Patent ID: 8311230

Claim:
A speaker system providing enhanced intelligibility of a reproduced audio program signal in the presence of ambient noise, the speaker system comprising: means for receiving the reproduced audio program signal; a microphone for monitoring at least ambient noise signals and for providing a microphone output signal; means for enabling the microphone output signal during first increments of time when the reproduced audio program signal is (—cancelled) off, and disabling the microphone output signal during second increments of time when the reproduced audio program signal is on, such that the microphone output signal includes ambient noise signal components without including reproduced audio program signal components; and a signal process, in communication with the means for receiving and the means for enabling/disabling, for applying a first transfer function to the reproduced audio program signal, the first transfer function incrementally increasing gain adjustments to the reproduced audio program signal as a function of an increasing average amplitude of the microphone output signal over a period of time during which said microphone output signal is enabled, and incrementally decreasing gain adjustments to the reproduced audio program signal as a function of a decreasing average amplitude of the microphone output signal over a period of time during which said microphone output signal is enabled.