Method and apparatus for customizing a device based on a frequency response for a hearing-impaired user

A method for customizing a telephone based on a frequency filter associated with a hearing-impaired user, comprising:

• receiving an identifier associated with a hearing-impaired user at any one of a plurality of telephones operable to couple to a network;
• retrieving a frequency filter associated with the hearing-impaired user from a database by providing the identifier;
• and
• applying the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals received by the hearing-impaired user at the one telephone, wherein applying the retrieved frequency filter is performed by a processing resource located in the one telephone.

A method for customizing a telephone based on a frequency filter associated with a hearing-impaired user, comprising:

• receiving an identifier associated with a hearing-impaired user at any one of a plurality of telephones operable to couple to a network;
• retrieving a frequency filter associated with the hearing-impaired user from a database by providing the identifier;
• and
• applying the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals received by the hearing-impaired user at the one telephone, wherein applying the retrieved frequency filter is performed by a processing resource in a remote telephone communicating with the one telephone.

A communication apparatus, comprising:

• an interface operable to couple to a network;
• a control unit coupled to the interface, the control unit operable to:
• receive an identifier associated with a hearing-impaired user;
• and
• retrieve a frequency filter associated with the hearing-impaired user from a database by providing the identifier;
• a processing resource coupled to the control unit, the processing resource operable to apply the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals received at the interface;
• a speaker coupled to the control unit, the speaker operable to present filtered audio signals generated by the processing resource to the hearing-impaired user;
• and
• a housing to couple the interface, the control unit, the processing resource, and the speaker into an integral unit.

Logic encoded in media for customizing a device based on a frequency response for a hearing-impaired user, the logic operable to perform the following steps:

• receiving an identifier associated with a hearing-impaired user at any one of a plurality of devices operable to couple to a network;
• retrieving a frequency filter associated with the hearing-impaired user from a database by providing the identifier;
• and
• applying the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals in a call session conducted over the network for presentation to the hearing-impaired user at the one device, wherein applying the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals in the call session is performed by a processing resource located in the one device.

An apparatus for customizing a telephone based on a frequency response for a hearing-impaired user, comprising:

• means for receiving an identifier associated with a hearing-impaired user at any one of a plurality of devices operable to couple to a network;
• means for retrieving a frequency filter associated with the hearing-impaired user from a database by providing the identifier;
• and
• means for applying, at the one device, the retrieved frequency filter to audio signals in a call session conducted over the network for presentation to the hearing-impaired user at the one device.