Patent ID: 8229130

Claim:
A distributed acoustic conversation shielding system, comprising: a transducer network, comprising: a plurality of sensors, the sensors configured to detect the location of a conversation to be shielded and the presence and location of at least one potential eavesdropper; and a plurality of audio output devices, the audio output devices being capable of producing masking sounds to shield the conversation from the potential eavesdropper; and at least one controller for automatically controlling the operation of the transducer network in response to real-time data received from the sensors, wherein the controller is configured for automatically, dynamically, and continuously adjusting at least one of the masking sound type, location, and volume of at least one audio output device in response to changes in the dynamic location of the conversation relative to the location of the eavesdropper, said adjustment occurring in real-time as movement of at least one of the location of the conversation or the eavesdropper is occurring.