Meta patents virtual audio zones for realistic sound in shared spaces
This patent describes a system for managing sound in virtual environments by separating audio into distinct zones. It uses local and neighbor audio mixers to blend sounds from different sources, allowing a user's microphone to feed back into the local audio mix. This setup helps create a more immersive experience where sound behaves differently depending on where you are in the virtual space.
In the filing’s own words
An embodiment includes rendering, at a local device, a local audio stream and a neighbor audio stream, the local audio stream comprising a local audio mix generated by a local audio mixer from a plurality of local audio sources, the neighbor audio stream comprising a neighbor audio mix generated by a neighbor audio mixer from a plurality of neighbor audio sources. An embodiment includes generating, at the local device, an outgoing audio stream comprising audio collected from a collocated audio source, the collocated audio source collocated with a user for which the local device renders the local audio stream and the neighboring audio stream. An embodiment includes sending, to the local audio mixer, the outgoing audio stream.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: rendering, at a local device, a local audio stream and a neighbor audio stream, the local audio stream comprising a local audio mix generated by a local audio mixer from a plurality of local audio sources, the neighbor audio stream comprising a neighbor audio mix generated by a neighbor audio mixer from a plurality of neighbor audio sources; generating, at the local device, an outgoing audio stream comprising audio collected from a collocated audio source, the collocated audio source collocated with a user for which the local device renders the local audio stream and the neighboring audio stream; and sending, to the local audio mixer, the outgoing audio stream.
Facts
- Company
- Meta (Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC)
- Official title
- VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT SCALING USING AUDIO ZONING
- Publication number
- US20260292436A1
- Application number
- 19087006
- Filed
- Mar 21, 2025
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04S 7/304 Electricity & electronicsH04S 3/008 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2400/01 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2400/11 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2400/15 Electricity & electronicsH04S 2420/11 Electricity & electronicsMore from Meta in AR, VR & displays
- Meta patents VR avatars that mimic facial expressions from voice Sep 15, 2026
- Meta patents spatial mouse for pointing at and controlling real-world objects Sep 24, 2026
- Meta patents AR notifications that grow when you look at them Sep 1, 2026
- Meta patents AR glasses with antennas built into the lenses Sep 8, 2026
- Meta patents auto-pause for VR headsets when you take them off Oct 6, 2026
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.