The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 28, 1997
Filed:
Feb. 06, 1995
Jonathan Brandon Allen, Mountainside, NJ (US);
Deepen Sinha, Chatham, NJ (US);
Mark R Sydorenko, Plainfield, NJ (US);
Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
A new technique for the determination of the masking effect of an audio signal is employed to provide transparent compression of an audio signal at greatly reduced bit rates. The new technique employs the results of recent research into the psycho-physics of noise masking in the human auditory system. This research suggests that noise masking is a function of the uncertainty in loudness as perceived by the brain. Measures of loudness uncertainty are employed to determine the degree to which audio signals are 'tone-like' (or 'noise-like'). The degree of tone-likeness, referred to as 'tonality,' is used to determine masking thresholds for use in the compression of audio signals. Tonality, computed in accordance with the present invention, is used in conventional and new arrangements to achieve compression of audio signals.