PC Managed Networked Audio Bell/Intercom System

• US 20080260127A1
• Filed: 12/22/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AcroVista, LLC
• Original Assignee: Terry Daniel Weidig
• Inventors: Weidig, Terry Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,151,006 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/159
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A method, storage medium, and system for a managed audio bell/intercom including a controller and audio devices connected by an industry standardized network, wherein the controller contains logic to distribute action via the network to the audio devices.

Claims

1. A managed audio bell/intercom system, the system comprising:

a controller, said controller being communicably coupled with a network, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

said network being communicably coupled with at least one audio device;

said controller having logic to distribute an action via said network to said audio device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said audio device is a network audio device, a client computer, or a network relay controller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said logic has the additional ability to distribute said action according to a schedule, said schedule having at least one bell event, said bell event having at least one action and at least one corresponding time.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said logic has the additional ability to have more than one schedule.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said logic has the additional ability to distribute sound to one or more zones, said zones comprising one or more audio devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said controller is a personal computer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said action includes at least one sound and at least one duration.

8. A method of using an audio bell/intercom system, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting a schedule, said schedule having at least one bell event, said bell event having at least one action and at least one corresponding time;

transmitting said action via a network when said corresponding time is reached, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

receiving said action at one or more audio devices; and

executing said action on said audio devices.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising the additional step of organizing one or more audio devices into a zone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said bell event also has at least one audio device and/or at least one zone associated with said bell event; and

said step of executing said action is limited to executing said action on only the audio devices and/or zones associated with said bell event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said action contains at least one sound and at least one duration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of executing said action comprises playing said sound for said duration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said audio device is a network audio device, a client computer, or a network relay controller.

14. A computer readable medium encoded with a program for using an audio bell/intercom system, the program comprising the steps of:

accepting a schedule, said schedule having at least one bell event, said bell event having at least one action and at least one corresponding time;

transmitting said action via a network when said corresponding time is reached, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

receiving said action at one or more audio devices; and

executing said action on said audio devices.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising the additional step of organizing one or more audio devices into a zone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said bell event also has at least one audio device and/or at least one zone associated with said bell event; and

said step of executing said action is limited to executing said action on only the audio devices and/or zones associated with said bell event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said action contains at least one sound and at least one duration.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of executing said action comprises playing said sound for said duration.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said audio device is either a network audio device or a client computer.