Patent ID: 8457614

Claim:
A conference phone system with multiple wireless conference phone units, comprising: a base station unit comprising a base station processor, a wireless conference phone unit interface that includes RF interface circuitry, and telephone network circuitry; a plurality of wireless conference phone units (PODs) that wirelessly couple to said base station unit, each individual POD further comprises: a plurality of microphones, a loudspeaker, a POD processor, a DSP, analog to digital conversion circuitry, digital to analog conversion circuitry, a base station interface that includes RF interface circuitry, circuitry for user input and output, all of which are electrically coupled together; and echo-cancelling circuitry configured to perform its own echo-cancellation by analyzing a received signal and subtracting the received signal from a signal generated by the microphones, and communicate audio information with said base station unit; wherein said base station unit: does not include microphones, loudspeakers, or user input circuitry; communicates audio information with said plurality of PODs; receives and sums the audio information via a summer from said PODs before transmitting the audio information to far end conference participants; and does not transmit the received audio information from one said POD to another said POD.