Patents Assigned to QNX Software Systems
  • Portable Electronic Device and Method of Controlling Same
    Publication number: 20120105345
    Abstract: A method is provided for an electronic device with a processor and a touch-sensitive display, the touch-sensitive display including a display area and a non-display area. The method includes providing a boundary based on the display area and the non-display area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicants: QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LIMITED, RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Mihal Lazaridis, Danny Thomas Dodge, Donald James Lindsay
  • System compositing images from multiple applications
    Patent number: 8169449
    Abstract: A system for compositing images using a multilayer graphics controller includes first and second applications. The first application defines masked display regions to a layer of the multilayer graphics controller using masking criterion. The second application provides an image to a further layer of the multilayer graphics controller for display in the masked region. The image may be a still image, streaming video, Internet image, or any other image type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Garry Turcotte, David Donohoe, Brian Edmond
  • Periodic signal enhancement system
    Patent number: 8170879
    Abstract: A signal enhancement system improves the understandability of speech or other audio signals. The system reinforces selected parts of the signal, may attenuate selected parts of the signal, and may increase SNR. The system includes delay logic, a partitioned adaptive filter, and signal reinforcement logic. The partitioned adaptive filter may track and enhance the fundamental frequency and harmonics in the input signal. The partitioned filter output signals may approximately reproduce the input signal, delayed by an integer multiple of the period of the fundamental frequency of the input signal. The reinforcement logic combines the input signal and the filtered signals to produce an enhanced output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Rajeev Nongpiur, David Giesbrecht, Phillip Hetherington
  • Speech end-pointer
    Patent number: 8170875
    Abstract: A rule-based end-pointer isolates spoken utterances contained within an audio stream from background noise and non-speech transients. The rule-based end-pointer includes a plurality of rules to determine the beginning and/or end of a spoken utterance based on various speech characteristics. The rules may analyze an audio stream or a portion of an audio stream based upon an event, a combination of events, the duration of an event, or a duration relative to an event. The rules may be manually or dynamically customized depending upon factors that may include characteristics of the audio stream itself, an expected response contained within the audio stream, or environmental conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Phil Hetherington, Alex Escott
  • Speech end-pointer
    Patent number: 8165880
    Abstract: An end-pointer determines a beginning and an end of a speech segment. The end-pointer includes a voice triggering module that identifies a portion of an audio stream that has an audio speech segment. A rule module communicates with the voice triggering module. The rule module includes a plurality of rules used to analyze a part of the audio stream to detect a beginning and an end of the audio speech segment. A consonant detector detects occurrences of a high frequency consonant in the portion of the audio stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Mark Fallat
  • System for suppressing wind noise
    Patent number: 8165875
    Abstract: A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice. The voice enhancement system includes a noise detector and a noise attenuator. The noise detector detects a wind buffet and a continuous noise by modeling the wind buffet. The noise attenuator dampens the wind buffet to improve the intelligibility of an unvoiced, a fully voiced, or a mixed voice segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Xueman Li, Pierre Zakarauskas
  • Adaptive filter pitch extraction
    Patent number: 8150682
    Abstract: An enhancement system extracts pitch from a processed speech signal. The system estimates the pitch of voiced speech by deriving filter coefficients of an adaptive filter and using the obtained filter coefficients to derive pitch. The pitch estimation may be enhanced by using various techniques to condition the input speech signal, such as spectral modification of the background noise and the speech signal, and/or reduction of the tonal noise from the speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Fast acoustic cancellation
    Patent number: 8150681
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the perceptual quality of an aural signal. A receiver detects and receives an unvoiced signal, a fully voiced signal, or a mixed voice remote signal. A coherence processor identifies the similarities or differences between a local signal and the remote signal. A cancellation processor or controller dampens reflected signals that may be part of the local signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
  • METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A COMPUTING DEVICE AND A CLIENT MACHINE
    Publication number: 20120079006
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for managing communications between a client machine and a mobile computing device. The mobile computing device comprising: a storage configured to maintain a host application; a processor configured to execute the host application; an interface configured to connect to the client machine, the interface further configured to carry a web request from the client machine to the processor, the host application configured to respond to the web request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicants: QNX Software Systems, Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Willis Edward Snow, Ennis Al-Asaaed, Michael Ian Clough, Cédric Charrier, Timothy Richard Tyhurst, George Dos Santos, Aleksandar Ristovski, Sean Derek Boudreau
  • PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD THEREFOR
    Publication number: 20120075327
    Abstract: A portable electronic device having a display and a processor is disclosed herein. The processor is configured to render an active application on substantially the entire display. In response to a status change, an alert is rendered in a visually insignificant area of the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Stephen James MACKENZIE
  • Robust Noise Estimation
    Publication number: 20120078620
    Abstract: An enhancement system improves the estimate of noise from a received signal. The system includes a spectrum monitor that divides a portion of the signal at more than one frequency resolution. Adaptation logic derives a noise adaptation factor of the received signal. A plurality of devices tracks the characteristics of an estimated noise in the received signal and modifies multiple noise adaptation rates. Weighting logic applies the modified noise adaptation rates derived from the signal divided at a first frequency resolution to the signal divided at a second frequency resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
  • System for endless loop scrolling and display
    Patent number: 8140996
    Abstract: A system includes a display that is controlled by a processor. Software code may be executed by the processor to link a plurality of images of an image set into an endless loop in virtual space. The images of the image set may be scrolled along the endless loop for display. The endless loop may include one or more portions to which the images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked, and one or more further portions to which the images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limtied
    Inventor: Steven Tomkins
  • System for comfort noise injection
    Patent number: 8139777
    Abstract: A noise injection system adds comfort noise to an audio signal. The system includes a background noise estimator that determines a spectral content of a background noise associated with the audio signal. A comfort noise generator generates a comfort noise signal having a random phase. A gain circuit adjusts the comfort noise signal based on the spectral content of the background noise. A combining circuit combines a gain-adjusted comfort noise signal and the audio signal to generate an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Xueman Li, Frank Linseisen, Kyle MacDonald
  • Mixer with adaptive post-filtering
    Patent number: 8121311
    Abstract: A noise reduction system includes multiple transducers that generate time domain signals. A transforming device transforms the time domain signals into frequency domain signals. A signal mixing device mixes the frequency domain signals according to a mixing ratio. Frequency domain signals are rotated in phase to generate phase rotated signals. A post-processing device attenuates portions of the output based on coherence levels of the signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Filesystem having a filename cache
    Patent number: 8122178
    Abstract: A system comprising a processor, a data storage device that is accessible by the processor, and filesystem software that is executable by the processor to organize files on the data storage device are provided. The filesystem software is executable to maintain a filename cache comprising filename entries. The filename entries may include a filename header section and each filename entry identifies a filename of a corresponding file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Dan Dodge, Peter van der Veen
  • Adaptive gain control system
    Patent number: 8116485
    Abstract: An automatic gain control system maintains desired signal content level, such as voice, in an output signal. The system includes automatic gain control over an input signal, and compensates the output signal based on input signal content. When the input signal level exceeds an upper or lower processing threshold level, or is distorted (e.g., clipped), the system applies a gain to the input signal level. The system may compensate for the gain in the output signal when the input signal includes desired signal content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co
    Inventors: Alex Escott, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Dynamic Noise Reduction
    Publication number: 20120035921
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the speech quality and intelligibility of a speech signal. The system includes a time-to-frequency converter that converts segments of a speech signal into frequency bands. A signal detector measures the signal power of the frequency bands of each speech segment. A background noise estimator measures a background noise detected in the speech signal. A dynamic noise reduction controller dynamically models the background noise in the speech signal. The speech enhancement renders a speech signal perceptually pleasing to a listener by dynamically attenuating a portion of the noise that occurs in a portion of the spectrum of the speech signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Xueman Li, Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Method and system for providing transparent access to hardware graphic layers
    Patent number: 8098246
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to computer graphics, and more specifically to methods of, and systems for, configuring, controlling and accessing multiple hardware graphics layers that are used to compose a single video display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited
    Inventors: Darrin Fry, Angela Lin, David Donohoe
  • System for improving speech intelligibility through high frequency compression
    Patent number: 8086451
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system that improves the intelligibility and the perceived quality of processed speech includes a frequency transformer and a spectral compressor. The frequency transformer converts speech signals from the time domain to the frequency domain. The spectral compressor compresses a pre-selected portion of the high frequency band and maps the compressed high frequency band to a lower band limited frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Xueman Li
  • OPTIMIZED STARTUP VERIFICATION OF FILE SYSTEM INTEGRITY
    Publication number: 20110313983
    Abstract: A computer system having a transaction based file system is disclosed. The computer system includes file system software that manages the file data and the file system structure of files stored on a persistent data storage device and maintains a transaction file that includes a plurality of transaction records. The file system software executes a startup process in which a reconstructed file system is generated in random access memory from the transaction records. The startup process may skip verification of some of the transactions. The file system software may error check at least one of the skipped transactions in response to a request to access a file identified by a file node record in the reconstructed filed system after the startup process is completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Dan Dodge