Addressable speaker system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An addressable speaker system comprising:
- a plurality of addressable speakers located throughout a predefined area;
a central processor including a computer memory for storing binary address information that identifies each addressable speaker and a corresponding location in the predefined area;
a speaker power unit connected to the central processor and the plurality of addressable speakers, the speaker power unit including addressable switches that are enabled and disabled by the central processor; and
an intelligent workstation for indicating a specific addressable speaker that is to be powered to broadcast an audible message to the corresponding location.
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Abstract
An addressable speaker system in which a plurality of selectively activated speakers are distributed throughout a predefined area and are connected to a central processing unit. The system contains multiple RF antennas that are capable of broadcasting and receiving radio frequency signals to individuals wearing radio frequency identification (RFID) badges. The system users the RF transmission to locate an intended radio frequency identification badge and selectively broadcasts an audio message to a speaker located closest to the intended recipient.
372 Citations
48 Claims
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1. An addressable speaker system comprising:
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a plurality of addressable speakers located throughout a predefined area;
a central processor including a computer memory for storing binary address information that identifies each addressable speaker and a corresponding location in the predefined area;
a speaker power unit connected to the central processor and the plurality of addressable speakers, the speaker power unit including addressable switches that are enabled and disabled by the central processor; and
an intelligent workstation for indicating a specific addressable speaker that is to be powered to broadcast an audible message to the corresponding location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An addressable speaker system comprising:
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a plurality of addressable speakers located throughout a predefined area;
a central processor including a computer memory for storing a location log;
a speaker power unit connected to the central processor and the plurality of addressable speakers, the speaker power unit including addressable switches that are enabled and disabled by the central processor;
a plurality of cell controllers connected to the central processor and mounted above the predefined area for transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal into the predefined area; and
a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that are in communication with a transmitter and a receiver of each cell controller. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
a radio frequency signal transmitter; and
a radio frequency signal receiver.
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14. The addressable speaker system of claim 7 wherein the plurality of radio frequency identification tags are passive tags.
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15. The addressable speaker system of claim 7 further comprising a location log for identifying the location of each radio frequency identification tag, the location log being stored at the central processor.
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16. The addressable speaker system of claim 7 wherein the central processor sends messages to and receives messages from a global communications network.
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17. An addressable speaker system comprising:
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a plurality of addressable speakers located throughout a predefined area;
a plurality of transmitter/receiver devices co-located and integrated with the plurality of addressable speakers;
a plurality of radio frequency identification tags in communication with the transmitter/receiver devices; and
a speaker power unit connected to the central processor, the speaker power unit including addressable switches that are enabled and disabled by the central processor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for selectively activating an addressable speaker in an audio broadcast messaging system including a plurality of addressable speakers, a central processor, a speaker power unit and an intelligent workstation for indicating the addressable speaker to be activated, comprising the acts of:
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locating the plurality of addressable speakers throughout a predefined area;
storing a table of binary address information that identifies each addressable speaker and a corresponding location within the predefined area;
indicating to the central processor a specific addressable speaker that is to be powered to broadcast an audible message into the corresponding location; and
enabling an addressable switch in the speaker power unit to activate the specific addressable speaker. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
retrieving the binary address information that identifies the specific addressable speaker; and
providing the binary address information identifying the specific addressable speaker to the speaker power unit.
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29. The method for selectively activating an addressable speaker of claim 27 wherein the plurality of addressable speakers, the speaker power unit and the central processor are located above the ceiling plane.
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30. A method for selectively activating an addressable speaker in an audio broadcast messaging system including a plurality of addressable speakers, a central processor, a speaker power unit, a plurality of cell controllers and a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, comprising the acts of:
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locating the plurality of speakers throughout a predefined area;
transmitting a radio frequency signal into the predefined area by each cell controller;
receiving the transmitted radio frequency signals by each radio frequency identification tag;
in response to the received radio frequency signals, transmitting a radio frequency signal from each radio frequency identification tag to the plurality of cell controllers;
determining the location within the predefined area of each radio frequency identification tag; and
enabling an addressable switch in the speaker power unit to activate a specific addressable speaker. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for selectively activating an addressable speaker in an audio broadcast messaging system, including a plurality of addressable speakers, a central processor, a speaker power unit, a plurality of transmitter/receiver devices co-located and integrated with the plurality of addressable speakers, and a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, comprising the acts of:
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locating the plurality of speakers throughout a predefined area;
transmitting a radio frequency signal into the predefined area by each of the plurality of transmitter/receiver devices;
receiving the transmitted radio frequency signals by each radio frequency identification tag;
in response to the received radio frequency signals, transmitting a radio frequency signal from each radio frequency identification tag to the plurality of transmitter/receiver devices;
determining the location within the predefined area of each radio frequency identification tag; and
enabling an addressable switch in a speaker power unit to activate a specific addressable speaker. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for directing an audio page to a selected individual within a predefined area comprising the steps of determining a location of the individual within the predefined area and broadcasting the audio page in the vicinity of the determined location wherein the step of broadcasting the audio page in the vicinity of the determined location comprises selecting a loudspeaker located in the vicinity of the determined location and activating the selected loudspeaker to produce the audio page.
- 43. A method for directing an audio page to a selected individual within a predefined area comprising the steps of determining a location of the individual within the predefined area and broadcasting the audio page in the vicinity of the determined location wherein the step of determining the location of the individual within the predefined area comprises the acts of equipping the individual with a readable identification tag bearing a code identifying the individual, receiving the code from the identification tag, and determining the location of the identification tag and the location of the individual based on the received code.
Specification