Patents by Inventor Michael Andrew Percy

Michael Andrew Percy 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).

  • Publication number: 20240160457
    Abstract: A multi-user collaboration system, and a method of providing the same are disclosed. The method involves creating a workspace to which a plurality of digital materials can be shared by one or more internal users; receiving, from an internal user of the one or more internal users, an external collaboration request to collaborate with an external user type; in response to receiving the external collaboration request: creating a sub-workspace in association with the workspace for the external user type; and assigning a sub-workspace user group to the sub-workspace; and displaying a set of feedback on the one or more digital materials to a user. The sub-workspace is accessible by an external user associated with the external user type to provide a sub-workspace feedback in respect of one or more digital materials of the plurality of digital materials shared to the sub-workspace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2023
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Inventors: Adam Michael KEATING, Jeremy William Andrews, Peter Jeffrey GOSSE, Levin Stanley MEJIA-KING, Robert Raymond Graham PERCY
  • Patent number: 11127414
    Abstract: A method of echo cancellation in hands-free communication is disclosed. The method includes: receiving, via a receive signal processor, a far-end audio signal; providing the far-end audio signal to: an acoustic echo canceller module as a reference signal, and at least one loudspeaker for playback; determining an external gain value associated with the far-end audio signal, the external gain applied to the far-end audio signal downstream of the receive signal processor and prior to playback from the at least one loudspeaker; adjusting at least one parameter of the acoustic echo canceller module based on the external gain value; receiving playback output of the far-end audio signal from the at least one loudspeaker as an input signal to a microphone; and processing the microphone input signal by the adjusted acoustic echo canceller module to produce an echo-cancelled signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Mohammad Aamir Husain, Michael Andrew Percy, Mark Robert Every, Frank Linseisen
  • Publication number: 20210012789
    Abstract: A method of echo cancellation in hands-free communication is disclosed. The method includes: receiving, via a receive signal processor, a far-end audio signal; providing the far-end audio signal to: an acoustic echo canceller module as a reference signal, and at least one loudspeaker for playback; determining an external gain value associated with the far-end audio signal, the external gain applied to the far-end audio signal downstream of the receive signal processor and prior to playback from the at least one loudspeaker; adjusting at least one parameter of the acoustic echo canceller module based on the external gain value; receiving playback output of the far-end audio signal from the at least one loudspeaker as an input signal to a microphone; and processing the microphone input signal by the adjusted acoustic echo canceller module to produce an echo-cancelled signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Aamir HUSAIN, Michael Andrew PERCY, Mark Robert EVERY, Frank LINSEISEN
  • Patent number: 10580288
    Abstract: A method and system of fault detection for an alert generation system. In the audio alert generation system, a stored digital alert audio file is selected to be processed to generate an analog audio signal to drive a speaker. An alert fault detection system obtaining a signal from the audio alert generation system, converts the obtained signal to a digitally-formatted obtained audio signal, detects a fault in the audio alert generation system by comparing the digitally-formatted obtained audio signal with the stored digital alert audio file, and triggers a fault indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignees: BlackBerry Limited, 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Charles Layton, Frank Linseisen, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 10530917
    Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more hands-free library parameters. The system and method plays one or more test signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a hands-free system under test or the hands-free tuning system and records the responses of a hands-free tuning system or hands-free tuning system at a microphone of the hands-free tuning system and a microphone of the hands-free system under test. The system and method measures the sound generation and sound pickup characteristics of the hands-free system under test or the hands-free system with respect to the one or more of the test signals and one or more of the microphone signals. The system and method calculates tunable parameters. The system and method updates a hands-free system library with the calculated plurality of tunable parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Mark William Harvey, Rodney Dwight Rempel, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Publication number: 20190378401
    Abstract: A method and system of fault detection for an alert generation system. In the audio alert generation system, a stored digital alert audio file is selected to be processed to generate an analog audio signal to drive a speaker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicants: BlackBerry Limited, 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Charles LAYTON, Frank LINSEISEN, Michael Andrew PERCY
  • Publication number: 20190281149
    Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more hands-free library parameters. The system and method plays one or more test signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a hands-free system under test or the hands-free tuning system and records the responses of a hands-free tuning system or hands-free tuning system at a microphone of the hands-free tuning system and a microphone of the hands-free system under test. The system and method measures the sound generation and sound pickup characteristics of the hands-free system under test or the hands-free system with respect to the one or more of the test signals and one or more of the microphone signals. The system and method calculates tunable parameters. The system and method updates a hands-free system library with the calculated plurality of tunable parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Mark William Harvey, Rodney Dwight Rempel, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 10165363
    Abstract: An active noise equalization (ANE) system may be run on the existing audio/infotainment system as a software library. The ANE system may share components (e.g., microphones and sensors) with other audio applications. Some ANEs include a complex-domain formulation of a multiple-frequency multiple-channel ANE that requires less memory and processing requirements. The complex-domain system replaces the multiplication of multiple real gains with multiple real signals with a single complex multiplication operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Kyle Tegan MacDonald, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Publication number: 20180020289
    Abstract: An active noise equalization (ANE) system may be run on the existing audio/infotainment system as a software library. The ANE system may share components (e.g., microphones and sensors) with other audio applications. Some ANEs include a complex-domain formulation of a multiple-frequency multiple-channel ANE that requires less memory and processing requirements. The complex-domain system replaces the multiplication of multiple real gains with multiple real signals with a single complex multiplication operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Kyle Tegan MacDonald, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 9788112
    Abstract: An active noise equalization (ANE) system may be run on the existing audio/infotainment system as a software library. The ANE system may share components (e.g., microphones and sensors) with other audio applications. Some ANEs include a complex-domain formulation of a multiple-frequency multiple-channel ANE that requires less memory and processing requirements. The complex-domain system replaces the multiplication of multiple real gains with multiple real signals with a single complex multiplication operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Kyle Tegan MacDonald, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 9437181
    Abstract: The suppression of off-axis audio in an audio environment is provided. Off-axis audio may be considered audio that does not originate from a region of interest. The off-axis audio is suppressed by comparing a phase difference between signals from two microphones to a target slope of the phase difference between signals originating from the region of interest. The target slope can be adapted to allow the region of interest to move with the location of a human speaker such as a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Ryan Fallat, Phillip Alan Hetherington, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 9258645
    Abstract: In an adaptive phase discovery system a first audio signal is received via a first microphone and a second signal is received via a second microphone. Corresponding audio frames of the first and second signals are each transformed into the frequency domain and a plurality of frequency sub-bands are generated. A phase is determined for each frequency sub-band in each signal. Instantaneous phase differences are determined between the signals at each of the frequency sub-bands. Lower frequency instantaneous phase differences are filtered over time to determine current phase differences at lower frequencies. When SNR is high in lower frequency sub-bands, lower frequency sub-band phase differences are tracked to the higher frequency sub-bands. The tracked higher frequency phase differences are filtered over time to determine phase differences for the current frame. The phase differences may be used to rotate phases in each sub-band and sum signals and/or to reject off-axis signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Andrew Percy, Phillip Alan Hetherington
  • Publication number: 20140348333
    Abstract: The suppression of off-axis audio in an audio environment is provided. Off-axis audio may be considered audio that does not originate from a region of interest. The off-axis audio is suppressed by comparing a phase difference between signals from two microphones to a target slope of the phase difference between signals originating from the region of interest. The target slope can be adapted to allow the region of interest to move with the location of a human speaker such as a driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Mark Ryan FALLAT, Phillip Alan HETHERINGTON, Michael Andrew PERCY
  • Publication number: 20140301569
    Abstract: An active noise equalization (ANE) system may be run on the existing audio/infotainment system as a software library. The ANE system may share components (e.g., microphones and sensors) with other audio applications. Some ANEs include a complex-domain formulation of a multiple-frequency multiple-channel ANE that requires less memory and processing requirements. The complex-domain system replaces the multiplication of multiple real gains with multiple real signals with a single complex multiplication operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Kyle Tegan MacDonald, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Patent number: 8818800
    Abstract: The suppression of off-axis audio in an audio environment is provided. Off-axis audio may be considered audio that does not originate from a region of interest. The off-axis audio is suppressed by comparing a phase difference between signals from two microphones to a target slope of the phase difference between signals originating from the region of interest. The target slope can be adapted to allow the region of interest to move with the location of a human speaker such as a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Ryan Fallat, Phillip Alan Hetherington, Michael Andrew Percy
  • Publication number: 20140177869
    Abstract: In an adaptive phase discovery system a first audio signal is received via a first microphone and a second signal is received via a second microphone. Corresponding audio frames of the first and second signals are each transformed into the frequency domain and a plurality of frequency sub-bands are generated. A phase is determined for each frequency sub-band in each signal. Instantaneous phase differences are determined between the signals at each of the frequency sub-bands. Lower frequency instantaneous phase differences are filtered over time to determine current phase differences at lower frequencies. When SNR is high in lower frequency sub-bands, lower frequency sub-band phase differences are tracked to the higher frequency sub-bands. The tracked higher frequency phase differences are filtered over time to determine phase differences for the current frame. The phase differences may be used to rotate phases in each sub-band and sum signals and/or to reject off-axis signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Michael Andrew PERCY, Phillip Alan Hetherington
  • Publication number: 20130030801
    Abstract: The suppression of off-axis audio in an audio environment is provided. Off-axis audio may be considered audio that does not originate from a region of interest. The off-axis audio is suppressed by comparing a phase difference between signals from two microphones to a target slope of the phase difference between signals originating from the region of interest. The target slope can be adapted to allow the region of interest to move with the location of a human speaker such as a driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Mark Ryan Fallat, Phillip Allan Hetherington, Michael Andrew Percy