PC managed networked audio bell/intercom system

• US 8,151,006 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AcroVista, LLC
• Original Assignee: Terry Daniel Weidig
• Inventors: Weidig, Terry Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US11/963,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,564 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A method, storage medium, and system for a managed audio bell/intercom including a controller and audio devices connected by an industry standardized network, wherein the controller contains logic to distribute action via the network to the audio devices.

Claims

1. A managed audio bell and intercom system, the system comprising:

a controller, said controller being communicably coupled with a network, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

said network being communicably coupled with at least one zone, each of said zones having at least one audio device;

said controller having logic to distribute an action via said network to said audio device according to at least one schedule, said schedule associated with a calendar and including at least one event, said event including at least one time, at least one date or day, and at least one audio device and/or zone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said audio devices in said zone is a network audio device or a network relay controller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said logic has the additional ability to have more than one schedule.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said action is a prerecorded or live sound, said prerecorded or live sound distributed from said controller to said audio device and/or zone associated with said event for playback by said audio device and/or said audio devices associated with said zone.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said controller is a personal computer.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said prerecorded sound includes at least one duration, said duration the length of time for which said prerecorded sound is played by said audio device.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein said logic has the additional ability to distribute a prerecorded or live sound from said controller to one or more audio devices within disparate zones.

8. A method of using an audio bell and intercom system, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting at least one schedule, said schedule associated with a calendar and having at least one event, said event having at least one action, at least one time, at least one date or day, and at least one audio device or zone;

transmitting said action via a network when said time and day or date is reached, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

receiving said action at one or more audio devices each of said audio devices associated with one or more zones; and

executing said action on said audio devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

said action is distributing a prerecorded or live sound from said controller to said audio devices and/or zones associated with said event and wherein playback of said prerecorded or live sound occurs on said audio devices and/or said zones associated with said event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said event associated with said prerecorded sound also includes at least one duration, said duration the length of time for which said prerecorded sound is played by said audio devices and/or said zones associated with said event.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of said audio devices in said zone is a network audio device or a network relay controller.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of said audio devices associated with said event is associated with disparate zones.

13. The method of claim 9, additionally comprising accepting at least two schedules, wherein one of said schedules is a default schedule and one of said schedules is an exception schedule, said exception schedule additionally comprising days or dates that said exception schedule shall be used instead of said default schedule.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least two schedules are accepted.

15. A computer readable storage medium encoded with a program for using an audio bell and intercom system, the program comprising the steps of:

accepting at least one schedule, said schedule associated with a calendar and having at least one event, said event having at least one action, at least one time, at least one date or day, and at least one audio device or zone;

transmitting said action via a network when said time and day or date is reached, wherein said network is an industry standardized local or wide area network;

receiving said action at one or more audio devices each of said audio devices associated with one or more zones; and

executing said action on said audio devices.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

said action is distributing a prerecorded or live sound from said controller to said audio devices and/or zones associated with said event.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein said event with said prerecorded sound also includes a duration, said duration additionally transmitted to said audio device and/or zones and the step of executing said action comprises playing said prerecorded sound for said duration.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least on of said audio devices in said zone is a network audio device or network relay controller.

19. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of said audio devices associated with said event is associated with disparate zones.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein at least two schedules are accepted.