At+t Corp.

John A McMaster

Lee Begeja

Carroll W Creswell

Daniel Selig Furman

Donald J Youtkus

John C Songrady

Michael Joseph Haller

Thomas Wasilewski

Paul F Gibilisco

James Kemble

Vince Scott Margiotta

Eric J Linger

Marcus Hickerson

A speech processor uses at least two speech processing features to enhance the quality of speech signals received by a user during a telephone call. The speech processing features are applied to the speech signals. However, the user only hears speech signals affected by one speech processing feature until both features have fully converged or ramped-up, and the two features are no longer interfering with each other. At that point, a &ldquo;flash-cut&rdquo; of the second speech processing feature is activated. The flash-cut instantaneously switches to speech signals affected by both features. This quick transition makes the speech processing features more noticeable to the user, and the user is not subjected to the period where the features interfere. Further, an optional audio indicator is generated before implementing the flash-cut, so the user is alerted to the flash-cut, and the speech processing features are even more noticeable.

Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call

A method for completing a telephone call originating from a calling party and received by a called party. A menu of options is provided to the calling party during the telephone call. The menu options are announced to the calling party and a response is inputted corresponding to the desired option from the various menus. A comparison is made between the inputted option and a set of valid responses and the responses are processed.

Telephony services suite

A speech processor uses at least two speech processing features to enhance the quality of speech signals received by a user during a telephone call. The speech processing features are applied to the speech signals. However, the user only hears speech signals affected by one speech processing feature until both features have fully converged or ramped-up, and the two features are no longer interfering with each other. At that point, a 'flash-cut' of the second speech processing feature is activated. The flash-cut instantaneously switches to speech signals affected by both features. This quick transition makes the speech processing features more noticeable to the user, and the user is not subjected to the period where the features interfere. Further, an optional audio indicator is generated before implementing the flash-cut, so the user is alerted to the flash-cut, and the speech processing features are even more noticeable.

A speech processor uses a plurality of speech processing features to enhance the quality of speech signals received by a user during a telephone call. The activation of a second speech processing feature is delayed for a time duration measured after the initiation of a particular call or measured after the activation of a first speech processing feature. This delay eliminates any interference between the second speech processing feature and the first speech processing feature that is active when the call is initiated. The delay also increases the time it takes for the speech processing features to become fully effective, thus making the enhancement in the quality of the speech signals more noticeable to the user. Further, an optionally generated audio indicator is provided when the second speech processing feature is applied so that the additional feature is even more noticeable to the user.

Method and apparatus for applying multiple speech processing features to

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Basking Ridge, NJ, United States of America

John A McMaster