US Patent 7822050 Buffering, pausing and condensing a live phone call

In one embodiment, a telephone locally buffers and then processes received voice data to resolve communication impediments and for other reasons. The locally buffered voice data can be, for example, tonally adjusted to accommodate a hearing deficiency of a listener, translated, transcribed, and automatically or manually slowed down to improve comprehension and for other reasons. As a result of the buffering occurring locally on the telephone, voice data originating from voicemail systems and voice menu systems may be played back for improved comprehension independently of the buffering capabilities provided by those systems.