Patents Examined by Paul McCord
  • Patent number: 9195431
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for removing a sound recording from an audio recording (e.g., an audio recording embedded in a media file) are presented. The system can include an identification component, a first subtraction component and a second subtraction component. The identification component identifies a sound recording in a mixed audio recording. The first subtraction component determines a local linear transformation of the sound recording and subtracts the local linear transformation of the sound recording from the mixed audio recording to generate a new mixed audio recording. The second subtraction component compares one or more segments of the sound recording with one or more corresponding segments of the new mixed audio recording and reduces a power level of the new mixed audio recording based at least in part on correlation of the one or more corresponding segments with the one or more segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Russell LaRosa, Sam Kvaalen, Thomas Chadwick Walters, Richard Francis Lyon, Robert Steven Glickstein, Rushabh Ashok Doshi, Molly Castle Nix, Jason Matthew Toff
  • Patent number: 9180370
    Abstract: A system provides a model for use within a digital environment. The model comprises at least one music segment, and supplies music for the digital environment. The system identifies a location within the digital environment. The location requires at least one music segment supplied by the model. The system selects at least one music segment to play within the digital environment. The music segment is selected based on the model, the location requiring the at least one music segment, and the digital environment. The selecting of the music segment is operable to be modified based on the model, the location requiring the at least one music segment, and the digital environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Alexander, Paul B. Lamere, Seth T. Proctor
  • Patent number: 9179235
    Abstract: This specification describes technologies relating to modifying digital audio data using a meta-parameter. A method is provided that includes receiving digital audio data; receiving an input modifying a meta-parameter to a particular meta-parameter value associated with two or more parameters according to a particular mapping, each of the two or more parameters being associated with the digital audio data; modifying at least a first parameter of the two or more parameters based on the particular meta-parameter value and the particular mapping such that a first meta-parameter value causes a modification of the first parameter associated with a volume control of the digital audio data and a second meta-parameter value causes a modification of a second parameter of the two or more parameters associated with dynamic range control of the digital audio data; and generating modified digital audio data from the two or more modified parameters of the digital audio data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: Sven Duwenhorst
  • Patent number: 9165394
    Abstract: The present invention sets forth a method for supporting enhanced audio on a graphics processing unit (GPU) in a computing device having a graphics subsystem. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of determining whether an option of a GPU audio output is enabled and the graphics subsystem and a first external output device is connected, and routing a first audio stream to the GPU of the graphics subsystem for processing when the option of the GPU audio output is enabled and the graphics subsystem and the first external output device is in connection and causing the processed first audio stream to be transferred along a first transmission path to the first external output device, or otherwise causing a second audio stream to be transferred along a second transmission path to a second external output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Shany-I Chan, Ching-Yee Feng, Shih-Da Wu, Tseng-Ying Lee, Li-Kai Cheng, Li-Ling Chou, Yu-Kuo Chiang, Yu-Li (David) Ho
  • Patent number: 9154875
    Abstract: A device (200) for processing an audio data stream, the device (200) comprising a transient detection unit (201) adapted to detect a transient portion of an audio input data stream (202), and a harmonics generator (203) adapted to generate an audio output data stream (204) based on the audio input data stream (202), the audio output data stream (204) comprising a sequence of harmonics (205) generated only from a non-transient portion of the audio input data stream (202).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Kristof Van Reck
  • Patent number: 9143859
    Abstract: Technology for grouping, consolidating, and pairing individual playback devices with network capability (players) to stimulate a multi-channel listening environment is disclosed. Particularly, the embodiments described herein enable two or more playback devices to be paired, such that multi-channel audio is achieved. Such embodiments may be used to produce stereo and multi-channel audio environments for television and movies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: SONOS, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Robert A. Lambourne, Robert Reimann, Mark Triplett
  • Patent number: 9141645
    Abstract: In general, user interfaces for controlling a plurality of multimedia players in groups are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a user interface is provided to allow a user to group some of the players according to a theme or scene, where each of the players is located in a zone. When the scene is activated, the players in the scene react in a synchronized manner. For example, the players in the scene are all caused to play a multimedia source or music in a playlist, wherein the multimedia source may be located anywhere on a network. The user interface is further configured to illustrate graphically a size of a group, the larger the group appears relatively, the more plays there are in the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Lambourne, Nicholas A. J. Millington
  • Patent number: 9130445
    Abstract: Embodiments of an electromechanical transducer are presented. The electromechanical transducer includes a plurality of magnets and a substrate having a patterned conductive coil of at least one turn. The plurality of magnets are arranged such that a continuous magnetic flux path passes through each of the plurality of magnets. The substrate is located within an airgap between a given magnet of the plurality of magnets and an adjacent magnet of the plurality of magnets. The continuous magnetic flux path passes through at least a portion of the patterned conductive coil due to the location of the substrate within the airgap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Inventors: David Micah Katz, Shelley Katz
  • Patent number: 9112622
    Abstract: User is allowed to designate a desired mode defining the respective numbers of channels and mixing buses, and processing for mixing input signals of the number of channels corresponding to the designated mode is performed repetitively to generate signals for the individual buses. The time of arrival of the last step in the mixing processing for the number of channels, corresponding to the designated mode, is detected to output an accumulation result obtained at the last step, and new accumulation is started with a digital audio signal inputted at a step following the last step. Digital audio signals processed by a first signal processing circuit are stored into a memory and transmitted to a second signal processing circuit via a cascade-connection. The second signal processing circuit adds the audio signal, processed for each of the steps, to audio signals input via the cascade-connection and writes added signal into the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tomomi Miyata, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Ryuichi Kawamoto
  • Patent number: 9112989
    Abstract: A mobile device that is capable of automatically starting and ending the recording of an audio signal captured by at least one microphone is presented. The mobile device is capable of adjusting a number of parameters related with audio logging based on the context information of the audio input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Te-Won Lee, Khaled Helmi El-Maleh, Heejong Yoo, Jongwon Shin
  • Patent number: 9113256
    Abstract: An acoustic playback system including a digital filter; and a plurality of digital modulators each of which output a digital signal to one of a plurality of speakers configured with speakers driven by digital signals having different play back bandwidths; wherein the digital filter converts a digital audio signal which is input into a plurality of digital audio signals of a plurality of frequency bandwidths corresponding to play back bandwidths of the plurality of speakers, and outputs each of the digital audio signals of the plurality of frequency bandwidths to one of the plurality of digital modulators; each of the plurality of digital modulators outputs the modulated digital signal to the speaker of a play back bandwidth corresponding to a frequency bandwidth of the digital audio signal which is input by performing miss match shaping after noise shaping to a digital audio signal which is input; and each number of bits of a digital signal which is output by each of the digital modulators is different is pro
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: TRIGENCE SEMICONDUCTOR INC.
    Inventors: Akira Yasuda, Jun-ichi Okamura
  • Patent number: 9083994
    Abstract: A method and system for resynchronizing an embedded multimedia system using bytes consumed in an audio decoder. The bytes consumed provides a mechanism to compensate for bit error handling and correction in a system that does not require re-transmission. The audio decoder keeps track of the bytes consumed and periodically reports the bytes consumed. A host microprocessor indexes the actual bytes consumed since bit errors may have been handled or corrected to a predetermined byte count to determine whether resynchronization is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Mingxia Cheng, Anthony Patrick Mauro, II, Eddie L. T. Choy, Yujie Gao, Kuntal Dilipsinh Sampat, Matthew Blaine Zivney, Satish Goverdhan, Samir Kumar Gupta, Harinath Garudadri
  • Patent number: 9071214
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an audio signal controller adapted to receiving first and second digital audio signals and estimating a signal feature of the first or second digital audio signal. The estimated signal feature is compared with a predetermined feature criterion and the audio signal controller switches from conveying the first digital audio signal to conveying the second digital audio signal to a controller output, or vice versa, at a zero-crossing of the first digital audio signal or the second digital audio signal based on the comparison between the estimated signal feature and the predetermined feature criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: INVENSENSE, INC.
    Inventors: Henrik Thomsen, Jens Jorgen Gaarde Henriksen, Claus Furst
  • Patent number: 9060094
    Abstract: Individual adjustment of audio volume and video properties in a computer network conference environment is provided. For audio adjustment, a buffer collects incoming streams; a stream decoder decodes the buffered audio streams, a gain adjustment applies a gain increase or decrease to the individual audio stream, and a mixer combines each of the individual signals together. The gain adjustment module receives input from a user interface control associated with each participant, and adjusts the volume of that participant's stream accordingly. If a requested increase in gain would cause an overflow of the signal, only a gain increase that will avoid such overflow is applied. Video properties such as brightness, contrast and saturation are also adjustable. Properties of the user's transmitted audio and video streams are also adjustable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Optical Fusion, Inc.
    Inventor: Mukund Thapa
  • Patent number: 9053753
    Abstract: Certain aspects of a method and system for a flexible multiplexer and mixer (FMM) are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include mixing primary audio information and secondary audio information of sampled received audio data based on corresponding metadata information to generate mixed output audio data. The generated mixed output audio data may be pulled through a plurality of pipeline stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Wu, Cam Minh Luu, Glen Grover, Benjamin Giese, Shu Chan, Keith Klingler, Darren Neuman
  • Patent number: 9026236
    Abstract: To provide an audio signal processing apparatus which can perform, with low operation amount, audio signal processing that is either time stretch and/or compression processing or frequency modulation processing. The audio signal processing apparatus is intended to transform an input audio signal sequence using a predetermined adjustment factor. The audio signal processing apparatus includes a filter bank (2601) which transforms the input audio signal sequence into Quadrature Mirror Filter (QMF) coefficients using a filter for Quadrature Mirror Filter analysis (a QMF analysis filter) and an adjusting unit (2602) which adjusts the QMF coefficients based on a predetermined adjustment factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
    Inventors: Tomokazu Ishikawa, Takeshi Norimatsu, Kok Seng Chong, Huan Zhou, Haishan Zhong
  • Patent number: 9020620
    Abstract: Recording devices are often used to record discussions, conferences, meetings and the like. The recorded information is reviewed or processed afterwards for example in order to prepare minutes or notes. The known state of the art proposes to use devices comprising two receptacles for tapes. But this solution adds cost to the recording devices, which will not be accepted from all potential buyers as only a small number of the buyers will actually use this functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Marc Smaak, Henk Goudsmits, Sjack Schellekens, Ronald Ten Hove
  • Patent number: 9014834
    Abstract: Technology for grouping, consolidating, and pairing individual playback devices with network capability (players) to stimulate a multi-channel listening environment is disclosed. Particularly, the embodiments described herein enable two or more playback devices to be paired, such that multi-channel audio is achieved. Such embodiments may be used to produce stereo and multi-channel audio environments for television and movies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Kallai, Michael Darrell Andrew Ericson, Robert A. Lambourne, Robert Reimann, Mark Triplett
  • Patent number: 8989882
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to receive a request for reverberation in an environment having a plurality of media devices, and adjust a time delay for audio signals presented by one of the plurality of media devices operably coupled to the set top box based at least in part on the request. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Steven Michael Wollmershauser, William O. Sprague, Jr., Jason B. Sprague
  • Patent number: 8977376
    Abstract: Method and devices for testing a headphone with increased sensation are provided. The headphone can filter and amplify low frequency audio signals, which are then sent to a haptic device in the headphone. The haptic device can cause bass sensations at the top of the skull and at both ear cups. The testing system can evaluate the haptic and acoustic sensations produced by the headphone to evaluate if they have been properly assembled and calibrate the headphones if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics of Silicon Valley, Inc.
    Inventors: Rocky Chau-Hsiung Lin, Thomas Yamasaki