Conference telephone utilizing base and handset transducers

Abstract

An improved conference telephone which permits the active loudspeaker and microphone in a communication circuit to be universally positioned relative to one another. In one form, the conference telephone includes a base having a base-mounted speaker and a handset having both a handset-mounted speaker and a handset-mounted microphone. The handset-mounted microphone has at least a first sensitivity level and a second sensitivity level which is less than the first sensitivity level. A controller responds to the selection of a conference-call mode to activate the base-mounted speaker and to set the sensitivity of the handset-mounted microphone at the first sensitivity level. One method sets the conference telephone in a conference-call mode by enabling a near party to speak to a far party through a microphone mounted on one of the base and the handset, enabling the near party to listen to the far party through a speaker mounted on the other of the base and the handset, and disabling the microphone on the other of the base and the handset. Also disclosed is circuitry for optimizing the selection of the active transducer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.