Patents Examined by Talivaldis Ivars Smits
  • Patent number: 8706643
    Abstract: Techniques for generating and providing phrases are described herein. These techniques may include analyzing one or more sources to generate a first corpus of phrases, each of the phrases for use as an identifier and/or for association with a user for executing a transaction. Once a first corpus of phrases has been generated, these phrases may be filtered to define a second corpus of phrases. Phrases of this second corpus may then be suggested to one or more users. In some instances, the phrases suggested to a particular user are personalized to the user based on information previously known about the user or based on information provided by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Jesensky, Isaac Oates, Steve Huynh, Vinay Vaidya
  • Patent number: 8706644
    Abstract: Techniques for generating and providing phrases are described herein. These techniques may include analyzing one or more sources to generate a first corpus of phrases, each of the phrases for use as an identifier and/or for association with a user for executing a transaction. Once a first corpus of phrases has been generated, these phrases may be filtered to define a second corpus of phrases. Phrases of this second corpus may then be suggested to one or more users. In some instances, the phrases suggested to a particular user are personalized to the user based on information previously known about the user or based on information provided by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Jesensky, Isaac Oates, Steve Huynh, Vinay Vaidya
  • Patent number: 8645133
    Abstract: Encoding audio signals with selecting an encoding mode for encoding the signal categorizing the signal into active segments having voice activity and non-active segments having substantially no voice activity by using categorization parameters depending on the selected encoding mode and encoding at least the active segments using the selected encoding mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.
    Inventors: Kari Järvinen, Pasi Ojala, Ari Lakaniemi
  • Patent number: 8639517
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods and computer-readable media for controlling a computing device to provide contextual responses to user inputs. The method comprises receiving a user input, generating a set of features characterizing an association between the user input and a conversation context based on at least a semantic and syntactic analysis of user inputs and system responses, determining with a data-driven machine learning approach whether the user input begins a new topic or is associated with a previous conversation context and if the received question is associated with the existing topic, then generating a response to the user input using information associated with the user input and any previous user input associated with the existing topic, based on a normalization of the length of the user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Giuseppe Di Fabbrizio, Junlan Feng
  • Patent number: 8635066
    Abstract: Methods, system, and articles are described herein for receiving an audio input and a facial image sequence for a period of time, in which the audio input includes speech input from multiple speakers. The audio input is extracted based on the received facial image sequence to extract a speech input of a particular speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew R. Morrison
  • Patent number: 8630862
    Abstract: An audio signal encoder includes a transform-domain path which obtains spectral coefficients and noise-shaping information on the basis of a portion of the audio content, and which windows a time-domain representation of the audio content and applies a time-domain-to-frequency-domain conversion. The audio signal decoder includes a CELP path to obtain a code-excitation information and a LPC parameter information. A converter applies a predetermined asymmetric analysis window in both if a current portion is followed by a subsequent portion to be encoded in the transform-domain mode or in the CELP mode. Aliasing cancellation information is selectively provided in the latter case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Ralf Geiger, Markus Schnell, Jeremie Lecomte, Konstantin Schmidt, Guillaume Fuchs, Nikolaus Rettelbach
  • Patent number: 8630848
    Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for detecting whether a transient exists within an audio signal. According to one representative embodiment, a segment of a digital audio signal is divided into blocks, and a norm value is calculated for each of a number of the blocks, resulting in a set of norm values for such blocks, each such norm value representing a measure of signal strength within a corresponding block. A maximum norm value is then identified across such blocks, and a test criterion is applied to the norm values. If the test criterion is not satisfied, a first signal indicating that the segment does not include any transient is output, and if the test criterion is satisfied, a second signal indicating that the segment includes a transient is output. According to this embodiment, the test criterion involves a comparison of the maximum norm value to a different second maximum norm value, subject to a specified constraint, within the segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Digital Rise Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuli You
  • Patent number: 8626500
    Abstract: A sound recording apparatus having a driving unit generates a sound signal from an input sound, detects the level of the sound signal, adjusts the level of the generated sound signal at an amplification factor corresponding to the detected level, and processes the adjusted sound signal to prevent an amplified sound signal from containing a sound signal generated upon driving the driving unit. The sound recording apparatus controls to replace a sound signal in a predetermined period after instructing driving of the driving unit with a signal calculated from a sound signal in the first period after the predetermined period, and to substantially equalize an amplification factor when driving of the driving unit is instructed and that in the first period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Washisu, Masafumi Kimura, Fumihiro Kajimura
  • Patent number: 8620656
    Abstract: The present invention discloses converting a text form into a speech. In the present invention, partial word lists of a data source are obtained by parsing the data source in parallel or in series. The partial word lists are then compiled to obtain phoneme graphs corresponding, respectively, to the partial word lists, and then the obtained phoneme graphs are combined. Speech recognition is then conducted according to the combination results. According to the present invention, computational complexity may be reduced and recognition efficiency may be improved during speech recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Guo Kang Fu, Zhao Bing Han, Bin Jia, Ying Liu
  • Patent number: 8615393
    Abstract: A noise suppressor for altering a speech signal is trained based on a speech recognition system. An objective function can be utilized to adjust parameters of the noise suppressor. The noise suppressor can be used to alter speech signals for the speech recognition system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ivan J. Tashev, Alejandro Acero, James G. Droppo
  • Patent number: 8606562
    Abstract: A method of editing delimited ambiguous input on a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device including an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having a plurality of objects stored therein, the plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects having a frequency value, the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, at least one of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto. The method comprises detecting a selection of a language object generated from a first delimited ambiguous input, outputting a plurality of language objects which are complete word solutions of said first delimited ambiguous input, as well as an edit option, and detecting a selection of the edit option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Michael Ernest Jackson
  • Patent number: 8606586
    Abstract: A bandwidth extension encoder for encoding an audio signal has a signal analyzer, a core encoder, a parameter calculator, and a window controller. The audio signal has a low frequency signal having a core frequency band and a high frequency signal having an upper frequency band. The signal analyzer is configured for analyzing the audio signal, the audio signal having a block of audio samples, the block having a specified length in time. The signal analyzer is furthermore configured for determining from a plurality of analysis windows an analysis window to be used for performing a bandwidth extension in a bandwidth extension decoder. The core encoder is configured for encoding the low frequency signal to acquire an encoded or frequency signal. The parameter calculator is configured for calculating bandwidth extension parameters from the high frequency signal. The window controller is configured to provide control information indicating analysis window functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Frederik Nagel, Markus Multrus, Sascha Disch, Jeremie Lecomte, Christian Ertel, Patrick Warmbold
  • Patent number: 8606567
    Abstract: Provided is a signal encoding apparatus including: an encoding unit which encodes a quantization value of a frequency spectrum in an input signal through a plurality of encoding algorithms; an amplitude change amount calculation unit which calculates, for each of a plurality of subbands of the frequency spectrum, an amplitude change amount with respect to the frequency spectrum based on a spectrum envelope of the frequency spectrum; and an encoding selection unit which selects, for each subband, the encoding algorithm according to a degree of deflection of an occurrence probability distribution of the quantization value in the amplitude change amount among the plurality of the encoding algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yuuji Maeda, Jun Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Toguri, Shiro Suzuki, Yuuki Matsumura
  • Patent number: 8600754
    Abstract: Various embodiments of methods and systems for providing informational updates, such as directional updates, to a user of a computing device are disclosed. The method and system may recognize an active conversation and monitor the conversation for a lull. During a detected lull, the method and system may deliver the informational updates. Certain embodiments may include receiving a voice update while the user is using other functionality of the computing device, such as a telecommunication function. Embodiments may also include scheduling an update window within which the update may be delivered. The update window may be a predetermined time window in which a voice update is broadcast, for example. Embodiments may also include alerting the user to a pending update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Bohuslav Rychlik
  • Patent number: 8600755
    Abstract: Establishing a multimodal personality for a multimodal application, including evaluating, by the multimodal application, attributes of a user's interaction with the multimodal application; selecting, by the multimodal application, a vocal demeanor in dependence upon the values of the attributes of the user's interaction with the multimodal application; and incorporating, by the multimodal application, the vocal demeanor into the multimodal application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles W. Cross, Jr., Hilary A. Pike
  • Patent number: 8600760
    Abstract: A speech recognition method includes the steps of receiving input speech containing vocabulary, processing the input speech with a grammar to obtain N-best hypotheses and associated parameter values, and determining whether a first-best hypothesis of the N-best hypotheses is confusable with any vocabulary within the grammar. The first-best hypothesis is accepted as recognized speech corresponding to the received input speech if the first-best hypothesis is not determined to be confusable with any vocabulary within the grammar. Where the first-best hypothesis is determined to be confusable, at least one parameter value of the first-best hypothesis can be compared to at least one threshold value, and accepting the second-best as the recognized speech, if its confidence score is within certain lower and upper threshold values and is not confusable with the first-best.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignees: General Motors LLC, GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Timothy J. Grost, Rathinavelu Chengalvarayan, Jason W. Clark, Edward Abeska
  • Patent number: 8595014
    Abstract: Audible navigation system produces direction updates, scheduled at predetermined time windows, during which the audio environment is monitored for the existence of a conversation. If no conversations are detected during an update window, or lulls in conversation are detected, the audible navigation system direction update is output. If uninterrupted conversations continue as the update window time is expiring, a system volume is lowered and the navigation system direction update is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Bohuslav Rychlik
  • Patent number: 8589168
    Abstract: A process and system including a device including a controller to detect a plurality of users engaging in a voice conference related to a presentation of a media program, convert speech dialog detected in the voice conference to textual dialog, detect from the textual dialog a behavioral profile of at least one of the plurality of users, and identify at least one of advertisement content and marketable media content for the plurality of users based on the behavioral profile of the at least one user. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Charles V. Scott, Scott White, Ankur Mukerji
  • Patent number: 8571879
    Abstract: A sound reproducing device includes a decoder section (1200) configured to decode an audio-signal bit stream input from the outside world, and to generate a decoded PCM signal; a control section (1100) configured to identify reproduction conditions from reproduction-instruction information obtained from the outside world and decoding information obtained from the decoder section (1200), and to provide a reproduction instruction; and an additional-audio addition section (1500) configured to process additional audio data input from the outside world, to add a result with the decoded PCM signal, and to output a result as an output PCM signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Fujita, Hiroyuki Goto, Shinichi Akiyoshi, Shuhei Yamada, Masaharu Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8571874
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a speech interactive apparatus includes an output unit to output a first prompt; a receiving unit to receive a start instruction of a speech input as a reply to the first prompt; a response control unit to stop the output of the first prompt when the start instruction is received while the first prompt is being output; and a deciding unit to decide on a first determination period, which is used in determining whether a silent state has occurred, based on whether the start instruction is received while the first prompt is being output or based on the timing of receiving the start instruction. When the response is not input during a period starting from the reception of the start instruction till an elapse of the first determination period, the response control unit instructs the output unit to output the first prompt again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Takehide Yano