Importance

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Abstract

An external speakerphone accessory system for a telephone, such as a LAN telephone, which enables the telephone user to place the speakerphone in a location that is convenient for multiple users, and which is not necessarily co-located with the attached telephone itself. The speakerphone accessory obtains all of its power, audio, and control signals from an attached telephone unit through a modified Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, and includes a power supply system which enables it to obtain a relatively high power level from the telephone to which it is attached. The speakerphone accessory uses a delay detected between when an audio signal is received at a left hand side microphone and when that audio signal is received at a corresponding right hand side microphone to define zones of maximum sensitivity with regard to users of the speakerphone accessory. When such a delay is at least as large as a predetermined threshold, then that audio signal may be considered to be outside a zone of maximum microphone sensitivity with respect to the physical orientation of the speakerphone accessory. A top-mounted center microphone within the speakerphone accessory may also be used to further define the zones of microphone sensitivity with regard to the front or rear of the speakerphone accessory.

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First Claim