Dynamic time-weighted systems and methods for management of acoustic exposure

Patent No. US10574201 (titled "Dynamic time-weighted systems and methods for management of acoustic exposure") on May 23, 2017. The application was issued on Feb 25, 2020.

’201 is related to the field of workplace safety and acoustic management, specifically addressing the health risks associated with prolonged exposure to high sound volumes. In professional environments like contact centers, workers are often exposed to audio from multiple sources, including headsets, handsets, speakerphones, and ambient office noise. Traditional safety mechanisms typically focus on preventing sudden, high-decibel acoustic shocks or apply static limits to a single device, failing to account for the cumulative physiological impact of sound energy gathered from various sources over the course of a full work shift.

The underlying idea behind ’201 is the implementation of a cross-device monitoring system that treats a user’s total sound exposure as an integrated budget rather than isolated events. By tracking the cumulative sound energy produced by one audio source—or a combination of sources—the system can dynamically adjust the output limits of a completely different device. This creates an intelligent feedback loop where the usage history of a desk phone or the presence of loud ambient noise directly dictates the maximum permissible volume on a mobile device or computer headset, ensuring the user’s total daily dose remains within safe physiological boundaries.

The claims of ’201 focus on a processor-driven system that receives audio level data from a first source and uses that data to trigger an audio limiting action on a second, controllable audio output. The independent claims specifically cover the logic of determining whether the sound energy from a first output (or a combination of multiple inputs and outputs) exceeds a defined threshold. If the threshold is met, the processor intervenes to reduce the output level of a second device, effectively linking the operational parameters of separate audio interfaces to a centralized safety protocol.

In practice, the invention works by aggregating sound data—such as analog voltages, digital volume packets, or even proxy data from noisy machinery—into a centralized database or server. When a user reaches a specific percentage of their daily allowed exposure, the system can execute a variety of mitigation strategies. This might involve dampening the dynamic range of a headset to prevent further accumulation, triggering alerts for supervisors, or even automatically reassigning the worker to non-audio tasks, such as responding to emails or text-based chats, to allow their hearing to recover.

This approach differs from prior solutions by moving away from static, one-size-fits-all compression that often degrades audio quality. Instead of permanently capping volume, the system uses dynamic thresholding that can adjust based on the time remaining in a shift or the specific sensitivity of an individual user. By accounting for the sum of all sources—including environmental noise that the system cannot directly control—it provides a comprehensive safety net that prevents the 'incomplete picture' problem inherent in standalone device limiters.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical Landscape

In the late 2010s when ’201 was filed, acoustic safety management in communication systems was typically implemented using static limiters or fixed compression curves within a single audio peripheral. At a time when systems commonly relied on local hardware-based peak clipping rather than cross-device exposure tracking, managing a user's total acoustic dosage was often restricted to the monitoring of a single active audio path. Hardware and software constraints made it non-trivial to aggregate sound pressure data across disparate output interfaces, such as handsets, headsets, and speakerphones, or to incorporate ambient environmental noise into a unified exposure calculation.

Prosecution Position

The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement through the architectural shift from isolated device limiting to a centralized or networked monitoring system that aggregates cumulative audio exposure. By integrating sound level data from multiple discrete audio outputs and environmental sensors, the system enables a dynamic audio limiting action that can be applied to a second device based on the historical exposure levels recorded from a first device. This solution overcomes the technical constraint of fragmented acoustic monitoring, achieving a more accurate calculation of total sound pressure dosage and enabling proactive protection across a plurality of communication interfaces.

Claims

This patent contains 20 total claims, with claims 1, 9, and 16 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on systems and methods that utilize a processor to monitor audio level data from one or more sources, compare that data against a threshold, and execute an audio limiting action to reduce the output level of a second audio source when the threshold is exceeded. The dependent claims serve to further define the system by specifying the use of network interfaces and data storage for managing audio values, incorporating ambient noise or proxy data as audio inputs, utilizing microphones for sound observation, and calculating future sound exposure to select appropriate limiting actions or alerts.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)	Support for Specification	Interpretation
Audio level data (Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 16)	Audio data, as used herein, is the soundwave energy levels, typically measured in Decibels (“dB”) and an associated duration of one or more levels. The audio data provides a representation (e.g., numeric value, sum of values, aggregation of values, etc.) of sound energy as may be presented to an ear and/or ear drum and its duration.	A representation of soundwave energy levels, typically measured in Decibels (dB), and the associated duration of those levels as presented to an ear.
Audio limiting action (Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 16)	The communication device acoustic limiter dynamically adjusts peak output levels based on the sum of the workplace environment and the ongoing communication needs of each user to meet safety standards. Upon determining a sum of the users exposure requires corrective action, the audio output of one or more devices may be reduced as needed. The terms “audio output level” and “volume” are used interchangeably to refer to the amplitude of sound produced.	A corrective operation executed by the processor to reduce the amplitude or volume of sound produced by an audio output device to mitigate potentially damaging sound levels.
Reduced audio output level (Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 16)	If user is active on a desk phone for a long period and the monitor has put some limit in place based on an exposure beyond a threshold due to the desk phone, then as the user moves to cell phone or other device this limit is applied to the new device. The device having the audio output reduced may or may not have contributed to the prior audio exposure of the user.	A controlled decrease in the amplitude of sound produced by a device, which may be applied to a new device even if that device did not contribute to the prior over-exposure.
Sound energy (Claim 1, Claim 16)	The sound energy presented to an ear may be measured at the ear or a distance from the ear with a known equivalence applied. For example, a sound level may be observed at a distance from the ear and a mathematical equivalence applied to the observed value for use as the sound level at the ear. Generally, the embodiments herein are directed to identifying and mitigating damaging or potentially damaging sound levels to an ear.	The acoustic pressure or energy observed at the ear or at a distance from the ear with a known mathematical equivalence applied.
Threshold audio level data (Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 16)	A limit may be determined based on a generic (e.g., standardized, government entity provided, etc.) standard for sound exposure. In a further embodiment, a specific limitation may be utilized to modify or instead of a generic standard. For example, a user with a known or suspected need for lower than average sound exposure may utilize a lower threshold of exposure.	A limit for sound exposure determined by safety standards, governmental entities, or specific user needs, used to trigger alerts or audio limiting actions.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case Number	Filing Date	Title
7:25-cv-00483	Oct 22, 2025	Arlington Technologies LLC v. NVIDIA Corporation

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US10574201

Application Number: US15602284A
Filing Date: May 23, 2017
Publication Date: Feb 25, 2020
External Links: Slate, USPTO , Google Patents

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