Patents by Inventor Matthew Joseph Cole

Matthew Joseph Cole 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: 20230360647
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be indicated for speech processing. The system may determine output audio data responsive to the input audio data. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 11646027
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be indicated for speech processing. The system may determine output audio data responsive to the input audio data. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Publication number: 20220157311
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be indicated for speech processing. The system may determine output audio data responsive to the input audio data. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 11250851
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be transmitted to a remote device for processing. The remote device may generate output audio data to be sent to the local device. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 10679625
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be transmitted to a remote device for processing. The remote device may generate output audio data to be sent to the local device. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Publication number: 20200175989
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be transmitted to a remote device for processing. The remote device may generate output audio data to be sent to the local device. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 10216989
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for providing additional information for text in an image. In some implementations, a computing device receives an image including text. Optical character recognition (OCR) is performed on the image to produce recognized text. A word or a phrase is selected from the recognized text for providing additional information. One or more potential meanings of the selected word or phrase are determined. One of the potential meanings is selected based on other text in the image. A source of additional information corresponding to the selected meaning is selected for providing the additional information to a user's device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Paul Ramos, Matthew Joseph Cole, Matthew Daniel Hart
  • Patent number: 10186265
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. Audio data received for output by audio speakers is first captured by an effect component, such as an audio equalizer. The effect component may perform various operations including altering the audio data, copying the audio data and delaying the time in which the output audio is sent to the audio speakers. The effect component may generate a copy of the audio data and transmit or route the copy of the audio data to a secondary keyword detector via an audio channel, resulting in a further delay. The secondary detector may determine that the copy of the processed audio data includes a keyword that is likely to be output during a first time interval. The secondary detector may then transmit a signal to a primary keyword detector to disable keyword detection during the first time interval of the output audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 10079015
    Abstract: A system and method for temporarily disabling keyword detection to avoid detection of machine-generated keywords. A local device may operate two keyword detectors. The first keyword detector operates on input audio data received by a microphone to capture keywords uttered by a user. In these instances, the keyword may be detected by the first detector and the audio data may be transmitted to a remote device for processing. The remote device may generate output audio data to be sent to the local device. The local device may process the output audio data to determine that it also includes the keyword. The device may then disable the first keyword detector while the output audio data is played back by an audio speaker of the local device. Thus the local device may avoid detection of a keyword originating from the output audio. The first keyword detector may be reactivated after a time interval during which the keyword might be detectable in the output audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Wayne Lockhart, Matthew Joseph Cole, Xulei Liu
  • Patent number: 9659224
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for merging optical character recognized (OCR'd) text from frames of image data. In some implementations, a device sends frames of image data to a server, where each frame includes at least a portion of a captured textual item. The server performs optical character recognition (OCR) on the image data of each frame. When OCR'd text from respective frames is returned to the device from the server, the device can perform matching operations on the text, for instance, using bounding boxes and/or edit distance processing. The device can merge any identified matches of OCR'd text from different frames. The device can then display the merged text with any corrections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Joseph Cole, Sonjeev Jahagirdar, Matthew Daniel Hart, David Paul Ramos, Ankur Datta, Utkarsh Prateek, Emilie Noelle McConville, Prashant Hegde, Avnish Sikka
  • Patent number: 9355336
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for recognizing text from one or more frames of image data using contextual information. In some implementations, image data including a captured textual item is processed to identify an entity in the image data. A context can be selected using the entity, where the context corresponds to a dictionary. Text in the captured textual item can be identified using the dictionary. The identified text can be output to a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sonjeev Jahagirdar, Matthew Joseph Cole, David Paul Ramos, Utkarsh Prateek, Emilie Noelle McConville, Ankur Datta, Laura Varnum Finney, Yue Liu, Bhavesh Anil Doshi, Avnish Sikka, Michael Vanne
  • Patent number: 9305227
    Abstract: Embodiments of the subject technology provide for a hybrid OCR approach which combines server and device side processing that can offset disadvantages of performing OCR solely on the server side or the device side. More specifically, the subject technology utilizes image characteristics such as glyph details and image quality measurements to opportunistically schedule OCR processing on the mobile device and/or server. In this regard, text extracted by a “faster” OCR engine (e.g., one with less latency) is displayed to a user, which is then updated by the result of a more accurate OCR engine (e.g., an OCR engine provided by the server). This approach allows factoring in additional parameters such as network latency and user preference for making scheduling decisions. Thus, the subject technology may provide significant gains in terms of reduced latency and increased accuracy by implementing one or more techniques associated with this hybrid OCR approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rakesh Madhavan Nambiar, Sonjeev Jahagirdar, Matthew Joseph Cole, Matias Omar Gregorio Benitez, Junxiong Jia, David Paul Ramos
  • Patent number: 9269009
    Abstract: Various embodiments enable a computing device to incorporate frame selection or preprocessing techniques into a text recognition pipeline in an attempt to improve text recognition accuracy in various environments and situations. For example, a mobile computing device can capture images of text using a first camera, such as a rear-facing camera, while capturing images of the environment or a user with a second camera, such as a front-facing camera. Based on the images captured of the environment or user, one or more image preprocessing parameters can be determined and applied to the captured images in an attempt to improve text recognition accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yue Liu, Sonjeev Jahagirdar, Matthew Joseph Cole, Utkarsh Prateek, Emilie Noelle McConville, Daniel Makoto Wilenson, Avnish Sikka
  • Patent number: 9239961
    Abstract: The recognition of text in an acquired image is improved by using general and type-specific heuristics that can determine the likelihood that a portion of the text is truncated at an edge of an image, frame, or screen. Truncated text can be filtered such that the user is not provided with an option to perform an undesirable task, such as to dial an incorrect number or connect to an incorrect Web address, based on recognizing an incomplete text string. The general and type-specific heuristics can be combined to improve confidence, and the image data can be pre-processed on the device before processing with an optical character recognition (OCR) engine. Multiple frames can be analyzed to attempt to recognize words or characters that might have been truncated in one or more of the frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Joseph Cole, Yue Liu, David Paul Ramos, Avnish Sikka
  • Patent number: 9165186
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for providing additional information for text in an image. In some implementations, a computing device receives an image including text. Optical character recognition (OCR) is performed on the image to produce recognized text. One or more topics corresponding to the recognized text is determined. A word or a phrase is selected from the recognized text for providing additional information. One or more potential meanings of the selected word or phrase are determined. One of the potential meanings is selected using the one or more topics. A source of additional information corresponding to the selected meaning is selected for providing the additional information to a user's device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Paul Ramos, Matthew Joseph Cole, Matthew Daniel Hart