IP Library Granted Patent US 8,774,875
Granted Patent B1
US 8,774,875 · App. 12/908,581 · Granted Jul 8, 2014

Spatial separation-enabled noise reduction

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,774,875
App. No.
12/908,581
Granted
Jul 8, 2014
Kind
B1
Abstract

Noise reduction is provided to audio captured by a headset by employing spatially separated microphones provided by a headset and a mobile phone. Primary audio is captured by a headset microphone and includes both voice audio and ambient noise. Secondary audio is captured by a mobile phone microphone and includes ambient audio. Noise reduction is performed using the primary and secondary audio to generate a noise-reduce audio.

Claims (29)

1. One or more nontransitory computer storage media storing computer useable instructions that, when used by a mobile phone, cause the mobile phone to perform a method to provide noise reduction to audio from a headset paired with the mobile phone, the method comprising:

receiving primary audio captured from a headset microphone, the primary audio including voice audio and ambient noise, wherein based on a determination that the headset includes two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes, the mobile phone instructs the headset to not employ the two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes;

receiving secondary audio captured from a mobile phone microphone, the secondary audio including ambient audio; and

employing the primary audio and the secondary audio to generate a noise-reduced audio.

2. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises turning on the mobile phone microphone to capture audio in response to identifying the headset being connected with the mobile phone.

3. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises turning on the mobile phone microphone to capture audio in response to determining that the headset microphone is turned on and capturing audio.

4. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises setting the gain on the mobile phone microphone.

5. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 4 , wherein the gain on the mobile phone microphone is set to speaker mode.

6. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 4 , wherein the gain on the mobile phone microphone is dynamically adjusted.

7. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein employing the primary audio and the secondary audio to generate the noise-reduced audio comprises waveform subtraction of the secondary audio from the primary audio.

8. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises communicating the noise-reduced audio from the mobile phone to a mobile telecommunications network.

9. The one or more nontransitory computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises employing the noise-reduced audio to provide a voice command for the mobile phone.

10. A method performed by a mobile phone to provide noise reduction to audio from a headset paired with the mobile phone, the method comprising:

turning on a mobile phone microphone in response to input from the headset;

setting the gain on the mobile phone microphone;

capturing ambient audio using the mobile phone microphone;

receiving headset audio from the headset, the headset audio including voice audio with ambient noise, wherein the headset includes two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes, and wherein the mobile phone instructs the headset to not employ the two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes; and

providing noise reduction to the headset audio using the ambient audio captured by the mobile phone microphone to generate noise-reduced audio.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the input from the headset that causes the mobile phone microphone to be turned on comprises input identifying that the headset is connected with the mobile phone.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the input from the headset that causes the mobile phone microphone to be turned on comprises input identifying that the headset microphone is turned on and capturing audio.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the gain on the mobile phone microphone is set to speaker mode.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the gain on the mobile phone microphone is dynamically adjusted.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein providing noise reduction to the headset audio using the ambient audio captured by the mobile phone microphone to generate the noise-reduced audio comprises waveform subtraction of the ambient audio from the headset audio.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises communicating the noise-reduced audio from the mobile phone to a mobile telecommunications network.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises employing the noise-reduced audio to provide a voice command for the mobile phone.

18. A mobile phone comprising: a short-range radio for wirelessly communicating with a headset;

a long-range radio for wirelessly communicating with a mobile telecommunications network;

a mobile phone microphone for capturing audio; and

a noise reducer configured to receive primary audio and secondary audio and to generate a noise-reduced audio using the primary audio and secondary audio, the primary audio having been captured by a headset microphone on the headset and received from the headset via the short-range radio, the secondary audio having been captured by the mobile phone microphone, wherein based on a determination that the headset includes two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes, the mobile phone instructs the headset to not employ the two headset microphones for noise reduction purposes.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2022
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: IBSV LLC; LAYER3 TV, LLC; PUSHSPRING, LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; SPRINTCOM LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM LLC
Reel/Frame 062595/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2021
From: SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.
To: T-MOBILE INNOVATIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 055604/0001 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF FIRST PRIORITY AND JUNIOR PRIORITY SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Apr 2, 2020
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.
Reel/Frame 052969/0475 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 2, 2020
From: T-MOBILE USA, INC.; ISBV LLC; T-MOBILE CENTRAL LLC; LAYER3 TV, INC.; PUSHSPRING, INC.; BOOST WORLDWIDE, LLC; CLEARWIRE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; CLEARWIRE IP HOLDINGS LLC; CLEARWIRE LEGACY LLC; SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.; SPRINT INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED; SPRINT SPECTRUM L.P.; ASSURANCE WIRELESS USA, L.P.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
Reel/Frame 053182/0001 →
GRANT OF FIRST PRIORITY AND JUNIOR PRIORITY SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Mar 6, 2017
From: SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
Reel/Frame 041895/0210 →