Patents by Inventor Volker Franz
Volker Franz 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).
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Patent number: 9357511Abstract: Two power control loops for antenna switching transmit diversity are realized by a user terminal including two antennas (110, 120), one power amplifier (140) for amplifying the signals to be transmitted from each of the antennas, and a switch (130) switching the transmission power of the power amplifier from one antenna to the other antenna. Accordingly, the user terminal is enabled to alternately transmit data packets, with its two antennas. A closed loop power control mechanism in the user terminal is adapted to update, on receipt of a transmission power control command from a base station, the transmission power relative to the level of two slots previously.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2008Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OYInventors: Thomas Chapman, Terence Edwin Dodgson, Volker Franz, Malgorzata Wimmer
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Patent number: 8200493Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is listening to a human user during a conversation are disclosed. The method includes receiving speech data from the user to yield received speech data and analyzing the received speech data according to a prosodic characterization of the speech data to yield the speech data analysis. The method further includes controlling listening movement of the agent according to the speech data analysis, wherein the listening movement of the agent occurs while the user is speaking the received speech data to the agent such that the agent appears to respond to the specific received speech data.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2008Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Thomas M. Isaacson, Volker Franz Strom
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Publication number: 20120106671Abstract: Two power control loops for antenna switching transmit diversity are realized by a user terminal including two antennas (110, 120), one power amplifier (140) for amplifying the signals to be transmitted from each of the antennas, and a switch (130) switching the transmission power of the power amplifier from one antenna to the other antenna. Accordingly, the user terminal is enabled to alternately transmit data packets, with its two antennas. A closed loop power control mechanism in the user terminal is adapted to update, on receipt of a transmission power control command from a base station, the transmission power relative to the level of two slots previously.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2008Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: NOKIA CORPORATIONInventors: Thomas Chapman, Terence Edwin Dodgson, Volker Franz, Malgorzata Wimmer
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Patent number: 8131551Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is speaking to a human user during a conversation is disclosed. The method comprises receiving speech data to be spoken by the virtual agent, performing a prosodic analysis of the speech data, selecting matching prosody patterns from a speaking database and controlling the virtual agent movement according to the selected prosody patterns.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2006Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 8126717Abstract: A method for generating a prosody model that predicts prosodic parameters is disclosed. Upon receiving text annotated with acoustic features, the method comprises generating first classification and regression trees (CARTs) that predict durations and F0 from text by generating initial boundary labels by considering pauses, generating initial accent labels by applying a simple rule on text-derived features only, adding the predicted accent and boundary labels to feature vectors, and using the feature vectors to generate the first CARTs. The first CARTs are used to predict accent and boundary labels. Next, the first CARTs are used to generate second CARTs that predict durations and F0 from text and acoustic features by using lengthened accented syllables and phrase-final syllables, refining accent and boundary models simultaneously, comparing actual and predicted duration of a whole prosodic phrase to normalize speaking rate, and generating the second CARTs that predict the normalized speaking rate.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2006Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.Inventor: Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 7844467Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is listening to a human user during a conversation is disclosed. The method comprises receiving speech data from the user, performing a prosodic analysis of the speech data and controlling the virtual agent movement according to the prosodic analysis.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2008Date of Patent: November 30, 2010Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Thomas M. Isaacson, Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 7353177Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is listening to a human user during a conversation is disclosed. The method comprises receiving speech data from the user, performing a prosodic analysis of the speech data and controlling the virtual agent movement according to the prosodic analysis.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2005Date of Patent: April 1, 2008Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Thomas M. Isaacson, Volker Franz Storm
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Patent number: 7136816Abstract: A method for generating a prosody model that predicts prosodic parameters is disclosed. Upon receiving text annotated with acoustic features, the method comprises generating first classification and regression trees (CARTs) that predict durations and F0 from text by generating initial boundary labels by considering pauses, generating initial accent labels by applying a simple rule on text-derived features only, adding the predicted accent and boundary labels to feature vectors, and using the feature vectors to generate the first CARTs. The first CARTs are used to predict accent and boundary labels. Next, the first CARTs are used to generate second CARTs that predict durations and F0 from text and acoustic features by using lengthened accented syllables and phrase-final syllables, refining accent and boundary models simultaneously, comparing actual and predicted duration of a whole prosodic phrase to normalize speaking rate, and generating the second CARTs that predict the normalized speaking rate.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2002Date of Patent: November 14, 2006Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventor: Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 7136818Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is speaking to a human user during a conversation is disclosed. The method comprises receiving speech data to be spoken by the virtual agent, performing a prosodic analysis of the speech data, selecting matching prosody patterns from a speaking database and controlling the virtual agent movement according to the selected prosody patterns.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2002Date of Patent: November 14, 2006Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 7076430Abstract: A system and method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is listening to a human user during a conversation is disclosed. The method comprises receiving speech data from the user, performing a prosodic analysis of the speech data and controlling the virtual agent movement according to the prosodic analysis.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2002Date of Patent: July 11, 2006Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventors: Eric Cosatto, Hans Peter Graf, Thomas M. Isaacson, Volker Franz Strom
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Patent number: 7038065Abstract: A process for catalytically generating organic substances by partial oxidation of an organic feedstock in the presence of molecular oxygen at temperatures in the range from 200 to 500° C. in at least one cooling-tube reactor, wherein 40 to 100 wt-% of the total amount of catalyst is disposed as a coating on the outside of the cooling tubes.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2001Date of Patent: May 2, 2006Assignee: MG Technologies AGInventors: Volker Franz, Helmuth Domes
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Publication number: 20040024268Abstract: The process is performed in the gas phase in the presence of molecular oxygen at temperatures in the range from 200 to 500° C. in at least one reactor, which constitutes a cooling-tube reactor and contains a catalyst. Cooling liquid flows through the cooling tubes of the reactor, and from the reactor a gaseous product mixture is withdrawn. 40 to 100 wt-% of the total amount of catalyst of the cooling-tube reactor are disposed as coating on the outside of the cooling tubes, wherein the feed mixture containing the feedstock and the molecular oxygen gets in contact with the catalyst layers. Preferably, at least half the cooling tubes constitute ribbed tubes with ribs protruding on the outside, the ribs being at least partly coated with catalyst.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2003Publication date: February 5, 2004Inventors: Volker Franz, Helmuth Domes
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Patent number: 6368389Abstract: Phthalic acid anhydride is recovered from a gas stream containing phthalic acid anhydride vapors by passing the gas stream upwardly through a vertical tube so that the gases expand at the orifice at the upper end of the tube and mix with granules entrained above the tube by fluidizing gas of a fluidized bed of phthalic acid anhydride granules around the tube. The tube, kept free from phthalic acid anhydride granules and the fluidized bed, is indirectly cooled.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2000Date of Patent: April 9, 2002Assignee: Metallgesellschaft AktiengesellschaftInventors: Gerhard Birke, Martin Hirsch, Volker Franz
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Patent number: 6222835Abstract: In a process for transmitting data in a digital transmission system with a packet-switched service, an ARQ protocol and channel coding are used for minimizing errors with coders and decoders that supply “soft” information. When a data frame is transmitted again within the ARQ protocol, the information obtained by means of the channel decoder and ARQ protocol, that is, the “soft” information, is processed according to the coded bits together with the data frames transmitted again n+1 to N in data frame n (n= . . . N and n=number of data frames transmitted within the ARQ protocol). This process makes it possible to process the information obtained a priori during decoding of the data frame n+1 together with one or several data frames 1 to n.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2000Date of Patent: April 24, 2001Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Volker Franz, Dieter Emmer
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Patent number: 4737347Abstract: A multitube reactor for exothermic or endothermic reactions carried out in a multiplicity of tubes, which are surrounded by a liquid, at least part of which is circulated by a circulating pump, which is disposed outside the reactor structure, to flow through heating and cooling means and is the recycled to the reactor structure. The tubes and the surrounding liquid are disposed between a cylindrical inner wall and an outer wall which surrounds and is coaxial to the inner wall. The circulating pump is disposed in the liquid-free space that is surrounded by the inner wall.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1986Date of Patent: April 12, 1988Assignee: Metallgesellschaft AktiengesellschaftInventors: Volker Franz, Rolg Geissen
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Patent number: 4592412Abstract: In a method of periodically heating a product separator of a plant for producing anhydride or maleic anhydride, a PA or MA product is deposited on cooling surfaces of the product separator. To melt the product, the cooling surfaces are indirectly heated by means of a heated liquid, which is circulated through the product separator. The liquid heat transfer medium is indirectly heated with steam in a heater for the heat transfer medium. At least during the time of the largest steam demand, most of that steam is taken from a steam accumulator, which is charged with steam supplied from the plant for producing PA or MA. The charging of the steam accumulator is effected to at least a substantial degree during the time in which the heater for the heat transfer medium is out of operation or is operated under a low load.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 1985Date of Patent: June 3, 1986Assignee: Metallgesellschaft AktiengesellschaftInventors: Volker Franz, Rolf Geissen