Patent ID: 8064969
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A desktop speakerphone, comprising: a telephone base-station, said base station including a wireless receiver, a base-station loudspeaker, a base-station communications connector, a first switching and control unit and a telephone network interface, and wherein an incoming audio signal received via said telephone network interface is capable of being transmitted over said base-station loudspeaker; and a microphone pod, said pod being removably attached to said base-station and including at least one microphone, a pod communications connector, a second switching and control unit and a wireless transmitter; and wherein when said base-station connector is not physically connected to said pod connector, said first and second switching and control units send an outgoing audio signal produced by said microphone as a wireless transmission from said wireless transmitter to said wireless receiver of said base-station and then on to said telephone network interface and, when said base-station communications connector is physically connected to said pod communications connector, said first and second control units send said outgoing audio signal produced by said microphone as a wired transmission from said pod communications connector to said base-station communications connector and then on to said telephone network interface.