Patent ID: 8320553

Claim:
A system comprising: echo cancellation circuitry adapted to: receive near-end signals associated with a near-end user; receive far-end signals associated with a far-end user, wherein the near-end signals and the far-end signals correspond to a communication session between the near-end user and the far-end user; based on the far-end signals, generate estimated echo signals that approximate actual echo signals, which reside in the near-end signals and correspond to the far-end signals; substantially remove the actual echo signals from the near-end signals using the estimated echo signals to provide processed near-end signals comprising residual echo signals that correspond to portions of the actual echo signals that remain in the processed near-end signals; determine when the residual echo signals should be replaced with comfort noise; and provide residual echo control signals indicative of whether the residual echo signals should be replaced with comfort noise; and variable rate encoding circuitry adapted to encode at a variable rate the processed near-end signals based in part on the provided residual echo control signals.