MOBILE CONFERENCING AND AUDIO SHARING TECHNOLOGY

• US 20100227597A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callpod Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Callpod Incorporated
• Inventors: GUCCIONE, DARREN
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for setting up a voice conference call or sharing audio content. The method includes the steps of providing an audio mixer that receives an audio input from each of at least three audio interfaces of the conference call, mixes the audio inputs and provides an equalized audio output to each of the at least three audio interfaces, providing a first local wireless interface between a first audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a first headset, providing a second local interface between a second audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a second headset and coupling a third audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces to a third headset through a base station of a cellular network, wherein the communication paths to the first, second and third persons are all different.

Claims

1. A conferencing system for conducting a conference call, the conferencing system comprising:

an audio mixer configured to receive an audio input from each of at least three audio interfaces of the conference call, mix the audio inputs, and provide an equalized audio output to each of the at least three audio interfaces;

a first local wireless interface between a first audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a first communication device;

a second local interface between a second audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a second communication device; and

a third audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces capable of coupling to a third communication device through a phone network,

wherein the first local wireless interface, the second local interface and the third audio interface are independent of each other and provide full duplex communications, and

wherein the audio mixer comprises a summer and a divider, the summer configured to sum the audio inputs from each of the at least three audio interfaces and to provide the sum to the divider, the divider configured to divide the sum equally across the at least three audio interfaces to provide the equalized audio output.

2. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing system is communicatively connected to a cellphone.

3. The conferencing system of claim 2, wherein the conferencing system is disposed within a cellphone.

4. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing system is disposed within a personal digital assistant (PDA).

5. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing system is disposed within a notebook computer.

6. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing system is disposed within a conferencing module.

7. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the phone network comprises a cellular phone network.

8. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the phone network comprises a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

9. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first communication device or the second communication device comprises a wireless headset, and wherein at least one of the first communication device or the second communication device comprises a cellphone.

10. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the second local interface comprises a wireless interface.

11. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the first local wireless interface operates using a Bluetooth protocol.

12. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the first local wireless interface operates using a non-Bluetooth protocol.

13. The conferencing system of claim 10, wherein the second local interface operates using a Bluetooth protocol.

14. The conferencing system of claim 10, wherein the second local interface operates using a non-Bluetooth protocol.

15. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing system is disposed within an electronic device with audio capabilities.

16. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the first communication device comprises a wireless headset, the second local interface comprises a wireless interface, and the second communication device comprises a wireless headset.

17. The conferencing system of claim 16, wherein the phone network comprises a cellular phone network.

18. The conferencing system of claim 16, wherein the phone network comprises a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

19. The conferencing system of claim 16, wherein the third audio interface is communicatively connected to a cellphone.

20. A method of setting up a conference call, the method comprising:

providing an audio mixer configured to receive an audio input from each of at least three audio interfaces of the conference call, mix the audio inputs, and provide an equalized audio output to each of the at least three audio interfaces;

providing a first local wireless interface between a first audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a first communication device;

providing a second local interface between a second audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces and a second communication device; and

providing a third audio interface of the at least three audio interfaces capable of coupling to a third communication device through a phone network,

wherein the first local wireless interface, the second local interface and the third audio interface are independent of each other and provide full duplex communications, and

wherein the audio mixer comprises a summer and a divider, the summer configured to sum the audio inputs from each of the at least three audio interfaces and to provide the sum to the divider, the divider configured to divide the sum equally across the at least three audio interfaces to provide the equalized audio output.