IP Library Granted Patent US 11,328,721
Granted Patent B2
US 11,328,721 · App. 16/781,214 · Granted May 10, 2022

Wake suppression for audio playing and listening devices

Inventors: Hsuan Yang (San Jose, CA); Qìndí Zhang (Los Altos, CA); Warren S. Heit (Los Altos Hills, CA)
Assignee: SoundHound, Inc.
G10L15/22G10L15/08G10L15/30G10L2015/088G10L2015/223
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,328,721
App. No.
16/781,214
Granted
May 10, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for ignoring a wakeword received at a speech-enabled listening device when it is determined the wakeword is reproduced audio from an audio-playing device. Determination can be by detecting audio distortions, by an ignore flag sent locally between an audio-playing device and speech-enabled device, by and ignore flag sent from a server, by comparison of received audio played audio to a wakeword within an audio-playing device or a speech-enabled device, and other means.

Claims (21)

1. A speech-enabled device having a connection to an audio-playing device, the speech-enabled device configured to listen for a wakeword, the speech-enabled device comprising:

a computing system comprising one or more processors and a main memory, the one or more processors configured to execute software code to:

receive audio, including the wakeword, from the audio-playing device,

analyze the received audio to spot the wakeword, and

ignore the wakeword spotted in the received audio, to leave the speech-enabled device in an idle state, upon determining the received audio came from the audio-playing device;

wherein the speech-enabled device receives the received audio at a first time from the audio-playing device via the connection and at a second time from the audio-playing device via the microphone; and

wherein the speech-enabled device is able to determine the received audio received at the second time comes from the audio-playing device by spotting the wakeword in the received audio at the first and second times and given a proximity of the first and second times.

2. The speech-enabled device of claim 1 , wherein the received audio analyzed by the processor comprises an audio stream received via the connection.

3. The speech-enabled device of claim 1 , wherein the connection is a local connection between the speech-enabled device and the audio-playing device.

4. The speech-enabled device of claim 1 , wherein the connection is a wide area connection connecting the speech-enabled device and the audio-playing device to each other and the Internet.

5. The speech-enabled device of claim 1 , wherein the speech-enabled device and the audio-playing device are part of a single device, and wherein the connection comprises electrical connections within the single device.

6. A speech-enabled device configured to listen for a wakeword, comprising:

a microphone configured to receive audio; and

means for ignoring the wakeword received at the microphone, to leave the speech-enabled device in an idle state, upon determining the received audio is reproduced audio, said means for ignoring a wakeword comprising analyzing the received audio for characteristics of reproduced audio and ignoring the wakeword where it is determined the received audio includes the characteristics of reproduced audio.

7. A speech-enabled device having a connection to an audio-playing device, the speech-enabled device configured to listen for a wakeword, the speech-enabled device comprising:

a computing system comprising one or more processors and a main memory, the one or more processors configured to execute software code to:

receive audio, including the wakeword, from the audio-playing device,

analyze the received audio to spot the wakeword, and

ignore the wakeword spotted in the received audio, to leave the speech-enabled device in an idle state, upon determining the received audio came from the audio-playing device;

wherein the speech-enabled device receives the received audio at a first time from the audio-playing device via the connection and at a second time from the audio-playing device via the microphone; and

wherein the speech-enabled device is able to determine the received audio received at the second time comes from the audio-playing device by storing a segment of the received audio received at the first time and comparing it to the received audio received at the second time.

Assignments (7)
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Dec 3, 2024
From: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SOUNDHOUND, INC.
Reel/Frame 069480/0312 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2024
From: SOUNDHOUND, INC.
To: MONROE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 068526/0413 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2024
From: ACP POST OAK CREDIT II LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SOUNDHOUND, INC.; SOUNDHOUND AI IP, LLC
Reel/Frame 067698/0845 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2023
From: SOUNDHOUND AI IP HOLDING, LLC
To: SOUNDHOUND AI IP, LLC
Reel/Frame 064205/0676 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2023
From: SOUNDHOUND, INC.
To: SOUNDHOUND AI IP HOLDING, LLC
Reel/Frame 064083/0484 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2023
From: SOUNDHOUND, INC.; SOUNDHOUND AI IP, LLC
To: ACP POST OAK CREDIT II LLC
Reel/Frame 063349/0355 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2020
From: YANG, HSUAN; ZHANG, QÌNDÍ; HEIT, WARREN S.
To: SOUNDHOUND, INC.
Reel/Frame 051815/0501 →