Frequency equalizer, and associated method, for a radio telephone

• US 6,381,469 B1
• Filed: 10/02/1998
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wojick, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/165,611
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 455/187.1, 455/188.1, 455/179.1, 455/556, 455/200.1, 455/557, 455/339, 455/90, 455/340, 455/343, 455/344, 455/345, 455/351, 455/550, 455/501, 455/63, 455/65, 455/570, 455/66, 375/222, 375/232, 375/231, 375/233, 375/230, 375/229, 375/348, 375/354, 375/350, 375/346, 375/333, 375/334
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/10 having semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

A frequency equalizer, and an associated method, for radio telephone to cause the tonal characteristics of audio signals generated by the radio telephone to exhibit a desired sound. Selectable groups of preset amplification levels are stored at the radio telephone which define equalization curves. Selection by a user of the radio telephone of a selected equalization curve causes the frequency equalizer to selectively amplify portions of a signal representative of a receive signal provided to the frequency equalizer. Once amplified in this manner, the amplified signal is provided to an acoustic transducer whereat an audio signal is formed.

Claims

1. In a radio telephone hand-carriable by a user, the radio telephone having a radio receiver and a radio transmitter, the radio receiver for receiving a downlink signal transmitted thereto and having a decoder for decoding a representation of the downlink signal and for forming a decoded signal therefrom, a combination with the radio receiver of:

an audio frequency equalizer coupled to the radio receiver of the radio telephone to form a portion thereof and housed together therewith, and to receive an electrical signal representative of the decoded signal formed by the decoder of the radio receiver, the electrical signal defined by a signal bandwidth, the signal bandwidth divisible into bandwidth-frequency regions, said audio frequency equalizer for selectively amplifying the electrical signal at selectable amplification levels, each bandwidth frequency region into which the signal is divided amplified at a separately-selectable amplification level; and

a user interface coupled to said frequency equalizer and hand carriable together with the radio receiver of the radio telephone, said user interface selectably actuable by the user to cause said frequency equalizer to amplify each bandwidth frequency region at the separately-selectable amplification level, said user interface forming a portion of the radio telephone and housed together therewith and hand-carriable by the user together with the radio telephone.

2. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 1 wherein said user interface forms a selector for selecting the amplification levels at which each bandwidth frequency region of the electrical signal is amplified.

3. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 2 further comprising a memory device, said memory device for storing preset values representative of the amplification levels at which each bandwidth frequency region is amplified by said audio frequency equalizer.

4. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 3 wherein the preset values stored at said memory device comprise a first set of preset values and at least a second set of preset values, said audio frequency equalizer amplifying the electrical signal of amplification levels corresponding to a selected one of the first set and at least second set, respectively, of the preset values.

5. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 4 wherein selection of which of the first set and the at least second set of preset values pursuant to which said audio frequency equalizer amplifies the electrical signal made by user actuation of said user interface.

6. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 5 wherein said user interface includes an actuation keypad and a display element, selective user actuation of said actuation keypad determinative of selection of which of the first set and the at least second set of preset values pursuant to which said audio frequency equalizer amplifies the electrical signal.

7. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 6 further comprising a controller coupled to said audio frequency equalizer, to said memory device, and to said user interface, said controller for causing the electrical signal to be amplified at amplification levels corresponding to the preset values of the selected one of the first and at least second sets selected by way of the user interface.

8. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 7 wherein said controller is further operable to display indicia of each of the first set of preset values and the at least second set of preset values on the display element of said user interface, and wherein user selection of the selected one of the first set of preset values and the at least second set of preset values is made by the user via actuation of the actuation keypad responsive to display on the display element the indicia of each of the first and at least second set, respectively, of the preset values.

9. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 8 wherein the preset values are user-inputtable by way of the actuation keypad of said user interface.

10. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 3 wherein the electrical signal which said audio frequency equalizer is coupled to receive is divided into a first bandwidth frequency region, a second bandwidth frequency region, and a third bandwidth frequency region, and wherein the preset values stored at said memory device comprise a first set having a first preset value, a second preset value, and a third preset value, the first preset value representative of the amplification level at which the first bandwidth frequency region is to be amplified, the second preset value representative of the amplification level at which the second bandwidth frequency region is to be amplified, and the third preset value representative of the amplification level at which the third frequency region is to be amplified.

11. The combination with the radio receiver of claim 10 wherein the preset values stored at said memory device further comprise at least a second set, the second set also having a first preset value, a second preset value, and a third preset value, said audio frequency equalizer amplifying the first bandwidth frequency region, the second bandwidth frequency region, and the third bandwidth frequency region at amplification levels corresponding to the first preset value, the second preset value, and the third preset value, respectively, of a selected one of the first set and the at least second set.

12. A method for generating an audio signal of a selected tonal characteristic at a radio telephone receiver hand-carriable by a user, the audio signal representative of a radio telephone receive signal received at a radio telephone, once decoded at a decoder of the radio telephone, said method comprising:

providing an electrical signal representative of the radio telephone receive signal, once decoded, to an audio frequency equalizer, the audio frequency equalizer integrally formed with the radio telephone receiver to be housed together therewith and to be carried there together by the user;

selectively amplifying, at the audio frequency equalizer, selected bandwidth frequency regions of the electrical signal by actuating a user actuator coupled to the radio telephone receiver, the user actuator forming a portion of the radio telephone to be housed together therewith and to be carried together therewith; and

transducing the electrical signal, once selectively amplified by the audio frequency equalizer during said operation of selectively amplifying.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising the additional operation of selecting the amplification levels at which the selected bandwidth-frequency regions of the electrical signal are amplified.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said operation of selecting comprises selecting between a first set of preset values and at least a second get of preset values, the preset values of the first and at least second sets, respectively, representative of selected amplification levels at which the bandwidth-frequency regions are to be amplified.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the preset value selected during said operation of selecting are stored at a memory device.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the electrical signal provided to the audio frequency equalizer during said operation of providing is divided into a first bandwidth frequency region, a second bandwidth frequency region, and a third bandwidth frequency region, and wherein the first set of preset values and the at least second set of preset values each contain a first preset value, a second preset value, and a third preset value, the first preset value of a selected set representative of the amplification level at which to amplify the first bandwidth frequency region, the second preset value of the selected set representative of the amplification level at which to amplify the second bandwidth frequency region, and the third preset value of the selected set representative of the amplification level at which to amplify the third bandwidth frequency region.

17. Apparatus for generating an audio signal of selected tonal characteristics at a radio telephone receiver portion of a radio telephone, the radio telephone hand-carriable by a user, and the audio signal representative of a radio telephone receiver signal received at the radio telephone, once decoded by a decoder of the radio telephone receiver portion, said apparatus comprising:

an audio frequency equalizer coupled to the radio receiver of the radio telephone to form a portion thereof and housed together therewith, thereby to receive an electrical signal representative of the radio telephone receive signal, once decoded by the decoder, the electrical signal defined by a signal bandwidth, the signal bandwidth divisible into bandwidth-frequency regions, said frequency equalizer for selectively amplifying the electrical signal at selectable amplification levels; and

a selector coupled to said audio frequency equalizer, said selector for selecting the amplification levels at which each bandwidth frequency region of the electrical signal is amplified, said selector integrally formed with the radio telephone receiver to be hand-carriable together therewith.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said selector further comprises a user interface, the amplification levels at which each bandwidth frequency region of the electrical signal is amplified.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said selector further comprises a memory device, said memory device for storing preset values representative of the amplification levels at which each bandwidth frequency region is amplified by said audio frequency equalizer.