Abstract:
A method of processing telephone voice output is applied in an electronic device with telephone function. When any one of the two communicators is a hearing-impaired user, at least one of the electronic devices will obtain the corresponding voice adjustment parameters according to the receiver identification of the hearing-impaired user. Therefore, the voice adjusting program is able to process the voice in advance based on the voice adjustment parameters to help the hearing-impaired user hear better.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a technology for allowing hearing-impaired people to distinguish a caller/receiver&#39;s voice clearly in telephone conversations. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Hearing-impaired people are people who, without the help of hearing aids, are unable to hear, or encounter difficulties with hearing, high-frequency sounds. People with mild hearing-impairment are unable to hear sounds over 6000 Hz. People with severe hearing impairment are unable to hear sounds over 2000 Hz. For these people, sounds of frequencies higher than 4000 Hz cannot be heard even if the sound has been amplified. Since the frequencies of many consonants are higher than 4000 Hz, hearing aids are applied to compress the frequency of the sounds and amplify the sounds for hearing-impaired people. Hearing aids are designed to allow hearing-impaired people to set some sound modification parameters according to their individual audiograms. These sound modification parameters often involve frequency adjustment and sound amplification performed by a modification processing program, in the form of software or firmware, in the hearing aid. 
         [0005]    When hearing-impaired people have a face-to-face conversation with other people, the hearing-impaired people can hear high-frequency sounds because those high-frequency sounds are compressed or shifted by their hearing aids. However, during telephone conversations, hearing-impaired people cannot distinguish sounds properly, especially sounds with consonants and short sounds, such as “sit” and monosyllabic words (words with only one vowel sound). This is particularly problematic during telephone conversations conveyed by a landline because high-frequency sounds are removed by the landline telephone before transmission. No sounds with frequencies higher than 4000 Hz are transmitted to the hearing-impaired people. 
         [0006]    Some Internet phones remove high-frequency sounds as well; thus, the same problem mentioned above occurs when hearing-impaired people talk with others through Internet phones. 
         [0007]    To sum up, hearing-impaired people need help when they are talking on the telephone, and especially on landline telephones. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The main object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with a telephone function and a method for allowing hearing-impaired people to clearly distinguish a caller&#39;s/receiver&#39;s voice in telephone conversations. 
         [0009]    In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device with a telephone function used by a caller or a receiver comprises a processor, a memory, a microphone module, a speaker, and a voice signal communication module. A communication software and a voice modification processing program are stored in the memory. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a voice modification parameter database can be optionally selected for storage in the memory. 
         [0010]    For example, when a caller makes a phone call to a receiver who is a hearing-impaired person through an electronic device with telephone function of the present invention, a voice modification parameter corresponding to the receiver is obtained according to a receiver&#39;s caller ID information. Therefore, a voice of the caller is modified based on the voice modification parameter stored in the voice modification processing program in the electronic device with telephone function. After the caller&#39;s voice has been modified, e.g., after the caller&#39;s voice is modified below 4000 Hz, the caller&#39;s voice is transmitted to the electronic device with telephone function of the hearing-impaired person. Thus, the hearing-impaired person can hear the voice with its original frequencies higher than 4000 Hz after voice modification. 
         [0011]    Also, when the caller is the hearing-impaired person, a voice modification parameter corresponding to the caller is obtained according to the caller&#39;s caller ID information, such that the receiver&#39;s voice is modified firstly and then transmitted to the electronic device with telephone function of the caller (the hearing-impaired person). 
         [0012]    Whether the caller or the receiver is the hearing-impaired person, the voice modification parameter is obtained according to the hearing-impaired person&#39;s caller ID information; therefore, the voice can be modified by the voice modification processing program in the electronic device with telephone function in advance for allowing the hearing-impaired people to hear the voice clearly. 
         [0013]    According to one embodiment, the voice modification parameter can be downloaded from a voice modification parameter service server via the Internet in real time, or the voice modification parameter can be also stored in the hearing-impaired people&#39;s electronic device with telephone function in advance. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiment, but are for explanation and understanding only. 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing of the environment according to the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart according to the present invention, wherein the receiver is a hearing-impaired person. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing of a voice modification parameter database. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing illustrating that the voice modification processing program processes the input voice. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of the electronic device with telephone function. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart according to the present invention, wherein the caller is a hearing-impaired person. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0021]    To facilitate understanding and to clarify the object, characteristics and advantages of the present invention, the following specific embodiment and figures illustrating the present invention are presented to provide a detailed description. 
         [0022]    Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a schematic drawing of the environment according to the present invention. A caller makes a phone call to a receiver through an electronic device with telephone function  1 , and the receiver receives the call on an electronic device with telephone function  1   a . The electronic devices with telephone function  1 ,  1   a  can be a cell phone, a PC (Internet phone), a walkie-talkie, etc. In addition, the electronic device with telephone function  1   a  can also be a landline telephone. In this embodiment, the receiver is a person who has hearing difficulties such as a hearing-impaired person or an elderly person. 
         [0023]    The electronic device with telephone function  1  comprises a processor  11 , a memory  12 , a microphone module  13 , a speaker  14 , and a voice signal communication module  15 . The memory  12  stores a communication software  30 , a voice modification processing program  60 , and a voice modification parameter database  40 . The memory  12 , the microphone module  13 , the speaker  14 , and the voice signal communication module  15  are electrically connected to the processor  11 . 
         [0024]    The voice modification parameter service server  70  further comprises a processor  71  and a memory  72 . The memory  72  stores a voice modification parameter database  80 . 
         [0025]    Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a flow chart according to the present invention, wherein the receiver is a hearing-impaired people, and refer also to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 4 . 
         [0026]    Step  201 : receiving a receiver&#39;s caller ID information. 
         [0027]    The caller makes a phone call to the receiver through the electronic device with telephone function  1 . A user has to enter the receiver&#39;s caller ID information, such as telephone number, name (or nickname), or contact member name for Internet phone. 
         [0028]    Step  202 : Obtaining a voice modification parameter  42  or voice modification parameter  82  corresponding to receiver&#39;s caller ID information. There are two methods for obtaining the voice modification parameter  42 ,  82  of the receiver, which are illustrated as follows: 
         [0029]    The first method is to obtain the voice modification parameter  42 ,  82  from the voice modification parameter database  40  of the electronic device with telephone function  1 . 
         [0030]    After the communication software  30  obtains the receiver&#39;s caller ID information in Step  201 , the voice modification parameter  42 ,  82  can be obtained through searching the voice modification parameter database  40 . The voice modification parameter database  40  has one column for recording the caller ID information  41  and another column for recording the voice modification parameter  42 . In general, the voice modification parameter database  40  stores receivers&#39; information that has been recorded by the user. 
         [0031]    The voice modification parameter  42  can be obtained by the receiver directly transmitting it to the electronic device with telephone function  1 , or the voice modification parameter  42  can be downloaded from the voice modification parameter service server  70  via the Internet  90 . The voice modification parameter service server  70  also stores the voice modification parameter database  80 . Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which shows two columns in the voice modification parameter database  80  for storing the caller ID information  81  and the voice modification parameter  82 . 
         [0032]    In general, the voice modification parameter database  80  has stored the voice modification parameters of all the hearing-impaired people who have registered with this service. However, the voice modification parameter database  40  only stores information of the receivers that the user already knows. When the information in the modification parameter database  80  is modified, for example, the voice modification parameter of the receiver A stored in the voice modification parameter database  80  is modified, and the voice modification parameter of the receiver A stored in the voice modification parameter database  40  will be modified accordingly. 
         [0033]    The voice modification parameter of the receiver can be obtained through some hearing ability tests. For example, the hearing-impaired person can access to the voice modification parameter service server  70  via computer network and then take a hearing ability test to determine the voice modification parameter  82  of the hearing-impaired person. The voice modification parameter  82  is a piece of information related to an amplification parameter, a hearing ability parameter (such as a hearing ability parameter of a hearing-impaired person), or a frequency modulation parameter (such as a compression frequency parameter or a frequency modulation parameter). The method for controlling an output voice according to the voice modification parameter is a commonly known technology, so the details of the method are omitted here. 
         [0034]    The second method is that the electronic device with telephone function  1  does not have to have the voice modification parameter database  40 . After the communication software  30  obtains the receiver&#39;s caller ID information in Step  201 , it accesses a parameter service server  70  via the Internet and searches the voice modification parameter database  80  to obtain a voice modification parameter  82 . For example, the electronic device with telephone function  1  transmits the receiver&#39;s caller ID information to the voice modification parameter service server  70  to facilitating the search for the voice modification parameter  82  corresponding to the receiver. 
         [0035]    Step  203 : receiving an input voice  51 . The electronic device with telephone function  1  receives a voice from the user. Please refer to  FIG. 4 . 
         [0036]    Step  204 : transforming the input voice  51  into an output voice  52  by a voice modification processing program  60 , wherein the voice modification processing program  60  modifies the input voice  51  according to the voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82 . The voice modification processing program  60  it one often employed in hearing aids, for instance, for shifting high-frequency voices or for amplifying some high-frequency sounds. 
         [0037]    Step  205 : outputting the output voice  52  to the electronic device with telephone function la of the receiver. 
         [0038]    It is noted that the Internet  90  in this specification can comprise one or more than one type of network, such as the Internet, telecommunications network, or Wi-Fi. The Internet  90  is not a major improvement of the present invention; therefore, the Internet  90  is chosen as an illustrating example. 
         [0039]    Please refer to  FIG. 5 ; in the present invention, the electronic device with telephone function  1  can be presented as two major modules (software combined with hardware): the communication module  18  and the voice modification processing module  19 . In addition, as mentioned above, the voice modification parameter database  40  is not necessary for the electronic device with telephone function  1 . The communication module  18  basically refers to functions of the processor  11 , the microphone module  13 , the speaker  14 , the voice signal communication module  15 , and the communication software  30 . The voice modification processing module  19  basically refers to functions of the voice modification processing program  60  in the memory  12 . 
         [0040]    The communication module  18  is employed for receiving a receiver&#39;s caller ID information and obtaining the voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82  corresponding to the receiver according to the receiver&#39;s caller ID information. The communication module  18  also transmits the voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82  to the voice modification processing module  19 . 
         [0041]    As mentioned above, there are two methods for obtaining the voice modification parameter. One is to obtain it from the voice modification parameter database  40 . The other method is that the communication module  18  transmits the receiver&#39;s caller ID information to a voice modification parameter service server  70  via an Internet  90 , and then the voice modification parameter  82  is provided by the voice modification parameter service server  70  via the Internet  90 . 
         [0042]    After the communication module  18  receives the input voice  51 , the input voice  51  is transmitted to the voice modification processing module  19 . The voice modification processing module  19  receives and modifies the input voice  51  into an output voice  52  according to the voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82 , and then the output voice  52  is outputted. The voice modification processing module  19  transmits the output voice  52  to the communication module  18 , and then the communication module  18  outputs the output voice  52  afterwards. 
         [0043]    The embodiment above assumes that the receiver is a person with hearing problems such as a hearing-impaired person or an elderly person. When the hearing-impaired person makes a phone call through the electronic device with telephone function la to a receive a call from someone who has the electronic device with telephone function  1 , the electronic device with telephone function  1  implements the above presented steps to obtain the voice modification parameter of the caller. Thus, voices from the receiver, who has the electronic device with telephone function  1 , can be transmitted to the caller, who has electronic device with telephone function  1   a , after modification. Please refer to  FIG. 6 . 
         [0044]    Step  601 : receiving a caller&#39;s caller ID information 
         [0045]    When the caller makes a phone call via an electronic device with telephone function la to a receiver who has an electronic device with telephone function  1 , the caller&#39;s caller ID information is identified immediately by the telecommunications equipment or by the Internet phone service server. Therefore, the caller&#39;s caller ID information can be transmitted to the electronic device with telephone function  1  or the voice modification parameter service server  70 . 
         [0046]    Step  602 : obtaining a voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82  according to the caller&#39;s caller ID information. Methods for obtaining the voice modification parameter  42  or the voice modification parameter  82  corresponding to the caller have been presented in Step  202 ; thus, the related description is omitted here. 
         [0047]    The descriptions of Step  602  to Step  605  are same as those of Step  202  to Step  205 ; thus, the related description is omitted here. 
         [0048]    In addition, when both the caller and the receiver are hearing-impaired people, the caller&#39;s voice or the receiver&#39;s voice can be modified by the electronic device with telephone function  1  and by the electronic device with telephone function  1   a  according to the voice modification parameter corresponding to the caller or the voice modification parameter corresponding to the receiver. 
         [0049]    When neither the caller nor the receiver is a hearing-impaired person or either the caller or the receiver is a hearing-impaired person who has yet to register a voice modification parameter, then no voice-modifying process takes place in the electronic device with telephone function  1  and the electronic device with telephone function  1   a.    
         [0050]    It is noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are only for illustration. It is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.