Patent ID: 7671737

Claim:
Monitoring apparatus comprising: (i) a plurality of microphones capable of detecting sound and of transmitting a sound data signal representing the detected sound; (ii) a sound receiving unit comprising: a structure have a plurality of faces; a receiving module capable of receiving the sound data signal from the plurality of microphones, wherein: each microphone of the plurality of microphones is associated with a face of the plurality of faces; and a particular face of the plurality of faces, associated with a particular microphone of the plurality of microphones displays an image which is associated with a location of the particular microphone; a speaker capable of playing sound represented by the data signal received by the receiving module; an orientation sensor capable of determining the orientation of the sound receiving unit to determine which face of the plurality of faces is uppermost; and processing circuitry capable of selecting from which microphone sound is played back according to the orientation determined by the orientation sensor.