Patent ID: 8706482

Claim:
A system included in a handheld communication device, comprising: a first microphone located at a first location within a housing of the handheld communication device and configured to collect primarily a user's voice signal via a first aperture in the housing; a plurality of secondary microphones located within the housing of the handheld communication device and configured to collect primarily a background noise signal other than the user's voice signal, wherein the plurality of secondary microphones are located sufficiently distant from the first location to provide a lower voice-to-background noise ratio than the voice-to-background noise ratio provided by the first microphone; a voice coder configured to: receive signals from both the first microphone and the plurality of secondary microphones; and generate an enhanced signal with reduced noise and improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); and a noise reduction component associated with the voice coder and configured to compensate or remove background noise from the first microphone voice signal using the background noise signal from the plurality of secondary microphones, wherein the noise reduction component comprises logic associated with the plurality of secondary microphones, and wherein the logic is configured to determine which secondary microphone of the plurality of secondary microphones collects a background noise signal that is most effective to use for noise reduction.