Telephone network speech signal enhancement

A method of processing voice signals in a telecommunications network, said voice signals being transmitted from a first telephone station set to a second telephone station set, said method comprising the steps of

• establishing a connection through said network so that a voice signal received from said first telephone station set may be processed and then forwarded to said second telephone station set, said voice signal received from said first telephone station set having low frequency components within a predetermined range of frequencies such that the amplitudes of said low frequency components have been decreased by said first telephone station set, and
• processing said received signal in a network element which boosts the amplitudes of said low frequency components relative to the amplitudes of other components of said voice signal.

A method of processing a voice signal in a telecommunications network, said voice signal being transmitted by a telephone station set for delivery to a destination via said network, said station set decreasing the amplitudes of components of said voice signal having frequencies below a predetermined frequency, said method comprising the steps of

• establishing a network connection so that said voice signal may be forwarded from said station set to said destination via a network element, and
• compensating said voice signal in said network element such that the amplitudes of only said components having frequencies below said predetermined frequency are compensated in accordance with a predetermined gain characteristic.

A method of processing a voice signal in a telecommunications network, said voice signal having a nonuniform frequency distribution as a result of a decrease in the amplitudes of low frequency components of said voice signal, said low frequency components having frequencies below a predetermined frequency, said method comprising the steps of

• establishing a connection to forward said voice signal when it is received toward an intended destination via a signal processor, and
• in said signal processor, responding to receipt of said voice signal by increasing the amplitudes of only said low frequency components.

A method for use in a telecommunications network for processing a voice signal that originated from a telephone station set, said telephone station set having a frequency response characteristic which rolls off at low frequencies, said method comprising the steps of

• establishing a network connection to forward said voice signal to a destination telephone station set via a processing element, and
• processing said voice signal in said processing element in such a way as to offset only the effect of the roll off of said frequency response characteristic.

A method for use in a telecommunications network for processing a voice signal that originated from a telephone station set, said telephone station set having a frequency response characteristic which provides attenuation at low frequencies relative to other frequencies, said method comprising the step of

• establishing a network connection to forward said voice signal to a destination telephone station set via a processing element, and
• processing said voice signal in said processing element in such a way as to offset only the effect of said low-frequency attenuation.

A method for use in a telecommunications network, said method comprising the step of

• establishing a network connection to forward a voice signal to a destination telephone station set via a processing element, and
• processing said voice signal within said processing element, said processing element having a frequency response characteristic which provides gain within a range of low frequencies relative to frequencies outside of said range, whereby the quality of voice signals subjected to low-frequency attenuation by originating telephone station sets is enhanced.