Collaborative conferencing circuit
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A telephone comprising:
- a speakerphone and a handset;
a router having a first state and a second state and a microprocessor for selectively switching the router between the first and second state, and for selectively routing voice channels through said router;
the router having first and second receive channel inputs, first and second transmit channel outputs, first and second acoustic outputs and at least one acoustic input, said acoustic input being connected to a transducer device for receiving sounds, said first acoustic output being connected to a transducer device for producing sounds through any one of said speakerphone and handset, and said second acoustic output being connected to a transducer device for producing sounds through the other of said speakerphone and handset;
wherein when the router is in the first state a first receive path is defined by a first receive voice channel appearing at the first receive channel input being routed to the first acoustic output and a first transmit path is defined by a first transmit voice channel appearing at the acoustic input being routed Lo the first transmit channel output, and when the router is in the second state, in addition to the first receive path, a second receive path is defined by a second receive voice channel appearing at the second receive channel input being routed to the second acoustic output and a second transmit path instead of the first transmit path is defined by a second transmit voice channel appearing at the acoustic input being routed to the second transmit channel output.
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Abstract
A circuit and method is described enabling a telephone having two or more lines to have the capability of initiating two simultaneous calls, where there is two-way communication on one of the calls (the collaborating call"), and active monitoring of the second call (the "teleconference"). A router is used so that the outbound audio signal of the user can easily be switched between the teleconference and the collaborating call. At all times, the transmit path of one of the calls is muted to ensure privacy of the other call.
23 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A telephone comprising:
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a speakerphone and a handset; a router having a first state and a second state and a microprocessor for selectively switching the router between the first and second state, and for selectively routing voice channels through said router; the router having first and second receive channel inputs, first and second transmit channel outputs, first and second acoustic outputs and at least one acoustic input, said acoustic input being connected to a transducer device for receiving sounds, said first acoustic output being connected to a transducer device for producing sounds through any one of said speakerphone and handset, and said second acoustic output being connected to a transducer device for producing sounds through the other of said speakerphone and handset; wherein when the router is in the first state a first receive path is defined by a first receive voice channel appearing at the first receive channel input being routed to the first acoustic output and a first transmit path is defined by a first transmit voice channel appearing at the acoustic input being routed Lo the first transmit channel output, and when the router is in the second state, in addition to the first receive path, a second receive path is defined by a second receive voice channel appearing at the second receive channel input being routed to the second acoustic output and a second transmit path instead of the first transmit path is defined by a second transmit voice channel appearing at the acoustic input being routed to the second transmit channel output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of routing voice channels through a router circuit to and from an acoustic transducer device, said router having first and second receive channel inputs, transmit channel outputs, acoustic outputs, and an acoustic input, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a first receive voice channel at said first receive channel input, routing said first receive voice channel to said first acoustic output for producing sounds through any one of a speakerphone and handset; receiving a first transmit voice channel at said acoustic input; routing said first transmit voice channel to said transmit channel output; receiving a second receive voice channel at said second receive channel input; routing said second receive voice channel to said second acoustic output for producing sounds through the other of said speakerphone and handset; deactivating said first transmit channel and routing a second transmit voice channel appearing at said acoustic input to said second transmit channel output while said second receive voice channel remains active. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification