System and method for device co-location discrimination

• US 7,171,329 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodman, Jeffrey, Pearson, Gil
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad; Patrick J.
• Application Number:
  US11/203,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20060018285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 system and method for determining if a first and second device are co-located includes first and second sensors for receiving a sample signal. Each sensor is coupled to the first and second devices. The first and second devices each responsively generate a first and second signal representing the sampled signal. Also included is a transmission device located at the first device for transmitting the first signal to the second device and a receiving device located at the second device for receiving the first signal from the first device. Finally, a signal analysis device determines if the first and second devices are co-located.

Claims

1. A first device for wireless communication capable of determining whether a second device is co-located with the first device within a room, wherein a sample signal exists in the room, the first device comprising:

a sampler operable to generate a first representative signal for the sample signal wherein the sample signal is confined within the room;

a receiver operable to receive a second representative signal from the second device; and

a processor module coupled to the sampler and the receiver,

wherein the processor module is operable,

to analyze the first representative signal and the second representative signal,

to determine that the second device is co-located within the room if the first representative signal and the second representative signal are substantially the same, and

to determine that the second device is not co-located within the room if the first representative signal and the second representative signal are not substantially the same.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the sample signal is an acoustic signal within the room.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the sample signal is generated by a third device.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the sample signal is an acoustic signal or a light signal.

5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the sample signal is an ultrasonic, audible, or subsonic acoustic signal.

6. The first device of claim 4, wherein the sample signal is an infrared light signal or a visible light signal.

7. The first device of claim 4, wherein the processor module is operable to stop accepting signals from the second device if the second device is not co-located with the first device.

8. The first device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first signal generator operable to generate a first signal that is confined within the room, wherein the sample signal is the first signal.

9. A second device for wireless communication capable of providing a signal used to indicate whether it is co-located with a first device within a room, wherein the first device is operable to generate a first representative signal for a sample signal that exists in the room, the second device comprising:

a sampler operable to generate a second representative signal for the sample signal wherein the sample signal is confined within the room; and

a transmitter coupled to the sampler operable to transmit data to the first device, including transmitting the second representative signal to the first device for comparison with the first representative signal.

10. The second device of claim 9 further comprising:

a receiver operable to receive data from the first device; and

a processor module coupled to the sampler, the transmitter, and the receiver,

wherein the processor module is operable to perform according to a co-location determination signal from the first device whether the second device is co-located with the first device.

11. The second device of claim 10, wherein the processor module is operable to stop communicating with the first device if the second device is not co-located with the first device;

and

wherein the processor module is operable to communicate with the first device if the second device is co-located with the first device.

12. The second device of claim 9, wherein the sample signal is an acoustic signal of the room.

13. The second device of claim 9, wherein the sample signal is generated by a third device.

14. The second device of claim 9, wherein the sample signal is an acoustic signal or a light signal.

15. The second device of claim 14, wherein the sample signal is an ultrasonic, audible, or subsonic acoustic signal.

16. The second device of claim 14, wherein the sample signal is an infrared light signal or a visible light signal.

17. The second device of claim 9, further comprising:

a first signal generator operable to generate a first signal that is confined within the room, wherein the sample signal is the first signal.

18. A method for determining if a second device is co-located within a room containing a first device, the method comprising the acts of:

sampling a sample signal at the first device and generating a first representative signal of the sample signal;

sampling a sample signal at the second device and generating a second representative signal of the sample signal;

transmitting the second representative signal to the first device;

comparing the first representative signal to the second representative signal;

determining that the first device and the second device are co-located if the first representative signal is substantially the same as the second representative signal; and

determining that the first device and the second device are not co-located if the first representative signal is not substantially the same as the second representative signal,

wherein the sample signal is confined within the room.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sample signal is an environment signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the environmental signal comprises a background noise.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the sample signal is generated by the first device or a third device.