Patents Examined by David Ton
  • Patent number: 9577595
    Abstract: The present technique relates to a sound processing apparatus, a sound processing method, and a program which are configured to obtain higher quality sound. In order to obtain an objective characteristic, the sound processing apparatus previously holds a characteristic of the sound processing apparatus, generates an inverse characteristic filter of the characteristic of the sound processing apparatus, and generates a correction filter from the obtained filter and a filter having the objective characteristic. The sound processing apparatus uses the generated correction filter to subject a sound signal to be reproduced to filter processing, and reproduces sound based on the obtained sound signal. Therefore, a characteristic to be originally obtained can be achieved. The present technique can be applied to the sound processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Nakagawa, Yuuji Yamada
  • Patent number: 9577787
    Abstract: A communication technique for energy efficient Ethernet (EEE) employs a systematic block forward error correcting code (FEC). The technique aligns a low power idle (LPI) refresh signal with the FEC frame. The refresh signal includes a known reference sequence, FEC systematic symbols, and FEC parity symbols. The technique may apply shortened FEC encoding and decoding on the partial data symbols and the parity symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chung Ming Tu, James Graba, Peiqing Wang, Ahmad Chini, Yencheng Chen, Ba-Zhong Shen, Mehmet Vakif Tazebay
  • Patent number: 9576588
    Abstract: A close-talk detector detects a near-end user's speech signal, while an adaptive ANC process is running, and in response helps prevent the filter coefficients of an adaptive filter of the ANC process from being corrupted, thereby reducing the risk of the adaptive filters diverge. Upon detecting speech using a vibration sensor signal and one or more microphone signals, the detector asserts a signal that slows down, or even freezes or halts, the adaptation of the adaptive filter. The signal may be de-asserted when no more speech is being detected, thereby allowing the adaptive ANC process to resume its normal rate adaptation of the filter. The detector may continuously operate in this manner during the call, as the user talks and then pauses and then resumes talking. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andre L. Goldstein, Esge B. Andersen
  • Patent number: 9578410
    Abstract: There is provided a sound reproduction device including a left channel housing unit that accommodates at least a left channel driver unit outputting a left channel sound, a left channel microphone recording an external sound, and a left channel micro-computer controlling a setting for a noise cancelling processing based on a recording signal of the left channel microphone; and a right channel housing unit that accommodates at least a right channel driver unit outputting a right channel sound, a right channel microphone recording an external sound, and a right channel micro-computer controlling a setting for a noise cancelling processing based on a recording signal of the right channel microphone. The left channel micro-computer and the right channel micro-computer are configured to communicate data with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyuki Ozawa, Osamu Nishida, Naotaka Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 9575832
    Abstract: Systems and methods relating generally to solid state memory, and more particularly to systems and methods for recovering data from a solid state memory. An example data processing system includes a first circuit operable to yield a modified soft data set from a data set accessed from a solid state memory device, and a second circuit operable to apply a data decoding algorithm to the modified soft data to yield a decoded output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Yunxiang Wu, Yu Cai, Erich F. Haratsch
  • Patent number: 9568461
    Abstract: This invention encompasses embodiments for multi-modal integrated simultaneous measurement of various aspects of fluids contained in circulating systems such as automotive reciprocating engines and vehicle transmissions. These circulating systems perform constant internal lubrication, and heat and contaminant removal to protect the internal moving parts from the inherent friction and damage in normal operation. Most commonly this is achieved with fluids based on hydrocarbon and/or related synthetics, which, over time, can lose their protective properties, and vary in their performance or breakdown/decay due to internal and external events. Several components within the lubricant fluid can be measured and can provide insight into the efficacy of the system to perform its designed mission. Described herein is a real-time, simultaneous, integrated, multi-modal sensor system for early warning notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: MASTINC
    Inventors: Brian Von Herzen, Steven Van Fleet
  • Patent number: 9571929
    Abstract: A sound accessory device is provided. A receiving unit of the sound accessory device receives a first sound from a first external device. A sound output unit outputs a first sound. A sensing unit senses a second sound for triggering an output control of the first sound from outside. A control unit controls the output of the first sound, if the second sound is received. The sound for triggering the output control of the first sound includes at least any one selected from a specific word, a voiceprint representing a speech of a specific person, a horn of a vehicle, an alarm sound, a notification sound of an external device, a sound of an animal, and a doorbell sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Jaekyung Lee
  • Patent number: 9564138
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for encoding or decoding an object audio signal or rendering the object audio signal in a three-dimensional space. The method for processing an audio signal, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprises the steps of: generating a first object signal group and a second object signal group obtained by classifying a plurality of object signals according to a determined method; generating a first down-mix signal for the first object signal group; generating a second down-mix signal for the second object signal group; generating first object extraction information in correspondence with the first down-mix signal with respect to object signals included in the first object signal group; and generating second object extraction information in correspondence with the second down-mix signal with respect to object signals included in the second object signal group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: INTELLECTUAL DISCOVERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyun Oh Oh, Jeongook Song, Myungsuk Song, Sewoon Jeon, Taegyu Lee
  • Patent number: 9565304
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for providing audio content are provided. The method includes receiving, from at least one external device, a request for audio content; and transmitting, to the at least one external device, at least one piece of audio advertisement information while transmitting, to the at least one external device, audio content in response to the request from the at least one external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Dae-yeon Jeong, Hyun-suk Min, Young-sik Lee
  • Patent number: 9564922
    Abstract: A method and apparatus as described herein provide a novel modification to any iterative FEC decoder method that can improve FER performance in the error floor region. Many iterative FEC methods, such as commonly used LDPC decoders, have error floors where the performance of the decoder does not improve below a certain threshold. Error Floors are caused by trapping sets from which traditional methods cannot escape. With Stochastic Floor Mitigation, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, noise is strategically added to the operations occurring during decoding resulting in significantly improved error floor performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Microsemi Storage Solutions (U.S.), Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Graumann, Sean Gibb
  • Patent number: 9564171
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a tape drive includes a reserved data buffer and logic integrated with and/or executable by a processor. The logic is configured to read a data set from a medium and store a first portion of the data set to the reserved data buffer in response to a determination that the first portion of the data set is correctable using C2 error correction code (ECC). The logic is also configured to replace any stored row of a non-C2-correctable portion of the data set stored to the reserved data buffer with a corresponding row of the data set read from the medium in response to a determination that the stored row of the non-C2-correctable portion of the data set has an equal amount or more C1-correctable error therein than the corresponding row of the data set read from the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Katagiri, Pamela R. Nylander-Hill, Keisuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9557379
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes memories, comparison circuits, first registers and a BIST. The comparison circuits compare output values of the memories with expected values, respectively. The first registers store comparison result data in the comparison circuits, respectively. The BIST controls tests of the memories and generates the expected values. A relief data generator generates relief data indicating the presence of a defect of each of the memories and a failure position on the basis of the comparison result data stored in a second register in the BIST. A third registers store the relief data and are smaller in number than the memories. A judgment circuit outputs a relief impossible signal when the total number of the relief data is greater the number of the third registers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Chikako Tokunaga, Kenichi Anzou
  • Patent number: 9559726
    Abstract: Integrated circuits, systems and methods are disclosed in which data bits protected by error correction code (ECC) detection and correction may be increased such that a combination of primary and additional bits may also be ECC protected using existing ECC allocation, without affecting ECC capabilities. For example, the additional bits may be encoded into phantom bits that are in turn used in combination with the primary bits, to generate an ECC. This ECC may then be combined with the primary bits to form a code word. The code word may be transmitted (or stored) so that when the data bits are received (or retrieved), assumed values of the phantom bits may be decoded, using the ECC, back into the additional bits without the phantom bits or the additional bits ever having transmitted (or stored).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Greenspan, Asaf Rubinstein, Julius Yuli Mandelblat
  • Patent number: 9552826
    Abstract: A device includes a HPF 702 that modifies frequency characteristics of a target signal; a phase correcting unit 701 that corrects the phase characteristics of the target signal to make the phase characteristics nearly equal to phase characteristics of the HPF 702; a first multiplier 705 that adjusts the gain of the signal output from the phase correcting unit 701; a second multiplier 706 that adjusts the gain of the signal output from the HPF 702; a coefficient determining unit that determines the gain coefficients of the first and second multipliers 705 and 706 in such a manner that the sum of the gain coefficient of the first multiplier 705 and the gain coefficient of the second multiplier 706 becomes a fixed value; and an adder 713 that adds the two signals output from the first multiplier 705 and second multiplier 706.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Kimura, Takashi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9554227
    Abstract: An audio signal processing apparatus including an index estimation unit that receives three-dimensional image information as an input and generates index information for applying a three-dimensional effect to an audio object in at least one direction of right, left, up, down, front, and back directions, based on the three-dimensional image information; and a rendering unit for applying a three-dimensional effect to the audio object in at least one direction of right, left, up, down, front, and back directions, based on the index information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sun-min Kim, Young-woo Lee, Yoon-jae Lee
  • Patent number: 9552804
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that manages the acoustic noise produced by a device. During operation, the system receives a set of acoustic characteristics for the device. The system then uses these acoustic characteristics to estimate the acoustic noise being generated by the device. Next, the system uses the estimated acoustic noise to adjust a setting in the device to manage the acoustic noise produced by the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul J. Costa, David R. Cox, Benjamin A. Bard
  • Patent number: 9554225
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing audio to one or more individuals in an operating room. An ultrasonic signal generator may be provided that generates two or more ultrasonic signals that combine to produce an audible signal at a desired location. The audio signal may be perceived by individuals in the operating room to emanate from a surface or location within the operating room, or the audio signal may be generated to provide an audible signal to one or more persons within a particular location within the operating room. Multiple audio signals may be generated to emanate from multiple different locations. Likewise, multiple audio signals may be generated to provide different audible signals in different locations in the operating room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventors: David J. Van Tol, Anthony B. Ross
  • Patent number: 9549270
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing audio to one or more individuals in an operating room. An ultrasonic signal generator may be provided that generates two or more ultrasonic signals that combine to produce an audible signal at a desired location. The audio signal may be perceived by individuals in the operating room to emanate from a surface or location within the operating room, or the audio signal may be generated to provide an audible signal to one or more persons within a particular location within the operating room. Multiple audio signals may be generated to emanate from multiple different locations. Likewise, multiple audio signals may be generated to provide different audible signals in different locations in the operating room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventors: David J. Van Tol, Anthony B. Ross
  • Patent number: 9549244
    Abstract: A directivity control system includes: a sound collection unit, configured to collect a sound; a display unit, configured to display a designation screen used to designate a directivity direction oriented from the sound collection unit to a first sound position; a directivity direction calculation unit, configured to calculate a horizontal angle and a vertical angle from the sound collection unit to the first sound position corresponding to the designated directivity direction in accordance with a designation of the directivity direction on the designation screen displayed by the display unit; and a control unit, configured to form directivity of the sound collected by the sound collection unit based on the horizontal angle and the vertical angle calculated by the directivity direction calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Shigenaga, Kazunori Hayashi, Toshimichi Tokuda, Hirotaka Sawa, Kosuke Shinozaki, Shuichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9543988
    Abstract: In an aspect of the subject matter, a “full” amount of the flash cache (e.g., storage cells) is initially utilized to store data i.e., substantially all of the storage space of the flash cache may be designated to store user data, with the remaining storage space designated to store ECC information (e.g., parity bits) associated with a predefined ECC algorithm utilized to encode the user data. When a bit errors associated with the user data reaches a predefined threshold value, the storage space of the flash cache may transition to store less user data so as to accommodate the space needed to store ECC information associated with a stronger ECC algorithm. The storage space of the flash cache designated to store user data is reduced, while the storage space designated to store ECC information is increased to accommodate the stronger ECC algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: George Totolos, Jr., Joshua Oren Silberman