Patents by Inventor Terry Tai

Terry Tai 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: 20230274741
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicant: Google LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander H. Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 11670297
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20210249015
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 11024311
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20200211556
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 10559306
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20190051303
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, each having microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing programs for execution by the processors. The first device detects a voice input. It determines a device state and a relevance of the voice input. It identifies a subset of electronic devices from the plurality to which the voice input is relevant. In accordance with a determination that the subset includes the first device, the first device determines a first score of a criterion associated with the voice input and receives second scores of the criterion from other devices in the subset. In accordance with a determination that the first score is higher than the second scores, the first device responds to the detected input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 10102857
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at an electronic device that includes microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The electronic device: (1) detects a voice input; (2) determines a first quality score for the detected voice input; (3) receives quality scores generated by other electronic devices for detection of the voice input by the other electronic devices; (4) in accordance with a determination that the first quality score is not the highest amongst the quality scores for the voice input, identifies a criterion associated with the voice input; and (5) in accordance with a determination that the identified criterion is the most relevant to the electronic device, responds to the detected input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20180040322
    Abstract: The various implementations described herein include methods and systems for determining device leadership among voice interface devices. In one aspect, a method is performed at an electronic device that includes microphones, a speaker, processors, and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The electronic device: (1) detects a voice input; (2) determines a first quality score for the detected voice input; (3) receives quality scores generated by other electronic devices for detection of the voice input by the other electronic devices; (4) in accordance with a determination that the first quality score is not the highest amongst the quality scores for the voice input, identifies a criterion associated with the voice input; and (5) in accordance with a determination that the identified criterion is the most relevant to the electronic device, responds to the detected input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 9812128
    Abstract: A method at a first electronic device of multiple electronic devices, each electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices including one or more microphones and a speaker, includes detecting a voice input; determining a quality score for the detected voice input; communicating the quality score to the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices; receiving quality scores generated by the other devices for detection of the voice input by the other devices; if the quality score generated by the first electronic device is the highest amongst the quality scores, outputting an audible and/or visual response to the detected voice input, where the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices forgo outputting an audible response to the detected voice input; and if the quality score generated by the first electronic device is not the highest amongst the quality scores, forgoing outputting a response to the detected voice input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Publication number: 20170025124
    Abstract: A method at a first electronic device of multiple electronic devices, each electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices including one or more microphones and a speaker, includes detecting a voice input; determining a quality score for the detected voice input; communicating the quality score to the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices; receiving quality scores generated by the other devices for detection of the voice input by the other devices; if the quality score generated by the first electronic device is the highest amongst the quality scores, outputting an audible and/or visual response to the detected voice input, where the other devices of the plurality of electronic devices forgo outputting an audible response to the detected voice input; and if the quality score generated by the first electronic device is not the highest amongst the quality scores, forgoing outputting a response to the detected voice input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Kenneth Mixter, Diego Melendo Casado, Alexander Houston Gruenstein, Terry Tai, Christopher Thaddeus Hughes, Matthew Nirvan Sharifi
  • Patent number: 9093067
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in a computer-implemented method that includes receiving utterances and transcripts thereof. The method includes analyzing the utterances and transcripts to determine certain attributes, such as distances between prosodic contours for pairs of utterances. A model can be generated that can be used to estimate a distance between a determined prosodic contour for a received utterance and an unknown prosodic contour for a synthesized utterance when given a distance between attributes for text associated with the received utterance and the synthesized utterance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Jansche, Michael D. Riley, Andrew M. Rosenberg, Terry Tai
  • Patent number: 8321225
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a computer-implemented method including receiving text to be synthesized as a spoken utterance. The method includes analyzing the received text to determine attributes of the received text and selecting one or more utterances from a database based on a comparison between the attributes of the received text and attributes of text representing the stored utterances. The method includes determining, for each utterance, a distance between a contour of the utterance and a hypothetical contour of the spoken utterance, the determination based on a model that relates distances between pairs of contours of the utterances to relationships between attributes of text for the pairs. The method includes selecting a final utterance having a contour with a closest distance to the hypothetical contour and generating a contour for the received text based on the contour of the final utterance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Jansche, Michael D. Riley, Andrew M. Rosenberg, Terry Tai