System and method for telephone based noise cancellation

• US 8,300,801 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sweeney, Jeffrey Michael, Robinson, Michael Clayton, Seven Rooks, Kelsyn Donel Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LYTLE, JEFFREY P
• Application Number:
  US12/146,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 379/392.01, 379/406.03, 379/406.05, 375/296, 704/233, 704/246, 704/273
• US Class Current: 379/406.05
• 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

A system and method for enhancing communications through a phone. A voice communication is received from a user of the phone. A secondary signal is received from an environment in proximity to the phone. The secondary signal is processed to determine an inverse signal in response to receiving the secondary signal. The inverse signal is combined with the voice communication and the secondary signal to destructively interfere with the secondary signal for allowing a receiving party to more effectively communicate with the user.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing communications through a phone, the method comprising:

receiving a voice communication from a user of the phone;

identifying a receiving party of the voice communication from the user of the phone;

based on identification of the receiving party, activating a noise cancellation feature of the phone;

receiving a secondary signal from an environment in proximity to the phone;

processing the secondary signal to determine an inverse signal in response to receiving the secondary signal;

and

combining the inverse signal with the voice communication and the secondary signal to destructively interfere with the secondary signal for allowing the receiving party to more effectively communicate with the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving, processing, and combining are performed by a land line phone.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the land line phone is any of a plain old telephone system phone, voice over Internet Protocol phone, and a digital phone.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving of the voice communication is performed by a first microphone and the receiving of the secondary signal is performed by a second microphone for distinguishing between the voice communication and other signals received by the phone.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inverse signal combines with the voice communication and secondary signal before transmission from the phone to a receiving party to destructively interfere with the secondary signal.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

buffering the voice communication and the secondary signal; and

wherein the combining is performed before transmitting the voice communication to the receiving party.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input that enables the phone to generate the inverse signal for enhanced communications with the receiving party.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the voice communication and the secondary signal are received as a single signal by the phone, and wherein the inverse signal is a digital approximation of the secondary signal and 180 degrees out of phase with the secondary signal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user may specify the level of sensitivity to adjusting the amplitude of the inverse signal during the voice communication.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the secondary signal from one or more other phones in communication with the phone;

adjusting a signal strength of the inverse signal to match an amplitude of the secondary signal.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically activating the noise cancellation feature of the phone to generate the inverse signal and combine the inverse signal with the secondary signal based on usage of the phone.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

learning voice characteristics of one or more users that utilizes the phone;

receiving an indication of the one or more users utilizing the phone; and

filtering the secondary signal using the voice characteristics to retain the voice communication of the user.

13. A phone for reducing background noises, the phone comprising:

one or more microphones operable to receive voice communications from a user and background noises from an environment of the phone;

a processor configured to identify a receiving party of the voice communications from the user and, based on identification of the receiving party, activate a noise cancellation feature of the phone; and

a signal generator in communication with the microphone and the processor, the signal generator configured, upon activation of the noise cancellation feature, to process the background noises to determine an inverse signal of the background noises, and combine the voice communications, the background noises, and the inverse signal into a combined signal, and the signal generator transmits the combined signal to the receiving party.

14. The phone according to claim 13, wherein the phone receives the background noises from a plurality of phones in communication with the phone to generate the inverse signal.

15. The phone according to claim 13, further comprising:

an amplifier operable to adjust the inverse signal to an amplitude sufficient to destructively interfere with the background noises.

16. The phone according to claim 15, further comprising:

a display operable to receive a user selection commanding the signal generator to generate the inverse signal and an intensity level for the amplitude.

17. The phone according to claim 13, wherein the signal generator further includes logic for learning voice characteristics of one or more users that utilizes the phone, and wherein the inverse signal destructively interferes with parts of a combined signal including the voice communication and background noise that are different from the voice characteristics.

18. A phone for reducing background noises, the phone comprising:

a processor operable to execute a set of instructions;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory operable to store the set of instructions, the set of instructions are operable to;

receive a voice communication from a user of the phone;

identify a receiving party of the voice communication from the user of the phone;

based on identification of the receiving party, activate a noise cancellation feature of the phone;

receive a secondary signal from an environment in proximity to the phone;

process the secondary signal to determine an inverse signal in response to receiving the secondary signal; and

combine the inverse signal with the voice communication and the secondary signal to destructively interfere with the secondary signal for allowing the receiving party to more effectively communicate with the user.

19. The phone according to claim 18, wherein the set of instructions is implemented by a network device in communication with the phone, and wherein the secondary signal is received from a plurality of phones in communication with the phone.

20. The phone according to claim 19, wherein the set of instructions further:

learns voice characteristics of the user and stores the voice characteristics in the memory;

wherein the inverse signal does not destructively interfere with the voice characteristics of the user included in a combined signal of the voice communication and the secondary signal.