Patent ID: 8406415
Filing Date: 2013-03-26
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. An open-air conferencing product having a privacy mode, comprising: a speaker for producing an audio signal; a microphone for producing a microphone signal responsive to the audio signal; audio processing electronics; a first bi-directional port electronically connectable to a first distant party through the audio processing electronics; a second bi-directional port electronically connectable to a second distant party through the audio processing electronics; echo cancellation coefficients; an acoustic echo canceler for receiving the audio signal and a reference audio signal mixed from distant-party signals received from said first and second bi-directional ports and further receiving as input said echo cancellation coefficients, wherein said acoustic echo canceler is operable to apply echo cancellation to the reference audio signal to generate an echo cancelled signal, wherein the portion of the audio signal received at said microphone corresponding to the distant-party signals is attenuated to a privacy level on condition of adaption of said echo cancellation coefficients; a first audio signal path from said first bi-directional port to said second bi-directional port transferring distant party audio; a second audio signal path from said second bi-directional port to said first bi-directional port transferring distant party audio; a first switch whereby said first audio signal path may be interrupted and whereby audio from the first distant party sourced at said first port is not transmitted to said second bi-directional port on condition of adaption of said echo cancellation coefficients; and a second switch whereby said second audio signal path may be interrupted and whereby audio from the second distant party sourced at said second port is not transmitted to said first bi-directional port on condition of adaption of said echo cancellation coefficients; wherein said audio processing electronics are configurable to transmit the audio received from the first and second distant parties through said first and second bi-directional ports through said speaker; wherein said audio processing electronics are configurable to transmit to distant parties the microphone signal through said first and second bi-directional ports; wherein said audio processing electronics are operable to adapt said echo cancellation coefficients to the echo conditions in the environment of said speaker and said microphone under conditions of said speaker and said microphone being active; wherein if only one of said first and second switches is configured to interrupt its corresponding first or second audio signal path and said acoustic echo canceler is in operation for the environment between said speaker and said microphone, said open-air conferencing product operates in a coaching mode wherein a local participant and the first distant party are provided audio of the second distant party, but audio from the first distant party is not communicated to the second distant party; wherein if both of said first and second switches is configured to interrupt its corresponding first or second path and said acoustic echo canceler is in operation for the environment between said speaker and said microphone, said open-air conferencing product operates in a mediation mode wherein neither the first or second distant parties are provided audio of the other, but the local participant is provided audio of both the first and second distant parties.