Patent ID: 8526589

Claim:
A system, comprising: a multi-channel telephony apparatus of a user at a first location communicating with a multi-channel telephone of first and second users at a second location, the multi-channel telephony apparatus comprising: a sound interface to process a multi-channel sound signal by causing speakers to emit output multi-channel sound concurrently received at the first location on a first connection and a second connection from the multi-channel telephone and by receiving input multi-channel sound from microphones; wherein the speakers comprise a first speaker and a second speaker for emitting the output multi-channel sound at the first location; and a network interface having a dialer, wherein the dialer dials a first telephone number to complete the first connection with the second location having the first and the second users, and the dialer dials a second telephone number to complete the second connection with the second location having the first and the second users; wherein the network interface transmits the input multi-channel sound from the sound interface to the multi-channel telephone at the second location through the first connection and the second connection on two communication lines of a telephone network; wherein the first speaker primarily emits a first voice of the first user from the second location when the first user and the second user are speaking on the multi-channel telephone at the second location, in order to cause a spatial aural presentation via the first connection and the second connection; wherein the second speaker primarily emits a second voice of the second user from the second location when the first user and the second user are speaking on the multi-channel telephone at the second location, in order to cause the spatial aural presentation via the first connection and the second connection; wherein the spatial aural presentation on the first and the second speakers, of the first voice of the first user and the second voice of the second user speaking on the multi-channel telephone, is operative such that the user at the first location audibly distinguishes the first and the second voices of the first and the second users at the second location; and wherein responsive to the network interface receiving a control signal to reduce network demand, the network interface is to automatically switch from the output multi-channel sound to output single channel sound corresponding to switching from a multi-channel call to a single call.