Abstract: A method comprising: receiving an utterance, an original pitch contour of the utterance, and a target pitch contour for the utterance, wherein the utterance comprises a plurality of consecutive frames, and wherein at least one of said frames is a voiced frame; calculating an original intensity contour of said utterance; generating a pitch modified utterance based on the target pitch contour; calculating an intensity modification factor for each of said frames, based on said original pitch contour and on said target pitch contour, to produce a sequence of intensity modification factors corresponding to said plurality of consecutive frames; calculating a final intensity contour for said utterance by applying said intensity modification factors to said original intensity contour; and generating a coherently modified speech signal by time dependent scaling of the intensity of said pitch modified utterance according to said final intensity contour.

Abstract: Methods and systems related to analyzing audio data and performing quantitative analysis and reporting related to the audio data. Audio data may be investigated and phrases of the audio data identified. In some implementations, phrases are identified based on the likelihood of an occurrence or non-occurrence of the phrase. In some implementations, phrases are identified based on a cost associated with a search phrase.

Abstract: Embodiment of systems and methods for the sending, delivery or receiving of faxes are disclosed herein. In particular, certain embodiments include a fax connector that may be deployed at users' sites, and a fax registration system that may be deployed remotely from these users' site. The fax connector can be accessed at a user's site over a computer based network in order to perform functions associated with faxing, including sending, receiving and obtaining status on faxes. The fax connector deployed at a sending user's site communicates with the fax registration system to obtain destination data associated with a recipient user's fax connector and transmits the fax to the destination fax connector over the computer based network based on the destination data obtained from the registration system. The fax can then be presented to the recipient at the recipient user's site.

Abstract: An image reading device is movable between a first position and a second position spaced farther apart from an image forming device than the first position, and a regulating member configured to regulate respective positions of two cables maintains, when the image reading device is at the first position, the two cables, respectively, in a bent state in a direction away from each other.

Abstract: A system in an embodiment includes an image forming apparatus, an erasing apparatus, a first apparatus, and a display unit. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet using a decolorable color material. The erasing apparatus decolorizes an image. The first apparatus computes, from a reduction in the number of sheets achieved by a setting for image formation in the image forming apparatus, the amount of a reduction in environmental burdens achieved by use of the image forming apparatus and computes, from the number of sheets erased by the erasing apparatus, the amount of a reduction in environmental burdens achieved by use of the erasing apparatus. The display unit simultaneously displays the amount of the reduction in environmental burdens achieved by the image forming apparatus and the amount of the reduction in environmental burdens achieved by the erasing apparatus.

Abstract: This specification describes, among other things, a computer-implemented method. The method can include receiving a stream of audio data at a computing device. The stream of audio data can be segmented into a plurality of audio segments. Respective intensity levels are determined for each of the plurality of audio segments. For each of the plurality of audio segments and based on the respective intensity levels, a determination can be made as to whether the audio segment includes a speech signal. Selective gain control can be performed on the stream of audio data by automatically adjusting a gain of particular ones of the plurality of audio segments that are determined to include a speech signal.

Abstract: It is inter alia disclosed to perform at least one of operating an interaction process with a user of the medical apparatus and determining, based on a representation of at least one instruction given by the user, at least one instruction operable by the medical apparatus. Therein, the at least one of the operating and the determining at least partially depends on operational data. It is further disclosed to receive modification information for modifying at least a part of the operational data, wherein the modification information is at least partially determined based on an analysis of a representation of at least one instruction given by the user.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for implementing more efficient printing in image forming devices by providing a user-interactive scheme for delaying printing of individual user-requested print operations when an individual image forming device to which a specific user-requested printing operation is directed is determined to be in a power saving mode. The disclosed system and method may determine whether a requested image forming device is in a power saving mode at the time that a user requests an image forming operation and automatically present to the user a formatted user interface page on a display at the user workstation. The formatted user interface may provide the user with an option to direct the image forming device to delay (hold) executing the requested image forming operation until some additional condition is met.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for verifying pronunciations. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a first transcription for an utterance. A second transcription for the utterance is obtained. The second transcription is different from the first transcription. One or more feature scores are determined based on the first transcription and the second transcription. The one or more feature scores are input to a trained classifier. An output of the classifier is received. The output indicates which of the first transcription and the second transcription is more likely to be a correct transcription of the utterance.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus in which a session timeout does not take place in a case where user's confirmation is obtained before image data obtained by reading originals is transmitted. Before transmission of image data, a control unit determines whether a protocol having a time out is selected. If the selected protocol has a timeout, the control unit determines whether a memory is in a memory full state each time image data of one page is stored into the memory. If the memory is in a memory full state, the user is requested to confirm as to whether transmission is to be performed. If the necessity of transmission is confirmed by the user, the control unit establishes a session with a destination and transmits image data of pages stored in the memory to the destination.

Abstract: A method comprising: receiving an utterance, an original pitch contour of the utterance, and a target pitch contour for the utterance, wherein the utterance comprises a plurality of consecutive frames, and wherein at least one of said frames is a voiced frame; calculating an original intensity contour of said utterance; generating a pitch modified utterance based on the target pitch contour; calculating an intensity modification factor for each of said frames, based on said original pitch contour and on said target pitch contour, to produce a sequence of intensity modification factors corresponding to said plurality of consecutive frames; calculating a final intensity contour for said utterance by applying said intensity modification factors to said original intensity contour; and generating a coherently modified speech signal by time dependent scaling of the intensity of said pitch modified utterance according to said final intensity contour.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of evaluating intelligibility of a degraded speech signal received from an audio transmission system conveying a reference signal. The method comprises sampling said reference and degraded signal into frames, and forming frame pairs. For each pair one or more difference functions representing a difference between the degraded and reference signal are provided. A difference function is selected and compensated for different disturbance types, such as to provide a disturbance density function adapted to human auditory perception. An overall quality parameter is determined indicative of the intelligibility of the degraded signal. The method comprises determining a switching parameter indicative of audio power level of said degraded signal, for performing said selecting.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of evaluating intelligibility of a degraded speech signal received from an audio transmission system conveying a reference speech signal. The method comprises sampling said reference and degraded signals into reference and degraded signal frames, and forming frame pairs by associating reference and degraded signal frames with each other. For each frame pair a difference function representing disturbance is provided, which is then compensated for specific disturbance types for providing a disturbance density function. Based on the density function of a plurality of frame pairs, an overall quality parameter is determined. The method provides for weighing disturbances in silent periods dependent on the loudness of the reference signal.

Abstract: In general, techniques are described for coding of vectors decomposed from higher-order ambisonic coefficients. A device comprising a memory and a processor may perform the techniques. The memory may be configured to store audio data. The processor may be configured to determine whether to perform vector dequantization or scalar dequantization with respect to a decomposed version of the plurality of HOA coefficients.

Abstract: A printing apparatus including: an interface; a printing unit configured to print a print image included in a print job on a sheet; and a control device configured to: receive the print job via the interface; generate a log image in accordance with the print image included in the print job, the log image comprising the print image and attribute data; generate a job log in accordance with the print job, the job log comprising particular information, related to the print job, other than the print image; transmit the job log to a storage device via the interface; determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied; and transmit the log image to the storage device via the interface, when determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

Abstract: An encoder (250) comprises a core encoder (252) for encoding a low frequency component of the audio signal at the signal sampling rate (fs_in) and a spectral band replication-referred to as SBR-encoding unit (153, 254) for determining a plurality of SBR parameters. A plurality of the SBR parameters is determined such that a high frequency component of the audio signal can be approximated based on the low frequency component of the audio signal and the plurality of SBR parameters. A multiplexer (155) is adapted to generate an overall bitstream comprising the core encoded bitstream, the plurality of SBR parameters and an indication of one or more SBR encoder settings applied by the SBR encoder (153, 254); wherein the generated overall bitstream does not indicate that the core encoded bitstream has been determined by encoding the low frequency component at the signal sampling rate (fs_in).

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system for managing use of a printing system. During operation, the system obtains a request for print job information associated with the printing system and/or subscription information associated with subscriptions to events in the printing system. Next, the system obtains an access control policy associated with the request. The system then filters the print job and/or subscription information based on the access control policy and responds to the request with the filtered print job and/or subscription information. As a result, the system may facilitate information security in the printing system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to determining coreference resolution using distributed word representations. Distributed word representations, indicative of syntactic and semantic features, may be identified for one or more noun phrases. For each of the one or more noun phrases, a referring feature representation and an antecedent feature representation may be determined, where the referring feature representation includes the distributed word representation, and the antecedent feature representation includes the distributed word representation augmented by one or more antecedent features. In some implementations the referring feature representation may be augmented by one or more referring features. Coreference embeddings of the referring and antecedent feature representations of the one or more noun phrases may be learned. Distance measures between two noun phrases may be determined based on the coreference embeddings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for controlling the shaping of encoding noise during the ADPCM encoding of a digital audio input signal. The noise-shaping is carried out through the use of feedback that comprises filtering noise. The method includes the following steps: obtaining a parameter for indicating a high spectral dynamic range of the signal, the parameter indicating a risk of instability of the feedback; detecting a risk of instability by comparing the indication parameter to at least one predetermined threshold; limiting the feedback in the event that a risk of instability is detected; and gradually reactivating the feedback over a predetermined number of frames subsequent to the current frame for which the feedback is limited. Also provided is an encoder with feedback, including a control module implementing the control method as described.

Abstract: Method(s) and system(s) for speech processing of second language speech are described. According to the present subject matter, the system(s) implement the described method(s) for speech processing of Oriya English. The method for speech processing include receiving a plurality of speech samples of Oriya English to form a speech corpora where the plurality of speech samples comprise sounds of both vowels and consonants and, a plurality of speech parameters are associated with each of the plurality of speech samples. Method also includes determining values of the plurality of speech parameters for each of the plurality of speech samples and identifying difference between the values of each of the plurality of speech parameters and a corresponding value of accent neutral English. Further, the method includes articulating governing language rules based on the identifying to assess phonetic variation and mother tongue influence in sounds of vowels and consonants of Oriya English.