Patents by Inventor Michael William Mason

Michael William Mason 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: 11937074
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David de Burgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Publication number: 20240084808
    Abstract: A ceiling fan includes a motor housing and a motor enclosed by the motor housing. A set of blades can extend from the motor housing and be operably coupled to the motor. The motor can include a rotor assembly and a stator assembly. The motor housing can include an upper housing and a lower housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Charles William Botkin, Michael Paul Conti, Jason Matthew McPherson, Charles David McKee, Arvind G. Ramani, Douglas Troy Mason, Nicholas Dakota Vongprachanh
  • Patent number: 11894006
    Abstract: The processing of audio signals during playback is provided, so that audio signals that fall below a specified threshold loudness level are processed to avoid making unwanted background noise audible. N-channel audio is received from a playback volume controller/leveler (101). The level of the audio is compared with a threshold level. If the level is greater than the threshold level, the audio is processed with a first amount of gain in accordance with a first dynamic range control (DRC) compression curve that is tuned for professionally produced audio. If the level is less than or equal to the threshold level, the audio is processed with a second amount of gain in accordance with a second DRC compression curve that is designed to avoid boosting unwanted background noise. After applying the gain to the audio, the audio is sent to a downstream device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zhongjin Wang, Andrew Peter Reilly, Michael William Mason
  • Patent number: 11594232
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products of audio processing based on Adaptive Intermediate Spatial Format (AISF) are described. The AISF is an extension to ISF that allows spatial resolution around an ISF ring to be adjusted dynamically with respect to content of incoming audio objects. An AISF encoder device adaptively warps each ISF ring during ISF encoding to adjust angular distance between objects, resulting in increase in uniformity of energy distribution around the ISF ring. At an AISF decoder device, matrices that decode sound positions to the output speaker take into account the warping that was performed at the AISF encoder device to reproduce the true positions of sound sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Juan Felix Torres, David S. McGrath, Michael William Mason
  • Patent number: 11128978
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David deBurgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Publication number: 20210233548
    Abstract: The processing of audio signals during playback is provided, so that audio signals that fall below a specified threshold loudness level are processed to avoid making unwanted background noise audible. N-channel audio is received from a playback volume controller/leveler (101). The level of the audio is compared with a threshold level. If the level is greater than the threshold level, the audio is processed with a first amount of gain in accordance with a first dynamic range control (DRC) compression curve that is tuned for professionally produced audio. If the level is less than or equal to the threshold level, the audio is processed with a second amount of gain in accordance with a second DRC compression curve that is designed to avoid boosting unwanted background noise. After applying the gain to the audio, the audio is sent to a downstream device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zhongjin WANG, Andrew Peter REILLY, Michael William MASON
  • Publication number: 20210235215
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio object and the two additional audio objects, and rendering the audio object and the two additional audio objects to one or more speaker feeds in accordance with the determined weight factors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicants: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB, DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix Torres, Antonio Mateos Sole, Daniel Arteaga, Adam J. Mills, Mark David de Burgh, Andrew Robert Owen
  • Publication number: 20210065724
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products of audio processing based on Adaptive Intermediate Spatial Format (AISF) are described. The AISF is an extension to ISF that allows spatial resolution around an ISF ring to be adjusted dynamically with respect to content of incoming audio objects. An AISF encoder device adaptively warps each ISF ring during ISF encoding to adjust angular distance between objects, resulting in increase in uniformity of energy distribution around the ISF ring. At an AISF decoder device, matrices that decode sound positions to the output speaker take into account the warping that was performed at the AISF encoder device to reproduce the true positions of sound sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Juan Felix TORRES, David S. MCGRATH, Michael William MASON
  • Patent number: 10861467
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products of audio processing based on Adaptive Intermediate Spatial Format (AISF) are described. The AISF is an extension to ISF that allows spatial resolution around an ISF ring to be adjusted dynamically with respect to content of incoming audio objects. An AISF encoder device adaptively warps each ISF ring during ISF encoding to adjust angular distance between objects, resulting in increase in uniformity of energy distribution around the ISF ring. At an AISF decoder device, matrices that decode sound positions to the output speaker take into account the warping that was performed at the AISF encoder device to reproduce the true positions of sound sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Juan Felix Torres, David S. Mcgrath, Michael William Mason
  • Publication number: 20200275233
    Abstract: The present document relates to methods and apparatus for rendering input audio for playback in a playback environment. The input audio includes at least one audio object and associated metadata, and the associated metadata indicates at least a location of the audio object. A method for rendering input audio including divergence metadata for playback in a playback environment comprises creating two additional audio objects associated with the audio object such that respective locations of the two additional audio objects are evenly spaced from the location of the audio object, on opposite sides of the location of the audio object when seen from an intended listener's position in the playback environment, determining respective weight factors for application to the audio en.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Applicants: Dolby International AB, Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Michael William Mason, Juan Felix TORRES, Antonio MATEOS SOLE, Daniel ARTEAGA, Adam J. MILLS, Mark David deBURGH, Andrew Robert OWEN
  • Patent number: 10582327
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing an immersive listening area for one or more listeners. To improve the immersive experience a rear sound bar is placed behind the listeners and the input channels of the rear sound bar receive customized processing to create a virtual rear sound stage. The virtual rear sound stage and a front sound stage created by a front sound bar, combine to create an overall sound stage to encompass the listeners, providing the listeners with an immersive listening experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Mark William Gerrard, Michael William Mason
  • Publication number: 20190116445
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing an immersive listening area for one or more listeners. To improve the immersive experience a rear sound bar is placed behind the listeners and the input channels of the rear sound bar receive customized processing to create a virtual rear sound stage. The virtual rear sound stage and a front sound stage created by a front sound bar, combine to create an overall sound stage to encompass the listeners, providing the listeners with an immersive listening experience.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark William GERRARD, Michael William MASON
  • Publication number: 20180308507
    Abstract: Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to audio signal processing with low latency. A method of processing an audio signal is disclosed. The method includes obtaining frequency parameters of a current frame of the audio signal. The method also includes generating intermediate frequency domain outputs for a set of predefined frequency bands based on the frequency parameters using predefined frequency band filter banks, a frequency band filter bank being specific to a respective frequency band in the set. The method further includes determining frequency band energies for the set of predefined frequency bands based on the intermediate frequency domain outputs, and processing the current frame based on the determined frequency band energies. Corresponding system, computer program product, and device for processing an audio signal are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Zhiwei SHUANG, David S. MCGRATH, Michael William MASON
  • Publication number: 20180254047
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products of audio processing based on Adaptive Intermediate Spatial Format (AISF) are described. The AISF is an extension to ISF that allows spatial resolution around an ISF ring to be adjusted dynamically with respect to content of incoming audio objects. An AISF encoder device adaptively warps each ISF ring during ISF encoding to adjust angular distance between objects, resulting in increase in uniformity of energy distribution around the ISF ring. At an AISF decoder device, matrices that decode sound positions to the output speaker take into account the warping that was performed at the AISF encoder device to reproduce the true positions of sound sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Applicant: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Juan Felix TORRES, David S. MCGRATH, Michael William MASON
  • Patent number: 6937723
    Abstract: Echo detection and monitoring systems and methods are provided. According to the invention, the outgoing and incoming voice bearer channels of a voice communication are monitored. The outgoing and incoming signals are time aligned, and measures are then taken to determine whether echo is present in the signal. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the outgoing signal is fed through an adaptive filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Avaya Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Simon Daniel Boland, James D. Schreuder, Subramanian Sridharan, Michael William Mason, James Allen Cook
  • Publication number: 20040081315
    Abstract: Echo detection and monitoring systems and methods are provided. According to the invention, the outgoing and incoming voice bearer channels of a voice communication are monitored. The outgoing and incoming signals are time aligned, and measures are then taken to determine whether echo is present in the signal. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the outgoing signal is fed through an adaptive filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Simon Daniel Boland, James D. Schreuder, Subramanian Sridharan, Michael William Mason, James Allen Cook