Patents by Inventor Edward Merritt

Edward Merritt 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: 20200394997
    Abstract: During text-to-speech processing, a speech model creates output audio data, including speech, that corresponds to input text data that includes a representation of the speech. A spectrogram estimator estimates a frequency spectrogram of the speech; the corresponding frequency-spectrogram data is used to condition the speech model. A plurality of acoustic features corresponding to different segments of the input text data, such as phonemes, syllable-level features, and/or word-level features, may be separately encoded into context vectors; the spectrogram estimator uses these separate context vectors to create the frequency spectrogram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Jaime Lorenzo Trueba, Thomas Renaud Drugman, Viacheslav Klimkov, Srikanth Ronanki, Thomas Edward Merritt, Andrew Paul Breen, Roberto Barra-Chicote
  • Publication number: 20200365137
    Abstract: A speech model includes a sub-model corresponding to a vocal attribute. The speech model generates an output waveform using a sample model, which receives text data, and a conditioning model, which receives text metadata and produces a prosody output for use by the sample model. If, during training or runtime, a different vocal attribute is desired or needed, the sub-model is re-trained or switched to a different sub-model corresponding to the different vocal attribute.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Roberto Barra Chicote, Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Thomas Edward Merritt, Bartosz Putrycz, Andrew Paul Breen
  • Patent number: 10741169
    Abstract: During text-to-speech processing, a speech model creates output audio data, including speech, that corresponds to input text data that includes a representation of the speech. A spectrogram estimator estimates a frequency spectrogram of the speech; the corresponding frequency-spectrogram data is used to condition the speech model. A plurality of acoustic features corresponding to different segments of the input text data, such as phonemes, syllable-level features, and/or word-level features, may be separately encoded into context vectors; the spectrogram estimator uses these separate context vectors to create the frequency spectrogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jaime Lorenzo Trueba, Thomas Renaud Drugman, Viacheslav Klimkov, Srikanth Ronanki, Thomas Edward Merritt, Andrew Paul Breen, Roberto Barra-Chicote
  • Patent number: 10706837
    Abstract: A speech model includes a sub-model corresponding to a vocal attribute. The speech model generates an output waveform using a sample model, which receives text data, and a conditioning model, which receives text metadata and produces a prosody output for use by the sample model. If, during training or runtime, a different vocal attribute is desired or needed, the sub-model is re-trained or switched to a different sub-model corresponding to the different vocal attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto Barra Chicote, Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Thomas Edward Merritt, Bartosz Putrycz, Andrew Paul Breen
  • Patent number: 10699695
    Abstract: During text-to-speech processing, audio data corresponding to a word part, word, or group of words is generated using a trained model and used by a unit selection engine to create output audio. The audio data is generated at least when an input word is unrecognized or when a cost of a unit selection is too high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Washington, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Daniel Korzekwa, Thomas Edward Merritt, Marco Nicolis, Bartosz Putrycz, Roberto Barra Chicote, Rafal Kuklinski, Wiktor Dolecki
  • Patent number: 10692484
    Abstract: A speech model is trained using multi-task learning. A first task may correspond to how well predicted audio matches training audio; a second task may correspond to a metric of perceived audio quality. The speech model may include, during training, layers related to the second task that are discarded at runtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Edward Merritt, Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Nishant Prateek, Bartosz Putrycz, Roberto Barra Chicote, Vatsal Aggarwal, Andrew Paul Breen
  • Publication number: 20200152169
    Abstract: A text-to-speech (TTS) system that is capable of considering characteristics of various portions of text data in order to create continuity between segments of synthesized speech. The system can analyze text portions of a work and create feature vectors including data corresponding to characteristics of the individual portions and/or the overall work. A TTS processing component can then consider feature vector(s) from other portions when performing TTS processing on text of a first portion, thus giving the TTS component some intelligence regarding other portions of the work, which can then result in more continuity between synthesized speech segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Roberto Barra Chicote, Javier Latorre, Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Viacheslav Klimkov, Thomas Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20200137164
    Abstract: A method for data forwarding storage and retrieval in a network of interconnected computer system nodes may include directing data to a computer memory, continuously forwarding the data, from one computer memory to anther computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, and retrieving the data in response to an activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Gene Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20200014771
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for a single broadband portal where all content may be delivered to users of varied electronic devices. An example embodiment (i) provides a user interface for enabling user selection of media contents per varied electronic devices, each varied electronic device having a respective platform, the user interface indicating one or more different possible media contents; (ii) accepts from a user requests for distribution service to any of the varied electronic devices of the user, the requests specifying a user desired media content; (ii) locates the user desired media content from a plurality of storage modules; (iv) transmits the user desired media content to at least one of the varied electronic devices of the user; and (v) tracks the transmission of the user desired media content for billing purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: CUFER ASSET LTD. L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gene S. FEIN, Edward MERRITT
  • Patent number: 10475438
    Abstract: A text-to-speech (TTS) system that is capable of considering characteristics of various portions of text data in order to create continuity between segments of synthesized speech. The system can analyze text portions of a work and create feature vectors including data corresponding to characteristics of the individual portions and/or the overall work. A TTS processing component can then consider feature vector(s) from other portions when performing TTS processing on text of a first portion, thus giving the TTS component some intelligence regarding other portions of the work, which can then result in more continuity between synthesized speech segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto Barra Chicote, Javier Latorre, Adam Franciszek Nadolski, Viacheslav Klimkov, Thomas Edward Merritt
  • Patent number: 10356195
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for a single broadband portal where all content may be delivered to users of varied electronic devices. An example embodiment (i) provides a user interface for enabling user selection of media contents per varied electronic devices, each varied electronic device having a respective platform, the user interface indicating one or more different possible media contents; (ii) accepts from a user requests for distribution service to any of the varied electronic devices of the user, the requests specifying a user desired media content; (ii) locates the user desired media content from a plurality of storage modules; (iv) transmits the user desired media content to at least one of the varied electronic devices of the user; and (v) tracks the transmission of the user desired media content for billing purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: CUFER ASSET LTD. L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gene S. Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20190037021
    Abstract: A method for data forwarding storage and retrieval in a network of interconnected computer system nodes may include directing data to a computer memory, continuously forwarding the data, from one computer memory to anther computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, and retrieving the data in response to an activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Gene Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Patent number: 9961144
    Abstract: A method for data forwarding storage and retrieval in a network of interconnected computer system nodes may include directing data to a computer memory, continuously forwarding the data, from one computer memory to anther computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, and retrieving the data in response to an activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: CALLAHAN CELLULAR L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gene Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Patent number: 9939987
    Abstract: A 3 dimensional (3-D) user interface system employs: one or more 3-D projectors configured to display an image at a first location in 3-D space; one or more sensors configured to sense user interaction with the image and to provide user interaction information; and a processor configured (i) to receive the user interaction information from the one or more sensors; (ii) to correlate the user interaction with the image; and (iii) to provide one or more indications responsive to a correlation of the user interaction with the image, including displaying the image at a second location in 3-D space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Inventors: Gene S. Fein, Jackson T. Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20180084027
    Abstract: The description generally relates to a system designed to synchronize the rendering of a media file between a master device and a sister device. The system is designed so that a media file is simultaneously rendered on a master device and a sister device beginning from identical temporal starting points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: GENE FEIN, Edward Merritt
  • Patent number: 9838456
    Abstract: The description generally relates to a system designed to synchronize the rendering of a media file between a master device and a sister device. The system is designed so that a media file is simultaneously rendered on a master device and a sister device beginning from identical temporal starting points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: Gene Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20160253068
    Abstract: A 3 dimensional (3-D) user interface system employs: one or more 3-D projectors configured to display an image at a first location in 3-D space; one or more sensors configured to sense user interaction with the image and to provide user interaction information; and a processor configured (i) to receive the user interaction information from the one or more sensors; (ii) to correlate the user interaction with the image; and (iii) to provide one or more indications responsive to a correlation of the user interaction with the image, including displaying the image at a second location in 3-D space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Gene S. Fein, Jackson T. Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Publication number: 20160150017
    Abstract: A method for data forwarding storage and retrieval in a network of interconnected computer system nodes may include directing data to a computer memory, continuously forwarding the data, from one computer memory to anther computer memory in the network of interconnected computer system nodes without storing on any physical storage device in the network, and retrieving the data in response to an activity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Gene Fein, Edward Merritt
  • Patent number: 9335890
    Abstract: A 3 dimensional (3-D) user interface system employs: one or more 3-D projectors configured to display an image at a first location in 3-D space; one or more sensors configured to sense user interaction with the image and to provide user interaction information; and a processor configured (i) to receive the user interaction information from the one or more sensors; (ii) to correlate the user interaction with the image; and (iii) to provide one or more indications responsive to a correlation of the user interaction with the image, including displaying the image at a second location in 3-D space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Genedics LLC
    Inventors: Gene S. Fein, Edward Merritt, Jackson T. Fein
  • Publication number: 20160026360
    Abstract: A 3 dimensional (3-D) user interface system employs: one or more 3-D projectors configured to display an image at a first location in 3-D space; one or more sensors configured to sense user interaction with the image and to provide user interaction information; and a processor configured (i) to receive the user interaction information from the one or more sensors; (ii) to correlate the user interaction with the image; and (iii) to provide one or more indications responsive to a correlation of the user interaction with the image, including displaying the image at a second location in 3-D space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Gene S. Fein, Jackson T. Fein, Edward Merritt