Variable sidetone system for reducing amplitude induced distortion
AssigneeAvaya Technology Corp.
InventorPaul R. Michaelis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The variable sidetone system provides an enhanced method for inducing the subscriber maintain the amplitude of their voice at an appropriate level by exaggerating the amplitude characteristics of the sidetone returned to the subscriber. Rather than have the sidetone level linked to the amplitude of the subscriber's voice signal in a linear non-adjustable 1:1 relationship (as is done in the prior art), the present variable sidetone system implements an adjustable relationship between the amplitude of the subscriber's voice signal and sidetone levels, thereby allowing the variable sidetone system to provide the necessary acoustic feedback to subscribers to maintain the subscriber's voice signal within the predetermined bounds of the voice encoder.
Claims12
A method for regulating a sidetone signal for use in a telephone that is connected to a telephone system, to induce a subscriber to change their speech volume, comprising:
- generating, in response to receipt of an input speech signal produced by said subscriber's speech input into said telephone and having an input speech amplitude, a first sidetone signal having a first sidetone amplitude;
- and
- varying said first sidetone amplitude to produce a second sidetone signal having a second sidetone amplitude that is disproportional to said input voice amplitude to overemphasize the subscriber's speech volume to induce the subscriber to adjust their speech volume.
A method for regulating a sidetone signal for use in a digital telephone that is connected to a telephone system, to induce a subscriber to change their speech volume where the digital telephone converts an input speech signal to a digital speech signal and returns a portion of the input speech signal to the subscriber in a linear sidetone signal having a first sidetone amplitude that varies on a 1:1 scale with an amplitude of the input speech signal, the method comprising:
- analyzing the digital speech signal over a period of time to determine an average speech amplitude;
- and
- varying the first sidetone amplitude in response to the average amplitude of the input speech signal to produce a second sidetone signal having a second sidetone amplitude wherein the second sidetone amplitude is disproportional to the amplitude of the input speech signal to overemphasize the subscriber's speech volume to induce the subscriber to adjust their speech volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.