Patents Assigned to Clearone
  • Patent number: 8862758
    Abstract: The invention provides controllers systems and methods that apply techniques for determining media stream characteristics that propagate through a sequence of buffers. One of the buffers represents buffering characteristics of a network through which the media stream propagates. The media stream may include packets of a media stream and the network may include a wireless network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications Hong Kong, Limited
    Inventors: Ziv Soferman, Yohay Falik
  • Patent number: 8819788
    Abstract: There is provided a system and method of selectively directing collected security data that may be displayed concurrently at a first security station and at a supervisor station, and providing a communication link between such first security station and such supervisor station so that a supervisor may assist a security operator in the evaluation of the collected security data and in making a decision about such collected data. There is further provided a system and method of determining the height of a part of a body by capturing an image of such part with a camera at a known height and known distance from such body, computing an angle of a horizontal line from a lens of such camera and a line from such camera to such part of such body, and calculating the distance between the height of such camera and the height of such part of such body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Clearone Communications Hong Kong, Limited
    Inventors: Yair Shachar, Isac Winter, Andi Forsthofer
  • Publication number: 20140157346
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and devices for distributing video content in a peer-to-peer network. A video content source outputs video content to a first display device of a plurality of display devices. Each of the plurality of display devices is configured to automatically detect and download video content from one or more others of the plurality of display devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Avishay Ben Natan, Tom Searcy
  • Publication number: 20140148934
    Abstract: A unified communications (UC) device may comprise a processor configured to enable audio communication between a plurality of different UC clients according to a UC bridging software architecture, the plurality of different UC clients having different communication formatting requirements. A computer readable medium may have instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor cause the processor to: translate a first client specific command for a first UC client to a second client specific command for a second UC client; and bridge audio from the first UC client and the second UC client. Another embodiment includes a related UC method. The method comprises bridging audio from a plurality of different UC clients having different communicating formatting requirements, and enabling commands to be communicated between the plurality of different UC clients by translating commands between the plurality of different UC clients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: ClearOne Communication, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter H. Manley, Bret Harris, Derek Graham, Michael Tilelli
  • Publication number: 20140139615
    Abstract: A conferencing system may comprise an electronic display configured to display remote video generated within a remote conference room, a speaker configured to reproduce remote audio generated within the remote conference room, and a processor configured to receive local audio generated within a local conference room and picked up by a microphone assembly that is part of a separate device from the electronic display. A related method may include displaying remote video on an electronic display of an all-in-one display, reproducing remote audio through at least one speaker of the all-in-one display; and performing echo cancellation of local audio using the remote audio as an echo cancellation reference. Another method may include receiving, at an all-in-one display, a plurality of local audio signals from a plurality of microphone assemblies that are separate from the all-in-one display, and controlling, within the all-in-one display, gating of the plurality of microphone assemblies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Graham, David K. Lambert, Peter H. Manley
  • Patent number: 8654955
    Abstract: Products for conferencing between a local and a distant party through an electronic channel include a portion installed to a fixed conferencing environment and another portion removable from the fixed environment for roaming conferencing. A breakout box detachable from the removable portion may be used having connections for installation-type conferencing elements such as speakers, microphones and other conferencing devices. The removable portion may include an acoustic echo canceler. The removable portion may be connected to a communication-handling device, such as a computer with VOIP software, or may be directly connected to a communication channel. Speakers or microphones in the removable portion may be automatically or manually disabled on connection with the fixed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8644525
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a virtual microphone for reducing common-mode noise for an individual pod in a multi-pod conferencing system that includes a base and a plurality of pods for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants. The described virtual microphone includes pod processor means and a loudspeaker that couples to a digital to analog converter that converts digital audio to analog audio, where the loudspeaker couples to the pod processor means. In addition, the virtual microphone includes three physical bi-polar microphones positioned at 120-degree intervals in the horizontal resting plane of the pod, where each individual physical microphone connects to a pair of audio ports with each audio port being equal distance from the loudspeaker, and where the physical microphones couple to analog to digital converting means, and further where the physical microphones couple to the pod processor means. Further, the virtual microphone includes virtual microphone means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tracy A. Bathurst, David Lambert, Wayne Whiteley, Carrie L. Owen
  • Publication number: 20140022335
    Abstract: A multi end-point (EP) conferencing system, including a decentralized scalable network of End-Points that includes a source EP being configured to connect to a non-virtual target EP. The source EP being configured to transmit to the non-virtual target EP a conference list thereof, for distributing to non-virtual EPs and virtual EPs associated with the target EP. It is further configured to receive a conference list of the non-virtual target EP, integrate the received conference list with its conference list to obtain an integrated conference list and distribute the integrated conference list or parts thereof to virtual EPs and non-virtual EPs associated with the source EP. The source EP being further configured to receive a positive selection notification being indicative of a requesting EP from EPs associated with the source EP that would like to get data from the source EP.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: ClearOne Communications Hong Kong Limited
    Inventors: Shai TOREN, Tsur Arieli, Igor Rivkin
  • Patent number: 8457614
    Abstract: A wireless conference phone system has a base station to couple at least one conference unit to a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a digital telephone network such as a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network. Each conference unit performs echo cancellation of the audio signal received from a remote location allowing a simplified base station implementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce V. Bernard, Li Hing Kwok, Oliver Ren, Pichet Thomas Ong
  • Patent number: 8437282
    Abstract: A multi-endpoint (EP) conferencing system, including a decentralized scalable network of endpoints, includes a source EP configured to connect to a non-virtual target EP. The source EP being configured to transmit to the non-virtual target EP a conference list for distributing to non-virtual EPs and virtual EPs associated with the target EP. The source EP is further configured to receive a conference list of the non-virtual target EP, integrate the received conference list with its conference list to obtain an integrated conference list and distribute the integrated conference list, or parts thereof, to the virtual EPs and the non-virtual EPs. The source EP being further configured to receive a positive selection notification indicative of a requesting EP from EPs that would like to get data from the source EP. In response to receipt of the positive selection notification, the source EP is configured to transmit data to the requesting EP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Clearone Communications Hong Kong Limited
    Inventors: Shai Toren, Tsur Arieli, Igor Rivkin
  • Publication number: 20130097244
    Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for bridging communications between unified communications (UC) clients. Included herein is a UC client driver module with a set of UC client drivers configured to translate UC client specific human interface device (HID) commands to a common format. Also included is a UC audio assistant module configured to receive the HID commands in the common format and translate the HID commands from the common format into a device specific format. A device specific driver module with a set of device specific drivers is configured to pass the HID commands in the device specific format to an output device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20130083911
    Abstract: Embodiments include methods and apparatuses for echo cancelation involving multiple audio channels and the production, sensing, or a combination thereof of multiple audio channels in conferencing systems. A conferencing apparatus with a plurality of speakers configured to generate outgoing acoustic waves responsive to a multi-channel audio signal. One or more microphones are configured to sense incoming acoustic waves from the plurality of speakers and from locally produced acoustic waves from a participant of a conference to generate one or more incoming audio signals. A processor is operably coupled to the plurality of speakers and the one or more microphones. The processor is configured to perform acoustic echo cancelation on the one or more incoming audio signals relative to at least two different channels of the multi-channel audio signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tracy A. Bathurst, Derek Graham, Michael Braithwaite, Russel S. Ericksen, Brett Harris, Sandeep Kalra, David K. Lambert, Peter H. Manley, Ashutosh Pandey, Bryan Shaw, Michael Tilelli, Paul R. Bryson
  • Patent number: 8406415
    Abstract: Conferencing products for conducting a conference between a local and two or more distant parties through an electronic channel, wherein distant party audio is routed to the distant parties to provide full audio. These conferencing products are capable of open-air interaction with participants in the locality of a product. Acoustic echo cancellation is applied, which may be accomplished through a single set of coefficients or by a plurality of coefficients and/or echo cancelers on different incoming audio streams and speaker combinations. Privacy modes are provided, whereby one distant party cannot hear the communications of another distant party; those modes including a coaching mode where the privacy is one-way and a mediation mode where the privacy is two-way. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8325911
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a personal speakerphone device for teleconferencing a local participant with near side audio data and a far side participant with far side audio data. The device includes a controller that couples to a speaker and a microphone inside an enclosure that couples the speaker and the microphone within a coupling frequency range, and where the enclosure houses the speaker, the microphone, the controller, analog to digital conversion circuitry, digital to analog conversion circuitry, supporting circuitry, and one or more ports for data through which audio data is transferred. Additionally, the device includes a first frequency band decomposer, a second frequency band decomposer, one or more echo cancellers, and a converger. Further, the device includes a primary doubletalk detector and a secondary doubletalk detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Clearone
    Inventor: David K. Lambert
  • Patent number: 8290142
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are conferencing systems that include a conferencing device and a head-processing system, both including selectively enabled speakers, the conferencing device including an acoustic echo canceler that remains operable in the system regardless of whether its internal speaker is selected to be enabled. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David K. Lambert
  • Patent number: 8103019
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are detectors of audio ringing feedback, that is decaying feedback with a gain of less than one, those detectors utilizing a repeated gain measurement that applied to a range of gain values characteristic of ringing-type feedback. Those gain measurements, while in the range, increase a probability measurement of feedback. When the probability of feedback reaches a threshold, a detection of feedback is made and feedback countermeasures, such as the application of a notch filter, may be applied. Optionally, the audio gain around likely frequencies of feedback may be enhanced for a time to increase the resolution of identification of a feedback frequency, which may be identified through an interpolative method. Repeated gain measurements may also identify building-type feedback. A ringing detector may include more than one range of detection, for example for building, strong-ringing and weak-ringing feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Clearone Comminications, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Pandey, David Lambert
  • Patent number: D652025
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: William Deberard, Chris Wildfoerster, Christopher Alan Bourne, Michael Braithwaite
  • Patent number: D678237
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher A. Bourne
  • Patent number: D678239
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Alan Bourne, Michael Braithwaite, Derek Graham, Peter H. Manley, Alan Dean Romig, David K. Lambert
  • Patent number: D699712
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher A. Bourne