{
  "patent_number": "US 11765535",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Audio Systems Prioritize Sounds for Better Playback",
  "original_title": "Methods and systems for rendering audio based on priority",
  "summary": "This patent describes how audio systems can sort sounds into important and less important categories, then use different processing power for each to make complex audio, like movie soundtracks, sound better on various speakers.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a method for an audio system to handle complex audio efficiently. It receives an \"input audio bitstream\" (Claim 1) that contains both \"static channel-based audio\" (like traditional stereo or surround sound tracks) and at least one \"dynamic object\" (individual sounds that can move, like a buzzing bee or a gunshot). Each dynamic object has a \"priority value.\" The system then checks this priority value against a \"priority threshold value\" to decide if the dynamic object is \"low-priority\" or \"high-priority.\" High-priority objects, like a character's dialogue, are sent to a \"second rendering process\" (Claim 1) that uses more powerful resources, such as a processor with \"increased memory bandwidth\" (Claim 5). Low-priority objects, like background ambient sounds, go to a \"first rendering process\" (Claim 1) that uses different, potentially less demanding, memory processing. The static channel-based audio is processed separately. After rendering, the audio can go through \"post-processing\" (Claim 2), including \"virtualization\" (Claim 4) to make sounds seem like they're coming from above, even on speakers without height channels, like a soundbar.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Audio systems that do not classify dynamic audio objects based on a priority value.",
    "Systems that process all dynamic audio objects using the same rendering process or memory resources.",
    "Audio rendering where static channel-based audio is processed dependently on dynamic object classification.",
    "Systems that do not include dynamic audio objects alongside channel-based audio in the input bitstream.",
    "Systems that do not perform virtualization for height cues on limited-height speakers."
  ],
  "filed": "2021-11-24",
  "granted": "2023-09-19",
  "expires": "2041-11-24",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Dolby Laboratories Licensing",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/dolby-laboratories-licensing",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Alan J. Seefeldt",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/alan-j-seefeldt"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joshua Brandon Lando",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/joshua-brandon-lando"
    },
    {
      "name": "Freddie Sanchez",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/freddie-sanchez"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "gaming"
  ],
  "abstract": "Embodiments are directed to a method of rendering adaptive audio by receiving input audio comprising channel-based audio, audio objects, and dynamic objects, wherein the dynamic objects are classified as sets of low-priority dynamic objects and high-priority dynamic objects, rendering the channel-based audio, the audio objects, and the low-priority dynamic objects in a first rendering processor of an audio processing system, and rendering the high-priority dynamic objects in a second rendering processor of the audio processing system. The rendered audio is then subject to virtualization and post-processing steps for playback through soundbars and other similar limited height capable speakers.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11765535/methods-and-systems-for-rendering-audio-based-on-priority",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11765535/methods-and-systems-for-rendering-audio-based-on-priority/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11765535",
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}