Patents by Inventor John Usher
John Usher 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: 20240137719Abstract: A device to test the seal quality of an earpiece. Audio processing circuitry produces an audio signal for driving a speaker. Output from the microphone while the speaker is being driven by the audio signal is used to determine the seal. The device or method further includes control circuitry to evaluate a seal quality of the device. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2023Publication date: April 25, 2024Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: John Usher, John P. Keady
-
Publication number: 20240127785Abstract: Earpieces and methods for acute sound detection and reproduction are provided. A method can include measuring an external ambient sound level (xASL), monitoring a change in the xASL for detecting an acute sound, estimating a proximity of the acute sound, and upon detecting the acute sound and its proximity, reproducing the acute sound within an ear canal, where the ear canal is at least partially occluded by an earpiece. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2023Publication date: April 18, 2024Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, John Usher, Marc Andre Boillot
-
Publication number: 20240078074Abstract: An analysis system has at least one monitoring assembly that includes at least one microphone to monitor an acoustic field proximate the monitoring assembly. The at least one microphone produces at least one microphone signal responsive to the acoustic field. The analysis system further includes a data storage device configured to buffer the at least one microphone signal and an audio analysis system configured to analyze a content of the data storage device where the audio analysis system is configured to analyze the content of the buffer to process at least a sound into a response or action.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 7, 2023Publication date: March 7, 2024Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, John Usher
-
Patent number: 11889275Abstract: A device to test the seal quality of an earpiece. Audio processing circuitry produces an audio signal for driving a speaker. Output from the microphone while the speaker is being driven by the audio signal is used to determine the seal. The device or method further includes control circuitry to evaluate a seal quality of the device. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2023Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: John Usher, John P. Keady
-
Publication number: 20240013904Abstract: An earpiece, with two ambient sound microphones and an ear canal microphone detects whether the user is speaking and if so then detects an event, saving audio to memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: January 11, 2024Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven W. Goldstein, John Usher, Marc Andre Boillot
-
Patent number: 11856375Abstract: An earpiece (100) and acoustic management module (300) for in-ear canal echo suppression control suitable is provided. The earpiece can include an Ambient Sound Microphone (111) to capture ambient sound, an Ear Canal Receiver (125) to deliver audio content to an ear canal, an Ear Canal Microphone (123) configured to capture internal sound, and a processor (121) to generate a voice activity level (622) and suppress an echo of spoken voice in the electronic internal signal, and mix an electronic ambient signal with an electronic internal signal in a ratio dependent on the voice activity level and a background noise level to produce a mixed signal (323) that is delivered to the ear canal (131).Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2021Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, Marc Andre Boillot, John Usher, Jason McIntosh
-
Publication number: 20230409276Abstract: An analysis system has at least one monitoring assembly that includes at least one microphone to monitor an acoustic field proximate the monitoring assembly. The at least one microphone produces at least one microphone signal responsive to the acoustic field. The analysis system further includes a data storage device configured to buffer the at least one microphone signal and an audio analysis system configured to analyze a content of the data storage device where the audio analysis system is configured to analyze the content of the buffer to process at least a sound into a response or action.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2023Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, John Usher
-
Publication number: 20230386499Abstract: A method and device for automatically increasing the spectral bandwidth of an audio signal including generating a “mapping” (or “prediction”) matrix based on the analysis of a reference wideband signal and a reference narrowband signal, the mapping matrix being a transformation matrix to predict high frequency energy from a low frequency energy envelope, generating an energy envelope analysis of an input narrowband audio signal, generating a resynthesized noise signal by processing a random noise signal with the mapping matrix and the envelope analysis, high-pass filtering the resynthesized noise signal, and summing the high-pass filtered resynthesized noise signal with the original an input narrowband audio signal. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2023Publication date: November 30, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: John Usher, Dan Ellis
-
Patent number: 11818545Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a method of testing the earphone for proper sealing then generating a self-administered hearing test.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2022Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventor: John Usher
-
Publication number: 20230353969Abstract: A method of incorporating environmental acoustic sources into a virtual environment by measuring real environment acoustic sources and locations and incorporating them into a virtual environment with virtual acoustic sources.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2023Publication date: November 2, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Bruce Walker, John Usher, John P. Keady
-
Publication number: 20230280965Abstract: An electronic device or method for adjusting a gain on a voice operated control system can include one or more processors and a memory having computer instructions. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the operations of receiving a first microphone signal, receiving a second microphone signal, updating a slow time weighted ratio of the filtered first and second signals, and updating a fast time weighted ratio of the filtered first and second signals. The one or more processors can further perform the operations of calculating an absolute difference between the fast time weighted ratio and the slow time weighted ratio, comparing the absolute difference with a threshold, and increasing the gain when the absolute difference is greater than the threshold. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2023Publication date: September 7, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventor: John Usher
-
Patent number: 11750965Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a communication device that includes a microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal from an acoustic environment, and a processor, configured to detect an acoustical dampening between the acoustic environment and the microphone, based on a change in a characteristic of the acoustic signal and, responsive to the acoustical dampening, apply a compensation filter to the acoustic signal to form a compensated acoustic signal that is reproduced. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2021Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya, LLCInventors: John Usher, Steve Goldstein, John P. Keady
-
Patent number: 11741985Abstract: A method and device for automatically increasing the spectral bandwidth of an audio signal including generating a “mapping”(or “prediction”) matrix based on the analysis of a reference wideband signal and a reference narrowband signal, the mapping matrix being a transformation matrix to predict high frequency energy from a low frequency energy envelope, generating an energy envelope analysis of an input narrowband audio signal, generating a resynthesized noise signal by processing a random noise signal with the mapping matrix and the envelope analysis, high-pass filtering the resynthesized noise signal, and summing the high-pass filtered resynthesized noise signal with the original an input narrowband audio signal. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2022Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: John Usher, Dan Ellis
-
Publication number: 20230262384Abstract: An acoustic management module (300) for control of an audio device, in particular for allowing ambient passthrough when a user speaks, and for combining the voice pick up of an ambient microphone and an internal microphone when a user speaks to improve voice quality in noisy environment communications.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2023Publication date: August 17, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, Marc Andre Boillot, John Usher, Jason McIntosh
-
Patent number: 11710473Abstract: Earpieces and methods for acute sound detection and reproduction are provided. A method can include measuring an external ambient sound level (xASL), monitoring a change in the xASL for detecting an acute sound, estimating a proximity of the acute sound, and upon detecting the acute sound and its proximity, reproducing the acute sound within an ear canal, where the ear canal is at least partially occluded by an earpiece. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2022Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, John Usher, Marc Andre Boillot
-
Patent number: 11693617Abstract: An electronic device or method for adjusting a gain on a voice operated control system can include one or more processors and a memory having computer instructions. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the operations of receiving a first microphone signal, receiving a second microphone signal, updating a slow time weighted ratio of the filtered first and second signals, and updating a fast time weighted ratio of the filtered first and second signals. The one or more processors can further perform the operations of calculating an absolute difference between the fast time weighted ratio and the slow time weighted ratio, comparing the absolute difference with a threshold, and increasing the gain when the absolute difference is greater than the threshold. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2020Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventor: John Usher
-
Publication number: 20230190141Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a method of generating a hearing impairment compensation function to process audio reproduced by an earphone device. The compensation function includes processing the audio to compensate for frequency sensitivity to improve speech intelligibility.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2023Publication date: June 22, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventor: John Usher
-
Publication number: 20230199368Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a communication device that includes a microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal from an acoustic environment, and a processor, configured to detect an acoustical dampening between the acoustic environment and the microphone, based on a change in a characteristic of the acoustic signal and, responsive to the acoustical dampening, apply a compensation filter to the acoustic signal to form a compensated acoustic signal that is reproduced. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2023Publication date: June 22, 2023Applicant: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: John Usher, Steve Goldstein, John P. Keady
-
Patent number: 11683643Abstract: An earpiece (100) and acoustic management module (300) for in-ear canal echo suppression control suitable is provided. The earpiece can include an Ambient Sound Microphone (111) to capture ambient sound, an Ear Canal Receiver (125) to deliver audio content to an ear canal, an Ear Canal Microphone (123) configured to capture internal sound, and a processor (121) to generate a voice activity level (622) and suppress an echo of spoken voice in the electronic internal signal, and mix an electronic ambient signal with an electronic internal signal in a ratio dependent on the voice activity level and a background noise level to produce a mixed signal (323) that is delivered to the ear canal (131).Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2021Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: Staton Techiya LLCInventors: Steven Wayne Goldstein, Marc Andre Boillot, John Usher, Jason McIntosh
-
Publication number: 20230179901Abstract: The invention relates to an ear worn device (1), particularly a wireless headphone or a hearing aid, comprising a first module (10) configured to be inserted at least partially into an ear canal (2a) of a user, wherein the first module (10) comprises a loudspeaker (11) configured to emit sound into the ear canal (2a) of the user, and wherein the first module (10) comprises at least one microphone (12, 13) configured to pick up sound, and a second module (20) configured to be arranged outside of the concha cava (2b) adjacent to said ear canal (2a) of the user when the first module (10) is inserted into said ear canal (2a), wherein the second module (20) comprises at least one electronic component (21) which is operatively coupled to the loudspeaker (11) and/or the at least one microphone (12, 13) of the first module, wherein the first ambient microphone (12) is configured to be arranged behind the tragus (2c) of the ear (2) of the user adjacent to the ear canal (2a) and faces away from the ear canal (2a).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2021Publication date: June 8, 2023Applicant: HEARABLE LABS UGInventors: Pauline O'CALLAGHAN, John USHER