Patent ID: 8483402

Claim:
A method of providing and operating an audio system that provides audio radiation to listening positions, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing at least one source of audio signals; (b) providing, at each of a plurality of the listening positions, at least one array of speaker elements that receives the audio signals and responsively radiates output acoustic energy, wherein the speaker elements of the at least one array are disposed with respect to each other so that the output acoustic energy radiated from respective said speaker elements destructively interfere to thereby define a directional audio radiation from the at least one array; (c) providing a filter between the at least one source and at least one of the speaker elements in a first said array at a first listening position of the plurality of listening positions, wherein the filter processes the audio signals from the at least one source to the at least one speaker element; and (d) optimizing the filter, based on a comparison of acoustic energy radiated from the first array to at least one other listening position of the plurality of listening positions to acoustic energy radiated from the first array to the first listening position, so that the filter reduces a magnitude of acoustic energy radiated from the first array to the at least one other listening position, compared to a magnitude of acoustic energy radiated from the first array to the first listening position.