Control of a wireless conference telephone system

• US 7,254,123 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2002
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: IP Holding OY
• Inventors: Jukarainen, Jarkko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US10/475,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20040146031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 379/202.01, 379/37, 709/204, 709/203, 709/217, 455/556.1, 455/74.1, 455/41.2, 340/501, 370/337, 370/349
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless conference telephone system or a corresponding audio system, the system comprising of at least one audio unit (B1-B3) having at least one microphone and/or at least one speaker (SPK1-SPK4), an audio control unit (UI1), and a power source, at least one signal source unit (C1), and at least one operation control unit with which the user can control the operation of the wireless control unit coupled to the audio unit(s) over a digital personal area network standard, such as Bluetooth radio standard, capable of forming said connection. The operation control unit communicates with the audio unit(s) by using a wireless protocol, such as WAP, and the operation control unit has a user interface so that the user controls the operation of the system over a user interface, such as WML, operating over the wireless protocol.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a wireless conference telephone system or a corresponding audio system, the system comprising:

at least one audio unit having at least one microphone and/or at least one speaker an audio control unit,

at least one signal source unit, and

at least one operation control unit with which a user controls the operation of the at least one audio unit,

wherein the method comprises the steps of;

connecting the at least one operation control unit, which is a wireless control unit, to the system over a wireless digital personal area network standard the at least one operation control unit capable of forming said connection, the at least one operation control unit communicating with the at least one audio unit by using a wireless protocol, and

controlling the operation of the system with a user interface operating over the wireless protocol, and

the method further comprising the steps of;

first connecting the at least one operation control unit and the at least one audio unit are first connected over the wireless digital personal area network standard, and after that

using the at least one operation control unit for requesting at least one control page over the wireless protocol from a control server, which is the server running inside the at least one audio unit, and

sending a response is sent in a wireless data format or corresponding page format, to the at least one operation control unit.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one signal source unit is a wireless signal source unit, capable of transferring the audio information to and/or from the conference telephone system, and

wherein the wireless source unit and the at least one audio unit are connected to each other over the wireless digital personal area network standard,

the wireless digital personal area network standard being Bluetooth radio standard, and

the wireless signal source unit being capable of forming said connection.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

operating the at least one signal source unit as the at least one operation control unit.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one signal source unit and the at least one operation control unit are separate units.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

controlling at least one of the following audio functions in the at least one audio unit over a wireless protocol using a Personal Trusted Device (PTD);

volume, mute, bass/treble tone control, and

controlling at least one of the following operational functions in the audio unit over a wireless protocol using the (PTD);

activating an audio conference call to the at least one audio unit, activating an intercom call to a Bluetooth audio unit, making connections between the at least one audio unit and the Bluetooth audio unit.

6. A wireless conference telephone system or a corresponding audio system, the system comprising:

at least one audio unit having at least one microphone and/or at least one speaker,

an audio control unit, and

a power source,

at least one signal source unit, and

at least one operation control unit with which operable by a user for controlling an operation of the at least one audio unit,

wherein the at least one operation control unit is a wireless control unit coupled to the at least one audio unit over a wireless digital personal area network standard, the at least one operation control unit capable of forming said connection,

wherein the at least one operation control unit communicates with the at least one audio unit by using a wireless protocol, and

wherein the at least one operation control unit has a user interface so that the user controls the operation of the system over a user interface operating over the wireless protocol,

wherein the at least one audio unit comprises;

a wireless digital personal area network standard module having a RF unit, a processor unit, and a memory, the memory having a control server, with a user interface for the wireless control unit operating in the memory.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one signal source is a wireless signal source unit capable of transferring conference audio information to and/or from the conference telephone system, and

wherein the wireless source unit and the at least one audio unit are connected to each other over the wireless digital personal area network standard,

the wireless digital personal area network standard being Bluetooth radio standard, and

the wireless source unit being capable of forming said connection.

8. The system according to claim 6, the system further comprising:

at least two audio units each communicating with the wireless control unit directly or via a master unit.

9. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the at least one audio unit is a single standalone unit having at least one microphone and at least one speaker, an audio control unit, and a power source in a single housing, and

wherein as exterior housing covers are removable and changeable to accommodate to a taste of a user.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the taste of the user includes a cover with a different color.

11. The system according to claim 6,

wherein control of the system is based on interface menus, which capable of controlling Wireless Markup Language (WML) pages, and are divided into different operational categories.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the different operational categories include:

main menus, mode menus, and command menus,

wherein the main menus are the pages shown to the user when he/she connects to the at least one audio unit, the mode menus show the current state and functions that are available when the at least one audio unit is in selected operation mode, and the command menus are for changing a value of certain setting or confirming an action.

13. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the at least one audio unit also operates a terminal device for other operations,

wherein functions for the other operations are set up and controlled by either using control buttons on the at least one audio unit or via the connected wireless control unit.

14. The system according to claim 6, the at least one signal source unit is located in the at least one audio unit.

15. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor unit is a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor unit.