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MetaGranted patentAR, VR & displaysInterest 6/10

Meta patents visual tools to move and edit sounds in virtual spaces

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This patent describes a system for artificial reality devices that displays sound sources as visual objects in a graphical interface. Users can drag these objects to change where sounds appear to come from or adjust their properties, allowing the device to play modified audio that matches the new visual position.

Why it mattersThis could make virtual audio more intuitive by letting users see and physically manipulate sound sources, similar to moving objects in a 3D scene.

In the filing’s own words

An audio system for visualizing and customizing a sound space. The audio system detects sound signals and determines directions of the sound signals. The audio system associates each of the sound signals with a visualization, and provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a sound space based on the visualizations and the directions of the sound signals. The visualizations are placed at positions on the GUI corresponding to the directions of the respective sound signals relative to a user. The GUI also includes an interactive element configured to receive a user interaction for modifying a parameter of a particular sound signal. Responsive to receiving the user interaction, the audio system modifies the parameter of the particular sound signal, and plays the sound signals with the particular sound signal modified based on the user interaction.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method comprising: displaying, via a graphical user interface (GUI) of an artificial reality system, a sound space that includes a plurality of visualizations corresponding to a respective plurality of sound signals from a respective plurality of sound sources, the respective plurality of sound signals being associated with a respective plurality of directions relative to the artificial reality system; receiving, by the artificial reality system, a user input that moves one of the plurality of visualizations from a first location on the GUI to a second location on the GUI, the one of the plurality of visualizations corresponding to a first sound signal of a first sound source of the plurality of sound sources; generating, responsive to the receiving the user input, a modified version of the first sound signal, the modified version appearing to emerge from the location on the GUI; detecting, by the artificial reality system, a change in a position of the first sound source relative to the artificial reality system and a second sound signal from the first sound source from the position; generating, by the artificial reality system, responsive to the detecting, an additional modified version of the second signal, the additional modified version appearing to emerge from the location on the GUI; and presenting, by the artificial reality system, the additional modified version.

Facts

Company
Meta (Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC)
Official title
Visualization and customization of sound space
Patent number
US12756984B2
Application number
18598310
Filed
Mar 7, 2024
Granted
Oct 6, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
18

Classified under

H04S 7/30 Electricity & electronicsH04S 7/40 Electricity & electronics

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.