Patent ID: 8050398

Claim:
A telephonic system for communicating with a distant party implementing an intermittent sidetone component compensator, comprising: a telephone component, said telephone component comprising a set connector configured for a personal set, said telephone component further comprising a telephone line connector configured to establish an audio connection with a distant party through a telephone switching network, said telephone component further comprising an intermittent sidetone generator; and a portable conferencing device implementing an intermittent sidetone component compensator, said device comprising: a full-duplex port including an outgoing port and an incoming port, said full-duplex port connected to said set connector of said telephone component, said outgoing port providing a connection whereby local audio is transmitted to a distant participant through said telephone component; said incoming port providing a connection whereby distant audio is received through said telephone component and the intermittent sidetone component; a microphone operable to pick up local audio; a speaker configured to produce sound in the local vicinity of said device; a sidetone suppressor receiving a signal representing the signal transmitted through said outgoing port or a signal received at said microphone, said compensator adapted to apply a sidetone suppression signal to a signal received through said incoming port and finally produced at said speaker, said compensator further including a pre-suppression meter indicating the audio level of a signal before the sidetone suppression signal is applied, said compensator further including a post-suppression meter indicating the audio level of a signal to which the sidetone suppression signal is applied, said sidetone suppressor further including variables controlling the application of sidetone suppression and a controller for adapting said variables; and a null-sidetone detector detecting the absence of a sidetone generated by said intermittent sidetone generator of said telephone component; wherein said sidetone component compensator ceases to apply sidetone compensation on the detection of a null-sidetone.