Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett-packard Company

Jon R Dory

David H Hanes

John Michael Main

Matthew Flach

James Glenn Dowdy

Gregory A Standiford

Fred O Stephens

Michael P Eland

Devin A Bloom

Kevin L Miller

Robert F Yockey

Jeri R Culp

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a headset is described. The headset includes a sensory input device and a pad surrounding the sensory input device. The pad includes a thermo-electric cooling (TEC) device having a first side and a second side. The first side is to cool and the second side is to heat when a voltage is applied to the TEC device. The pad also includes a cooling layer in contact with the first side of the TEC device and a heat spreading layer in contact with the second side of the TEC device. The pad also includes an enclosing material enveloping the pad.

Thermo-electric cooling headsets

In an example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method may include receiving a temperature reading from a sensor coupled to the head mounted unit. A delta may be calculated based on the temperature reading and a predetermined temperature. A thermo-electric cooling device may be activated based on the delta surpassing a threshold. The thermo-electric cooling device utilizes thermally conductive plates, padding and fabric to transfer thermal energy.

Head mounted temperature controlled units

In an example implementation, a self-cooling headset includes an ear cup to form an ear enclosure when placed over a user's ear. A first check valve on the ear cup is to open and release a volume of air from the ear enclosure when a positive pressure within the ear enclosure overcomes a cracking pressure of the first check valve. A second check valve on the ear cup is to open and admit a volume of air into the ear enclosure when a partial vacuum within the ear enclosure causes an external pressure to overcome a cracking pressure of the second check valve.

Self-cooling headset

A system is disclosed in which an eye-tracking sensor signal is received and a moving image is generated to be rendered on one or more displays based on the eye-tracking sensor signal. Responsive to an input control signal from a user-operable control device or based on a determination that the user's gaze direction is tracking the moving image, the system adjusts the moving image.

Moving image rendering using eye-tracking sensor signal

In an example implementation, a self-cooling headset includes an ear cup to form an ear enclosure volume and a control volume. The headset also includes an intake valve to open and admit air from the ear enclosure volume into the control volume when a negative pressure is generated within the control volume, and an exhaust valve to open and release air from the control volume into the ambient environment when a positive pressure is generated within the control volume.

Self-cooling headsets

In one example of the disclosure, a communication apparatus includes a first microphone. The communication apparatus is to be wirelessly and contemporaneously connected to a set of microphones including the first microphone. The communication apparatus is to receive microphone data from each microphone of the set of microphones, wherein the microphone data is indicative of a user spoken phrase captured by the set of microphones. The communication apparatus is to establish based on the received microphone data a selected microphone from among the set of microphones.

Communication apparatuses

Headphones includes a pair of cups, each housing a speaker to be positioned over an ear of a user, a microphone, a processor, an actuator to move a member of at least one of the cups to uncover at least a portion of the ear of the user to expose the user to ambient sound, a user control to active a training mode of the headphones in which the processor operates the microphone to record relevant sounds occurring when the training mode is activated, the processor to subsequently analyze ambient sounds external to the headphones that are received by the microphone and compare those ambient sounds to the recorded relevant sounds and the processor to selectively activate the actuator to uncover at least a portion of the ear of the user to expose the user to ambient sound in response to determining that the ambient sounds match the relevant sounds.

Alerting users to events

Headphones include a pair of cups, each housing a speaker to be positioned over an ear of a user, a processor, a cooling mechanism disposed within each of the cups to regulate environmental conditions inside of the cups to match environmental thresholds provided by a virtual reality device displaying a virtual reality environment to the user, a temperature sensor and at least one additional environmental sensor disposed within each of the cups to monitor the environmental conditions inside the cups, the processor to subsequently analyze data associated with the sensors and compare the data to the environmental thresholds and the processor to selectively activate the cooling mechanism based on the comparison.

Regulating environmental conditions inside cups of headphones

Microphone data indicative of a user spoken phrase is captured utilizing the microphone at a communication apparatus. At least a portion of the microphone data is sent to a set of computing devices. A response phrase determined at a virtual assistant service is received from each of the computing devices. A preferred response phrase is identified among the set of received response phrases according to a preference rule. The preferred response phrase is caused to be output via a speaker at the communication apparatus.

Communications utilizing multiple virtual assistant services

In one example of the disclosure, volume level information is obtained for each of a set of connected communication devices that include a microphone and a speaker. The obtained volume level information is analyzed to determine the volume level information is indicative of a spoken trigger phrase. A preferred communication device among the set of communication devices is identified according to an audio preference rule. The preferred communication device can engage in transactions with a virtual assistant service such that a user spoken data other than the trigger phrase is detected within a selected time of the trigger phrase, and a response is provided to the combination of the trigger phrase and the user spoken data.

Identification of preferred communication devices according to a preference rule dependent on a trigger phrase spoken within a selected time from other command data

In an example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method may include receiving a first data value from a sensor coupled to a headset. The first data value indicates a condition indicative of condensation local to the sensor. A first delta based on the first data value and a predetermined condensation data value is determined. Based on the first delta surpassing a first threshold, a cooling device coupled to the headset is deactivated.

Condensation control headsets

A wide range, non-focused listening mode of a microphone of an electronic device can be set to be selectively less than a maximal range around the device. The microphone can be operated in the wide range, non-focused listening mode to detect a spoken trigger phrase. The microphone can then be operated in a narrow range, focused listening mode directed towards a location from which the spoken trigger phrase was detected in the wide range, non-focused listening mode.

Electronic device microphone listening modes

A first device in accordance with an example is placed in a predefined mode in response to removing a near field communication (NFC) tag from an NFC component of the first device. A request is received from a second device to establish a connection with the first device based on data stored on the NFC tag. The first device establishes the connection with the second device and executes the predefined mode.

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Jon R Dory