Patents by Inventor ROBERT D. SIMS, III

ROBERT D. SIMS, III 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: 9530402
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system. In one example a method includes: logging speech data from the speech system; detecting a user characteristic from the speech data; and selectively updating a language model based on the user characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Ron M. Hecht, Timothy J. Grost, Robert D. Sims, III, Ute Winter
  • Patent number: 9502030
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system of a vehicle. In one example a method includes: logging data from the vehicle; logging speech data from the speech system; processing the data from the vehicle and the data from the speech system to determine a pattern of context and a relation to user interaction behavior; and selectively updating a user profile of the speech system based on the pattern of context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Ute Winter, Timothy J. Grost, Ron M. Hecht, Robert D. Sims, III
  • Publication number: 20160118042
    Abstract: An automatic speech recognition engine and a method of using the engine is described. The method pertains to front-end processing an audio signal and includes the steps of: identifying a plurality of voiced-frames of the audio signal; determining that one or more of the plurality of voiced-frames have a signal-to-noise (SNR) value greater than a first predetermined threshold; and based on the determination, bypassing noise suppression for the one or more of the plurality of voiced-frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: Gaurav Talwar, Xufang Zhao, III, Robert D. Sims, III, Md Foezur Rahman Chowdhury
  • Publication number: 20150379995
    Abstract: A method searching navigation system data includes receiving a spoken utterance from a user, processing the spoken utterance to produce a dictation text substantially corresponding to the spoken utterance, and querying the navigation system data with the dictation text using an approximate string matching criteria and producing a results list associated therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: ROBERT D. SIMS, III, TIMOTHY J. GROST, GREG T. LINDEMANN
  • Publication number: 20150350758
    Abstract: A hands-free audio system for a vehicle and method of using the system is described. The method includes controlling the directionality of a vehicle microphone. The steps of the method may include: (a) receiving a sensor value from at least one of a vehicle seat position sensor, a vehicle seat orientation sensor, or a vehicle mirror orientation sensor; (b) based on the received sensor value(s) of step (a), determining an origin of a vehicle user's speech; and (c) controlling the microphone sensitivity directionality based on the determined origin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Xufang Zhao, Robert D. Sims, III, Md Foezur Rahman Chowdhury, John J. Correia
  • Publication number: 20150039312
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing speech dialog of a speech system. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving information determined from a non-speech related sensor; using the information in a turn-taking function to confirm at least one of if and when a user is speaking; and generating a command to at least one of a speech recognition module and a speech generation module based on the confirmation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: ELI TZIRKEL-HANCOCK, JAN H. AASE, ROBERT D. SIMS, III, IGAL BILIK, MOSHE LAIFENFELD
  • Publication number: 20150039316
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing spoken dialog within a speech system. The method includes establishing a spoken dialog session having a first dialog context, and receiving a context trigger associated with an action performed by a user. In response to the context trigger, the system changes to a second dialog context. In response to a context completion condition, the system then returns to the first dialog context.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: ELI TZIRKEL-HANCOCK, ROBERT D. SIMS, III, OMER TSIMHONI
  • Publication number: 20150019225
    Abstract: A method for arbitrating spoken dialog results includes receiving a spoken utterance from a user within an environment; receiving first recognition results and a first confidence level associated with the spoken utterance from a first source; receiving second recognition results and a second confidence level associated with the spoken utterance from a second source; receiving human-machine-interface (HMI) information associated with the user; selecting between the first recognition results and the second recognition results based on at least one of the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the HMI information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventor: ROBERT D. SIMS, III
  • Publication number: 20140136202
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system. In one example a method includes: logging speech data from the speech system; processing the speech data for a pattern of a user competence associated with at least one of task requests and interaction behavior; and selectively updating at least one of a system prompt and an interaction sequence based on the user competence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: ROBERT D. SIMS, III, TIMOTHY J. GROST, RON M. HECHT, UTE WINTER
  • Publication number: 20140136204
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a speech system of a vehicle. In one embodiment, the method includes: generating an utterance signature from a speech utterance received from a user of the speech system without a specific need for a user identification interaction; developing a user signature for a user based on the utterance signature; and managing a dialog with the user based on the user signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: RON M. HECHT, OMER TSIMHONI, UTE WINTER, ROBERT D. SIMS, III
  • Publication number: 20140136214
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system of a vehicle. In one example a method includes: logging data from the vehicle; logging speech data from the speech system; processing the data from the vehicle and the data from the speech system to determine a pattern of context and a relation to user interaction behavior; and selectively updating a user profile of the speech system based on the pattern of context.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: UTE WINTER, TIMOTHY J. GROST, RON M. HECHT, ROBERT D. SIMS, III
  • Publication number: 20140136200
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system. In one example a method includes: processing a spoken command with one or more models of one or more model types to achieve model results; evaluating a frequency of the model results; and selectively updating the one or more models of the one or more model types based on the evaluating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: UTE WINTER, RON M. HECHT, TIMOTHY J. GROST, ROBERT D. SIMS, III
  • Publication number: 20140136201
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a speech system. In one example a method includes: logging speech data from the speech system; detecting a user characteristic from the speech data; and selectively updating a language model based on the user characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: RON M. HECHT, TIMOTHY J. GROST, ROBERT D. SIMS, III, UTE WINTER