Patents Assigned to Clearone
  • Patent number: 8090118
    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 3, 2012
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Pandey, David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8077857
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are portable teleconferencing products that implement a doubletalk detector in a low frequency range or in a frequency range commensurate with the frequencies through which sound may be efficiently transferred between a speaker and a microphone through an enclosure. Also disclosed herein are teleconferencing systems that implement a secondary doubletalk detector, a non-presumptive doubletalk detector, a confirmatory doubletalk detector, and/or a false doubletalk detector, whereby echo cancellation coefficients may be better adapted after echo path changing events through the use of accelerated coefficient adaptation or half-duplex operation until adaptation is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8069206
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are teleconferencing devices having remote access monitoring and control functions, and network systems and methods including and using the same. Also disclosed herein are methods for interacting with teleconferencing devices over an HTTP or other network service utilizing a persistent network connection and systems which implement the methods. Also disclosed are systems that permit clients to select which types of information to be updated in real-time to conserve bandwidth. 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: March 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Rex E. McDonald, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8050398
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are teleconferencing pods that include a microphone and a loudspeaker for open-air conversations, connectible to a separate telephonic device that generates an intermittent sidetone that is active at certain times not in the control or monitoring of the pod. In those pods is a sidetone suppressor that suppresses a distracting open-air echo produced from the intermittent sidetone and a compensator that detects sidetone transitions to avoid generating an echo signal in the pod and to avoid adapting suppression in the absence of an externally-generated sidetone. Sidetone suppression may be by several means, and may include variables controlled by adaption, including delay factors, scalers and coefficients. 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: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Xin Xu
  • Patent number: 8031853
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants that includes a plurality of pods for local conference participants where an individual pod connects to one or more plurality of pods through a data communication means. The individual pods further include the following: pod processor means; an input device and a display; a loudspeaker that couples to a digital to analog converter; 3 physical bi-polar microphones positioned at 120 degree intervals in the horizontal resting plane of the pod, each individual physical microphone connects to a pair of audio ports with each audio port being equal distance from the loudspeaker, the physical microphones couple to analog to digital converting mean and pod processor means; 3 virtual microphones; pod echo cancellation means; and microphone gating means. The disclosed system further includes a base unit that couples to the plurality of pods through the data communication means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tracy A. Bathurst, David Lambert, Wayne Whiteley, Carrie L. Owen
  • Patent number: 8027486
    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: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Pandey, David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8019076
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are portable teleconferencing products that implement a doubletalk detector in a low frequency range or in a frequency range commensurate with the frequencies through which sound may be efficiently transferred between a speaker and a microphone through an enclosure. Also disclosed herein are teleconferencing systems that implement a secondary doubletalk detector, a non-presumptive doubletalk detector, a confirmatory doubletalk detector, and/or a false doubletalk detector, whereby echo cancellation coefficients may be better adapted after echo path changing events through the use of accelerated coefficient adaptation or half-duplex operation until adaptation is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David Lambert
  • Patent number: 7916849
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a method of gating a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants that includes providing a plurality of pods where an individual pod connects to one or more plurality of pods through a data communication means. The individual pods further include: pod processor means, digital to analog converter means, analog to digital converting means, virtual microphone means, pod echo cancellation means, and microphone gating means. The disclosed method further includes providing a base unit that uses data communication means and base controller means. The disclosed method further includes the computed values of the pod gating means being distributed to other pods to gate the pods on and or off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tracy A. Bathurst, David Lambert, Wayne Whiteley, Carrie L. Owen
  • Patent number: 7912211
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are portable teleconferencing products that implement a doubletalk detector in a low frequency range or in a frequency range commensurate with the frequencies through which sound may be efficiently transferred between a speaker and a microphone through an enclosure. Also disclosed herein are teleconferencing systems that implement a secondary doubletalk detector, a non-presumptive doubletalk detector, a confirmatory doubletalk detector, and/or a false doubletalk detector, whereby echo cancellation coefficients may be better adapted after echo path changing events through the use of accelerated coefficient adaptation or half-duplex operation until adaptation is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Clearone Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: David Lambert
  • Patent number: 7864937
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a method of controlling a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants. This method includes providing a plurality of pods to local conference participants wherein an individual pod connects to one or more of the plurality of pods through a data communication means. The individual pods further include pod processor means. The pod processor means couples to an input device and a display. The method further includes providing a base unit that couples to the plurality of pods through the data communication means. The base unit further couples to a carrier medium, where the base unit further includes base controller means. The base controller means couples to the converting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tracy A. Bathurst, David Lambert, Wayne Whiteley, Carrie L. Owen
  • Patent number: 7480502
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are wireless products adapted to be positioned in a normal or resting position, that also include an antenna composed of a set of elements arranged in a plane in a radially symmetrical configuration providing a reduction in the susceptibility of reflected waves having the potential to cancel or weaken a main wave or signal, the plane positioned with respect to the normal position to direct a main communication line with a second wireless device into the plane and provide reception of a main and/or secondary signal at a plurality of phases. One exemplary product is a wireless conferencing device configured to rest on a tabletop, the antenna array oriented in a horizontal plane. 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: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Stuart Biddulph
  • Patent number: 7446714
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are wireless products adapted to be positioned in a normal or resting position, that also include an antenna composed of a set of elements arranged in a plane in a radially symmetrical configuration providing a reduction in the susceptibility of reflected waves having the potential to cancel or weaken a main wave or signal, the plane positioned with respect to the normal position to direct a main communication line with a second wireless device into the plane and provide reception of a main and/or secondary signal at a plurality of phases. One exemplary product is a wireless conferencing device configured to rest on a tabletop, the antenna array oriented in a horizontal plane. 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: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Stuart Biddulph
  • Patent number: 7333068
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are wireless products adapted to be positioned in a normal or resting position, that also include an antenna composed of a set of elements arranged in a plane in a radially symmetrical configuration providing a reduction in the susceptibility of reflected waves having the potential to cancel or weaken a main wave or signal, the plane positioned with respect to the normal position to direct a main communication line with a second wireless device into the plane and provide reception of a main and/or secondary signal at a plurality of phases. One exemplary product is a wireless conferencing device configured to rest on a tabletop, the antenna array oriented in a horizontal plane. 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: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Stuart Biddulph
  • Patent number: D531999
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Bourne, James Wright
  • Patent number: D539274
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Bourne, James Wright
  • Patent number: D545295
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Peterson, Christopher Bourne
  • Patent number: D545805
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Peterson, Christopher Bourne
  • Patent number: D545806
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Peterson, Christopher Bourne
  • Patent number: D545807
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Peterson, Christopher Bourne
  • Patent number: D545808
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: ClearOne Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Peterson, Christopher Bourne