Patents Examined by Kile Blair
  • Patent number: 9332122
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method and system may be provided for providing notification that an emergency call is being placed. The system and method includes identifying a telephone call as being an emergency call, identifying a calling party of the telephone call, locating a notification list associated with the identified calling party, and sending a notification to members on the notification list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: John Zeigler, Jeffrey L. Leister, Cadathur V. Chakravarthy
  • Patent number: 9318095
    Abstract: The disclosed active vibration noise control device is suitable for use in cancelling out vibration noise by outputting control noise from a plurality of speakers. When a vibration noise frequency is in a dip bandwidth, the active vibration noise control device alters the step size parameters used to update the filter coefficient at at least one filter coefficient update means from among a plurality of filter coefficient update means. Thus, the filter coefficient update speed can be retarded in unstable dip bandwidths, enabling loss in silencing effect which occurs during dip characteristics to be appropriately reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: PIONEER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensaku Obata, Yoshiki Ohta, Yoshitomo Imanishi, Akihiro Iseki
  • Patent number: 9301049
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a directional microphone array having (at least) two microphones generates forward and backward cardioid signals from two (e.g., omnidirectional) microphone signals. An adaptation factor is applied to the backward cardioid signal, and the resulting adjusted backward cardioid signal is subtracted from the forward cardioid signal to generate a (first-order) output audio signal corresponding to a beampattern having no nulls for negative values of the adaptation factor. After low-pass filtering, spatial noise suppression can be applied to the output audio signal. Microphone arrays having one (or more) additional microphones can be designed to generate second-(or higher-) order output audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: MH Acoustics LLC
    Inventors: Gary W. Elko, Jens M. Meyer, Tomas Fritz Gaensler
  • Patent number: 9277309
    Abstract: Broadly speaking, the embodiments described herein relate to a media apparatus that can be used in conjunction with a host device to provide an end user a pleasurable listening experience especially during periods of physical activity. In the described embodiments, the host device can take the form of a portable media player. In particular, the media apparatus can include a listening device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jorge S. Fino
  • Patent number: 9269359
    Abstract: A system comprises: first and second base stations; and a plurality of relay nodes, each of said relay nodes connected to the first base station, each of said relay nodes being connected to at least one other relay node, whereby at least one relay node is configured to at least one of receive and send information for another of said relays nodes; wherein when at least one of the plurality of relay nodes is handed over to a second base station the at least one relay node is configured to receive and/or send information via another of the relay nodes connected to the first base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventor: Juha Ojanperä
  • Patent number: 9258419
    Abstract: A system and method for managing emergency calls are disclosed herein. The method includes receiving an emergency related call at a call center, and during the emergency related call, retrieving information related to i) a type of incident being reported, ii) a location of the incident being reported, and iii) a description of the incident being reported. A public safety answering point to notify of the incident is identified, where such identification is based upon at least some of the retrieved information. A database is searched for outgoing calls to the identified public safety answering point, and based upon results from the searching, a determination is made as to whether to contact the identified public safety answering point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventor: Travis L. Bradburn
  • Patent number: 9252727
    Abstract: A peripheral apparatus, for connecting to a first or a second transmission port of an electronic device, includes a signal transmission interface, a triggering unit, an amplifying unit and an adjusting unit. The signal transmission interface, coupled to the first or the second transmission port, includes a first and a second group of pins. The triggering unit is coupled to the signal transmission interface. When the signal transmission interface is coupled to the first or the second transmission port, the triggering unit outputs a first or a second voltage level signal, respectively. The amplifying unit is coupled to the signal transmission interface and a functional unit. The adjusting unit, coupled to the signal transmission interface, the triggering unit, the amplifying unit and the functional unit, changes an output power transmitted from the amplifying unit to the functional unit according to the first or the second voltage level signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: KYE SYSTEMS CORP.
    Inventors: Jen-Fu Huang, Chih-Chien Liao, Nine-Ren Kang
  • Patent number: 9236041
    Abstract: There is provided a filter circuit for producing a noise reduction signal for reducing a noise signal collected by a microphone, including: a digital section including an analog/digital conversion section configured to convert the noise signal into a digital noise signal, a digital filter section configured to produce a digital noise reduction signal based on the digital noise signal, and a digital/analog conversion section configured to convert the digital noise reduction signal into an analog noise reduction signal; an analog path connected in parallel to said digital section and configured to output the noise signal as it is or after processed by an analog filter; and a synthesis section configured to synthesize the analog noise reduction signal outputted from said digital/analog conversion section of said digital section and the analog signal outputted from said analog path to produce a noise reduction signal to be used for noise reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Asada, Tetsunori Itabashi
  • Patent number: 9237393
    Abstract: An audio headset system for a mobile phone or other audio player includes a pair of earpieces, each including a speaker in a housing and configured to provide audio output, the housing configured for positioning with respect to a user's ear to direct audio output to the ear; and a pair of accelerometers configured to provide acceleration information representative of acceleration of the respective earpieces, wherein together the acceleration information provided from both accelerometers is representative of angular motion in a horizontal plane of the head of a user. The angular motion may be used as inputs to carry out functions of the mobile phone, e.g., to provide sound adjustments for three dimensional stereophonic sound, to provide navigation information to a user, to play games, and so on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications AB
    Inventors: Magnus Abrahamsson, David Johansson
  • Patent number: 9226066
    Abstract: An active vibration noise control device is preferably used for canceling a vibration noise by making a speaker generate a control sound. Concretely, the active vibration noise control device includes an attenuating unit which attenuates a control signal generated by an adaptive notch filter, and provides the attenuated control signal to the speaker, when amplitude of a filter coefficient is larger than a threshold. Therefore, it is possible to suppress continuous ups and downs of the filter coefficient during an occurrence of an abnormality. Hence, it becomes possible to appropriately suppress an occurrence of a cyclic abnormal sound and an increase in the vibration noise during the occurrence of the abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: PIONEER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ohta, Manabu Nohara, Yusuke Soga, Shin Hasegawa, Hisashi Kihara
  • Patent number: 9225309
    Abstract: The invention relates to an audio amplifier (1) for amplifying an input signal into an output signal, comprising an output amplification stage (6), wherein the output amplification stage (6) for the amplification of an intermediate signal into the output signal is designed as an amplifier operating in switching operation, and further comprising a limiter device (4), which from a programming and/or a circuit design point of view is designed to generate the intermediate signal on the basis of the input signal, wherein the level of the intermediate signal is always limited by a maximum load as a function of a settable maximum output and a load impedance which is coupled and/or can be coupled the audio amplifier or equivalent parameter thresholds such that the output signal does not exceed the maximum load at the load impedance, or the equivalent parameter thresholds, independently of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Taffner, Gregor Sauer, Christian Glueck, Josef Plager, Peter Hallstein
  • Patent number: 9210524
    Abstract: An aircraft audio panel includes a plurality of audio inputs each configured for receiving audio communications from an audio source; a plurality of audio outputs each configured for outputting the audio communications to audio equipment in the aircraft; selecting circuitry for selecting the audio communications between the audio inputs and the audio outputs; a single selector for permitting selection of one of the audio inputs or audio outputs for adjustment; and a single audio controller for permitting adjustment of an audio characteristic of the selected audio input or audio output. The audio panel may also include an audio characteristic indicator for indicating an audio characteristic of the selected audio input or audio output. The selecting circuitry may also implement a routing mode in which a user may first initiate the routing mode, then select one of the audio inputs for routing, and then select any one of the audio outputs for receiving audio communications from the selected audio input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Garmin International, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Gregory Sherwood, Luke E. Bogner, Joseph E. Gepner, Tyler O. Vrooman, Timothy W. James
  • Patent number: 9204232
    Abstract: A method of identifies an appropriate wireless communication channel in an audio receiving device, that comprises 1) a wireless receiver receiving an audio signal on a particular transmission channel selected among a predefined number of possible transmission channels, and 2) a microphone for picking up a sound in the environment of the audio receiving device. The method comprises a) selecting a channel as the receiving channel among a predefined number of possible transmission channels; b) analyzing the received signal received and the signal picked up by the microphone; c) determining whether a predefined criterion concerning the degree of similarity of the received signal and the signal picked up by the microphone is fulfilled; d) KEEPING the channel as the receiving channel, if the predefined criterion is fulfilled; and e) CHANGING the receiving channel to another channel if the predefined criterion is NOT fulfilled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventor: Bjarne Klemmensen
  • Patent number: 9164561
    Abstract: A peripheral device configured to be plugged into an audio jack of an electronic device includes an audio plug having an input terminal; a load electrically connected to the input terminal of the audio plug and configured to draw a first amount of current; a variable resistor electrically connected to the input terminal; a sensor configured to measure a voltage at the input terminal or an amount of current flowing into the load; and a controller that receives a signal from the sensor and is configured to control a resistance of the variable resistor such that a sum of the first amount of current and a second amount of current flowing through the variable resistor is substantially equal to a predetermined current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: SQUARE, INC.
    Inventor: Kartik Lamba
  • Patent number: 9100755
    Abstract: In a sound reproducing apparatus, part of a frequency band where mode-coupled vibration can be excited is regarded as a carrier frequency. A frequency of mode coupling, with a low rate of change in vibration displacement with respect to the frequency, is regarded as a carrier signal so that a signal in an audible band which is outputted from an audible band signal source can be demodulated and reproduced with stable sound pressure in a broad frequency band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsu Takeda, Masaki Tada, Masashi Minakuchi, Fumiyasu Konno
  • Patent number: 9094755
    Abstract: An audio monitoring system for an audio performance consists of one or more terminal units and one or more base units. The base units are configured to send transmission data consisting of channel labels, frequencies, and mix identifiers to the terminal units. The terminal units are configured to receive and store the transmission data. The terminal units permit a user to select the stored transmission data and to display the transmission data on a user display. The terminal units can receive audio signals from the base units over the stored frequencies and are configured to output the corresponding audio signals to a sound transmission device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Shure Acquisition Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Babarskas, Junjie Gu, Ryan Perkofski, Nick Wood, Mike Nagel, Mark Manthei
  • Patent number: 9088857
    Abstract: An audio apparatus includes a sound generation unit configured to generate a measuring signal, a sound collection unit configured to obtain a sound collection signal, a detection unit configured to detect a level difference between the sound collection signal and background noise, a characteristic calculation unit configured to extract each signal period of the measuring signal from the sound collection signal, a feature amount calculation unit configured to calculate a feature amount representative of sudden noise for each period based on each of the period signals, and a determination unit configured to compare feature amounts of the periods and to remove, from periods to be used for averaging the period signals, a period or periods whose feature amounts are not within a range between a threshold value and a minimum value of the feature amounts as a reference, wherein the threshold value is determined according to the detected level difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noriaki Tawada
  • Patent number: 9082411
    Abstract: A method and device reduce artifacts in an audio processing algorithm for applying a time and frequency dependent gain to an input audio signal. The method provides a time frequency representation of an input audio signal comprising a number of frequency bands; applies an audio processing algorithm providing an estimated algorithm output signal; determines for each frequency band a difference between a value of the estimated gain signal at a given time and at a preceding time; averages the difference over a predefined time; provides a confidence estimate based on the time averaged difference, the said confidence estimate being relatively low in case said time averaged difference is above a predetermined threshold level and relatively high in case said time averaged difference is below a predetermined threshold level; and optionally applies the confidence estimate to the noise reduced output signal thereby providing an improved algorithm output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventor: Michael Syskind Pedersen
  • Patent number: 9071206
    Abstract: An audio amplification circuit comprises an amplifier having an input and an output, as well as an audio output to which a load can be connected. It additionally comprises a first driver stage having an input and an output which is not coupled to the audio output, and a second driver stage having an input and an output which is coupled to the audio output. The output from the amplifier is selectively coupled to the input of the first driver stage in a first phase of operation and then selectively to the input of the second driver stage in a second phase of operation following the first phase of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: ST-Ericsson SA
    Inventors: Remy Cellier, Francois Amiard
  • Patent number: 9060229
    Abstract: An electret microphone having reduced noise due to reduced leakage current is provided. The microphone includes a flexible diaphragm, and sensor member disposed in opposing, spaced relation to the diaphragm and comprising a semi-conductor channel. At least one electret surface, comprised of a dielectric material having a permanently-embedded static electric charge, is disposed on one of the diaphragm and the sensor member. In turn, the semi-conductor channel of the sensor member has an electrical conductivity dependent upon relative movement of the diaphragm and support member responsive to acoustic signals incident upon the diaphragm, wherein the channel provides an output signal indicative of the acoustic signals. The electret surface may be disposed on the diaphragm. Alternatively, the electret surface may be disposed on the sensor member in spaced, face-to-face relation to an electrically conductive surface located on the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventors: Scott Allan Miller, III, Denis Dupeyron