Remote site interactive system

• US 6,665,000 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1998
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fleetwood Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fleetwood Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Buehler, William S., Derks, Harry G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/192,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14-1-, 348/14.1, 348/14-1-, 348/14.16, 379/202.01, 370/260, 345/753, 434/350, 434/336
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A remote site interactive system includes a host system having an instructor console, at least one remote system having a base unit and a communication system between the host system and the base unit which is adapted to communicate an instructor audio signal from the host system to the base unit and a responding audio signal from the base unit to the host system. The communication system includes an audio enhancer which enhances the audio signals by regulating signal level, signal muting and/or signal authenticity.

Claims

1. A remote site interactive system, comprising:

a host system having an instructor console;

at least one remote system having a base unit;

a communication system between said host system and said base unit which is adapted to communicate an instructor audio signal from said host system to said base unit and a respondent audio signal from the base unit to the host system;

said communication system including an audio enhancer which enhances at least one of said audio signals by regulating at least one chosen from signal level, signal muting and signal source authenticity;

wherein said audio enhancer sends a reference signal over said communication system from one of said host system and said base unit to at least the other of said host system and said base unit and measures said reference signal at the other of said host system and said base unit; and

wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal muting by measuring delay of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

2. The remote interactive system in claim 1 including at least one instructor microphone with said host system and at least one respondent microphone with said base unit.

3. The remote interactive system in claim 2 further including a plurality of response units in communicative association with said base unit, each of sail response units for receiving responses from a respondent.

4. The remote interactive system in claim 3 wherein said at least one respondent microphone is joined with at least one of said response units.

5. The remote interactive system in claim 4 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

6. The remote interactive system in claim 3 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

7. The remote interactive system in claim 2 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal level by said host system having control over sensitivity of said at least one respondent microphone.

8. The remote interactive system in claim 7 wherein said host system has control over sensitivity of said at least one respondent microphone by instructing said base unit to adjust said sensitivity.

9. The remote interactive system in claim 8 wherein said base unit adjusts said sensitivity between a high sensitivity “

Far Talk”

state useful with the microphone far from the use and a low sensitivity “

Close Talk”

state useful with the microphone close to the user.

10. The remote interactive system in claim 1 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal level by measuring level of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

11. The remote interactive system in claim 1 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal source authenticity by measuring data content of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

12. A remote site interactive system, comprising:

a host system having an instructor console;

at least one remote system having a base unit;

a communication system between said host system and said base unit which is adapted to communicate an instructor audio signal from said host system to said base unit and a respondent audio signal from the base unit to the host system;

said communication system including an audio enhancer which enhances at least one of said audio signals regulating at least one chosen from signal level, signal muting and signal source authenticity;

wherein said audio enhancer sends a reference signal over said communication system from one of said host system and said base unit to at least the other of said host system and said base unit and measures said reference signal at the other of said host system and said base unit; and

wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal source authenticity by measuring data content of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

13. The remote interactive system in claim 12 including at least one instructor microphone with said host system and at least one respondent microphone with said base unit.

14. The remote interactive system in claim 13 further including a plurality of response units in communicative association with said base unit, each of said response units for receiving responses from a respondent.

15. The remote interactive system in claim 14 wherein said at least one respondent microphone is joined with at least one of said response units.

16. The remote interactive system in claim 14 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

17. The remote interactive system in claim 15 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

18. The remote interactive system in claim 13 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal level by said host system having control over sensitivity of said at least one respondent microphone.

19. The remote interactive system in claim 18 wherein said host system has control over sensitivity of said at least one respondent microphone by instructing said base unit to adjust said sensitivity.

20. The remote interactive system in claim 19 wherein said base unit adjusts said sensitivity between a high sensitivity “

Far Talk”

state useful with the microphone far from the user and a low sensitivity “

Close Talk”

state useful with the microphone close to the user.

21. The remote interactive system in claim 12 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal level by measuring level of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

22. The remote interactive system in claim 12 wherein said audio enhancer regulates signal muting by measuring delay of said reference at said other of said host system and said base unit.

23. An interactive system for providing interaction between an instructor at an instructor location and a plurality of respondents located at at least one geographically separated site, wherein said interactive system is useful with an audio-video transmission system including a studio at the instructor location having audio-video equipment which supplies audio-video information and a communication system which downloads audio-video information from audio-video equipment to an audio-video monitor at the at least one geographically separated site, said interactive system comprising:

a host system having an instructor console and an instructor microphone adapted to be in a studio;

said host system further including a phone line manager adapted to be connected with at least one phone line;

at least one remote system having a base unit old at least one respondent microphone, wherein said base unit is adapted to be connected with at least one phone line;

wherein said host system coordinates with said base unit to measure communication system delay between the studio and an audio-video monitor at the at least one geographically separated site;

wherein said host system generates a time stamp upon sending test signal;

wherein said base unit is adapted to measure the level or the test signal and the gain said base unit applies to an audio portion of the forwarded audio-video information is adjusted as a function of the measured level of the test signal; and

wherein said base unit sends level data to said host system of the measured level of the test signal and said host system adjusts gain said base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video information in response to the level data received from the base unit.

24. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal is selectively muted by selectively adjusting the gain the base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal.

25. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein said host system sends a test signal over the communication system and said base unit receives the test signal.

26. The interactive system in claim 25 wherein said base unit measures receipt of the test signal at said base unit.

27. The interactive system in claim 26 wherein said host system determines when said base unit receives said test signal and thereby measures communication system delay.

28. The interactive system in claim 27 wherein said host system generates a time stamp upon sending the test signal.

29. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein said bass unit is adapted to receive audio-video information from the communication system and to forward the audio-video information to an audio-video monitor.

30. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal is selectively muted by selectively adjusting the gain the base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal.

31. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein at least one of said host system and said base unit establishes a mute of the audio portion of the audio-video information from the studio to an audio-video monitor at the at remote site as a function of measured communication system delay.

32. The interactive system in claim 31 wherein said base unit establishes tile mute of the audio portion of the audio-video information.

33. The interactive system in claim 23 further including a plurality of response units in communicative association with said base unit, each of said response units is for receiving responses from a respondent.

34. The interactive system in claim 33 wherein said at least one respondent microphone is a plurality of microphones each joined with one of said response units.

35. The interactive system in claim 34 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

36. The interactive system in claim 23 wherein said phone line manager is adapted to be located physically remote from said host system and interconnected with said host system by a communication link.

37. The interactive system in claim 23 further including a plurality of response units in communicative association with said base unit, each of said response units is for receiving responses from a respondent.

38. The interactive system in claim 37 wherein said at least one respondent microphone is a plurality of microphones each joined with one of said response units.

39. The interactive system in claim 38 wherein said plurality of response units are coupled with said base unit by a wireless communication link.

40. An interactive system for providing interaction between an instructor at an instructor location and plurality of respondents located at at least one geographically separated site wherein said interactive system is useful with an audio-video transmission system including a studio at the instructor location having audio-video equipment which supplies audio-video information and a communication system which downloads audio-video information from audio-video equipment to an audio-video monitor at the at least one geographically separated site, said interactive system comprising:

a host system having an instructor console and an instructor microphone adapted to be in a studio;

said host system further including a phone line manager adapted to be connected with at least one phone line;

at least one remote system having a base unit and at least one respondent microphone wherein said base unit is adapted to be connected with at least one phone line;

wherein said host system coordinates with said base unit to measure communication system delay between the studio and an audio-video monitor at the at least one geographically separated site; and

wherein at least one of said host system and said base unit establishes a mute of the audio portion of the audio-video information from the studio to an audio-video monitor at the at remote site as a function of measured communication system delay.

41. The interactive system in claim 40 wherein said base unit establishes the mute of the audio portion of the audio-video information.

42. The interactive system in claim 40 wherein said host system sends a test signal over the communication system and said base unit receives the test signal.

43. The interactive system in claim 42 wherein said base unit measures receipt of the test signal at said base unit.

44. The interactive system in claim 43 wherein said host system determines when said base unit receives said test signal and thereby measures communication system delay.

45. The interactive system in claim 44 wherein said host system generates a time stamp upon sending the test signal.

46. The interactive system in claim 42 wherein said host system generates a time stamp upon sending the test signal.

47. The interactive system in claim 46 wherein said base unit is adapted to measure the level of the test signal and the gain said base unit applies to an audio portion of the forwarded audio-video information is adjusted as a function of the measured level of the test signal.

48. The interactive system in claim 47 wherein the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal is selectively muted by selectively adjusting the gain the base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal.

49. The interactive system in claim 47 wherein said base unit sends level data to said host system of the measured level of the test signal and said host system adjusts gain said base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video information in response to the level data received from the base unit.

50. The interactive system in claim 49 wherein the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal is selectively muted by selectively adjusting the gain the base unit applies to the audio portion of the forwarded audio-video signal.

51. The interactive system in claim 40 wherein said base unit is adapted to receive audio-video information from the communication system and to forward the audio-video information to an audio-video monitor.

52. The interactive system in claim 40 wherein said phone line manager is adapted to be located physically remote from said host system and interconnected with said host system by a communication link.

53. In an interactive system for providing interaction between an instructor at an instructor location and a plurality of respondents located at at least one geographically separated site, wherein said interactive system includes a host system at said instructor location and a remote system at said at least one geographically separated site, wherein said host system has an instructor console including an instructor microphone and a phone line manager adapted to be connected with at least one phone line, said interactive system further including a studio at said instructor location having audio-video equipment which supplies audio-video information, said remote system including a base unit and at least one respondent microphone, wherein said base unit is adapted to be connected with at least one phone line, said interactive system further including a communication system which downloads audio-video information from the audio-video equipment at the studio to an audio-video monitor at the at least one geographically separated system, a method of enhancing signal transmission from at least one of said host system and said base unit to at least the other of said host system and said base unit comprising:

sending a test signal from at least one of said host system and said base unit and analyzing the test signal received at the other of said host system and said base unit;

determining a time delay between sending the test signal from the one of said host system and said base unit and receiving the test signal at the other of said host system and said base unit, wherein said time delay is of said communication system; and

adjusting muting of said base unit as a function of said delay.

54. The method of claim 53 including sending an encoded test signal from at least one of said host system and said base unit and decoding the encoded signal received at the other of said host system and said base unit in order to determine whether signals received by the other of said host system and said base unit are authentic signals that originate from said at least one of said host system and said base unit.

55. The method of claim 54 including sending the encoded test signal from the base unit to the phone line manager over a phone line.

56. The method of claim 55 including encoding the test signal in response to instructions from the host system sent to the base unit over a data communication channel.

57. The method of claim 53 including analyzing the test signal received at the other of said host system and said base unit to determine a level of the received signal in order to normalize said level.

58. The method of claim 57 including normalizing said level by adjusting the signal at said other of said host system and said base unit.