Apple patents audio decoding method that trims silent parts of sound files
Apple describes a way for devices to decode audio files that have been converted from one format to another. The system uses specific markers in the data to cut out unnecessary sound samples, ensuring the final audio matches the original intent.
In the filing’s own words
A target decoder may receive a bitstream including an audio frame in a target format associated with a target encoder and a metadata frame associated with the audio frame. The audio frame may be transcoded from an earlier audio frame. The metadata frame may be converted from an earlier metadata frame associated with the earlier audio frame. The target decoder may decode audio data from the audio frame and metadata from the metadata frame.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method for trimming audio samples from an audio frame, comprising: receiving, by a decoder, a target bitstream including an audio frame in a target format associated with an encoder, the audio frame transcoded from an earlier audio frame in a source bitstream, the audio frame including one or more trim fields to indicate whether one or more audio samples are to be trimmed from the audio frame; and decoding audio data from the audio frame, wherein the audio data is trimmed based on whether the one or more trim fields of the audio frame indicate one or more audio samples are to be trimmed from the audio frame.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Decoding Audio Frames and Converted Metadata Frames from a Target Encoder
- Publication number
- US20260290361A1
- Application number
- 19690432
- Filed
- May 28, 2026
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G10L 19/02 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Audio & voice
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.