Method and system of controlling media devices configured to output signals to surrounding area

• US 9,071,911 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronald Paul Harwood
• Original Assignee: Ronald Paul Harwood
• Inventors: Harwood, Ronald Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US13/312,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 340/291, 340/506, 340/507, 340/573.1, 340/905, 455/16, 700/19, 700/20, 700/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 system of controlling media devices configured for outputting signals to a surrounding area. The system including a control strategy for controlling operation of the media devices to execute operations according to a common schedule and a communications strategy for use in communicating the control strategy between the media devices in such a manner as to facilitate distribution of the control strategy to the media devices desired to operate according to the common timeline.

Claims

1. A media messaging system comprising:

a plurality of media devices affixed to a plurality of objects and configured to facilitate wireless communications, each media device being configured to independently detect occurrence of a triggering event and to output a media message to an ambient environment associated therewith;

a source configured to wirelessly communicate a control strategy and a communications strategy to at least one of the media devices;

wherein the control strategy specifies the media message to be output from each media device upon occurrence of the triggering event, the control strategy being communicated to and stored at each media device prior to occurrence of the triggering event such that each media device is configured in advance of independently detecting occurrence of the triggering event to output the media message without further communication with the source or another one of the media devices;

wherein the communications strategy coordinates wireless communication between the plurality of media devices and is sufficient to facilitate communication of the control strategy from at least a first media device of the plurality of media devices within a wireless communication range of the source to at least a second media device of the plurality of media devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communications strategy specifies instructions for transporting the control strategy from the first media device to the second media device when the second media devices connects with the first media device after the source wirelessly communicates the control strategy to the first media device, the second media device being wirelessly disconnected from the first media device and the source when the first media device receives the control strategy.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

at least a portion of the media devices include a lighting source configured to output the media message through an illumination of the ambient environment associated therewith; and

at least a portion of the media devices having the lighting source include an optical sensor for sensing an amount of light within the ambient environment associated therewith and are configured to;

i) determine occurrence of the triggering event as a function of the amount of light sensed within the ambient environment associated therewith; and

ii) adjust the illumination as a function of the amount of light sensed within the ambient environment associated therewith, including increasing or decreasing the illumination as the amount of light sensed changes during the illumination such that the media devices having the optical sensor each independently adjust the illumination according to the ambient environment associated therewith.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

at least a portion of the media devices include audio units configured to output the media message through a playback of one or more audio tracks stored thereon prior to occurrence of the triggering event, a playback volume of the audio tracks being specified in the control strategy; and

at least a portion of the media devices having the audio units include a microphone for sensing a sound within the ambient environment associated therewith and are configured to;

i) determine occurrence of the triggering event as a function of the sound sensed within the ambient environment associated therewith; and

ii) adjust a playback volume of the one or more audio tracks as a function of the sound sensed within the ambient environment associated therewith, including increasing or decreasing the playback volume as a sound change during the playback such that the media devices having the microphone each independently adjust the playback volume according to the ambient environment associated therewith.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

at least a portion of the media devices include a sensor for sensing conditions of the ambient environment associated therewith and include video units configured to output the media message through display of a video to the ambient environment associated therewith, the video including a plurality of image frames and each video unit being configured to select the plurality of image frames from a greater plurality of image frames according to display instructions included in the control strategy, the greater plurality of image frames being stored on the video unit prior to occurrence of the triggering event, the display instructions controlling each video unit to independently select the plurality of images as a first portion of the greater plurality of image frames in the event the sensor detects a first condition within the ambient environment associated therewith and to independently select the plurality of images as a second portion of the greater plurality of image frames in the event the sensor detects a second condition within the ambient environment associated therewith such that each video unit outputs the video according to conditions sensed in the ambient environment associated therewith.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the control strategy specifies different media messages for different triggering events depending on conditions sensed in the ambient environment associate therewith such that a first portion of the plurality of media devices output media messages different from a second portion of the plurality of media devices when the first portion senses different triggering events than the second portion.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the media devices include chemical sensors for sensing the triggering event based on ambient air quality of a surrounding area associated therewith, including determining the triggering event in the event the ambient air quality sufficiently varies from a threshold.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the second media device is beyond the wireless communication range of the source and receives the control strategy from the first media device within the wireless communication range of the source.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication strategy includes instructions sufficient for controlling the media devices to transmit a playback log, the playback log indicating each time during a preceding period of time that the corresponding media device output the media message.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the communication strategy includes instructions sufficient for controlling the media devices to transmit the playback log periodically, including when the corresponding media device fails to detect occurrence of the triggering event during the preceding period of time.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication strategy includes instructions sufficient for transporting a triggering message from a third media device of the plurality media devices to at least a fourth media device of the plurality of media devices when the third media device detects occurrence of the triggering event and the fourth media device fails to detect occurrence of the first triggering event, the triggering message being sufficient to instruct the fourth media device to output the media message, thereby outputting the media message to the ambient environment of the fourth media device when the fourth media devices fails to independently detect the triggering event.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein each media device:

includes a sensor for determining a sensed condition within the ambient environment associated therewith; and

detects occurrence of the triggering event when the sensed condition matches with one or more conditions specified in the control strategy.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein each media devices is operable to individually detect the triggering event in response to receipt of a triggering message such that each media device receiving the triggering message automatically outputs the media message to the ambient environment associated therewith.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein at least a third media device receives the triggering message from a fourth media device, the fourth media device transmitting the triggering message to the third media device in response to sensing a condition within the ambient environment associated of the fourth media device matching with one or more conditions specified in the control strategy.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the control strategy specifies the media message to be output from a first portion of the media devices upon detecting the triggering event to be of a first type and the media message to be output from a second portion of the media devices upon detecting the triggering event to be a of a second type different than the first type, resulting in the media message being output differently when the same triggering event is detected by the first and second portions of the media devices.

15. A method of controlling a distributed plurality of media devices, the distributed plurality of media devices being positioned within a related geographical area to coordinate outputting messages to individuals present within the related geographical area, the method comprising:

configuring the media devices to output signals to an ambient environment associated therewith according to triggering events specified within a control strategy, the output signals apprising individuals within a surrounding area of a message, the control strategy specifying output of a plurality of different messages depending on a corresponding plurality of triggering events; and

configuring the media devices to facilitate electronic distribution of the control strategy from one media device to another one of the media devices according to a wireless daisy-chain communication strategy, the daisy-chain communication strategy characterized by at least a portion of the media devices directly transmitting the control strategy to at least another portion of the media devices.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising configuring the media devices to facilitate electronic distribution of the control strategy issued from a programming source to a first portion of the media devices within a communication range of the programming source such that one of the first portion of the media devices then communicates the control strategy to at least a second portion of the media devices beyond the communication range of the programming source.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising configuring a first one of the media devices detecting a first one of the triggering events to notify a second one of the media devices of detection of the first one of the triggering events in the event the second one of the media devices fails to detect the first one of the triggering events, wherein each of the first one and the second one of the media devices outputs the message corresponding with the first one of the triggering events specified within the control strategy.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising configuring the media devices to:

determine a sensed condition within the ambient environment associated therewith according to a sensor included therein;

determine the triggering events according to the sensed condition; and

output the message specified in the control strategy for the triggering event matching the sensed condition.

19. A system for generating alerts at a number of geographically spaced apart objects comprising:

a number of alerting devices affixed to a corresponding number of the objects, the alerting devices being configured to output a message to a surrounding area depending on conditions sensed by the alerting devices for the surrounding area;

a controller configured to communicate a control strategy to the alerting devices, the control strategy specifying the messages to be outputted from the alerting devices as a function of sensed conditions; and

wherein the control strategy requires a first one of the alerting devices outputting a first one of the messages to instruct at least a second one of the alerting devices to output the first one of the messages if the at least the second one of the altering devices fails to sense the conditions that prompted the first one of the alerting devices to output the first one of the messages; and

wherein the controller communicates the control strategy to a first portion of the alerting devices within a communication range of the controller and at least a second portion of the first portion of the alerting devices within the communication range of the controller communicate the control strategy to a third portion of the alerting devices beyond the communication range of the controller.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the control strategy limits the first one of the alerting device to instruct no more than the at least second one of the alerting devices that are within a geographical location likely to be affected by the sensed conditions that prompted the first one of the alerting devices to output the first one of the messages.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the second and third portions of the alerting devices wirelessly communicate with each other without assistance from satellites or other antennae that are not part of the alerting devices.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the alerting devices are powered by energy used to power the objects and by a battery when the energy used to power the objects is unavailable, the energy from the battery being sufficient for a sensor included on the alerting device to sense the condition within the surrounding area and to facilitate output of the message specified in the control strategy for with the condition sensed.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the objects are light poles and the second portion of the first portion of the alerting devices wirelessly transmit signals to the third portion of the alerting devices in order to communicate the control strategy thereto, wherein the signals are directly received at the third portion of the alerting devices without any intermediary manipulation.