Patents by Inventor Christopher D. Chafe

Christopher D. Chafe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11471088
    Abstract: A handheld device for sonifying electrical signals obtained from a subject is provided. The device can utilize at least one of several operations including (but not limited) digitizing signals from electrodes, adjusting the signals based on accelerometer input, filtering the signals, conditioning the signals according to conditioning parameters, modulating the signal according to sound synthesis parameters, and generating sound from the representations of the signals to accomplish sonification. The device can include an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter to digitize the one or more electrical signals and a processor that receives the one or more digitized electrical signals and produces a representation of an acoustic signal. The device further includes a speaker system that sonifies the representation of the acoustic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Ceribell
    Inventors: Josef Parvizi, Christopher D. Chafe, Xingjuan Chao, Ronald C. Eddington, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11045150
    Abstract: A digital processor system having one or more processors and memory obtains a time-domain signal representing brain activity, the time-domain signal having a time varying signal value. The system concurrently generates a set of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters, where one or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the time-domain signal. The system combines the concurrently generated set of acoustic parameters to produce a representation of an acoustic signal corresponding to the time-domain signal, where the acoustic signal, in audible form, manifests one or more audibly discernible variations across a plurality of stages of a brain activity event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Josef Parvizi
  • Publication number: 20200138320
    Abstract: A handheld device for sonifying electrical signals obtained from a subject is provided. The device can utilize at least one of several operations including (but not limited) digitizing signals from electrodes, adjusting the signals based on accelerometer input, filtering the signals, conditioning the signals according to conditioning parameters, modulating the signal according to sound synthesis parameters, and generating sound from the representations of the signals to accomplish sonification. The device can include an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter to digitize the one or more electrical signals and a processor that receives the one or more digitized electrical signals and produces a representation of an acoustic signal. The device further includes a speaker system that sonifies the representation of the acoustic signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Josef Parvizi, Christopher D. Chafe, Xinghuan Chao, Ronald C. Eddington, JR.
  • Publication number: 20190038237
    Abstract: A digital processor system having one or more processors and memory obtains a time-domain signal representing brain activity, the time-domain signal having a time varying signal value. The system concurrently generates a set of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters, where one or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the time-domain signal. The system combines the concurrently generated set of acoustic parameters to produce a representation of an acoustic signal corresponding to the time-domain signal, where the acoustic signal, in audible form, manifests one or more audibly discernible variations across a plurality of stages of a brain activity event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Joseph Parvizi
  • Patent number: 10136862
    Abstract: A digital processor system having one or more processors and memory obtains a time-domain signal representing brain activity, the time-domain signal having a time varying signal value. The system concurrently generates a set of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters, where one or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the time-domain signal. The system combines the concurrently generated set of acoustic parameters to produce a representation of an acoustic signal corresponding to the time-domain signal, where the acoustic signal, in audible form, manifests one or more audibly discernible variations across a plurality of stages of a brain activity event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Josef Parvizi
  • Patent number: 9888884
    Abstract: A digital processor system obtains at least one time-domain signal representing brain activity and at least one time-domain signal representing heart activity, each having a time-varying signal value. The system produces representations of a plurality of acoustic signals, each of which corresponds to a respective time-domain signal and is produced by concurrently generating a plurality of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters. One or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the respective time-domain signal. Each representation of an acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals is further produced by combining the concurrently generated plurality of acoustic parameters to produce the representation of the acoustic signal corresponding to the respective time-domain signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Josef Parvizi
  • Patent number: 9354335
    Abstract: A method of determining locations of microseismic events caused by a hydrofracking process is disclosed. The method includes: measuring audio signals using an array of geophones deployed in a monitoring well during hydraulic fracturing; modifying the audio signals according to a predefined nonlinear distortion operator to generate a modified audio signal, wherein the modified audio signal has audible components in a predefined frequency range beyond a cutoff frequency defined by a sampling rate of the respective measured audio signals; and playing the modified audio signals through a stereo or multi-channel speaker system, wherein a user of the stereo or multi-channel speaker system is able to determine the locations of the microseismic events from listening to the modified audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Publication number: 20150150520
    Abstract: A digital processor system obtains at least one time-domain signal representing brain activity and at least one time-domain signal representing heart activity, each having a time-varying signal value. The system produces representations of a plurality of acoustic signals, each of which corresponds to a respective time-domain signal and is produced by concurrently generating a plurality of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters. One or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the respective time-domain signal. Each representation of an acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals is further produced by combining the concurrently generated plurality of acoustic parameters to produce the representation of the acoustic signal corresponding to the respective time-domain signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Josef Parvizi
  • Patent number: 8927847
    Abstract: A time-varying formant is generated at a formant frequency by generating first and second harmonic phase signals having first and second harmonic numbers, respectively, in relation to a modulation frequency. The first and second harmonic phase signals are generated in proportion to a master phase signal, which varies at the modulation frequency, modulo a factor corresponding to their harmonic numbers. First and second sound signals, based on the first and second harmonic phase signals, are frequency modulated to create an arbitrarily rich harmonic spectrum, depending on an FM index. The time-varying formant is generated by generating a time-varying combination of the first and second harmonic sound signals, weighting the first and second harmonic sound signals in accordance with their spectral proximities to the formant frequency. One or more of the harmonic numbers are updated when the time-varying formant frequency passes the frequency of either sound signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Publication number: 20140360342
    Abstract: A time-varying formant is generated at a formant frequency by generating first and second harmonic phase signals having first and second harmonic numbers, respectively, in relation to a modulation frequency. The first and second harmonic phase signals are generated in proportion to a master phase signal, which varies at the modulation frequency, modulo a factor corresponding to their harmonic numbers. First and second sound signals, based on the first and second harmonic phase signals, are frequency modulated to create an arbitrarily rich harmonic spectrum, depending on an FM index. The time-varying formant is generated by generating a time-varying combination of the first and second harmonic sound signals, weighting the first and second harmonic sound signals in accordance with their spectral proximities to the formant frequency. One or more of the harmonic numbers are updated when the time-varying formant frequency passes the frequency of either sound signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Publication number: 20130343159
    Abstract: A method of determining locations of microseismic events caused by a hydrofracking process is disclosed. The method includes: measuring audio signals using an array of geophones deployed in a monitoring well during hydraulic fracturing; modifying the audio signals according to a predefined nonlinear distortion operator to generate a modified audio signal, wherein the modified audio signal has audible components in a predefined frequency range beyond a cutoff frequency defined by a sampling rate of the respective measured audio signals; and playing the modified audio signals through a stereo or multi-channel speaker system, wherein a user of the stereo or multi-channel speaker system is able to determine the locations of the microseismic events from listening to the modified audio signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Publication number: 20130324878
    Abstract: A digital processor system having one or more processors and memory obtains a time-domain signal representing brain activity, the time-domain signal having a time varying signal value. The system concurrently generates a set of acoustic parameters, including a plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters, where one or more of the plurality of time-varying acoustic parameters is modulated in accordance with at least the signal value of the time-domain signal. The system combines the concurrently generated set of acoustic parameters to produce a representation of an acoustic signal corresponding to the time-domain signal, where the acoustic signal, in audible form, manifests one or more audibly discernible variations across a plurality of stages of a brain activity event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventors: Christopher D. Chafe, Josef Parvizi
  • Patent number: 7522734
    Abstract: A distributed acoustic reverberator including a network audio connection between at least two separated locations is provided. When a sound is emitted at one of the locations, the reverberator provides a reverberation signal to that location with a procedure. An algorithm implemented by the distributed reverberator includes such a procedure for each location. The delay of the network connection is an input to the procedures. Thus, a shared and acoustically consistent space including the separated locations is provided. The reverberator may include procedures for providing a reverberation signal to one location responsive to sound at another location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Publication number: 20040205204
    Abstract: A distributed acoustic reverberator including a network audio connection between at least two separated locations is provided. When a sound is emitted at one of the locations, the reverberator provides a reverberation signal to that location with a procedure. An algorithm implemented by the distributed reverberator includes such a procedure for each location. The delay of the network connection is an input to the procedures. Thus, a shared and acoustically consistent space including the separated locations is provided. The reverberator may include procedures for providing a reverberation signal to one location responsive to sound at another location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Patent number: 6801939
    Abstract: A technique for measuring, evaluating, and presenting virtual network connection latency and virtual network connection stability information allows users to easily evaluate the quality of internet connections in real time. The technique uses audible sounds to represent the round trip time (RTT) of an end-to-end network path as well as other connection qualities. This can be either by sounding tones that depend on momentary measurements obtained by “pinging” a remote host, or by driving the internet connection as the delay loop of a musical tone synthesis process. The synthesized tone is presented to a user in an audio, tactile, and/or visual manner. In a preferred embodiment, the synthesized tone is played to the user. Because the internet connection delay is used in the tone synthesis process, the pitch of the synthesized tone is a direct indicator of the real-time network connection latency. Changes in pitch indicate changes in connection latency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Patent number: 5508473
    Abstract: A music synthesizer simulates the musical tones of wind instruments. The synthesizer includes a vopex noise generator, an edge tone nonlinearity function driven by the differential between a blowing pressure signal and a feedback signal from the resonator. The vopex noise generator feeds its noise output signal back into itself so as to generate a noise "votex". The vopex noise generator furthermore modulates the spectral content of the generated noise fluctuates in a manner that is period synchronous with the resonator output signal. As a result, the noise vopex signals mimic the turbulence associated with air blown into wind instruments by switching between structured and chaotic modes of operation in a manner that is period synchronous with the resonator output signal. The transfer characteristic of the edge tone nonlinearity function is dynamically controlled by the noise signal so as to change the operating point of the edge tone nonlinearity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe
  • Patent number: 5157216
    Abstract: A music synthesizer simulates the musical tones of bowed string and wind instruments. The synthesizer includes a noise generator which generates pulsed noise signals, as well as a resonant system or signal generator which generates deterministic or periodic signals. In one embodiment, the pulsed noise signals are combined with the periodic signals to generate an improved synthesized musical sound. In another embodiment, pulsed noise is added to an excitation signal for energizing a resonating system, which may or may not be dynamically coupled to the excitation generator, resulting in the generation of synthesized sound having appropriate noise characteristics for bowed string and wind instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Christopher D. Chafe