Patent ID: 7039197

Claim:
A user interface for a cabin communication system for improving clarity of a voice spoken within an interior cabin having at least first and second seat locations, wherein the cabin communication system includes a first microphone for receiving a first spoken voice from the first seat location and a first loudspeaker for outputting a first reproduced voice at the first seat location, and a second microphone for receiving a second spoken voice from the second seat location and a second loudspeaker for outputting a second reproduced voice at the second seat location, the cabin communication system further using acoustic echo cancellation to eliminate feedback echoes between the microphones and the loudspeakers, said user interface comprising: a first interface section including a first plurality of manual controls accessible from the first seat location, said first plurality of manual controls including a first control for selectably connecting the first microphone to the second loudspeaker so that the first spoken voice is selectably output as the respective second voice at the second seat location, and a second control for selectably connecting the first loudspeaker to the second microphone so that the respective second spoken voice at the second seat location is selectably output as the first reproduced voice; and a second interface section including a second plurality of manual controls accessible from the second seat location, said second plurality of manual controls including a third control for selectably connecting the second microphone to the first loudspeaker so that the second spoken voice is selectably output as the first reproduced voice at the first seat location, and a fourth control for selectably connecting the second loudspeaker to the first microphone so that the first spoken voice at the first seat location is selectably output as the second reproduced voice.