Microphone Housing Arrangement for an Audio Conference System

1. An audio conference system, comprising: one or more microphone housings positioned around a circumference of the audio conference system, each microphone housing has an acoustic port and an acoustic reflective surface; and a directional microphone in each of the one or more microphone housings is oriented such that a ray passing through a zero degree point in a polar response pattern of each of the directional microphones is oriented in a horizontal plane and normal to a horizontal axis that extends from the directional microphone, through a central point of the audio conference system to a point located on the opposite side of the audio conference system housing circumference.

2. The audio conference system of claim 1 , further comprising the microphone housing acoustic port geometry and acoustic reflective surface geometry is configured to permit a substantially unobstructed exposure to an acoustic environment with respect to the polar response pattern of both sides of a transducer comprising the directional microphone.

3. The audio conference system of claim 2 , further comprising the acoustic reflective surface geometry reflecting acoustic energy entering the microphone housing away from the directional microphone.

4. The audio conference system of claim 1 , where the polar response pattern of the directional microphone is a cardioid response pattern.

5. The microphone housing of claim 1 , further comprising the directional microphone being retained in the microphone housing by a member that subtends from the acoustic reflective surface.

6. The microphone housing of claim 5 , wherein the directional microphone retaining member displays a minimal profile to acoustic energy entering the microphone housing.

7. The microphone housing of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic port is substantially open to the surface upon which the audio conference system rests.

8. The microphone housing of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic reflective surface is substantially arcuate shaped when viewed in a vertical cross section that is normal to an axis intersecting the center of and normal to the directional microphone.

9. A method for detecting acoustic energy, comprising: positioning a directional microphone in a microphone housing located on a circumference of an audio conference system such that a ray passing through a zero degree point in a polar response pattern of the directional microphone is oriented in a horizontal plane and normal to a horizontal axis that extends from the directional microphone, through a central point of the audio conference system to a point located on the opposite side of the audio conference system housing circumference.

10. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 9 , further comprising the microphone housing acoustic port geometry and acoustic reflective surface geometry is configured to permit a substantially unobstructed exposure to an acoustic environment with respect to the polar response pattern of both sides of a transducer comprising the directional microphone.

11. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 10 , further comprising the geometry of the acoustic reflective surface reflects acoustic energy entering the housing away from the directional microphone.

12. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 9 , where the polar response pattern of the directional microphone is a cardioid response pattern.

13. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 9 , further comprising the directional microphone being retained in the microphone housing by a member that subtends from the acoustic reflective surface.

14. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 13 , wherein the directional microphone retaining member displays a minimal profile to acoustic energy entering the microphone housing.

15. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic port is substantially open to the surface upon which the audio conference system rests.

16. The method for detecting acoustic energy of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic reflective surface is substantially arcuate shaped when viewed in a vertical cross section that is normal to an axis intersecting the center of and normal to the directional microphone.