COMMUNICATION HUB FOR PRESENTING AUDIO-VISUAL DATA FROM ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND METHOD OF PROVIDING AND USING THE SAME

• US 20120324047A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Brewer, Timothy, LeDuc, Michael Tad, Lau, Jimmy K., Diner, Jake, Artiz, Luis
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Some embodiments include a communication hub for presenting audio-visual data from electronic devices. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. ) A system comprising:

a communication hub configured (a) to communicate with multiple electronic devices and at least one audio-visual device and (b) to be paired with the multiple electronic devices when communicating with the multiple electronic devices;

wherein;

the multiple electronic devices are separate from the communication hub;

the communication hub is configured to receive audio-visual data from any one electronic device of the multiple electronic devices when the any one electronic device of the multiple electronic devices is operating as an active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices;

the communication hub is configured to provide the audio-visual data to the at least one audio-visual device; and

the at least one audio-visual device is configured to present the audio-visual data to at least one user of the system.

2. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

the active electronic device is able to designate any one other electronic device of the multiple electronic devices to operate as the active electronic device.

3. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

the multiple electronic devices comprise one or more mobile electronic devices.

4. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one audio-visual device comprises at least one of an electronic visual display, an image projector, or a speaker.

5. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

the communication hub is configured to be controlled by the active electronic device.

6. ) The system of claim 5 wherein:

the any one electronic device of the multiple electronic devices is able to operate as a lead electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the communication hub being configured to be controlled by the lead electronic device.

7. ) The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of:

the lead electronic device is able to override control of the communication hub by the active electronic device;

or

the lead electronic device comprises the active electronic device.

8. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

each electronic device of the multiple electronic devices is configured to communicate with an electronic device computer system comprising one or more processing modules and one or more memory storage modules;

each electronic device of the multiple electronic devices is configured to use a communication hub software application, the communication hub software application being configured to be operated at the one or more processing modules and to be stored at the one or more memory storage modules of the electronic device computer system; and

the communication hub application software is configured to permit the each electronic device of the multiple electronic devices (a) to be paired with the communication hub and (b) to operate as the active electronic device. 9) The system of claim 1 wherein;

the communication hub is configured to communicate with at least one first electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via an integrated wireless access point.

11. ) The system of claim 1 wherein:

the communication hub is configured to communicate with at least one second electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via at least one of a wired network connection or an external wireless access point.

10. ) The system of claim 9 wherein one of:

the communication hub comprises the integrated wireless access point;

or

the communication hub is configured to be tethered with a tethered electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the tethered electronic device being configured (a) to communicate with at least one of an external wireless access point or a cellular telephone network and (b) to operate as the integrated wireless access point when the communication hub is tethered with the tethered electronic device.

12. ) A system comprising:

a communication hub application software configured to be used at an electronic device;

wherein;

the communication hub application software is configured to be executed at one or more processing modules and stored at one or more memory storage modules of an electronic device computer system;

the communication hub application software permits the electronic device to be paired with a communication hub when the electronic device is communicating with the communication hub, the communication hub being configured to communicate with multiple electronic devices and at least one audio-visual device, and the multiple electronic devices (a) being separate from the communication hub and (b) comprising the electronic device;

the communication hub application software further permits the electronic device to operate as an active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the active electronic device being able to provide audio-visual data to the communication hub when the electronic device is operating as the active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices;

the communication hub is configured to provide the audio-visual data to the at least one audio-visual device; and

the at least one audio-visual device is configured to present the audio-visual data to at least one user of the system.

13. ) The system of claim 12 wherein:

when the electronic device is operating as the active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the communication hub application software permits the electronic device to designate any one other electronic device of the multiple electronic devices to operate as the active electronic device.

14. ) The system of claim 12 wherein:

the electronic device comprises a mobile electronic device.

15. ) The system of claim 12 wherein:

the at least one audio-visual device comprises at least one of an electronic visual display, an image projector, or a speaker.

16. ) The system of claim 12 wherein:

the active electronic device is able to control the communication hub via the communication hub application software.

17. ) The system of claim 16 wherein:

the communication hub application software further permits the electronic device to operate as a lead electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the lead electronic device being able to control the communication hub via the communication hub application software.

18. ) The system of claim 17 wherein at least one of:

the lead electronic device is able to override control of the communication hub by the active electronic device;

or

the lead electronic device comprises the active electronic device.

19. ) The system of claim 12 wherein:

the electronic device comprises the electronic device computer system.

20. ) A method of manufacturing a communication hub, the method comprising:

configuring the communication hub to communicate with and to be paired with multiple electronic devices, the multiple electronic devices being separate from the communication hub;

configuring the communication hub to communicate with at least one audio-visual device;

configuring the communication hub to receive audio-visual data from any one electronic device of the multiple electronic devices when the any one electronic device of the multiple electronic devices is operating as an active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices; and

configuring the communication hub to provide the audio-visual data to the at least one audio-visual device, the at least one audio-visual device being configured to present the audio-visual data to at least one user of the communication hub.

21. ) A method of manufacturing a communication hub software application to be used at an electronic device, the communication hub application software being configured to be executed at one or more processing modules and stored at one or more memory storage modules of an electronic device computer system, the method comprising:

configuring the communication hub application software to permit the electronic device to be paired with a communication hub when the electronic device is communicating with the communication hub, the communication hub being configured to communicate with multiple electronic devices and at least one audio-visual device and the multiple electronic devices (a) being separate from the communication hub and (b) comprising the electronic device; and

configuring the communication hub application software to permit the electronic device to operate as an active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, the active electronic device being able to provide audio-visual data to the communication hub when the electronic device is operating as the active electronic device of the multiple electronic devices where the communication hub is configured to provide the audio-visual data to the at least one audio-visual device and the at least one audio-visual device is configured to present the audio-visual data to at least one user of the system.

22. ) A method of operating a communication hub, at least part of the method being implemented via execution of computer instructions configured to run at one or more processing modules and configured to be stored at one or more memory storage modules of the communication hub, the method comprising:

executing one or more first computer instructions configured to establish communication of the communication hub with at least one audio-visual device;

executing one or more second computer instructions configured to establish communication of the communication hub with, and to pair the communication hub with, multiple electronic devices;

after or when executing the one or more second computer instructions, executing one or more third computer instructions configured to assign an active electronic device status to a first electronic device of the multiple electronic devices;

executing one or more fourth computer instructions configured to receive first audio-visual data from the first electronic device when the first electronic device is operating with the active electronic device status; and

after or when executing the one or more first computer instructions or the one or more fourth computer instructions, executing one or more fifth computer instructions configured to provide the first audio-visual data to the at least one audio-visual device;

wherein;

the computer instructions comprise the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth computer instructions.

23. ) The method of claim 22 wherein:

executing the one or more second computer instructions comprises executing one or more sixth computer instructions configured to communicate with at least one second electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via an integrated wireless access point.

24. ) The method of claim 23 wherein:

executing the one or more sixth computer instructions comprises one of;

executing one or more seventh computer instructions configured to communicate with the at least one second electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via an integrated wireless access point of the communication hub;

or

executing one or more eighth computer instructions configured to tether the communication hub with a tethered electronic device of the multiple electronic devices such that the tethered electronic device operates as the integrated wireless access point and to communicate with the at least one second electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via the tethered electronic device of the multiple electronic devices.

25. ) The method of claim 22 wherein:

executing the one or more second computer instructions comprises executing one or more sixth computer instructions configured to communicate with at least one second electronic device of the multiple electronic devices via at least one of a wired network connection or an external wireless access point.

26. ) The method of claim 22 further comprising:

executing one or more ninth computer instructions configured to receive requests at an application program interface of the communication hub from a communication hub software application of each electronic device of the multiple electronic devices to initiate communication with, and pair with, the communication hub.

27. ) The method of claim 22 further comprising:

executing one or more tenth computer instructions configured to receive first control data from the first electronic device when the first electronic device is operating with the active electronic device status.

28. ) The method of claim 22 further comprising:

after or when executing the one or more second computer instructions, executing one or more eleventh computer instructions configured to assign a lead electronic device status to a lead electronic device of the multiple electronic devices, where at least one of (a) the lead electronic device is able to override control of the communication hub by the first electronic device when the first electronic device is operating with the active electronic device status or (b) the lead electronic device comprises the first electronic device.

29. ) The method of claim 22 further comprising:

after executing the one or more third computer instructions;

executing one or more twelfth computer instructions configured to receive a request from the first electronic device to assign the active electronic device status to an other electronic device of the multiple electronic devices; and

executing one or more thirteenth computer instructions configured to assign the active electronic device status to the other electronic device of the multiple electronic devices.