Patent attributes
Products for conferencing between a local and a distant party through an electronic channel include a portion installed to a fixed conferencing environment and another portion removable from the fixed environment for roaming conferencing. A breakout box detachable from the removable portion may be used having connections for installation-type conferencing elements such as speakers, microphones and other conferencing devices. The removable portion may include an acoustic echo canceler. The removable portion may be connected to a communication-handling device, such as a computer with VOIP software, or may be directly connected to a communication channel. Speakers or microphones in the removable portion may be automatically or manually disabled on connection with the fixed portion.