Conference telephone utilizing base and handset transducers

• US 6,321,080 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1999
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wi-LAN Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Diethorn, Eric John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/268,231
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 455/462, 455/465, 455/550, 455/569, 455/570, 455/575, 455/517, 455/416, 455/420, 455/254, 455/127, 455/69, 455/70, 455/572, 455/574, 455/553, 455/63, 455/571, 379/420, 379/388, 379/389, 379/387
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

An improved conference telephone which permits the active loudspeaker and microphone in a communication circuit to be universally positioned relative to one another. In one form, the conference telephone includes a base having a base-mounted speaker and a handset having both a handset-mounted speaker and a handset-mounted microphone. The handset-mounted microphone has at least a first sensitivity level and a second sensitivity level which is less than the first sensitivity level. A controller responds to the selection of a conference-call mode to activate the base-mounted speaker and to set the sensitivity of the handset-mounted microphone at the first sensitivity level. One method sets the conference telephone in a conference-call mode by enabling a near party to speak to a far party through a microphone mounted on one of the base and the handset, enabling the near party to listen to the far party through a speaker mounted on the other of the base and the handset, and disabling the microphone on the other of the base and the handset. Also disclosed is circuitry for optimizing the selection of the active transducer.

Claims

1. A conference telephone, comprising:

a) a base having a base-mounted speaker and a base-mounted microphone;

b) a handset having a handset-mounted speaker and a handset-mounted microphone, the handset being movable relative to the base;

c) a control circuit responsive to the selection of a conference-call mode to generate a control signal;

d) first means responsive to the control signal for activating either the base-mounted speaker or the base-mounted microphone;

e) second means responsive to the control signal for activating the handset-mounted microphone if the base-mounted speaker was activated and for activating the handset-mounted speaker if the base-mounted microphone was activated; and

f) third means responsive to the control signal for disabling any microphone other than the activated microphone.

2. The conference telephone as in claim 1, wherein the disabling means causes the sensitivity of any microphone other than the activated microphone to be set so as to couple a substantially reduced magnitude of near party audio signal as compared to the magnitude of near party audio signal being coupled by the activated microphone.

3. The conference telephone as in claim 1, wherein the handset and base are communicatively connected to one another through a cordless connection.

4. The conference telephone as in claim 1, further comprising a selector means responsive to a predetermined criterion for governing which of the transducers is activated by the first and second means.

5. The conference telephone as in claim 4, wherein the predetermined criterion is the response of the base-mounted and handset-mounted microphone to a training signal.

6. The conference telephone as in claim 4, wherein the predetermined criterion includes a comparison of the magnitude of a near party signal coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones.

7. The conference telephone as in claim 4, wherein the predetermined criterion includes a comparison of the magnitude of a far party signal coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones.

8. The conference telephone as in claim 4, wherein the predetermined criterion includes separate comparisons of the magnitudes of the near party signals coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones and the far party signals coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones.

9. In a conference telephone of the type having a base and a movable handset communicatively connected to one another, a method for setting the conference telephone in a conference-call mode, comprising the steps of:

a) activating a microphone mounted on one of the base and the handset;

b) energizing a speaker mounted on the other of the base and the handset at a level sufficient to permit a near party to hear a far party at a distance from the conference telephone; and

c) disabling any microphone other than the activated microphone.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the step of disabling causes the sensitivity of any microphone other than the activated microphone to be set so as to couple a substantially reduced amount of near party audio signal as compared to the amount of near party audio signal being coupled by the activated microphone.

11. The method as in claim 9, wherein the handset and base are communicatively connected through a cordless connection.

12. The method as in claim 9, including the additional step of transmitting a control signal between the base and the handset in response to a selection of the conference-call mode.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the activated speaker is the speaker mounted on the base, the activated microphone is the microphone mounted on the handset, and the control signal causes any microphone mounted on the base to be disabled.

14. The method as in claim 12, wherein the control signal causes the sensitivity of the activated microphone to be increased until the conference-call mode is terminated.

15. The method as in claim 9, including the further step of applying an echo-canceling circuit to the signals coupled by the activated microphone.

16. The method as in claim 9, wherein the step of activating the microphone includes selecting the microphone based on a predetermined criterion.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein the predetermined criterion is the response of the base-mounted and handset-mounted microphone to a training signal generated prior to conveying any audio signals between the near and far parties.

18. The method as in claim 16, wherein the predetermined criterion includes a comparison of the magnitude of the near party signal coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones.

19. The method as in claim 16, wherein the predetermined criterion includes a comparison of the magnitude of the far party signal coupled by each of the handset- and base-mounted microphones.

20. The method as in claim 9, wherein both the base and the handset have microphones, the handset-mounted microphone being selected after activating the base-mounted speaker only if the ratio of the magnitudes of the near party signals coupled by the handset-mounted microphone to base-mounted microphone exceeds a predetermined value and if the magnitude of the far party signal coupled by the handset-mounted microphone is less than the magnitude of the far party signal coupled by the base-mounted microphone.

21. In a cordless conference telephone of the type having a base and a handset, a method for setting the conference telephone in a conference-call mode comprising the steps of:

a) enabling a near party to speak to a far party through a microphone mounted on one of the base and the handset;

b) enabling the near party to listen to the far party through a speaker mounted on the other of the base and the handset; and

c) disabling the microphone on the other of the base and the handset.

22. The method as in claim 21, wherein the disabling step sets the sensitivity of the microphone so as to couple a substantially reduced amount of near party audio signal as compared to the amount of near party audio signal being coupled by the activated microphone.