Audio manipulation systems and methods

• US 7,925,304 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Katzer, Robin, Persson, Carl, Gailloux, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Magloire; Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US11/621,562
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/414.4, 455/221, 455/563, 455/414, 455/1, 455/3.06, 704258-270, 379/88.16, 379/88.18, 379/88.26
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

An audio manipulation method is provided. A call associated with a mobile device is received. Whether an audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device is determined. An audio signal from the mobile device is manipulated based on an audio manipulation selection in response to a determination that the audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device. The manipulated audio signal is routed to a receiver communicating with the mobile device.

Claims

1. An audio manipulation method, comprising:

receiving a call associated with a mobile device;

determining whether an audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device;

routing the call to an audio manipulation server in response to a determination that the audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device;

bypassing the audio manipulation server and routing the call without audio manipulation to a receiver communicating with the mobile device in response to a determination that the audio manipulation flag is not set for the mobile device;

manipulating an audio signal of the call received from the mobile device by the audio manipulation server based on an audio manipulation selection made on the mobile device in response to the determination that the audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device; and

routing the manipulated audio signal to the receiver communicating with the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising terminating the manipulation of the audio signal in response to a request received from at least one of the mobile device and the receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio manipulation flag is set for one of a specified period of time and a specified receiver.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising offering a sample of a voice generated by a voice modulation to assist a mobile device user to make the audio manipulation selection that sets the audio manipulation flag.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a mobile device user to design a custom audio manipulation, wherein the custom audio manipulation is a combination of a plurality of predefined audio manipulation selections.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein manipulating the audio signal comprises at least one of filtering background sounds and adding background sounds.

7. The audio manipulation method of claim 1, wherein the audio manipulation flag is set in a network access identifier table.

8. An audio manipulation system, comprising:

a gateway server configured to receive a call associated with a mobile device and to determine whether an audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device, responsive to a determination that the audio manipulation flag is set for the mobile device the gateway server is further configured to route the call to an audio manipulation server, and responsive to a determination that the audio manipulation flag is not set for the mobile device the gateway server is further configured to bypass the audio manipulation server and route the call without audio manipulation to a receiver communicating with the mobile device; and

the audio manipulation server configured to manipulate an audio signal of the call received from the gateway server based on an audio manipulation selection made on the mobile device and to route the manipulated audio signal to the receiver communicating with the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio manipulation server is further operable to terminate the manipulation of the audio signal in response to a request received from at least one of the mobile device and the receiver.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio manipulation flag is set for one of a specified period of time and a specified receiver.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio manipulation server is further operable to offer a sample of a voice generated by a voice modulation to assist a mobile device user to make the audio manipulation selection that sets the audio manipulation flag.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio manipulation server is further operable to enable a mobile device user to design a custom audio manipulation.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio manipulation server is further operable to enable a mobile device user to at least one of filter background sounds and add background sounds.

14. An audio manipulation method, comprising:

executing an audio manipulation service application on a mobile device;

receiving an audio manipulation selection the audio manipulation service application on the mobile device to set an audio manipulation flag;

making a call from the mobile device to a receiver;

communicating from the mobile device with the receiver through an audio manipulation server using a manipulated audio signal generated by the audio manipulation server by a manipulation of an audio signal of the call based on the audio manipulation selection while the audio manipulation flag is set; and

communication from the mobile device with the receiver without audio manipulation of the call by bypassing the audio manipulation server while the audio manipulation flag is not set.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising terminating manipulation of the manipulated audio signal in response to a request from the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the audio manipulation flag is set for a specified period of time.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the audio manipulation flag is set for a specified receiver.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising offering a sample of a voice generated by a voice modulation from an audio manipulation service to assist a mobile device user to make the audio manipulation selection to set the audio manipulation flag.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising enabling a mobile device user to design a custom audio manipulation.

20. The audio manipulation method of claim 14, wherein the audio manipulation selection is an audio manipulation type selection that includes one of a voice modulation, a background sound filtering, and a background sound addition.