Patent ID: 7706551

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, in a system including one or more speakers and a microphone, an indication that a user desires to input oral data to the system through the microphone; determining, in response to the received indication and based at least in part on a plurality of parameters, an amount to attenuate a volume level for audible signals output by the one or more speakers, the determining comprising: identifying voice isolation capability of the microphone, the voice isolation capability describing how well the microphone is capable of isolating a user's voice from other sound in an environment without assistance from one or more external components; identifying available acoustic echo cancellation of the system; and calculating the amount to attenuate a volume level of program sound in the system based on the identified voice isolation capability and available acoustic echo cancellation, and further based on one or more of the following parameters: a minimum user interface sound level over noise parameter value that represents a minimum level above the minimum sound level for audio data from a communications source that the audio data from the communications source is allowed to play; a minimum user interface sound over program sound amount parameter value that represents a minimum level above a sound level for audio data from an entertainment source that audio data from the communications source is allowed to play; a voice level-relaxed parameter value representing a voice level for a user when the user it not trying to overcome ambient noise and program sound; and a voice level-forced parameter value representing a maximum voice level for a user when the user is trying to overcome ambient noise and program sound; and automatically adjusting, in response to receiving the indication, the volume level by the determined amount.