Patents by Inventor Mark R.P. Thomas

Mark R.P. Thomas 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: 12273698
    Abstract: Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first DSSS signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Nth audio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nth modified audio playback signals (including second through Nth DSSS signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through Nth DSSS signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through Nth DSSS signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin John Southwell, David Gunawan, Mark R. P. Thomas, Christopher Graham Hines
  • Publication number: 20250022465
    Abstract: A method for estimating a user's location in an environment may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in the environment. At least two microphones of the plurality of microphones may be included in separate devices at separate locations in the environment and the output signals may correspond to a current utterance of a user. The method may involve determining multiple current acoustic features from the output signals of each microphone and applying a classifier to the multiple current acoustic features. Applying the classifier may involve applying a model trained on previously-determined acoustic features derived from a plurality of previous utterances made by the user in a plurality of user zones in the environment. The method may involve determining, based at least in part on output from the classifier, an estimate of the user zone in which the user is currently located.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Mark R. P. THOMAS, Richard J. CARTWRIGHT
  • Publication number: 20250008262
    Abstract: Some disclosed methods involve receiving, by a control system, location control data from a sound source as the sound source emits sound in a plurality of sound source locations within an audio environment. Some such methods involve receiving, by the control system, direction of arrival data from each audio device of a plurality of audio devices in the audio environment. In some examples, each audio device of the plurality of audio devices includes a microphone array and the direction of arrival data corresponding to microphone signals from microphone arrays responsive to sound emitted by the sound source in the plurality of sound source locations. Some such methods involve estimating, by the control system, sound source locations and audio device locations based, at least in part, on the location control data and the direction of arrival data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Avery BRUNI, Mark R. P. THOMAS
  • Patent number: 12170875
    Abstract: A multi-stream rendering system and method may render and play simultaneously a plurality of audio program streams over a plurality of arbitrarily placed loudspeakers. At least one of the program streams may be a spatial mix. The rendering of said spatial mix may be dynamically modified as a function of the simultaneous rendering of one or more additional program streams. The rendering of one or more additional program streams may be dynamically modified as a function of the simultaneous rendering of the spatial mix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Alan J. Seefeldt, Joshua B. Lando, Daniel Arteaga, Mark R. P Thomas, Glenn N. Dickins
  • Publication number: 20240381046
    Abstract: Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first calibration signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first calibration signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Nth audio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nth modified audio playback signals (including second through Nth calibration signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through Nth calibration signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through Nth calibration signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicants: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Mark R.P. THOMAS, Benjamin John SOUTHWELL, Avery BRUNI, Olha Michelle TOWNSEND, Daniel ARTEAGA, Davide SCAINI, Christopher Graham HINES, Alan J. SEEFELDT, David GUNAWAN, C. Phillip Brown
  • Patent number: 12112750
    Abstract: A method for estimating a user's location in an environment may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in the environment. At least two microphones of the plurality of microphones may be included in separate devices at separate locations in the environment and the output signals may correspond to a current utterance of a user. The method may involve determining multiple current acoustic features from the output signals of each microphone and applying a classifier to the multiple current acoustic features. Applying the classifier may involve applying a model trained on previously-determined acoustic features derived from a plurality of previous utterances made by the user in a plurality of user zones in the environment. The method may involve determining, based at least in part on output from the classifier, an estimate of the user zone in which the user is currently located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Mark R. P. Thomas, Richard J. Cartwright
  • Publication number: 20240267469
    Abstract: An audio processing method may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in an audio environment, the output signals corresponding to a current utterance of a person and determining, based on the output signals, one or more aspects of context information relating to the person, including an estimated current proximity of the person to one or more microphone locations. The method may involve selecting two or more loudspeaker-equipped audio devices based, at least in part, on the one or more aspects of the context information, determining one or more types of audio processing changes to apply to audio data being rendered to loudspeaker feed signals for the audio devices and causing one or more types of audio processing changes to be applied. In some examples, the audio processing changes have the effect of increasing a speech to echo ratio at one or more microphones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2024
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicants: Dobly Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. DICKINS, Christopher Graham Hines, David GUNAWAN, Richard J. CARTWRIGHT, Alan J. SEEFELDT, Daniel ARTEAGA, Mark R.P. THOMAS, Joshua B. LANDO
  • Publication number: 20240212693
    Abstract: Some disclosed methods involve encoding or decoding directional audio data. Some encoding methods may involve receiving a mono audio signal corresponding to an audio object and a representation of a radiation pattern corresponding to the audio object. The radiation pattern may include sound levels corresponding to plurality of sample times, a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of directions. The methods may involve encoding the mono audio signal and encoding the source radiation pattern to determine radiation pattern metadata. Encoding the radiation pattern may involve determining a spherical harmonic transform of the representation of the radiation pattern and compressing the spherical harmonic transform to obtain encoded radiation pattern metadata.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2024
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Nicolas R. Tsingos, Mark R. P. Thomas, Christof Fersch
  • Publication number: 20240187811
    Abstract: Some methods involve causing a plurality of audio devices in an audio environment to reproduce audio data, each audio device of the plurality of audio devices including at least one loudspeaker and at least one microphone, determining audio device location data including an audio device location for each audio device of the plurality of audio devices and obtaining microphone data from each audio device of the plurality of audio devices. Some methods involve determining a mutual audibility for each audio device of the plurality of audio devices relative to each other audio device of the plurality of audio devices, determining a user location of a person in the audio environment, determining a user location audibility of each audio device of the plurality of audio devices at the user location and controlling one or more aspects of audio device playback based, at least in part, on the user location audibility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Mark R. P. Thomas, Daniel Arteaga, Christopher Graham Hines, Davide Scaini, Benjamin Southwell, Avery Bruni, Olha Michelle Townsend
  • Patent number: 12003673
    Abstract: An audio processing method may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in an audio environment, the output signals corresponding to a current utterance of a person and determining, based on the output signals, one or more aspects of context information relating to the person, including an estimated current proximity of the person to one or more microphone locations. The method may involve selecting two or more loudspeaker-equipped audio devices based, at least in part, on the one or more aspects of the context information, determining one or more types of audio processing changes to apply to audio data being rendered to loudspeaker feed signals for the audio devices and causing one or more types of audio processing changes to be applied. In some examples, the audio processing changes have the effect of increasing a speech to echo ratio at one or more microphones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. Dickins, Christopher Graham Hines, David Gunawan, Richard J. Cartwright, Alan J. Seefeldt, Daniel Arteaga, Mark R. P. Thomas, Joshua B. Lando
  • Publication number: 20240163340
    Abstract: An audio session management method may involve: determining, by an audio session manager, one or more first media engine capabilities of a first media engine of a first smart audio device, the first media engine being configured for managing one or more audio media streams received by the first smart audio device and for performing first smart audio device signal processing for the one or more audio media streams according to a first media engine sample clock; receiving, by the audio session manager and via a first application communication link, first application control signals from the first application; and controlling the first smart audio device according to the first media engine capabilities, by the audio session manager, via first audio session management control signals transmitted to the first smart audio device via a first smart audio device communication link and without reference to the first media engine sample clock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. Dickins, Mark R.P. Thomas, Alan J. Seefeldt, Joshua B. Lando, Daniel Arteaga, Carlos Medaglia Dyonisio, David Gunawan, Richard J. Cartwright, Christopher Graham Hines
  • Patent number: 11968268
    Abstract: An audio session management method may involve: determining, by an audio session manager, one or more first media engine capabilities of a first media engine of a first smart audio device, the first media engine being configured for managing one or more audio media streams received by the first smart audio device and for performing first smart audio device signal processing for the one or more audio media streams according to a first media engine sample clock; receiving, by the audio session manager and via a first application communication link, first application control signals from the first application; and controlling the first smart audio device according to the first media engine capabilities, by the audio session manager, via first audio session management control signals transmitted to the first smart audio device via a first smart audio device communication link and without reference to the first media engine sample clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. Dickins, Mark R. P. Thomas, Alan J. Seefeldt, Joshua B. Lando, Daniel Arteaga, Carlos Medaglia Dyonisio, David Gunawan, Richard J. Cartwright, Christopher Graham Hines
  • Publication number: 20240056757
    Abstract: Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first DSSS signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Nth audio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nth modified audio playback signals (including second through Nth DSSS signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through Nth DSSS signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through Nth DSSS signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin John SOUTHWELL, David GUNAWAN, Mark R.P. THOMAS, Christopher Graham HINES
  • Publication number: 20240048931
    Abstract: Some methods may involve receiving a first content stream that includes first audio signals, rendering the first audio signals to produce first audio playback signals, generating first direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals, generating first modified audio playback signals by inserting the first DSSS signals into the first audio playback signals, and causing a loudspeaker system to play back the first modified audio playback signals, to generate first audio device playback sound. The method(s) may involve receiving microphone signals corresponding to at least the first audio device playback sound and to second through Nth audio device playback sound corresponding to second through Nth modified audio playback signals (including second through Nth DSSS signals) played back by second through Nth audio devices, extracting second through Nth DSSS signals from the microphone signals and estimating at least one acoustic scene metric based, at least partly, on the second through Nth DSSS signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin John SOUTHWELL, David GUNAWAN, Mark R.P. THOMAS, Christopher Graham HINES
  • Patent number: 11887608
    Abstract: Some disclosed methods involve encoding or decoding directional audio data. Some encoding methods may involve receiving a mono audio signal corresponding to an audio object and a representation of a radiation pattern corresponding to the audio object. The radiation pattern may include sound levels corresponding to plurality of sample times, a plurality of frequency bands and a plurality of directions. The methods may involve encoding the mono audio signal and encoding the source radiation pattern to determine radiation pattern metadata. Encoding the radiation pattern may involve determining a spherical harmonic transform of the representation of the radiation pattern and compressing the spherical harmonic transform to obtain encoded radiation pattern metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignees: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Nicolas R. Tsingos, Mark R. P. Thomas, Christof Fersch
  • Publication number: 20240022869
    Abstract: A method may involve: receiving direction of arrival (DOA) data corresponding to sound emitted by at least a first smart audio device of the audio environment that includes a first audio transmitter and a first audio receiver, the DOA data corresponding to sound received by at least a second smart audio device of the audio environment that includes a second audio transmitter and a second audio receiver, the DOA data corresponding to sound emitted by at least the second smart audio device and received by at least the first smart audio device; receiving one or more configuration parameters corresponding to the audio environment, to one or more audio devices, or both; and minimizing a cost function based at least in part on the DOA data and the configuration parameter(s), to estimate a position and an orientation of at least the first smart audio device and the second smart audio device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicants: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Daniel ARTEAGA, Davide SCAINI, Mark R.P. THOMAS, Avery BRUNI, Olha Michelle TOWNSEND
  • Publication number: 20230319190
    Abstract: An audio processing method may involve receiving output signals from each microphone of a plurality of microphones in an audio environment, the output signals corresponding to a current utterance of a person and determining, based on the output signals, one or more aspects of context information relating to the person, including an estimated current proximity of the person to one or more microphone locations. The method may involve selecting two or more loudspeaker-equipped audio devices based, at least in part, on the one or more aspects of the context information, determining one or more types of audio processing changes to apply to audio data being rendered to loudspeaker feed signals for the audio devices and causing one or more types of audio processing changes to be applied. In some examples, the audio processing changes have the effect of increasing a speech to echo ratio at one or more microphones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicants: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. DICKINS, Christopher Graham HINES, David GUNAWAN, Richard J. CARTWRIGHT, Alan J. SEEFELDT, Daniel Arteaga, Mark R.P. THOMAS, Joshua B. LANDO
  • Publication number: 20230040846
    Abstract: A method for estimating an audio device location in an environment may involve obtaining direction of arrival (DOA) data for each audio device of a plurality of audio devices in the environment and determining interior angles for each of a plurality of triangles based on the DOA data. Each triangle may have vertices that correspond with audio device locations. The method may involve determining a side length for each side of each of the triangles, performing a forward alignment process of aligning each of the plurality of triangles produce a forward alignment matrix and performing a reverse alignment process of aligning each of the plurality of triangles in a reverse sequence to produce a reverse alignment matrix. A final estimate of each audio device location may be based, at least in part, on values of the forward alignment matrix and values of the reverse alignment matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Mark R.P. THOMAS, Glenn DICKINS, Alan SEEFELDT
  • Publication number: 20220351724
    Abstract: A method for selecting a device for audio processing may involve receiving a first wakeword confidence metric from a first device that includes at least a first microphone and receiving a second wakeword confidence metric from a second device that includes at least a second microphone. The first and second wakeword confidence metrics may correspond to a first local maximum of a first plurality of wakeword confidence values determined by the first device and a second local maximum of a second plurality of wakeword confidence values determined by the second device. The method may involve comparing the first wakeword confidence metric and the second wakeword confidence metric and selecting a device for subsequent audio processing based, at least in part, on a comparison of the first wakeword confidence metric and the second wakeword confidence metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Mark R. P. THOMAS, Richard J. CARTWRIGHT
  • Publication number: 20220345820
    Abstract: An audio session management method for an audio environment having multiple audio devices may involve receiving, from a first device implementing a first application and by a device implementing an audio session manager, a first route initiation request to initiate a first route for a first audio session. The first route initiation request may indicate a first audio source and a first audio environment destination. The first audio environment destination may correspond with at least a first person in the audio environment, but in some instances will not indicate an audio device. The method may involve establishing a first route corresponding to the first route initiation request. Establishing the first route may involve determining a first location of at least the first person in the audio environment, determining at least one audio device for a first stage of the first audio session and initiating or scheduling the first audio session.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicants: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION, DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Glenn N. DICKINS, Richard J. CARTWRIGHT, David GUNAWAN, Christopher Graham HINES, Mark R. P. THOMAS, Alan J. SEEFELDT, Joshua B. LANDO, Carlos Eduardo Medaglia DYONISIO, Daniel ARTEAGA