Patents Examined by Jeffrey Lytle
  • Patent number: 9312913
    Abstract: An echo cancellation apparatus cancels an echo signal included in a second speech signal including the echo signal of a first speech signal, and includes: a first echo replica generating unit generating a first echo replica by processing the first speech signal through a filter whose characteristic is equalized with a acoustic transfer function of amplified sound; a first echo cancelling unit generating and providing a first echo-cancelled signal by subtracting from the second speech signal the first echo replica generated by the first echo replica generating unit; and a filter updating unit generating a nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal by performing nonlinear conversion on the first echo-cancelled signal generated by the first echo cancelling unit, and updating the filter characteristic thereby equalizing the filter characteristic with the acoustic transfer function, using the nonlinear-converted echo-cancelled signal, the first speech signal, and a norm of the first speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoki Nishikawa, Hiroki Furukawa, Takeo Kanamori
  • Patent number: 9282127
    Abstract: A method and electronic device configured for automatically terminating, or providing an option to a participant of a video-chat session, upon determining that more than a user's face is being exposed to a camera of the electronic device during the video-chat session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Inventor: Anthony Nicholas Burns
  • Patent number: 9277053
    Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for providing ready-to-dial global phone numbers is provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, a telephone number parser parses a received telephone number into a collection of telephone number components. The telephone number parser validates each telephone number component of the collection of telephone number components. A telephone number manager stores the collection of telephone number components. In response to receiving a request for a telephone number, a telephone number assembler generates the telephone number from the collection of telephone number components. The telephone number is configured to be successfully dialed from a location from which the telephone number is to be dialed. Finally, the telephone number manager displays the telephone number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy Fallen-Bailey
  • Patent number: 9270831
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses (e.g., DSL system hardware, DSL systems, vectoring control entities), techniques, systems, etc. are used for initializing one or more DSL lines joining a vectored DSL line group operating in Showtime. A super-periodic orthogonal pilot sequence from a set of super-periodic orthogonal pilot sequences is assigned to each joining DSL line, wherein each such super-periodic orthogonal pilot sequence in the set has length L and is orthogonal to other sequences in the set over length T. These super-periodic orthogonal pilot sequences are used on the joining DSL lines to generate at least T sync-symbols worth of initialization data, which is processed to generate initialization data and FEXT mitigation coefficients for use when the joining DSL lines become part of the vectored DSL line group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Ikanos Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Amitkumar Mahadevan, Kevin D. Fisher, Nicholas P. Sands
  • Patent number: 9262391
    Abstract: A processing system can include an encoder to encode a real-time transmission of a presentation. A memory buffer can copy and store images of the presentation and convert the images into snapshot images. A transmitter can transmit the snapshot images to an external annotation device, and a receiver can receive annotation data of an annotation performed on the snapshot images at the external annotation device. The annotation can be encoded, in accordance with the annotation data, into the real-time transmission of the presentation to display the real-time transmission with the annotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dau Do, Nermin Ismail, Brandon Gulrich, Dihong Tian
  • Patent number: 9264805
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for beamforming and performing echo compensation for the beamformed signal with an echo canceller including calculating a set of filter coefficients as an estimate for a new steering direction without a complete adaptation of the echo canceller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Markus Buck, Gerhard Uwe Schmidt, Tobias Wolff
  • Patent number: 9253303
    Abstract: There is provided a signal processing apparatus including a recognition section configured to recognize at least one of a state of a first user, a state of a second user, and a relationship between the first user and the second user, a signal processing unit configured to perform signal processing on voice information corresponding to voice articulated by the first user, or voice information corresponding to voice that is transmitted from a remote location and articulated by the second user, and a control unit configured to control the signal processing unit to perform signal processing on at least one of the voice information corresponding to the voice articulated by the first user, and the voice information corresponding to the voice that is transmitted from the remote location and articulated by the second user, in accordance with a recognition result of the recognition section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Tomoya Onuma, Kazuyuki Sakoda, Akira Tange, Kohei Asada
  • Patent number: 9246546
    Abstract: A digital subscriber line management system is provided. It comprises a device for calculating a set of values specifying a virtual noise mask. The device includes a receiver for receiving or otherwise obtaining a set of measurements of noise levels experienced at a digital subscriber line transceiver at each of a plurality of frequencies at different times, and a processor for calculating, in respect of each frequency, a combined value based on a plurality of measurements taken at different times, and for generating the set of values specifying a virtual noise mask in dependence upon the combined values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Inventor: Christopher Marcus Croot
  • Patent number: 9247206
    Abstract: An information processing device is located at a second spot and communicates with another information processing device located at a first spot. The information processing device includes an acquisition unit for acquiring first motion information of a user of the other information processing device at the first spot; a specification unit for specifying first meaning information indicating a meaning of the first motion information at the first spot and second meaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaning information at the second spot; a correction unit for correcting the first motion information based on a difference between the first and second meaning information, such that the first motion information indicates the first meaning information at the second spot; and a generation unit for generating an object of the user of the other information processing device at the first spot, based on the corrected first motion information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi Homma
  • Patent number: 9237225
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an echo canceller having an audio signal input and an audio signal output and dynamic pre-conditioning logic. The dynamic pre-conditioning logic is operatively coupled to the echo canceller audio signal output as a feedback signal and has a dynamic pre-conditioning logic output operatively coupled to the echo canceller audio signal input. The dynamic pre-conditioning logic is also operative to receive an audio signal input from at least one microphone. The dynamic pre-conditioning logic is operative to analyze the feedback signal to obtain at least one characteristic, and pre-condition the audio signal input, based on the at least one characteristic of the feedback signal, and provide a pre-conditioned audio signal at the echo canceller audio signal input. The echo canceller audio signal output is then provided to a noise suppressor for the send path of a full duplex communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Juan C Garcia, Joel A Clark, Tenkasi V Ramabadran
  • Patent number: 9232182
    Abstract: The reservation communication information is generated based on terminal identification information for identifying a transmission terminal that is currently participating in a session based on reservation of communication, which at least indicates whether a counterpart transmission terminal that is scheduled to participate in the session based on the reservation of communication is currently participating in the session based on the reservation of communication. The reservation communication information may be output for display at a request transmission terminal that may request to start communication with the counterpart transmission terminal based on the reservation of communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kaoru Maeda
  • Patent number: 9232075
    Abstract: A flash memory in a memory (9) connected to a baseband chip (3) stores related information on an image/sound in a telephone mode (contrast information, screen luminance information, and sound volume information in the telephone mode), and related information on an image/sound in a television-viewing mode (contrast information, screen luminance information, and sound volume information in the television-viewing mode). In the telephone mode, a display device (6) and a speaker unit (7) are driven based on the related information on the image/sound in the telephone mode. In the television-viewing mode, the display device (6) and the speaker unit (7) are driven based on the related information on the image/sound in the television-viewing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Miyuki Okamoto, Tsurumi Ito
  • Patent number: 9191493
    Abstract: Methods and devices for enabling and disabling updating an adaptive filter for echo cancellation of a communication device are disclosed. An echo canceller may include an adaptive filter that may be enabled to update responsive to a determination that a first condition is satisfied that there is no double talk detected on the communication device, and a determination that a second condition is satisfied based, at least in part, on the performance characteristic. The adaptive filter may be disabled from updating responsive to at least one of the first condition and the second condition not being satisfied. Disabling the adaptive filter from updating may be responsive to detecting a performance characteristic of the adaptive filter to fail to meet a condition indicating that the adaptive filter is diverging. The condition to be met may be independent of whether double-talk is determined to be present on the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: CaptionCall, LLC
    Inventor: Mark Adams
  • Patent number: 9191347
    Abstract: A method of routing messages may include providing a listener registry of a plurality of listeners and associated namespaces so that at least one namespace is associated with each of the plurality of listeners. A message may be received from an originating application, and the message may include a message namespace. The message may be stored in a message queue, and a determination may be made to determine if a listener from the listener registry is associated with the message namespace. If no listener from the listener registry is associated with the message namespace, the message may be stored in a parked message queue separate from the message queue. After the message has been in the parked message queue for a predetermined period of time, the message may be deleted from the parked message queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Brett Dennis Johnson, Larry Kent, Jr., Charles Frederick Hart, Matthew Campbell, Donald H. Fair, Thomas Hackbarth, Bruce Peterson
  • Patent number: 9191519
    Abstract: In an echo suppressor, a frequency bin component detector compares a far-end signal amplitude spectrum with a threshold value for each frequency bin to determine whether or not each frequency bin includes a frequency component. A frequency bin echo path characteristic estimator uses the far-end signal amplitude spectrum in the frequency bins determined to have a frequency component by the frequency bin component detector and the near-end input signal amplitude spectrum of corresponding frequency bins to estimate the echo path characteristics of the frequency bins. An estimated echo signal calculation-and-echo suppressor section calculates estimated echo signals based on the echo path characteristic in each frequency bin and the far-end signal amplitude spectrum to suppress the estimated echo signals from the near-end input signal amplitude spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoya Kawabata
  • Patent number: 9178993
    Abstract: A line connection apparatus is disclosed. A hold/release recognition part records first person identification information by corresponding to second person identification information in a connection database stored in a storage part when a hold is recognized. The first person identification information identifies a first person who holds a line. The second person identification information identifies a second person for whom the line is held. The connection database maintains a state of holding a line and releasing a hold of the line. The connection control part refers to the connection control database and has a first person terminal of the first person in a hold state based on the first person identification information, which is corresponded to the second person identification information indicated by a re-connection request, in response to the re-connection request conducted by a same second person after the line is disconnected in the hold state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Naoto Kawashima, Naoto Matsudaira, Yuusuke Tounai, Hiroshi Yoshida, Shingo Hirono
  • Patent number: 9172791
    Abstract: Features are disclosed for estimating a noise level using a variable step size. An acoustic echo canceller (AEC) may be configured to perform echo cancellation. The acoustic echo canceller may determine an estimated echo using a playback signal. The acoustic echo canceller also may determine an estimated error using the estimated echo and a microphone signal. A variable step size may be determined using the estimated error and the microphone signal. Noise reduction may be performed using the variable step size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Ayrapetian, Arnaud Jean-Louis Charton, Yuwen Su
  • Patent number: 9172427
    Abstract: A crosstalk cancellation device cancels crosstalk noise of at most M disturbing communication lines in a victim communication line forming part of a vectoring group. The crosstalk cancellation device gradually decreases the cancellation depth of a cancelled disturbing communication line in the victim communication line upon a crosstalk noise variation in the vectoring group requiring cancellation of crosstalk noise of a not yet cancelled disturbing communication line in the victim communication line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Frank Defoort, Jan Verlinden, Dirk Vanderhaegen, Danny Van Bruyssel, Carl Nuzman
  • Patent number: 9143621
    Abstract: A canceller splits a signal, transmitted from a near end terminal (ET) to a far ET, into a sub-sampled signal corresponding to a higher frequency sub-band of the signal transmitted to the far ET, and a sub-sampled signal corresponding to a lower frequency sub-band of the signal transmitted to the far ET; and splits a signal received from a far ET into a sub-sampled signal corresponding to a higher frequency sub-band of the signal received from the far ET, and a sub-sampled signal corresponding to a lower frequency sub-band of the signal received from the far ET. The canceller includes a first adaptive filter for filtering the sub-sampled signal corresponding to the lower frequency sub-band, a second adaptive filter for filtering the sub-sampled signal corresponding to the higher frequency sub-band, and controls the adaptation of the first and second adaptive filters so that these two adaptations are never simultaneous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Moulay Fadili, François Pinier
  • Patent number: 9136905
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for multi-receiving terminal echo cancellation Echo filters performs echo filtering on receiving terminal signals in M channels to obtain filtered receiving terminal signals in M channels. The filtered receiving terminal signals in M channels are subtracted from a transmitting terminal signal to obtain a system output signal in which receiving terminal echoes have been cancelled. The receiving terminal signals in M channels are buffered. A decorrelation matrix according to each of the receiving terminal signals in M channels is calculated. The decorrelation matrix decomposes the buffered receiving terminal signals in M channels into decorrelated receiving terminal signals in M channels. Update amounts of the echo filters are calculated according to the decorrelation matrix, the decorrelated receiving terminal signals in M channels and the system output signal that is fed back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: GOERTEK INC.
    Inventor: Shasha Lou