US 12,450,532 B2
Smart field communication devices with blind user interfaces
Kevin Turpin, Wichita, KS (US); and Benjamin Burrus, Wichita, KS (US)
Assigned to WEAVIX, INC., Wichita, KS (US)
Filed by Weavix, Inc., Wichita, KS (US)
Filed on May 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/325,847.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/371,293, filed on Aug. 12, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/347,490, filed on May 31, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0388758 A1, Nov. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. H04B 1/3827 (2015.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01); H04W 4/021 (2018.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); H04W 4/10 (2009.01); H04W 8/18 (2009.01)
CPC G06Q 10/063114 (2013.01) [H04B 1/3833 (2013.01); H04W 4/021 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02); H04W 4/10 (2013.01); H04W 8/18 (2013.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A smart walkie-talkie comprising:
a controller comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions that are executed by the processor;
a wireless communication interface configured to broadcast and receive on radio channels, and wirelessly connect the controller with a network;
a visual display screen, on a front face of the smart walkie-talkie, via which the controller presents a plurality of communication threads that each indicate multi-modal communications between the smart walkie-talkie and a corresponding group of one or more other devices of the network, wherein the multi-modal communications include text-based messages and automatically generated text transcriptions of live audio streams; and
a blind-use interface comprising:
a push-to-talk (PTT) button configured to, in response to the PTT button being activated, cause audio data to be (i) collected and streamed to a recipient device by the controller via the wireless communication interface, and (ii) automatically transcribed by the controller, wherein the controller stores a text transcription of the collected audio data in a particular communication thread associated with the recipient device,
a plurality of pressure-sensitive buttons disposed adjacent to one another on the front face of the smart walkie-talkie, wherein at least a subset of the pressure-sensitive buttons have sloped surfaces to together form a concave arrangement, and wherein each pressure-sensitive button is configured to provide a respective input to the controller in response to at least a predetermined pressure being applied thereto,
a mounting bracket configured to enable an attachment of a rear face of the smart walkie-talkie to a front torso mount worn by a user, wherein via the attachment, the visual display screen is oriented away from the user, and
an audio speaker disposed in the smart walkie-talkie and oriented towards a rear face of the smart walkie-talkie that is opposite of the front face, wherein audio signals output by the audio speaker are directionally reflected towards a head region of the user during the attachment of the rear face to the front torso mount via the mounting bracket.