Telephone apparatus with hearing assistance

• US 6,754,336 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1997
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US08/909,689
• Time in Patent Office: 2,506 Days
• Field of Search: 379/353, 379/79, 379/80, 379/372, 379/373, 379/73, 379/100.08, 379/421, 379/388, 379/389, 379/390, 379/387.01, 379/52, 381/108, 381/107, 381/57, 381/312, 381/317, 363/85, 455/190.1, 455/313, 704/267
• US Class Current: 379/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/502 using analog signal processing

Abstract

A telephone apparatus is disclosed which comprises: a receiving portion for receiving a telephone signal and generating a voice signal from the received telephone signal; a frequency conversion portion responsive to a control signal for frequency-converting the voice signal; and a reproducing portion for reproducing the voice signal from the frequency conversion portion. The frequency converting amount may be controlled externally or may be predetermined. The frequency converting amount data may cleared every communication for various circumstances. The circumference noise level and the frequency conversion amount data are stored when the frequency conversion is commended in an automatic mode during a communication. In the later communication, the frequency conversion may be effected automatically when the circumference noise level is larger than the stored circumference noise level.

Claims

1. A telephone apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving a telephone signal and generating a voice signal from the received telephone signal;

frequency conversion means responsive to a control signal and a frequency conversion amount signal for frequency-converting said voice signal, comprising;

storing means for storing said frequency conversion amount signal;

ON-HOOK detection means for detecting an ON-HOOK condition, and

control means for storing said frequency conversion amount signal in said storing means in response to said frequency conversion amount signal and erasing said frequency conversion amount signal in said storing means in response to the detected ON-HOOK condition; and

reproducing means for reproducing said voice signal from said frequency conversion means.

2. A telephone apparatus coupled to a telephone network comprising:

receiving means for receiving a telephone signal and generating a voice signal from the received telephone signal;

frequency conversion means responsive to a control signal for frequency-converting said voice signal in accordance with a frequency conversion amount signal;

reproducing means for reproducing said voice signal from said frequency conversion means;

first storing means for storing said frequency conversion amount signal;

communication condition detection means for detecting a communication condition;

circumference sound noise level detection means for detecting a circumference sound noise level;

second storing means for storing the detected circumference sound noise level;

first control means responsive to said communication condition detection means and a frequency control signal for generating said frequency conversion amount signal, operating said frequency conversion means, storing said frequency conversion amount signal in said first storing means, and storing said circumference sound noise level in said second storing means in a communication condition;

comparing means for comparing the detected circumference sound noise level with said circumference sound noise level in said second storing means;

second control means responsive to said communication condition detection means for reading and supply said frequency conversion amount signal from said first storing means to the frequency conversion means when the detected circumference sound noise level is larger than said circumference sound noise level in said second storing means in the next communication condition.

3. A telephone apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving a telephone signal and generating a voice signal from the received telephone signal;

frequency conversion means responsive to a control signal for changing the pitch of said voice signal to either increase or decrease a frequency of said voice signal, said frequency conversion means being further responsive to a frequency conversion amount signal and said frequency conversion means changes the pitch of said voice signal in accordance with said frequency conversion amount signal;

storing means for storing said frequency conversion amount signal and ON-HOOK detection means for detecting an ON-HOOK condition, and control means for storing said frequency conversion amount signal in said storing means in response to said frequency conversion amount signal and erasing said frequency conversion amount signal in said storing means in response to the detected ON-HOOK condition; and

reproducing means for reproducing said voice signal from said frequency conversion means.