Systems and Methods for Positioning a User

Abstract

A hands-free intercom may include a user-tracking sensor, a directional microphone, a directional sound emitter, a display device, and/or a communication interface. The user-tracking sensor may determine a location of a user so the directional microphone can measure vocal emissions by the user and the directional sound emitter can deliver audio to the user. The hands-free intercom may provide privacy to the user. The hands-free intercom may prevent an eavesdropper from hearing the user's vocal emissions, for example, by canceling the vocal emissions at the eavesdropper's ear. The directional sound emitter may deliver out-of-phase sound to cancel the vocal emissions. The hands-free intercom may also, or instead, cancel ambient noise at the user's ear. The hands-free intercom may measure or predict a filtration of the sound to be canceled and compensate for the filtration when canceling the sound.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A system for inducing a user to move to a predetermined location, the system comprising:
 one or more tracking devices that track a location of the user; and   a directional sound emitter that, in response to the one or more tracking devices determining that the tracked location of the user is different from the predetermined location, delivers ultrasonic waves to the user that frequency convert at the tracked location to induce the user to move to the predetermined location.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the ultrasonic waves frequency convert at the predetermined location to generate first audible sound waves. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first audible sound waves are a modified version of second audible sound waves to be delivered to the user via the directional sound emitter when the user is at the predetermined location. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a degraded sound quality compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a decreased audio bit rate compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the first audible sound waves include distortion overlaid upon the first audible sound waves. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the overlaid distortion comprises frequency distortion. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a decreased volume compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the first audible sound waves have an increased volume compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first audible sound waves include vocalized directions that direct the user to the predetermined location. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first audible sound waves include one or more unpleasant sounds selected from the group consisting of buzzing, screeching, and audio feed back. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the first audible sound waves include a user selected sound. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein a level of inducement produced by the first audible sound waves is based on a distance of the tracked location from the predetermined location. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the directional sound emitter causes the first audible sound waves to appear to originate from the predetermined location by adjusting one or more of a relative volume or relative time delay of audio delivered to each ear of the user. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein a level of inducement produced by the first audible sound waves is based on a measured loss of quality in one or more of vocal emissions, captured video, or signal strength of a wireless device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the directional sound emitter, in response to the one or more tracking devices determining that the user is moving away from the predetermined location, delivers ultrasonic waves to the user that frequency convert at the tracked location to induce the user to move to the predetermined location. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the directional sound emitter, in response to the one or more tracking devices determining that the user is near a wireless connectivity boundary, delivers ultrasonic waves to the user that frequency convert at the tracked location of the user to induce the user to move to the predetermined location. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined location is a location at which a camera captures a determined quality level of images of the user. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined location is a location at which a microphone captures a determined quality level of audio of the user. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined location is a location at which the directional sound emitter delivers a determined quality level of audio to the user. 
     
     
         22 . A system for inducing a change in a user's orientation, the system comprising:
 one or more tracking devices that track a location and orientation of the user; and   a directional sound emitter that, in response to the one or more tracking devices determining that the tracked orientation of the user is different from a predetermined orientation, delivers ultrasonic waves to the user that frequency convert at the tracked location to induce the user to change the user's orientation to the predetermined orientation.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the ultrasonic waves frequency convert at the predetermined location to generate first audible sound waves. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first audible sound waves are a modified version of second audible sound waves to be delivered to the user via the directional sound emitter when the user is in the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a degraded sound quality compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a decreased audio bit rate compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first audible sound waves include distortion overlaid upon the first audible sound waves. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the overlaid distortion comprises frequency distortion. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first audible sound waves have a decreased volume compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first audible sound waves have an increased volume compared to the second audible sound waves. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first audible sound waves include vocalized directions that direct the user to the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first audible sound waves include one or more unpleasant sounds selected from the group consisting of buzzing, screeching, and audio feed back. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first audible sound waves include a user selected sound. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein a level of inducement produced by the first audible sound waves is based on a degree of deviation of the tracked orientation from the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the directional sound emitter causes the first audible sound waves to appear to originate from the predetermined orientation by adjusting one or more of a relative volume or relative time delay of audio delivered to each ear of the user. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein a level of inducement produced by the first audible sound waves is based on a measured loss of quality in one or more of vocal emissions, captured video, or signal strength of a wireless device. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the directional sound emitter, in response to the one or more tracking devices determining that the user is moving away from the predetermined orientation, delivers ultrasonic waves to the user that frequency convert at the tracked location of the user to induce the user to change to the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the predetermined orientation is an orientation at which a camera captures a determined quality level of images of the user. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the predetermined orientation is an orientation at which a microphone captures a determined quality level of audio of the user. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the predetermined orientation is an orientation at which the directional sound emitter delivers a determined quality level of audio to the user.