Patents by Inventor Adam J. MILLS

Adam J. MILLS has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11937074
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David de Burgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Patent number: 11587576
    Abstract: A noise estimation method including steps of generating gap confidence values in response to microphone output and playback signals, and using the gap confidence values to generate an estimate of background noise in a playback environment. Each gap confidence value is indicative of confidence of presence of a gap at a corresponding time in the playback signal, and may be a combination of candidate noise estimates weighted by the gap confidence values. Generation of the candidate noise estimates may but need not include performance of echo cancellation. Optionally, noise compensation is performed on an audio input signal using the generated background noise estimate. Other aspects are systems configured to perform any embodiment of the noise estimation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Graham Hines, Glenn N. Dickins, Adam J. Mills
  • Publication number: 20220028405
    Abstract: A noise estimation method including steps of generating gap confidence values in response to microphone output and playback signals, and using the gap confidence values to generate an estimate of background noise in a playback environment. Each gap confidence value is indicative of confidence of presence of a gap at a corresponding time in the playback signal, and may be a combination of candidate noise estimates weighted by the gap confidence values. Generation of the candidate noise estimates may but need not include performance of echo cancellation. Optionally, noise compensation is performed on an audio input signal using the generated background noise estimate. Other aspects are systems configured to perform any embodiment of the noise estimation method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Graham Hines, Glenn N. Dickins, Adam J. Mills
  • Patent number: 11232807
    Abstract: A noise estimation method including steps of generating gap confidence values in response to microphone output and playback signals, and using the gap confidence values to generate an estimate of background noise in a playback environment. Each gap confidence value is indicative of confidence of presence of a gap at a corresponding time in the playback signal, and may be a combination of candidate noise estimates weighted by the gap confidence values. Generation of the candidate noise estimates may but need not include performance of echo cancellation. Optionally, noise compensation is performed on an audio input signal using the generated background noise estimate. Other aspects are systems configured to perform any embodiment of the noise estimation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Graham Hines, Glenn N. Dickins, Adam J. Mills
  • Patent number: 11128978
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David deBurgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Publication number: 20210249029
    Abstract: A noise estimation method including steps of generating gap confidence values in response to microphone output and playback signals, and using the gap confidence values to generate an estimate of background noise in a playback environment. Each gap confidence value is indicative of confidence of presence of a gap at a corresponding time in the playback signal, and may be a combination of candidate noise estimates weighted by the gap confidence values. Generation of the candidate noise estimates may but need not include performance of echo cancellation. Optionally, noise compensation is performed on an audio input signal using the generated background noise estimate. Other aspects are systems configured to perform any embodiment of the noise estimation method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher Graham Hines, Glenn N. Dickins, Adam J. Mills
  • Publication number: 20210235215
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicants: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB, DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David de Burgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Publication number: 20200275233
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio en.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Applicants: Dolby International AB, Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix TORRES, Antonio MATEOS SOLE, Daniel ARTEAGA, Adam J. MILLS, Mark David deBURGH, Andrew Robert OWEN