Patents by Inventor Gregory Michael Hart
Gregory Michael Hart 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).
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Patent number: 10186266Abstract: Methods and systems for providing message playback using a shared electronic device is described herein. In response to receiving a request to output messages, a speech-processing system may determine a group account associated with a requesting device, and may determine messages stored by a message data store for the group account. Speaker identification processing may also be performed to determine a speaker of the request. A user account associated with the speaker, and messages stored for the user account, may be determined. A summary response indicating the user account's messages and the group account's message may then be generated such that the user account messages are identified prior to the group account's messages. The messages may then be analyzed to determine an appropriate voice user interface for the requester such that the playback of the messages using a shared electronic device is more natural and conversational.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, Brian Oliver, Sumedha Arvind Kshirsagar, Gregory Michael Hart, Ran Mokady
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Patent number: 10187503Abstract: A system capable of connecting a device to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using an adapter. The adapter may connect to the PSTN and send audio data between the PSTN and a server via a data network, enabling the device to communicate over the PSTN. In addition, the adapter enables a telephone connected to a home telephone circuit to perform voice commands, by sending audio data from the telephone to the server and the server determining voice commands included in the audio data. In addition, the system may enable additional functionality for the home telephone circuit, such as three way calling, avoiding charge calls, detecting outgoing alarm signals and triggering an alarm response, monitoring call statistics of telephone calls and sending intercom signals to telephones connected to the home telephone circuit.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Brian Oliver, Adrian Hurditch, Nawdesh Uppal, Reza Abdollahi
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Patent number: 10186267Abstract: Methods and systems for prioritizing messages for playback are described herein. In some embodiments, a request for messages to be output may be received by a speech-processing system. The speech-processing system may include a message database that includes messages received for a speaker of the request's user account and/or a group account associated with a shared electronic device that the request was received from. One or more prioritization rules may be applied to the messages to order the messages for playback in order to provide an optimal voice user interface for the requesting individual. For instance, messages received for the user account may be prioritized over messages received for the group account, messages received from a similar sender or a high priority sender may be prioritized over other messages, and messages that are indicating as being urgent may be prioritized over messages that are indicated as being non-urgent.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, Brian Oliver, Sumedha Arvind Kshirsagar, Gregory Michael Hart, Ran Mokady
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Patent number: 10157614Abstract: Methods and systems for redirecting messages based on contextual information associated with the messages are described herein. In some embodiments, a first individual may speak an utterance including a message, where the utterance indicates a first recipient for the message. Audio data representing the utterance may be provided to a speech-processing system, which may performed automatic speech recognition processing, natural language understanding processing, and contextual recognition processing to the audio data. In some embodiments, the contextual recognition processing may determine that the message may be intended for a second recipient. If so, the speech-processing system may cause the message to be redirected to the second recipient, such that the second recipient may receive the message as opposed to the first recipient.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2016Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, Brian Oliver, Sumedha Arvind Kshirsagar, Gregory Michael Hart, Ran Mokady
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Patent number: 10133546Abstract: Techniques for receiving a voice command from a user and, in response, providing audible content to the user using a first device and providing visual content for the user using a second device. In some instances, the first device includes a microphone for generating audio signals that include user speech, as well as a speaker for outputting audible content in response to identified voice commands from the speech. However, the first device might not include a display for displaying graphical content. As such, the first device may be configured to identify devices that include displays and that are proximate to the first device. The first device may then instruct one or more of these other devices to output visual content associated with a user's voice command.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2013Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Scott Ian Blanksteen, John Daniel Thimsen, Allan Timothy Lindsay, Robert David Owen, Charles Peter Hoppe
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Patent number: 10121465Abstract: Techniques for receiving a voice command from a user and, in response, providing audible content to the user via a first device and providing visual content for the user via a second device. In some instances, the first device includes a microphone for generating audio signals that include user speech, as well as a speaker for outputting audible content in response to identified voice commands from the speech. However, the first device might not include a display for displaying graphical content. As such, the first device may be configured to identify devices that include displays and that are proximate to the first device. The first device may then instruct one or more of these other devices to output visual content associated with a user's voice command.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2017Date of Patent: November 6, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Jeffrey P. Bezos
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Publication number: 20180309866Abstract: Systems and methods for sender profile and/or recipient profile disambiguation and/or confirmation are disclosed. In instances where a sender profile is not indicated by a user sending a communication from a communal device, heuristic data may be utilized to infer the sender profile. Similar heuristic data may also be used when selection of the sender profile is associated with a low confidence level. Heuristic data may also be used to infer the recipient profile when the user does not indicate the recipient profile or when selection of the recipient profile is associated with a low confidence. Various confirmations may result from the sender and recipient profile disambiguation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2017Publication date: October 25, 2018Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, James Alexander Stanton, Sumedha Arvind Kshirsagar, Christopher Geiger Parker, Aaron Takayanagi Barnet, Venkatesh Kancharla, Gregory Michael Hart
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Publication number: 20180204574Abstract: Techniques for altering audio being output by a voice-controlled device, or another device, to enable more accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) by the voice-controlled device. For instance, a voice-controlled device may output audio within an environment using a speaker of the device. While outputting the audio, a microphone of the device may capture sound within the environment and may generate an audio signal based on the captured sound. The device may then analyze the audio signal to identify speech of a user within the signal, with the speech indicating that the user is going to provide a subsequent command to the device. Thereafter, the device may alter the output of the audio (e.g., attenuate the audio, pause the audio, switch from stereo to mono, etc.) to facilitate speech recognition of the user's subsequent command.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2018Publication date: July 19, 2018Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, William Spencer Worley, III
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Publication number: 20180182389Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating communications between shared electronic devices are described herein. In some embodiments, a group account may be assigned to a shared electronic device. The group account may include one or more user accounts, where individuals associated with those user accounts may interact with the shared electronic device, and also may form a part of the group account. When a message is sent from one shared electronic device to another personal device or shared electronic device, the message may be indicated as being sent from the group account, as if the shared electronic device corresponds to its own separate account. In some embodiments, speaker identification processing may be employed to determine a speaker of the message and, if the speaker is able to be identified, the message may be sent from the corresponding speaker's user account instead of the shared electronic device's corresponding group account.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2016Publication date: June 28, 2018Inventors: Christo Frank Devaraj, Venkata Krishnan Ramamoorthy, Gregory Michael Hart, Samuel Scott Gigliotti, Scott Southwood, Ran Mokady, Hale Sostock, Roman Yusufov
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Patent number: 9967382Abstract: A system capable of connecting a home telephone circuit connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to a server via a data network using an adapter. The system may enable a telephone connected to the home telephone circuit to perform voice commands by sending audio data from the telephone to the server via the data network and the server determining the voice commands included in the audio data. Based on the voice command, the server may send an instruction to the adapter via the data network, the instruction causing the adapter to initiate a telephone call over the PSTN. Additionally, the server may send an instruction to any device associated with a user profile corresponding to the adapter. Thus, the system may enable the telephone to control a number of devices within the home using the voice commands.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2016Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Brian Oliver, Adrian Hurditch, Nawdesh Uppal, Reza Abdollahi
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Patent number: 9922639Abstract: An interactive system may be implemented in part by an audio device located within a user environment, which may accept speech commands from a user and may also interact with the user by means of generated speech. In order to improve performance of the interactive system, a user may use a separate device, such as a personal computer or mobile device, to access a graphical user interface that lists details of historical speech interactions. The graphical user interface may be configured to allow the user to provide feedback and/or corrections regarding the details of specific interactions.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2013Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gilles Jean Roger Belin, Charles S. Rogers, III, Robert David Owen, Jeffrey Penrod Adams, Rajiv Ramachandran, Gregory Michael Hart
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Patent number: 9916830Abstract: Techniques for altering audio being output by a voice-controlled device, or another device, to enable more accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) by the voice-controlled device. For instance, a voice-controlled device may output audio within an environment using a speaker of the device. While outputting the audio, a microphone of the device may capture sound within the environment and may generate an audio signal based on the captured sound. The device may then analyze the audio signal to identify speech of a user within the signal, with the speech indicating that the user is going to provide a subsequent command to the device. Thereafter, the device may alter the output of the audio (e.g., attenuate the audio, pause the audio, switch from stereo to mono, etc.) to facilitate speech recognition of the user's subsequent command.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2016Date of Patent: March 13, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, William Spencer Worley, III
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Patent number: 9911398Abstract: A video display hub is mounted in a common household area such as a kitchen or family room. The display hub is configured to display various types of information for users in the area, such as weather, traffic updates, schedules, notes, messages, lists, news, etc. When the user is at a distance from the display hub, information is presented at a relatively low density, with a low level of granularity and detail in conjunction with large fonts, graphics, and icons. When the user is close to the display hub, information is presented at a relatively high density, with a high level of granularity and detail in conjunction with small fonts, graphics, and icons.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2014Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Douglas McQueen, Meng Li, Eric Alan Breitbard, Robert Steven Murdock, Julien George Beguin, Gregory Michael Hart, Scott Ian Blanksteen
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Publication number: 20180054505Abstract: A system capable of connecting a home telephone circuit connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to a server via a data network using an adapter. The system may enable a telephone connected to the home telephone circuit to perform voice commands by sending audio data from the telephone to the server via the data network and the server determining the voice commands included in the audio data. Based on the voice command, the server may send an instruction to the adapter via the data network, the instruction causing the adapter to initiate a telephone call over the PSTN. Additionally, the server may send an instruction to any device associated with a user profile corresponding to the adapter. Thus, the system may enable the telephone to control a number of devices within the home using the voice commands.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2016Publication date: February 22, 2018Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Brian Oliver, Adrian Hurditch, Nawdesh Uppal, Reza Abdollahi
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Publication number: 20180054506Abstract: A system capable of connecting a device to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using an adapter. The device may send audio data via a data network to a server and the server can determine a voice command included in the audio data. Based on the voice command, the server may send an instruction to an adapter via the data network, the instruction causing the adapter to initiate a telephone call over the PSTN. During the telephone call, the adapter and the server may forward audio data between the device and the PSTN, enabling the device to communicate over the PSTN. The system may enable the device to receive an incoming call from the PSTN and may provide additional functionality, such as determining call statistics during the telephone call, determining if another telephone receives audio data during the telephone call and detecting an alarm signal sent via the PSTN.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2016Publication date: February 22, 2018Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Brian Oliver, Adrian Hurditch, Nawdesh Uppal, Reza Abdollahi
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Publication number: 20180054504Abstract: A system capable of connecting a device to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using an adapter. The adapter may connect to the PSTN and send audio data between the PSTN and a server via a data network, enabling the device to communicate over the PSTN. In addition, the adapter enables a telephone connected to a home telephone circuit to perform voice commands, by sending audio data from the telephone to the server and the server determining voice commands included in the audio data. In addition, the system may enable additional functionality for the home telephone circuit, such as three way calling, avoiding charge calls, detecting outgoing alarm signals and triggering an alarm response, monitoring call statistics of telephone calls and sending intercom signals to telephones connected to the home telephone circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2016Publication date: February 22, 2018Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Brian Oliver, Adrian Hurditch, Nawdesh Uppal, Reza Abdollahi
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Patent number: 9898250Abstract: A system that is capable of controlling multiple entertainment systems and/or speakers using voice commands. The system receives voice commands and may determine speakers playing output audio in proximity to the voice commands. The system may generate voice output and send the voice output to the speakers, along with a command to reduce a volume of output audio while playing the voice output. For example, the system may receive a voice command from an input device associated with an output zone, may reduce output audio generated by speakers in the output zone and may play the voice output via the speakers. In addition, the system may send the command to the speakers while sending the voice output to another device for playback. For example, the system may reduce output audio generated by the speakers and play the voice output via the input device.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2016Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Robert Williams, Steven Todd Rabuchin, Gregory Michael Hart
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Patent number: 9858927Abstract: A system that is capable of controlling multiple entertainment systems and/or speakers using voice commands. The system receives voice commands and may determine audio sources and speakers indicated by the voice commands. The system may generate audio data from the audio sources and may send the audio data to the speakers using multiple interfaces. For example, the system may send the audio data directly to the speakers using a network address, may send the audio data to the speakers via a voice-enabled device or may send the audio data to the speakers via a speaker controller. The system may generate output zones including multiple speakers and may associate input devices with speakers within the output zones. For example, the system may receive a voice command from an input device in an output zone and may reduce output audio generated by speakers in the output zone.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2016Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INCInventors: Robert Williams, Steven Todd Rabuchin, Gregory Michael Hart
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Patent number: 9842584Abstract: Techniques for receiving a voice command from a user and, in response, providing audible content to the user via a first device and providing visual content for the user via a second device. In some instances, the first device includes a microphone for generating audio signals that include user speech, as well as a speaker for outputting audible content in response to identified voice commands from the speech. However, the first device might not include a display for displaying graphical content. As such, the first device may be configured to identify devices that include displays and that are proximate to the first device. The first device may then instruct one or more of these other devices to output visual content associated with a user's voice command.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2013Date of Patent: December 12, 2017Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Michael Hart, Jeffrey P. Bezos
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Patent number: D806066Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2016Date of Patent: December 26, 2017Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Giles David Matthew McWilliam, Sun Joo Han, Gregory Michael Hart, Christopher Green, Marc Rene Walliser