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US4908855A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Electronic telephone terminal having noise suppression function

Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
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Filing: 1988-07-15
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Granted: 1990-03-13
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Expires: 2008-07-15
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Abstract

Abstract An electronic telephone terminal having a transmitter and a receiver, both having an approximately linear acoustic-to-electric transduction characteristics, and having a surrounding noise suppression function, and including a variable attenuator for controlling a gain of a transmission system; a noise detection device for detecting surrounding noise; and a control device for controlling the variable attenuator in such a manner that when a sound pressure level input to the transmitter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the gain is fixedly set to a constant value, and when the input sound pressure level is equal to or below the predetermined threshold level, the gain is controlled in response to a change in the surrounding noise level detected by the noise detection device.

Inventors

  • 👤 Juro Ohga
  • 👤 Kensaku Fujii
  • 👤 Hiroyuki Masuda
  • 👤 Yuka Sato

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 13:13
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M9/00; H04M9/08; H04M9/085

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim 118 words
An electronic telephone terminal having a handset including a transmitter and a receiver, both having substantially linear acoustic-to-electric transduction characteristics, and having a surrounding noise suppression function, comprising: a variable attenuator for controlling a gain of a transmission system; noise detection means for detecting surrounding noise; and control means for controlling said variable attenuator in such a manner that when a sound pressure level input to said transmitter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, said gain is fixedly set to a constant value, and when said input sound pressure level is equal to or below said predetermined threshold level, said gain is controlled in response to a change in said surrounding noise level detected by said noise detection means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 118 words
An electronic telephone terminal having a handset including a transmitter and a receiver, both having substantially linear acoustic-to-electric transduction characteristics, and having a surrounding noise suppression function, comprising: a variable attenuator for controlling a gain of a transmission system; noise detection means for detecting surrounding noise; and control means for controlling said variable attenuator in such a manner that when a sound pressure level input to said transmitter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, said gain is fixedly set to a constant value, and when said input sound pressure level is equal to or below said predetermined threshold level, said gain is controlled in response to a change in said surrounding noise level detected by said noise detection means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 29 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said noise detection means is a micro-phone mounted at a rear side of said terminal opposite to said handset.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 90 words
An electric telephone terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator in such a manner that when said surrounding noise level is larger than a predetermined noise level, a variable portion of said gain of said transmission system is set to a lower value than said constant value, and when said surrounding noise level is less than the predetermined noise level, said variable portion of said gain is set to a value greater than the lower value and no greater than said constant value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 104 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said terminal further includes a reception system which includes said receiver, and wherein said control means controls the gain of said reception system in such a manner that when said surrounding noise level is more than a predetermined level, said gain of the reception system is set to a value at least as much as a predetermined maximum value and no greater than said constant value, and when said surrounding noise level is equal to or less than the predetermined level, said gain of said reception system is set to the predetermined minimum value.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 92 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said terminal is a loudspeaker terminal and said receiver is a loudspeaker, and wherein said gain of said reception system is controlled in such a manner that when said surrounding noise level is more than a predetermined level, said gain is set to a value at least as much as a minimum value and no greater than said constant value, and when said surrounding noise is equal to or less than the predetermined level, said gain is set to the minimum value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 37 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmitter is a microphone and said terminal is a loudspeaking telephone terminal, and wherein said microphone acts as said transmitter and as said noise detection means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 171 words
An electronic telephone terminal having a handset including a transmitter and a receiver, both having substantially linear acoustic-to-electric transduction characteristics, and having a surrounding noise suppression function, comprising: a variable attenuator for controlling a gain of a transmission system; noise detection means for detecting a surrounding noise level; level detection means for detecting an average sound pressure level of a signal output from said noise detection means, and deciding a gain characteristic in response to the detected noise level; and control means for controlling said variable attenuator in such a manner that when a sound pressure level input to said transmitter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, said gain is fixedly set to a constant value, and when said input sound pressure level is equal to or below said predetermined threshold level, said gain is controlled in response to a change in said surrounding noise level detected by said noise detection means, and further, said control means controls said variable attenuator based on said gain characteristic decided by said level detection means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 171 words
An electronic telephone terminal having a handset including a transmitter and a receiver, both having substantially linear acoustic-to-electric transduction characteristics, and having a surrounding noise suppression function, comprising: a variable attenuator for controlling a gain of a transmission system; noise detection means for detecting a surrounding noise level; level detection means for detecting an average sound pressure level of a signal output from said noise detection means, and deciding a gain characteristic in response to the detected noise level; and control means for controlling said variable attenuator in such a manner that when a sound pressure level input to said transmitter exceeds a predetermined threshold value, said gain is fixedly set to a constant value, and when said input sound pressure level is equal to or below said predetermined threshold level, said gain is controlled in response to a change in said surrounding noise level detected by said noise detection means, and further, said control means controls said variable attenuator based on said gain characteristic decided by said level detection means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 49 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means controls said gain characteristic of said variable attenuator decided by said level detection means in such a manner that when the surrounding noise level becomes larger, the noise suppressing effect of the input sound becomes greater.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 39 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator in such a manner that when the surrounding noise level becomes higher, an attenuation start level at said gain characteristic becomes higher.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 45 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator in such a manner that when the detected surrounding noise level becomes higher, a maximum attenuation quantity and an attenuation start level at said gain characteristic become larger.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 39 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator in such a manner that when the detected surrounding noise level becomes higher, an attenuation slope of said gain characteristic becomes greater.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 48 words
An electronic telephone terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator in such a manner that when the detected surrounding noise level becomes higher, at least two of an attenuation start level, a maximum attenuation quantity, and an attenuation slope become larger.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 66 words
A telephone terminal comprising: receiver means for receiving a reception signal; transmitter means for transmitting a sound signal; variable attenuator means for controlling gain in said transmitter means; noise detecting means for detecting a surrounding noise level; controlling means for controlling said variable attenuator means based on the surrounding noise level detected by said noise detecting means and a sound pressure level of the sound signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 66 words
A telephone terminal comprising: receiver means for receiving a reception signal; transmitter means for transmitting a sound signal; variable attenuator means for controlling gain in said transmitter means; noise detecting means for detecting a surrounding noise level; controlling means for controlling said variable attenuator means based on the surrounding noise level detected by said noise detecting means and a sound pressure level of the sound signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 72 words
A telephone terminal according to claim 13, wherein said control means controls said variable attenuator means so that when the sound pressure level of the sound signal is greater than a predetermined threshold level, the gain has a first value, and when the sound pressure level is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold level, the gain is variable, being set to a value based on the detected surrounding noise level.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 29 words
A telephone terminal according to claim 14, wherein when the gain is variable, the gain has a greater value when the detected surrounding noise level has a higher value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 80 words
A telephone terminal according to claim 14, wherein said telephone terminal is a loudspeaker terminal and said receiver means is a loudspeaker, and wherein the gain is controlled so that when the detected surrounding noise level is equal to or less than a second predetermined threshold level, the gain is set to a second value, and when the detected surrounding noise level is between the predetermined threshold levels the gain is set between the first value and the second value.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 33 words
A telephone terminal according to claim 14, wherein said transmitter means includes a microphone and said terminal includes a loudspeaking telephone terminal, and wherein said microphone forms part of said noise detection means.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3410958A Cited
US3588360A Cited
FR2221885A1 Cited
US4068092A Cited
US4513177A Cited
JPS59117849A Cited
GB2161047A Cited
US4696032A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1993-03-12 1993-09-11 1994-03-13 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1997-03-12 1997-09-11 1998-03-13 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2001-03-12 2001-09-11 2002-03-13 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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