# US 10,945,876 B2 · Fluency aid > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,945,876 B2 - Document ID: US10945876B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/259,093 - Filed: 2019-01-28 - Published: 2019-08-01 - Granted: 2021-03-16 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-31 - Assignees: Cirrus Logic, Inc. - Applicants: Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd. - Inventors: Tahir Rashid - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945876B2 ## CPC - A61F 5/58: Apparatus for correcting stammering or stuttering - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G09B 5/04: with audible presentation of the material to be studied (sound recording or reproducing G11B) - G10L 21/0208: Noise filtering - G06V 40/20: Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition (recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16) - G09B 19/04: Speaking (with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04) - G10L 15/19: Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules - G10L 15/24: Speech recognition using non-acoustical features - G10L 21/00: Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility (G10L19/00 takes precedence) - G10L 2025/783: {based on threshold decision} - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract The present disclosure provides a fluency aid comprising: a masking signal generator; a switch operable to switch the masking signal generator between an ON state and an OFF state, wherein, when in the ON state, the masking signal generator is operable to generate a masking signal; a sound generator operable to receive the masking signal from the masking signal generator and generate a masking sound for output to a user of the fluency aid; and a voice detector operable to detect a voice of the user, wherein the masking signal generator is operable to generate the masking signal at least until the voice of the user is detected by the voice detector. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fluency aid comprising: a masking signal generator; a switch operable to switch the masking signal generator between an ON state and an OFF state, wherein, when in the ON state, the masking signal generator is operable to generate a masking signal; a sound generator operable to receive the masking signal from the masking signal generator and generate a masking sound for output to a user of the fluency aid; and a voice detector operable to detect a voice of the user, wherein the masking signal generator is operable to generate the masking signal at least until the voice of the user is detected by the voice detector; wherein the masking sound is faded out after the masking signal generator is switched to the ON state or following detection of the voice of the user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, wherein the voice detector is operable to output a voice signal, based on the detected voice, and wherein the voice signal and the masking signal are combined to produce a masked auditory feedback, MAF, signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, wherein the masking sound includes at least one of white noise, pink noise, tones and music. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, wherein the switch is a hook-switch, an electronic hook-switch and/or a user-operated switch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, wherein the masking signal generator is operable to be switched to the OFF state by operation of the switch. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, further comprising: a feedback signal generator for generating an altered auditory feedback, AAF, signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fluency aid according to claim 6, wherein the altered auditory feedback, AAF, signal includes at least one of a delayed auditory feedback, DAF, signal and a frequency altered feedback, FAF, signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fluency aid according to claim 1, further comprising: a pacing device to output an audible sound to the user at regularly timed intervals. ### Claim 9 A fluency aid comprising: a masking signal generator operable to generate a masking signal; and a switch; wherein the masking signal generator is operable, based on a state of the switch, to generate the masking signal, the masking signal being passed to a sound generator for generating a masking sound; wherein the masking sound is faded out after the switch is switched to an ON state or following detection of a voice of a user. ### Claim 10 A fluency aid comprising: a switch operable to be switched between an ON state and an OFF state; a masking signal generator operable, based on a state of the switch, to generate a masking signal, wherein, when the switch is switched to the ON state, the masking signal generator is operable to begin generating the masking signal; a signal converter operable to receive the masking signal from the masking signal generator and convert the masking signal into a haptic signal for output to a user of the fluency aid; and a voice detector operable to detect a voice of the user, wherein the masking signal generator is operable to generate the masking signal at least until the voice of the user is detected by the voice detector; wherein the haptic signal is faded out after the switch is switched to the ON state or following detection of the voice of the user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A telephone, headphones, acoustic noise cancelling headphones, smart watch, or other portable device comprising the fluency aid according to claim 1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) A telephone, headphones, acoustic noise cancelling headphones, smart watch, or other portable device comprising the fluency aid according to claim 9. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A telephone, headphones, acoustic noise cancelling headphones, smart watch, or other portable device comprising the fluency aid according to claim 10.