transmission problems. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a number of conditioning pulses are first transmitted to determine the desired silence duration and / or pulse duration. In some cases, different such durations are used for the two communication directions.

A feature of some embodiments of the invention is that the device communicates with another device or computer separated by an intermediate distance such as 0.3-20 meters, more preferably between 2-10 meters or approximately 7 meters. It is possible.

Some variations on reception at a computer (or other electronic device) may be implemented according to some preferred embodiments of the invention, which
(A) using a normal microphone and sound card, (b) using a normal sound card, but it is possible to tune it with a special microphone (eg tuned to a special frequency, even ultrasound) , (C) using a speaker that can also be a microphone (one possibility is detailed below), (d) connecting to a dedicated channel such as RS232 or a parallel port, And optionally includes using a microphone / receiver that can draw power from that port, and (e) using a built-in dedicated hardware port that can be implemented on a computer board.

Some variations on the transmission from the computer (or other electronic device) can also be carried out, which are (a) selectively or simultaneously powered by one or two loudspeakers. For example to increase the overall power, help noise cancellation and / or help detect echoes, (b) use an acoustic transducer connected to a standard port, or in some cases , Including tapping the computer, and thus may not need a sound card in the computer, (c) at a short distance, as suggested above,
There appears to be overlap between acoustic and electromagnetic signals, both for transmission and reception. Thus, in some cases, some of the signals are transmitted and / or detected using RF antennas, or acoustic signal generation is performed at the RF of the transmission.
It is detected using an acoustic antenna (or RF antenna) that detects the signature. Alternatively, or additionally, RF is used as a backup for the acoustic channel.

In some cases, for example, if the receiver has low computing power, the incoming audio stream is sampled at a frequency below the carrier frequency. However, a side effect of such two-stage extraction is that there can be confusion between audible and ultrasonic sounds, especially in the absence of anti-aliasing filters.
Therefore, more complex processing may be required for the data transmission to be acceptable. In one example, sync detection or a more robust error detection method is used.
Alternatively, or in addition, a dedicated waveform with unique time / spectral characteristics is used, for example this is repeated at both 1 kHz and 4 kHz after downsampling. Therefore, it can be better distinguished from the background.

In many cases, speakers are available to the computer, but microphones are not. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a speaker is used as the microphone. Preferably, the speaker connects to a line in the microphone port and / or the port of the sound card, possibly via a matching unit. Obviously, many speakers can act as microphones when not connected to a power source. Preferably, a matching unit is provided to serve, for example, for buffering, switching (between microphone and speaker functions) and / or amplitude protection. In some embodiments, the conforming unit is configured to check for incoming signals from outside the speaker,
Or periodically check for signal from speaker channel. Alternatively,
Alternatively or additionally, the computer may generate a special signal, or in some cases an audible signal, via the speaker channel to indicate that mode switching is desired. In one embodiment, the speaker is connected in parallel to both the microphone channel and the loudspeaker channel, and electronic protection is provided to the microphone so that power to the speaker does not compromise that channel.

Alternatively, or in addition, some microphone types may be used as both a microphone and a speaker if properly driven. In some cases, a combiner is provided to drive the microphone using the speaker channel and / or based on detection of the incoming signal, or in some cases, periodically to switch the microphone between modes. To be done.

In some embodiments, the coupling device can divide the frequency between microphone and speaker functions, allowing a single element to operate as a speaker and a microphone simultaneously. For example, low frequencies are used for speakers and high frequencies are used for microphones. When a high frequency is detected by the combiner it is passed to the microphone and when a low frequency is detected it is rung on the speaker.

Another aspect of the invention relates to transmitting acoustic signals over stable cables rather than in air. Such cables may include computer cables, communication cables and telephone cables, as well as power cables in homes, for example.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transmissions through these cables are directed to and directed to the microphone of the device, where they are analyzed. Alternatively, or in addition, the transmission enters the cable through the box of the device. Alternatively, or additionally, a dedicated coupler for the cable is provided for one or both of transmission and reception.

It should be noted that standard homes are full of such infrastructure in the form of power supplies, water pipes, telephone lines, and cables. Ultrasonic receiver /
Transmitter devices are simple, low cost, and can be very small. The method can be used to reach communications for low cost appliances or to reach higher bandwidth information. The method allows multiple appliances to talk together, broadcast information, and network small appliances. It can also be used to communicate between computers, televisions, and / or VCRs. Every device can have its own id number, and the computer can control the operation of these devices. For some devices, a dedicated controller is required, which receives the acoustic signal and in response controls the device. Illustrative uses are turning off the lights at some time (by computer control) or from outside the home (by a network to the phone or computer) or turning on, and VCR and / or television specific TV programs. To
Again, preferably, under computer control, it also includes instructing to cooperate with the recording.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a reader-type input device is capable of reading external static (as opposed to acoustic and temporal patterns) information, which is associated with a computer or other. Can be transferred to other devices. Such input devices can also be incorporated into smart cards. The simplest example is a wireless bar code reader that reads a bar code and preferably transmits it acoustically to a computer using the methods described herein. Preferably, the bar code reading function is implemented in a smart card so that a multifunction device can be provided. Alternatively, a miniature device such as a ring is manufactured for the convenience of the user. Such devices may be useful during purchases, allowing the user to review bulk and / or personalized information about the product. Another example is a magnetic strip reader that transmits the read magnetic strip to a computer. In the case of magnetic strip readers, the computer processes the detected signal to correct for the inconsistent motion of the sensor on the magnetic material, and a single magnetic sensor (or line sensor) is sufficient. Can be.

In one exemplary use, when an input device reads a tag, such as a code or description of the device, the associated computer switches to a WWW page that displays the information read and the associated details. The computer may be a handheld computer or PDA. Alternatively, the computer is a permanent computer or a store-provided computer. Alternatively, the computer
Located on the other side of the telephone line, the acoustic signal is transmitted to the computer via the telephone line so that a certain voice is transmitted and returned. Alternatively, or in addition, such tags may be used for technical support (eg, each home device or component has such code and a help file or help script associated with this code). Exists). Alternatively, or in addition, such tags can be used for customer negotiations, for example to provide information to interested users. In some types of products, a computer and / or tag reader can use the information read from the tag to control the product. An exemplary situation is a computer device where a tag reader or same device or a second computer executes a diagnostic program in response to a tag read.

The example device consists of an acoustic transmitter, a tag read element, and some control logic. The type of tag reading element used depends on the type of tag, for example whether it is optical or magnetic. The tag itself may include a barcode, other optical coding, or even text. In the magnetic example, the tag may include magnetic ink. Preferably, but not necessarily, the tag is of a type that can be printed using standard printers and / or standard inks. Thus, the tags can be printed throughout books, magazines, or other printed products. Alternatively, or additionally, RF transponder tags can be used, as is known in the art. In some embodiments, the read information is decoded by the reader. In another embodiment, partially or completely unanalyzed information is transmitted to a computer for analysis.

Although acoustic transmission of tag information is preferred, RF transmission can also be performed.

In the above description, numerous permutations and possible embodiments have been described. This type of description is provided in order to facilitate describing the many different possible embodiments of the invention.
I am using. It is understood by the inventor that some of the described combinations may be known in the art. This should not be construed as an admission of equivalence of the different embodiments described. Moreover, even those combinations that may be known may find patentable utility by applying them to particular situations.

The invention has been described with reference to its preferred, non-limiting embodiments. Features described with respect to one embodiment may also be used with other embodiments,
It is to be understood that not all embodiments of the invention will have all the features shown in a particular figure. In particular, the scope of the invention claimed is not limited by the preferred embodiments, but by the claims below. Section titles, where they appear, should not be construed as limiting the subject matter described therein, and section titles are intended only as an aid in reading this specification. When used in the above claims, "comprising" and "comprising"
The term "comprising", or the like, means "including but not limited to".

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer and electronic device that operates to communicate using sound waves according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of two communicating electronic devices according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a smart card in communication with a computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 4]   1 is a schematic diagram of a smart card reader according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a method for tapping into a computer without requiring complicated installation of hardware according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a non-impact computer checkup according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a computer communication setup using sound according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

20, 100, 140, 152, 154 Computer 22 Computer core 24 sound system 26, 34, 34 ', 156 microphones 28, 36, 36 'speakers 30, 30 ', 40, 106, 112, 144 smart cards 32 device circuit 42 acoustic elements 44 power processor 46 memory 102 taps 104 peripherals 106 device 110 card holder 112 cards 142,146 users 148 hub 150 fax

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04M 1/66 G10L 3/00 Q (31) Priority claim number 60/115, 231 (32) Priority date Heisei January 8, 2011 (Jan. 1, 1999) (33) Priority claiming country United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 60/122, 687 (32) Priority date March 3, 1999 (1999) 3.3. (33) Priority claiming country United States (US) (31) Priority claim number 60 / 143,220 (32) Priority date July 9, 1999 (1999.7.9) (33) Priority claiming United States (US) (31) Priority claiming number 60 / 145,342 (32) Priority date July 23, 1999 (July 23, 1999) (33) Priority claiming United States (US) (31) Priority claim number IL9900470 (32) Priority date August 27, 1999 (1999.8) 27) (33) Priority claiming country Israel (IL) (31) Priority claim number 60 / 153,858 (32) Priority date September 14, 1999 (September 14, 1999) (33) Priority claim Country United States (US) (31) Priority claim number IL9900506 (32) Priority date September 16, 1999 (1999.16.16) (33) Priority claim country Israel (IL) (31) Priority claim number IL9900521 (32) Priority date October 1, 1999 (1999.10.1) (33) Priority claiming country Israel (IL) (31) Priority claim number IL9900525 (32) Priority date October 4, 1999 Japan (October 1999) (33) Priority claim countries Israel (IL) (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, K E, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, EE, ES, FI, GB, GE, GH , GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU , ZW

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. A method of communicating with an electronic device, comprising: providing a computer having a voice receiving / generating subsystem including a microphone; providing a personal communicator utilizing a communication network; Initiating a connection with the personal communicator via, and identifying the personal communicator in response to a voice response of the personal communicator to the initiation of the connection. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a connection comprises utilizing dedicated hardware to directly access the communications network from the computer. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the hardware comprises a dialer card. 4. Initiating a connection comprises using dedicated hardware to directly access a non-computer data network other than the communication network from the computer using a link between the non-computer network and the communication network. The method of claim 1, comprising: 5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a connection comprises requesting a second computer to create such a connection, the request being made over a computer network. . 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation by the computer causes the personal communicator to generate an identifiable voice response. 7. The method of claim 6, comprising requesting an identifiable voice response by the computer. 8. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting to the personal communicator an audible tone data signal to be received by the computer. 9. A method of authentication comprising providing a computer having a voice receiving and generating subsystem with a microphone, providing a personal communicator utilizing a communication network, the computer via the communication network. And opening a connection between the personal communicator and the personal communicator, and transmitting the authentication signal on a closed loop that includes both the voice communication portion between the computer and the personal communicator and a portion on the communication network. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer initiates opening the connection. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the personal communicator initiates opening the connection. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the authentication signal comprises a sound wave generated by the computer and transmitted as sound to the personal communicator. 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the authentication signal comprises a sound wave generated by a remote computer and transmitted to the personal communicator via the communication network. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote communicator initiates the connection. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote computer causes the personal communicator to generate a voice and the voice is detected by the computer as an indication of a request for authentication. 16. A method, including the method of claim 9, wherein the authentication signal is at least predominantly at an audio frequency. 17. A method, including the method of claim 16, wherein the signal is encoded using a DTMF-like encoding technique. 18. The method of claim 9, wherein the authentication signal comprises the frequency of ultrasound waves. 19. A method, including the method of any of claims 1-18, wherein the personal communicator comprises a cellular telephone. 20. A method, including the method of any of claims 1-18, wherein the personal communicator comprises a programmable cellular telephone. 21. A method, including the method of claim 20, wherein the cellular telephone comprises a JAVA programmable cellular telephone. 22. A method, including the method of any of claims 1-18, wherein the personal communicator comprises a pager. 23. The personal communicator comprises a cordless telephone.
A method comprising the method of any of claims 1-18.