Direct coupling of telephone volume control with remote microphone gain and noise cancellation

• US 7,103,176 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2004
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Forlenza, Randolph Michael, Rodriguez, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Swerdlow, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/844,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20050254639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 379/390.01, 379/433.06, 379/392.01, 381/105
• US Class Current: 379/392.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/08 Two-way loud-speaking telephone systems with means for conditioning the signal, e.g. for suppressing echoes for one or both directions of traffic

Abstract

The present invention creates a method, apparatus and system by which a telephone unit volume control provides instantaneous coupling to and controlling of a connected telephone unit'"'"'s microphone gain and noise cancellation circuitry. With this invention, an increase in the volume control on the first unit, will result in an automatic adjustment of the second unit'"'"'s microphone gain control. This microphone gain adjustment is an amount corresponding to the adjustment of the volume of the first unit. The noise cancellation circuitry on the second unit is adjusted to filter more of the background noise before transmission instead of after the receipt of the signal at the destination telephone.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting the microphone gain of a connected telephone from a remote location comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between two or more telephones thereby creating a system of connected telephones;

transmitting a present volume setting of a first telephone to one or more connected telephones in the system; and

adjusting a microphone gain and noise cancellation setting at the one or more connected telephones in accordance with the transmitted volume setting from the first telephone that is received at the one or more connected telephones, the microphone gain and noise cancellation being adjusted in direct proportion to the received volume setting from the first telephone.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said transmitting step, the step of detecting a volume setting change at the first telephone and determining the amount of the change in the volume setting from the current volume setting.

3. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising before said detecting step, the step of transmitting an initial volume setting to the one or more connected telephones.

4. The method as described in claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a change in the volume setting;

adjusting the microphone gain and noise cancellation of signals from the transmitter and the volume of signals going to the receiver of the first telephone; and

transmitting the adjusted volume setting of the first telephone to the connected telephone.

5. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising the step of storing the volume setting change in a storage buffer such that the stored volume setting becomes the current volume setting of the telephone.

6. The method as described in claim 2 wherein said detecting step further comprises comparing the changed volume setting to the stored volume setting such that the difference between the two volume settings is the amount of the percentage of change in the volume settings.

7. A method for adjusting the microphone gain of a connected telephone from a remote location comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between two or more telephones thereby creating a system of connected telephones;

transmitting a present volume setting of a first telephone to one or more connected telephones in the system; and

adjusting a microphone gain setting at the one or more connected telephones in accordance with the transmitted volume setting from the first telephone that is received at the one or more connected telephones;

receiving at the first and any other telephones connected in the system, a volume setting change transmitted from a connected telephone in the system; and

adjusting microphone gain and noise cancellation settings of the connected telephones receiving the transmitted volume setting change of the transmitting telephone, the adjustment being in direct proportion to the transmitted volume setting change of the transmitting telephone.

8. A method for adjusting the microphone gain of a connected telephone from a remote location comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between two or more telephones thereby creating a system of connected telephones;

transmitting a present volume setting of a first telephone to one or more connected telephones in the system; and

adjusting a microphone gain setting at the one or more connected telephones in accordance with the transmitted volume setting from the first telephone that is received at the one or more connected telephones;

in response to a detection of a volume setting change at a connected telephone, transmitting the volume setting change to the first telephone and any other connected telephones in the system; and

adjusting microphone gain and noise cancellation settings of the connected telephones receiving the transmitted volume setting change of the transmitting telephone, the adjustment being in direct proportion to the transmitted volume setting change of the transmitting telephone.

9. The method as described in claim 8 further comprising the step of storing in each connected telephone in the system a microphone gain and noise cancellation setting for each of the other telephones connected in that system such that each connected telephone contains multiple microphone gain and noise reduction settings, one setting corresponding to each connected telephone in the system.

10. A computer program product for adjusting the microphone gain of a connected telephone from a remote location comprising:

instructions for establishing a connection between two or more telephones thereby creating a system of connected telephones;

instructions for transmitting a present volume setting of a first telephone to one or more connected telephones in the system; and

instructions for adjusting a microphone gain setting at the one or more connected telephones in accordance with the transmitted volume setting from the first telephone that is received at the one or more connected telephones

receiving at the first and any other telephones connected in the system, a volume setting change transmitted from a connected telephone in the system; and

adjusting microphone gain and noise cancellation settings of the connected telephones receiving the transmitted volume setting chance of the transmitting telephone, the adjustment being in direct proportion to the transmitted volume setting change of the transmitting telephone.

11. The computer program product as described in claim 10 further comprising before said transmitting instructions, instructions for detecting a volume setting change at the first telephone and determining the amount of the change in the volume setting from the current volume setting.

12. The computer program product as described in claim 11 further comprising before said detecting instructions, instructions transmitting an initial volume setting to the one or more connected telephones.

13. The computer program product as described in claim 10 further comprising the instructions for storing in each connected telephone in the system a microphone gain end noise cancellation setting for each of the other telephones connected in that system such that each connected telephone contains multiple microphone gain and noise reduction settings, one setting corresponding to each connected telephone in the system.

14. A computer program product for adjusting the microphone gain of a connected telephone from a remote location comprising:

instructions for establishing a connection between two or more telephones thereby creating a system of connected telephones;

instructions for detecting a volume setting change at the first telephone and determining the amount of the change in the volume setting from the current volume setting;

instructions for adjusting the microphone gain and noise cancellation of signals going to the transmitter and volume signals from the receiver of the first telephone;

instructions for transmitting a present volume setting of a first telephone to one or more connected telephones in the system;

instructions for adjusting a microphone gain setting at the one or more connected telephones in accordance with the transmitted volume setting from the first telephone that is received at the one or more connected telephones;

instructions for transmitting the adjusted volume setting of the first telephone to the connected telephone.

15. A telephone system comprising a telephone apparatus capable of affecting the volume of a connected telephone, the telephone apparatus of the system comprising:

a telephone handset;

a volume adjustment mechanism;

a telephone transmitter for sending signals from the telephone;

a telephone receiver for receiving signals at the telephone; and

a volume control unit contained in the telephone, said volume control unit being connected to said volume adjustment mechanism, said volume control unit capable of detecting volume settings and generating volume setting information for transmission to a connected telephone, said volume control unit also capable of interpreting volume settings received from a connected telephone and generating microphone gain and noise cancellation adjustments based on the received volume setting information from a connected telephone.

16. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said volume control unit comprises:

a volume adjustment sensor for detecting changes in the volume level;

a processor for receiving a signal from said sensor when a change in the volume level is detected by said sensor and for determining the percent of change of a volume level when a change in the volume level is detected;

an amplifier for amplifying the volume level of a telephone signal; and

a noise cancellation unit.

17. The system as described in claim 15 further comprising one or more telephone apparatuses telephone apparatus connected to said telephone apparatus, said one or more telephone apparatuses also comprising:

a telephone handset;

a volume adjustment mechanism;

a telephone transmitter for sending signals from the telephone;

a telephone receiver for receiving signals at the telephone; and

a volume control unit contained in the telephone, said volume control unit being connected to said volume adjustment mechanism, said volume control unit capable of detecting volume settings and generating volume setting information for transmission to a connected telephone, said volume control unit also capable of interpreting volume settings received from a connected telephone and generating a microphone gain and noise cancellation adjustments based on the received volume setting information from a connected telephone.

18. The system as described in claim 17 wherein a telephone apparatus connected in the system further comprises a directory of settings containing settings for specific telephone apparatuses.