Patents Assigned to Step Communications Corporation
  • Patent number: 7619563
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Step Communications Corporation
    Inventor: Jon C. Taenzer
  • Patent number: 7472041
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Step Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Jon C. Taenzer, Bruce G. Spicer
  • Patent number: 7436188
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Step Communications Corporation
    Inventor: Jon C. Taenzer
  • Patent number: 7415372
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Step Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Jon C. Taenzer, Bruce G. Spicer
  • Publication number: 20080152167
    Abstract: Near-field sensing of wave signals, for example for application in headsets and earsets, is accomplished by placing two or more spaced-apart microphones along a line generally between the headset and the user's mouth. The signals produced at the output of the microphones will disagree in amplitude and time delay for the desired signal—the wearer's voice—but will disagree in a different manner for the ambient noises. Utilization of this difference enables recognizing, and subsequently ignoring, the noise portion of the signals and passing a clean voice signal. A first approach involves a complex vector difference equation applied in the frequency domain that creates a noise-reduced result. A second approach creates an attenuation value that is proportional to the complex vector difference, and applies this attenuation value to the original signal in order to effect a reduction of the noise. The two approaches can be applied separately or combined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: STEP Communications Corporation
    Inventor: Jon C. Taenzer
  • Publication number: 20080040078
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: STEP Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Jon Taenzer, Bruce Spicer