Patent ID: 8065139

Claim:
A method of encoding one or more input signals via an encoder to generate one or more corresponding encoded output signals, the method comprising: (a) receiving, at an input of the encoder, the one or more input signals and distributing the one or more input signals, via a splitter, to sub-encoders of the encoder; (b) processing, at the sub-encoders, the one or more input signals distributed to the sub-encoders with respect to one or more signal characteristics of the one or more distributed input signals to generate corresponding representative types of parameter outputs from the sub-encoders, wherein the representative types of parameter outputs include sinusoidal descriptive parameters, waveform descriptive parameters, and noise descriptive parameters; and (c) combining the parameter outputs of the sub-encoders, via a multiplexer, to generate the one or more encoded output signals of the encoder, wherein processing of the one or more distributed input signals in the sub-encoders involves segmenting the one or more distributed input signals into segments for analysis, said segments having associated temporal durations which are dynamically variable at least partially in response to information content present in the one or more distributed input signals, further wherein the segmenting includes dynamically variable signal segmenting of the one or more distributed input signals employing mutually different time segmentation patterns for different sub-coding corresponding to generation of different parameter types of respective sub-coders within the encoder and comprises: (i) generating relatively longer segments for steady tones present in the one or more distributed input signals; (ii) generating relatively shorter segments for rapidly changing tones present in the one or more distributed input signals; and (iii) arranging for segments to end substantially immediately preceding transients occurring in the one or more distributed input signals, wherein the encoded output signal of the encoder is sub-divided into frames, each frame including information relating to all segments of the different parameter types provided from the sub-encoders which commence within a temporal duration associated with a respective frame, further wherein not all of the segments end at boundaries of the frames, and further wherein segments of different groups of parameter types of sinusoidal information, waveform information, and noise information are of mutually different duration, and still further wherein segments within each group of a respective parameter type of sinusoidal information and waveform information have mutually different durations.