Microphone/loudspeaker having a speakerphone mode and a microphone/loudspeaker mode
First Claim
1. A microphone/loudspeaker to be selectively coupled to a telephone line and to a plurality of other microphone/loudspeakers, said microphone/loudspeaker being either in a microphone/loudspeaker mode in which said microphone/loudspeaker is disconnected from the telephone line, or in a speakerphone mode in which said microphone/loudspeaker is connected to the telephone line, said microphone/loudspeaker comprising:
- a microphone arrangement;
a loudspeaker arrangement;
a phone control coupled to said microphone arrangement, said phone control being responsive to a voltage on the telephone line when the microphone/loudspeaker is in the speakerphone mode; and
a selection arrangement responsive to a voltage on the telephone line when the microphone/loudspeaker is in the speakerphone mode, said selection arrangement having a first state and a second state;
said loudspeaker arrangement being decoupled from said phone control in the first state of said selection arrangement so as to place the microphone/loudspeaker in the microphone/loudspeaker mode, and said microphone/loudspeaker arrangement being coupled to said phone control in the second state of said selection arrangement so as to place the microphone/loudspeaker in the speakerphone mode.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A microphone/loudspeaker includes a microphone arrangement and a loudspeaker such that the microphone/loudspeaker operates in a quiescent mode and shifts to a speakerphone mode in response to detecting a battery voltage on a telephone line. In the quiescent mode the microphone arrangement and the loudspeaker operate substantially independent of each other while in the speakerphone mode they interact on the basis of their respective signal strengths. In a system, the microphone/loudspeaker is connected to other microphone/loudspeakers so that the microphone arrangement of one microphone/loudspeaker couples in tandem to the microphone arrangement of other microphone/loudspeakers, and the loudspeaker of one microphone/loudspeaker couples in tandem to the loudspeaker of other microphone/loudspeakers.
19 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A microphone/loudspeaker to be selectively coupled to a telephone line and to a plurality of other microphone/loudspeakers, said microphone/loudspeaker being either in a microphone/loudspeaker mode in which said microphone/loudspeaker is disconnected from the telephone line, or in a speakerphone mode in which said microphone/loudspeaker is connected to the telephone line, said microphone/loudspeaker comprising:
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a microphone arrangement; a loudspeaker arrangement; a phone control coupled to said microphone arrangement, said phone control being responsive to a voltage on the telephone line when the microphone/loudspeaker is in the speakerphone mode; and a selection arrangement responsive to a voltage on the telephone line when the microphone/loudspeaker is in the speakerphone mode, said selection arrangement having a first state and a second state; said loudspeaker arrangement being decoupled from said phone control in the first state of said selection arrangement so as to place the microphone/loudspeaker in the microphone/loudspeaker mode, and said microphone/loudspeaker arrangement being coupled to said phone control in the second state of said selection arrangement so as to place the microphone/loudspeaker in the speakerphone mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system, comprising:
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a plurality of microphone/loudspeakers; means in each of said microphone/loudspeakers for placing said microphone/loudspeakers in a microphone/loudspeaker mode in an on-hook condition, and into a speakerphone mode in response to voltages indicating that the microphone/loudspeaker has been placed in an off-hook condition and is connected to an active telephone line, and means for connecting said microphone/loudspeakers in tandem to each other and connecting only one of said microphone/loudspeakers into a speakerphone mode in response to voltages indicating that the microphone/loudspeaker has been placed in an off-hook condition and is connected to an active telephone line. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A microphone loudspeaker (M/L), comprising:
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a microphone; a loudspeaker; a hybrid/loss-control (h/lc) coupled to the microphone; an input for connection to a first adjacent M/L; an output for connection to a second adjacent M/L; and a switching arrangement having a first state in which the input connects to the output and the loudspeaker is decoupled from the h/lc so that the loudspeaker and the microphone operate independently in an M/L mode in the absence of a telephone signal at the input, and a second state in which the input connects to the h/lc and the loudspeaker is coupled to the h/lc in response to a telephone signal at the input so that both the microphone and loudspeaker connect to the h/lc and hence the loudspeaker and microphone operate in the M/L mode. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A microphone/loudspeaker (M/L), comprising:
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a speakerphone; an input connected to the speakerphone for connection to a first adjacent M/L; an output connected to the speakerphone for connection to a second adjacent M/L; a microphone in the speakerphone and coupled to the output; a loudspeaker in the speakerphone and selectively coupled to the output; a hybrid/loss-control (h/lc) in the speakerphone and coupled to the microphone; and a switching arrangement in the speakerphone responsive to a telephone energizing signal at the input, the loudspeaker being connected to the h/lc in response to the energizing signal, and the loudspeaker being connected to the input and disconnected from the h/lc in the absence of a telephone energizing signal at the input. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification