US 11948550

US patent 11948550, titled "Real-time accent conversion model", was issued to Sanas Ai Inc. on April 2, 2024. The inventors are Maxim Serebryakov and Shawn Zhang. The application was filed on August 27, 2021.

Abstract:
The patent describes techniques for real-time accent conversion. A computing device receives an indication of a first accent and a second accent, along with speech content in the first accent via a microphone. It uses a first machine-learning algorithm, trained with audio data of the first accent, to derive a non-text linguistic representation of the speech content. Based on this representation, a second machine-learning algorithm (trained with audio data of both the first and second accents) synthesizes new audio data that represents the original speech content but in the second accent. Finally, this synthesized audio data is converted into an audible version of the speech content with the second accent.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (System): This claim describes a computer system with at least one processor and non-transitory computer-readable storage. The system is programmed to:

  1. Train a first artificial intelligence (AI) model using speech recordings from many different people speaking with a particular "first accent." This training involves breaking down and categorizing individual sound segments (frames) of the recorded speech.
  2. Use this trained first AI model on live speech received through a microphone. This live speech has the "first accent" and consists of specific speech sounds (phonemes) pronounced in a certain way. The AI converts these sounds into a hidden, non-textual, machine-readable representation.
  3. Employ a second AI model to create new audio. This second AI model was trained using speech data from both the "first accent" and a "second accent." When creating the new audio, it takes the non-textual representation of a sound from the "first accent" and transforms it into a different non-textual representation that corresponds to how that sound would be pronounced in the "second accent." The key here is that the pronunciation of the speech changes from the first accent to the second.
  4. Convert this newly generated audio data into a final, audible version of the original speech, which now sounds like it is spoken with the "second accent" and includes the updated pronunciations.

• Independent Claim 11 (Non-transitory computer-readable medium): This claim covers a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a hard drive, solid-state drive) that contains software instructions. When a computer's processor runs these instructions, it performs the exact same sequence of steps as described in Claim 1: training a first AI, deriving a non-text linguistic representation from received speech, synthesizing new audio with a second accent by mapping phonemes using a second AI, and finally converting that synthesized audio into an audible version with the second accent.

• Independent Claim 19 (Method): This claim outlines a method comprising the identical series of actions as detailed in Claim 1 and Claim 11: training a first machine-learning algorithm with multi-speaker audio of a first accent, applying it to derive a non-text linguistic representation from incoming speech, synthesizing new audio in a second accent using a second machine-learning algorithm by mapping phonemes from the first pronunciation to a different second pronunciation, and then converting this synthesized audio into a finished speech output having the second accent with its characteristic pronunciations.

Litigation Status:
As of the patent's fetch date (May 12, 2026), the patent family is involved in litigation. This includes a PTAB case (IPR2026-00272) that has been filed and is currently pending, as well as a US case filed in the California Northern District Court (case 3:25-cv-05666). The first worldwide family litigation has also been filed. The patent currently holds an "Active" legal status, with an anticipated expiration date of August 27, 2041.