US 11,757,531 B1
Systems and methods for preventing lightbeam access to microphones of smart devices
Carlos J P Chavez, San Antonio, TX (US); Sacha Melquiades De'Angeli, San Antonio, TX (US); Oscar Guerra, San Antonio, TX (US); David M. Jones, Jr., San Antonio, TX (US); Gregory Brian Meyer, San Antonio, TX (US); Christopher Russell, The Colony, TX (US); and Arthur Quentin Smith, Fredericksburg, TX (US)
Assigned to United Services Automobile Association (USAA), San Antonio, TX (US)
Filed by United Services Automobile Association (USAA), San Antonio, TX (US)
Filed on Aug. 26, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/3,726.
Int. Cl. H04B 10/116 (2013.01); H04K 3/00 (2006.01); G06F 21/43 (2013.01); H04B 10/85 (2013.01); G06F 21/55 (2013.01)
CPC H04B 10/116 (2013.01) [G06F 21/43 (2013.01); G06F 21/554 (2013.01); H04B 10/85 (2013.01); H04K 3/822 (2013.01); H04K 3/825 (2013.01); H04K 3/88 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A smart home system comprising:
a microphone configured to detect an audio signal;
a sensor configured sense a light signal;
one or more processors; and
one or more memory devices configured to store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
initiate a command based on an indication, from the microphone, of detection of a particular audio signal; and
detect refraction of the light signal via a transparent material and determine an orientation relative to a source of the light signal based on the refraction;
in response to receiving a second indication of the light signal from the sensor, inhibit an action based on the command by disrupting the light signal, ignoring the command, or both.