Patent ID: 8027486

Claim:
An amplified system incorporating a suppressor against ringing feedback, that system further including feedback enhancement to more precisely identify a frequency of feedback, comprising: a microphone; a speaker; an amplifier connected to said microphone and said speaker in a way such that sound received at said microphone is produced at said speaker at an amplified level; a frequency level detector configured to provide a volume level with respect to a plurality of frequency-spectrum divisions; a gain determiner configured to compute the gain between two measured volumes of sound at frequencies of potential feedback measured at two contemporaneous times; a ringing detector functional to evaluate the computed gain at a plurality of frequency divisions, wherein each gain evaluation produces a positive indication of ringing in association with a frequency division where the corresponding computed gain about that frequency division remains substantially within a ringing range for a first preselected period of time; and a feedback enhancer functional to provide temporary gain enhancement for an enhancement period of time, the gain enhancement applying a selected level of boost to the amplification of said amplifier wherein decaying-type feedback may become building feedback; and an interpolator functional to examine a feedback signal within the frequency range of a frequency bin, said interpolator using the measurements at neighboring bins to achieve a better resolution of the measurement of a the frequency of a feedback signal, said interpolator producing a frequency of feedback during a time of feedback enhancement.