Multi-pod conference systems
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A full-duplex electronic conferencing system, comprising:
- a network of pods, said network comprising a plurality of pods, each of said pods including at least one loudspeaker and one microphone, said network further interconnecting said pods and providing for data transfer between pods;
a connection facility for connecting to a carrier medium;
an echo canceller, said canceller operable to reduce the sound produced by the speakers of said plurality of pods from the outgoing audio stream;
an incoming audio channel;
an outgoing audio channel;
wherein during a conference said pods are operable to contribute sound input from pod microphones to said outgoing audio channel; and
wherein said pods are operable to produce an audio signal transferred through said incoming audio channel at said loudspeakers that may be heard at an appreciable distance from said pods.
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are electronic conferencing systems that support audio conversations between local and remote participants. Further disclosed herein are conferencing systems that include multiple pods each having a speaker and at least one microphone. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
96 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A full-duplex electronic conferencing system, comprising:
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a network of pods, said network comprising a plurality of pods, each of said pods including at least one loudspeaker and one microphone, said network further interconnecting said pods and providing for data transfer between pods;
a connection facility for connecting to a carrier medium;
an echo canceller, said canceller operable to reduce the sound produced by the speakers of said plurality of pods from the outgoing audio stream;
an incoming audio channel;
an outgoing audio channel;
wherein during a conference said pods are operable to contribute sound input from pod microphones to said outgoing audio channel; and
wherein said pods are operable to produce an audio signal transferred through said incoming audio channel at said loudspeakers that may be heard at an appreciable distance from said pods. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A pod intended for use in a multi-pod conference system, said pod comprising:
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a transceiver operable to communicate data to and from another pod over a communication medium;
a loudspeaker;
at least one microphone;
at least one processor;
a connection facility for connecting to a incoming audio channel and an outgoing audio channel;
an incoming audio sampler configured to sample the incoming audio channel;
for said microphones, at least one microphone sampler;
at least one loudspeaker driver for driving said loudspeaker with audio received by the incoming audio sampler such that the driven audio may be heard at an appreciable distance from said loudspeaker; and
a driver for injecting an audio signal into the outgoing audio stream channel, said injection adding to and preserving the sound on the outgoing channel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A pod intended for use in a multi-pod conference system, said pod comprising:
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a transceiver operable to communicate data to and from another pod over a communication medium;
a loudspeaker;
three bi-polar microphones positioned within said pod such that sound originating said loudspeaker travels along a path that is substantially the same length to both poles of each of said microphones;
for each of said microphones a pair of ports, and for each pair of ports a first path from one port to a pole of a microphone is provided, and for each first path a second path from the other port to the opposite pole of the microphone is provided, and further wherein the two paths are substantially isolated between the respective ports and microphone poles such that sound does not mix between the two paths;
at least one processor;
a connection facility for connecting to a incoming audio channel and an outgoing audio channel;
an incoming audio sampler configured to sample the incoming audio channel;
for said microphones, at least one microphone sampler;
at least one loudspeaker driver for driving said loudspeaker with audio received by the incoming audio sampler such that the driven audio may be heard at an appreciable distance from said loudspeaker; and
a driver for injecting an audio signal into the outgoing audio stream channel, said injection adding to and preserving the sound on the outgoing channel;
wherein the pod is connectible to a base unit containing a connection connection facility to a carrier medium, and further wherein the base unit provides a coupling between the incoming and outgoing audio channels to the carrier medium.
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Specification