Patents Examined by Melur Ramakrishnaiah
  • Patent number: 11228838
    Abstract: A device for manipulating an incident acoustic wave to generate an acoustic output is described wherein the device comprises a plurality of unit cells arranged into an array, at least some of said unit cells being configured to introduce time delays to an incident acoustic wave at the respective positions of the unit cells within the array of unit cells, such that said plurality of unit cells define an array of time delays to thereby define a spatial delay distribution for manipulating an incident acoustic wave to generate an acoustic output. The array of time delays may be re-configured to vary the spatial delay distribution of the device in order to generate different acoustic outputs. Also described are methods for designing or configuring such devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: The University of Sussex
    Inventors: Sriram Subramanian, Gianluca Memoli, Bruce Drinkwater, Mihai Caleap, Deepak Ranjan Sahoo
  • Patent number: 11223798
    Abstract: Methods and systems for transmitting content during a networked conference. In an embodiment, a method is provided that includes establishing a network connection between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE, generating a video signal at the first UE, selecting content at the first UE, transmitting the video signal from the first UE over a first network channel, and transmitting the content from the first UE over a second network channel. The method also includes receiving the video signal on the first channel at the second UE, receiving the content on the second channel at the second UE, combining the video signal and the content into a combined video signal at the second UE, and displaying the combined video signal on a display device at the second UE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo Ling, Hailei Sheng, Lin Han
  • Patent number: 11223433
    Abstract: A real time messaging platform identifies an audio snippet of a time-based media (TBM) event. The messaging platform maintains a real time repository of concurrently broadcasting TBM events as well as a historical repository of previously broadcast TBM events. These repositories contain acoustic fingerprints of their respective TBM events. The messaging platform matches an acoustic fingerprint of the audio snippet with one of the stored acoustic fingerprints to identify the TBM event in the recorded snippet. To identify the TBM event, the messaging platform matches multiple overlapping reference audio segments of the reference audio stream with multiple test audio segments of the audio snippet. This allows the platform to account for time delays between the test and reference audio segments that would otherwise hinder the matching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Twitter, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew John Carroll, Jeremy Rishel, Richard Douglas Whitcomb, Jr., Mark Watabe, Noah Vihinen, Indranrita Deshmukh, Artur B Adib, Michael Ben Fleischman, Deb Kumar Roy
  • Patent number: 11223799
    Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for providing notifications about events that occur during an online meeting. For instance, a system may establish an online meeting, such as a video conferencing meeting, for users. While in the meeting, a first user may view video of a second user and determine that the second user is experiencing an emergency event. As such, a user device of the first user may receive an input indicating that the emergency event is occurring with the second user. The system may receive the indication from the user device and verify that the emergency event is occurring. Additionally, the system may then send a notification to emergency personnel that indicates at least that the emergency event is occurring and a location of the second user. Furthermore, the system may send notification(s) to contact(s) associated with the second user that indicate at least that the emergency event is occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Kemper Johnston, David C. White, Jr., Magnus Mortensen
  • Patent number: 11223896
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a display module including a display panel configured to display an image, a vibration plate on a rear surface of the display module, a connection member between the rear surface of the display module and the vibration plate, at least one vibration module on the vibration plate, and an enclosure between the display module and the vibration plate, the enclosure being spaced apart from the vibration module, the enclosure surrounding the vibration module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: JaeMin Shin, ChanHeon Lee
  • Patent number: 11218667
    Abstract: An intelligent conference projection system includes a on-site master control system, and a conference system and an auxiliary system connected with the on-site master control system by signal connection. The conference system has a conference initiation module, a video communication module and an automatic incoming call projection awaking module. The auxiliary system includes a wireless transmission screen subsystem, a voice receiving and recognizing subsystem and a dual-mode touchpad subsystem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: DALIAN CZUR TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kang Zhou
  • Patent number: 11218666
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for audio and video capture and presentation. A method may include receiving, by a first device, images of a user, identifying, in a first image of the images, a first expression of the user, and identifying, in a second image of the images, a second expression of the user. The method may include determining that the first expression is associated with a first phoneme and that the second expression is associated with a second phoneme. The method may include generating audio including the first phoneme and the second phoneme, and sending the audio to a second device for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bertrand Haas, Layne Christopher Price
  • Patent number: 11212486
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to facilitating voice and video communication between users independent of a location or a device. A communication request can specify users, who may be identified and located in their respective environments. For example, users can be identified and located using facial recognition imaging techniques and/or by monitoring a radio frequency (RF) signal associated with a device that is carried or worn by a user. After determining a location of a user, individual devices can be configured as a functionally grouped device to allow the users to communicate. For example, capabilities of a television, microphone, speaker, and imaging device can be combined to allow a video communication between users. Further, as a user moves around his or her environment, the location of the user can be tracked and additional functionally grouped devices can be provided for seamless communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Barry Fineberg, Robert Franklin Ebert, Tarun Yohann Morton, Eric Peter Raeber, Miroslav Ristic
  • Patent number: 11212615
    Abstract: System, method, and various embodiments for providing a speaker normalization system are described herein. An embodiment operates by identifying a plurality of speakers connected to an audio device, wherein the audio device includes an internal speaker for which first capability information is known. Second capability information of each of the plurality of speakers is retrieved. User input indicating a relative position of each speaker is received. An audio configuration is calculated based on the second capability information and the relative position of each of the plurality of speakers. The calculated audio configuration is provided to each of the plurality of speakers, wherein each of the plurality of speakers is configured to receive and audibly output audio from the audio device based on the audio configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: ROKU, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Curtis, Kasper Andersen, Andrey Eltsov, Mark Janossy
  • Patent number: 11211076
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using audio watermarks with key phrases. One of the methods includes receiving, by a playback device, an audio data stream; determining, before the audio data stream is output by the playback device, whether a portion of the audio data stream encodes a particular key phrase by analyzing the portion using an automated speech recognizer; in response to determining that the portion of the audio data stream encodes the particular key phrase, modifying the audio data stream to include an audio watermark; and providing the modified audio data stream for output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Ricardo Antonio Garcia
  • Patent number: 11212487
    Abstract: Information having an appropriate content corresponding to an area in which a person stays can be presented to a user as information related to a staying state of the person in each area inside a facility. In a target area such as an office and a conference room, a processor of a facility management apparatus executes each process of seat occupancy detection, area determination, and screen control, obtains staying information related to the staying state of the person, and generates display information on which the staying information is reflected in accordance with a display item for each target area based on a video of a camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sonoko Hirasawa, Takeshi Fujimatsu
  • Patent number: 11212488
    Abstract: A conference system includes two or more user devices and an information processing apparatus connected communicably with each of the two or more user devices. The information processing apparatus receives first instruction data from each user device, generates display screen data representing a display screen including a virtual whiteboard displaying a displayed content changed based on the first instruction data, and sends the generated display screen data. Each user device displays the display screen indicated by the display screen data on a displaying unit. The display screen includes the virtual whiteboard displaying the displayed content indicated by generated display content data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: SUNCORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiichi Terakura
  • Patent number: 11206362
    Abstract: A method for providing a video call service of a terminal according to an embodiment includes establishing a video call session with a second terminal, transmitting a first video that is a photographed video of a first user, from the first terminal to the second terminal, modulating a second video that is a photographed video of a second user and that is received from the second terminal, to a first intensity, and displaying the modulated second video, detecting a predetermined event while the video call session is being maintained, and controlling an intensity of the modulation based on the predetermined event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Hyperconnect, Inc.
    Inventor: Sangil Ahn
  • Patent number: 11206372
    Abstract: The embodiments of the disclosure provide a projection-type video conference system, which includes a video conference device and a cloud service system. The cloud service system is configured to provide services to the video conference device. The video conference device includes: a camera assembly configured to acquire image information of a conference scene and generate a conference video; an audio input assembly configured to collect voice signals of the conference scene, the voice signals including a recognizable voice instruction; a projection assembly configured to display the conference video. The video conference device can recognize the voice instruction, and perform, according to the voice instruction, an operation corresponding thereto. The video conference device may be controlled through voice, and it has high integration and is convenient to carry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: AMPULA INC.
    Inventor: Yajun Zhang
  • Patent number: 11202037
    Abstract: A virtual presence merged reality system comprises a server comprising at least one processor and memory including a data store storing a persistent virtual world system comprising one or more virtual replicas of real world elements. The virtual replicas provide self-computing capabilities and autonomous behavior. The persistent virtual world system comprises a virtual replica of a physical location hosting a live event, wherein the persistent virtual world system is configured to communicate through a network with a plurality of connected devices that include sensing mechanisms configured to capture real-world data of the live event that enables updating the persistent virtual world system. The system enables guests to virtually visit, interact and make transactions within the live event through the persistent virtual world system. Computer-implemented methods thereof are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: THE CALANY Holding S. À R.L.
    Inventor: Cevat Yerli
  • Patent number: 11202035
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a video room system that can efficiently and flexibly generate and facilitate video rooms for video chatting between participant devices by prioritizing video streams to provide to participant devices based on performance parameters. For example, the video room system can provide different video room streams to different participant devices based on the performance parameters of the participant devices. In addition, the video room system can customize or tailor video room streams based on identifying dominant speaker devices, determining connections between participant devices as indicated by a social graph of a social networking system, and/or based on join methods utilized by participant devices to join a video room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Vivek Garg, Mudit Goel, Paul Seia Ogawa, Eduardo Diaz Real, Joel Alexander Sharin, Keetaek Hong, Ross Legacy
  • Patent number: 11200580
    Abstract: The disclosed customer support methods and systems allow customers to request and receive product-specific support from service providers. The embodiments facilitate support interactions between such customers and providers by allowing providers to provide on-demand and/or scheduled support services to customers via various communication channels, displaying product-specific communications and resources to customers, and/or allowing customers and providers to access past support interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Dealer On Call LLC
    Inventor: Ignazio Iacono
  • Patent number: 11194542
    Abstract: An audio/video (A/V) hub that coordinates playback of audio content is described. In particular, the A/V hub may calculate current time offsets between clocks in electronic devices and a clock in the A/V hub based on differences between transmit times of frames from the electronic devices and receive times when the frames were received. For example, the current time offsets may be calculated using wireless ranging by ignoring distances between the A/V hub and the electronic devices. Then, the A/V hub may transmit, to the electronic devices, one or more frames that include audio content and playback timing information, which may specify playback times when the electronic devices are to playback the audio content based on the current time offsets. Furthermore, the playback times of the electronic devices may have a temporal relationship so that the playback of the audio content by the electronic devices is coordinated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: B&W Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Gaylord Yu, Steven Stupp
  • Patent number: 11196963
    Abstract: Implementations for combining a plurality of content based on instructions for a layout of a video conference are described. A video conference is established between a plurality of devices of participants of the video conference. First content is received from a device of the plurality of devices in the established video conference. Second content is also received. Instructions for a layout of the first content and the second content during the video conference is received. Based on the instructions for the layout, the first content and the second content are combined into a composite video stream. The composite video stream is saved or transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias DiPasquale, Siddhartha Shankara Rao, John Joseph Dunne, Ivan Marcin, Richard Newman, Eric D. Cox
  • Patent number: 11196777
    Abstract: A video call mediating method includes: connecting, by a first terminal and a second terminal, to a video call platform; extracting a first identifier (ID) of a user of the first terminal and a second ID of a user of the second terminal, that is not displayed on the first terminal and the second terminal, during a video call; creating a first identification code for the first terminal and a second identification code of the second terminal from the first ID and the second ID, respectively; establishing a first video call session between the first terminal and the second terminal; creating a first image and a second image corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, with reference to the first identification code and the second identification code, respectively; and displaying the first image and the second image on a display of the first terminal and on a display of the second terminal, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Hyperconnect, Inc.
    Inventors: Sangil Ahn, Sangpil Yoon