Patents by Inventor Donald Joseph Butts

Donald Joseph Butts 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).

  • Publication number: 20220208165
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure set forth a method of reducing noise in an audio signal. The method includes determining, based on sensor data acquired from a first set of sensors, a first position of a user in an environment. The method also includes acquiring, via the first set of sensors, one or more audio signals associated with sound in the environment and identifying one or more noise elements in the one or more audio signals. The method also includes generating a first directional audio signal based on the one or more noise elements. When the first directional audio signal is outputted by a first speaker, the first speaker produces a first acoustic field that attenuates the one or more noise elements at the first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventor: Donald Joseph BUTTS
  • Patent number: 10771907
    Abstract: An array of audio transducers includes an optical emitter, for example, and without limitation, a light emitting diode (LED), associated with each transducer. Simultaneous stimulation of all transducers illuminates all LED's. An imager then creates a map of the transducer array. Stimulation of a single transducer, illuminating the associated LED, creates an optical signature that imaging software uses to determine the position of the transducer within the array. The system then verifies the correspondence between each transducer and the associated driver amplifier by sequential stimulation of each transducer within the array. The system may vary the frequency of the stimulation applied to transducers that include filtering networks, known as crossovers, to validate performance. Further, the system may compute the angles between transducer assemblies that may be deployed in non-planar configurations, thus ensuring that the installation is constructed to specifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Graham Hammell, Gerhard Pfaffinger, Davide Di Censo, Donald Joseph Butts, Jaime Elliot Nahman
  • Publication number: 20200021927
    Abstract: A system and method for customizing a hearing device to the purchased at the point of sale. The system has a user interface and a test hearing device having a plurality of biometric sensors arranged in a sensor array that contact a user for detecting data representative of an auditory brainstem response. The system creates a customized hearing algorithm using the collected data. The hearing device to be purchased is communicatively coupled to the user interface and the customized hearing algorithm is downloaded to the hearing device to be purchased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Applicant: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts
  • Patent number: 10440480
    Abstract: A technique for reducing noise in a listening environment. The technique includes dividing the listening environment into a plurality of zones, where each zone is associated with a different active noise cancellation (ANC) system. A boundary between a first zone included in the plurality of zones and a second zone included in the plurality of zones comprises open space. The technique further includes assigning a plurality of acoustic sensors and a plurality of speakers to the ANC system associated with each zone included in the plurality of zones. The technique further includes, for each zone included in the plurality of zones, acquiring acoustic data via the plurality of acoustic sensors, processing the acoustic data, via a processor, to generate noise cancellation signals, and outputting the noise cancellation signals via the plurality of speakers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Donald Joseph Butts, Todd Suko
  • Patent number: 10341339
    Abstract: The various embodiments set forth an apparatus comprising an earpiece, a sensor configured to measure an inherent attribute associated with a user, a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless access point of a wireless communication network, and a controller. The controller is configured to establish authenticated access to the wireless communication network based on the inherent attribute associated with the user. An advantage of the disclosed embodiment is that a hearable device can conveniently authenticate user access to a network with enhanced security, based on one or more inherence factors that are measured by the hearable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Heikki Laine, Donald Joseph Butts
  • Patent number: 9959859
    Abstract: The various embodiments set forth an active noise cancellation system that includes a source separation algorithm. The source separation algorithm enables the identification of acoustic inputs from a particular sound source based on a reference signal generated with one or more microphones. Consequently, the identified acoustic inputs can be cancelled or damped in a targeted listening location via an acoustic correction signal, where the acoustic correction signal is generated based on a sound source separated from the reference signal. Advantageously, the reference signal can be generated with a microphone, even though such a reference signal may include a combination of multiple acoustic inputs. Thus, noise sources that cannot be individually measured, for example with an accelerometer mounted to a vibrating structure, can still be identified and actively cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts
  • Patent number: 9830931
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for determining a set of sound parameters associated with a sound type. The technique includes receiving, via a network and from each a first plurality of remote computing devices, an audio recording of a first sound type and a descriptor associated with the first sound type. The technique further includes processing the audio recordings via a processor to determine a first set of sound parameters associated with the first sound type. The technique further includes receiving a request associated with the descriptor from at least one remote computing device and, in response, transmitting the first set of sound parameters associated with the first sound type to the at least one remote computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Donald Joseph Butts, Brandon Stacey
  • Publication number: 20170301338
    Abstract: A technique for reducing noise in a listening environment. The technique includes dividing the listening environment into a plurality of zones, where each zone is associated with a different active noise cancellation (ANC) system. A boundary between a first zone included in the plurality of zones and a second zone included in the plurality of zones comprises open space. The technique further includes assigning a plurality of acoustic sensors and a plurality of speakers to the ANC system associated with each zone included in the plurality of zones. The technique further includes, for each zone included in the plurality of zones, acquiring acoustic data via the plurality of acoustic sensors, processing the acoustic data, via a processor, to generate noise cancellation signals, and outputting the noise cancellation signals via the plurality of speakers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Donald Joseph Butts, Todd Suko
  • Publication number: 20170291681
    Abstract: A composite insulation is included between the skin of an aircraft and interior trim panels. The composite insulation includes multiple layers of micro-perforate material interspersed with layers of semi-rigid material. For a given thickness, the composite insulation provides superior transmission loss over a wide range of frequencies, including low frequencies, compared to conventional homogeneous insulation having the same thickness. Thus, the composite insulation reduces broadband noise within the cabin of an aircraft more effectively compared to conventional insulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Donald Joseph Butts, Todd Suko
  • Patent number: 9787274
    Abstract: A technique for determining one or more equalization parameters includes acquiring, via one or more electrodes, auditory brainstem response (ABR) data associated with a first audio sample and determining, via a processor, one or more equalization parameters based on the ABR data. The technique further includes reproducing a second audio sample based on the one or more equalization parameters, acquiring, via the one or more electrodes, complex auditory brainstem response (cABR) data associated with the second audio sample, and comparing, via the processor, the cABR data to at least one representation of the second audio sample to determine at least one measure of similarity. The technique further includes modifying the one or more equalization parameters based on the at least one measure of similarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts
  • Publication number: 20170194021
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for determining a set of sound parameters associated with a sound type. The technique includes receiving, via a network and from each a first plurality of remote computing devices, an audio recording of a first sound type and a descriptor associated with the first sound type. The technique further includes processing the audio recordings via a processor to determine a first set of sound parameters associated with the first sound type. The technique further includes receiving a request associated with the descriptor from at least one remote computing device and, in response, transmitting the first set of sound parameters associated with the first sound type to the at least one remote computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Donald Joseph Butts, Brandon Stacey
  • Publication number: 20170193975
    Abstract: The various embodiments set forth an active noise cancellation system that includes a source separation algorithm. The source separation algorithm enables the identification of acoustic inputs from a particular sound source based on a reference signal generated with one or more microphones. Consequently, the identified acoustic inputs can be cancelled or damped in a targeted listening location via an acoustic correction signal, where the acoustic correction signal is generated based on a sound source separated from the reference signal. Advantageously, the reference signal can be generated with a microphone, even though such a reference signal may include a combination of multiple acoustic inputs. Thus, noise sources that cannot be individually measured, for example with an accelerometer mounted to a vibrating structure, can still be identified and actively cancelled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts
  • Publication number: 20170118204
    Abstract: The various embodiments set forth an apparatus comprising an earpiece, a sensor configured to measure an inherent attribute associated with a user, a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless access point of a wireless communication network, and a controller. The controller is configured to establish authenticated access to the wireless communication network based on the inherent attribute associated with the user. An advantage of the disclosed embodiment is that a hearable device can conveniently authenticate user access to a network with enhanced security, based on one or more inherence factors that are measured by the hearable device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventors: Heikki LAINE, Donald Joseph BUTTS
  • Publication number: 20160112022
    Abstract: A technique for determining one or more equalization parameters includes acquiring, via one or more electrodes, auditory brainstem response (ABR) data associated with a first audio sample and determining, via a processor, one or more equalization parameters based on the ABR data. The technique further includes reproducing a second audio sample based on the one or more equalization parameters, acquiring, via the one or more electrodes, complex auditory brainstem response (cABR) data associated with the second audio sample, and comparing, via the processor, the cABR data to at least one representation of the second audio sample to determine at least one measure of similarity. The technique further includes modifying the one or more equalization parameters based on the at least one measure of similarity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts