Patents by Inventor Susan Ell

Susan Ell 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).

  • Disruption of speech understanding by adding a privacy sound thereto
    Patent number: 7363227
    Abstract: A privacy apparatus adds a privacy sound into the environment, thereby confusing listeners as to which of the sounds is the real source. The privacy sound may be based on the speaker's own voice or may be based on another voice. At least one characteristic of the speaker (such as a characteristic of the speaker's speech) may be identified. The characteristic may then be used to access a database of the speaker's own voice or another's voice, and to form one or more voice streams to form the privacy sound. The privacy sound may thus permit disruption of the ability to understand the source speech of the user by eliminating segregation cues that the auditory system uses to interpret speech.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Herman Miller, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Mapes-Riordan, Jeffrey Specht, Susan Ell, legal representative, William DeKruif
  • Acoustic panel
    Publication number: 20080029336
    Abstract: An acoustic panel is provided. The acoustic panel includes a frame, an acoustic absorbing material, and an outer skin. The frame has a plurality of apertures therealong and an interior space. An acoustic absorbing material is located within the interior space. The outer skin covers the front surface of the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Inventors: Patrick Sigler, William DeKruif, Susan Ell
  • Method and apparatus for speech disruption
    Publication number: 20070203698
    Abstract: A privacy apparatus adds a privacy sound into the environment, thereby confusing listeners as to which of the sounds is the real source. The privacy sound may be based on the speaker's own voice or may be based on another voice. At least one characteristic of the speaker (such as a characteristic of the speaker's speech) may be identified. The characteristic may then be used to access a database of the speaker's own voice or another's voice, and to form one or more voice streams to form the privacy sound. The privacy sound may thus permit disruption of the ability to understand the source speech of the user by eliminating segregation cues that the auditory system uses to interpret speech.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Inventors: Daniel Mapes-Riordan, Jeffrey Specht, William DeKruif, Susan Ell