Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus that includes a thermoelectric cooling unit coupled to a power supply and a removable container configured for holding and dispensing a liquid. The thermoelectric cooling unit includes a heat sink and a thermoelectric cooling plate. The thermoelectric cooling plate includes first and second surfaces spaced apart from each other. The first surface expends thermal energy from the second surface to the heat sink. The container holds and dispenses a liquid. The container includes a thermally conductive portion that is removably positioned on the thermoelectric cooling unit by having frictional contact with the second surface of the thermoelectric cooling plate. The frictional contact is sufficient to result in transfer of thermal energy from the conductive portion of the container on to the second surface of the thermoelectric cooling plate and effectively cool the liquid in the container.

Abstract: An echo suppression technique is provided in which speech sample energies are collected and accumulated over predetermined time frames. From this, a peak aggregate value and time delay are noted. This peak is generated by mathematical correlation between the historical output speech and the input speech. A moving average is applied to the results of the mathematical correlation. Once the time delay and gain are determined, the algorithm of the present invention uses this information to determine if an input sample is echo or a valid input, and if it is echo, the echo is suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing conferencing services in a converged services platform operable to perform a variety of enhanced telecommunications services. The advanced conferencing algorithm embodying the invention incorporates techniques in each of four signal processing categories including noise gating, echo suppression, automatic gain control and DTMF clamping are employed to produce a high perceptual quality conference output for a conference of several hundred participants, and which is computationally cost effective.

Abstract: A non-linear processor for managing a speech signal is disclosed. The non-linear processor includes an adaptive lattice filter that generates a prediction error from a residual echo of the speech signal, a signum non-linearity unit that generates an excitation component from the prediction error, an excitation signal mixer that generates an excitation signal from the excitation component and a noise component, an inverse lattice filter that generates a modified residual echo from the excitation signal, and a gain adjuster that adjusts a power of the modified residual echo.

Abstract: A non-linear processor for managing a speech signal is disclosed. The non-linear processor includes an adaptive lattice filter that generates a prediction error from a residual echo of the speech signal, a signum non-linearity unit that generates an excitation component from the prediction error, an excitation signal mixer that generates an excitation signal from the excitation component and a noise component, an inverse lattice filter that generates a modified residual echo from the excitation signal, and a gain adjuster that adjusts a power of the modified residual echo.