Patent ID: 7684559

Claim:
A speech communication apparatus comprising: a signal output transducer for receiving a distant signal from a far-end talker and producing acoustic energy of the distant signal; a signal input transducer for producing a near-end signal which may contain a component representing a speech activity of a near-end talker or an acoustic echo component, or both, wherein said acoustic echo component occurs as a result of the distant signal being transmitted through an acoustic echo path from the signal output transducer to the signal input transducer; an echo canceller having a replica of a transfer function of said acoustic echo path for producing an echo replica from both of said distant signal and from a residual echo representing a difference between said near-end signal and said echo replica; and a spectral shaper for receiving one of said near-end signal and said residual echo as a first input signal, receiving said echo replica as a second input signal, estimating said acoustic echo component by modifying said second input signal, and shaping spectrum of said first input signal with the estimated acoustic echo component.