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EP0187696A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Full duplex conferencing system

Assignee: CONTROLONICS CORP
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Filing: 1986-01-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-01-03
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Abstract

Abstract A full duplex conferencing system providing hands free, unswitched continuously acting communication paths between one or more local participants and a communications network. The voice of each local participant is sensed through one or more microphones at the local conference, and applied to the communication network. Signals transmitted to the network as well as those received from it are transmitted as pulsed infrared to each local participant. Each local participant wears an infrared receiver and earphone which permits that participant to hear the entire conversation without any switching interruptions. A keyboard and dialer permit direct dialing from the system over the network and a muting control disables the audio circuitry during dialing. A local ringer respnds to network ring signals to provide an audible ring to attract the user's attention for incoming calls.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert E. Lucey

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-05 01:23
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B10/00; H04B10/11; H04B10/114; H04B10/1149; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/56; H04M9/00; H04M9/08

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim 104 words
A fully duplex conferencing communication system for use in association with a communication network comprising: means for responding to voice signals from one or more individuals and for applying electrical representations of the voice signals to a communications network; means for receiving electrical indicia from the network and for transmitting to the location of said one or more individuals electromagnetic representations of the received indicia; and means associated with each of said one or more individuals for receiving the transmitted representations of the received indicia and for producing audible reproductions of the received representations substantially only to each said individual associated with that means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 104 words
A fully duplex conferencing communication system for use in association with a communication network comprising: means for responding to voice signals from one or more individuals and for applying electrical representations of the voice signals to a communications network; means for receiving electrical indicia from the network and for transmitting to the location of said one or more individuals electromagnetic representations of the received indicia; and means associated with each of said one or more individuals for receiving the transmitted representations of the received indicia and for producing audible reproductions of the received representations substantially only to each said individual associated with that means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 25 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein each said means associated with one or more individuals includes a portable means for providing the recited function.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 25 words
The conferencing system of claim 2 wherein said portable means is adapted to be worn about the body of each said one or more individuals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 28 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein each said means associated with one or more individuals includes an earpiece for applying the audible reproductions to each said individual.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 18 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including: a base unit housing said responding and said receiving means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 32 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means for muting the operation of said responding means whereby at least reduced levels of said electrical representations are applied to the communications network.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 42 words
The conferencing system of claim 6 further including: means for switching between an on hook and off hook condition for said conferencing system; and means for operating said muting means in response to generation of an on hook condition of said system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 29 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means for selectively enabling said responding means to respond or not to the voice signals of said one or more individuals..
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 27 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means for providing operator adjustment of the level of audible signal applied to each said one or more individuals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 30 words
1 0. The conferencing system of claim 9 wherein said adjusting means is located at at least one of said receiving means and said means associated with each said individual.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 34 words
1 1. The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means associated with each responding and receiving means for controlling the level of the transmitted representations to provide the same level for all voices.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 35 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means associated with said responding means for generating dialing indicia in response to operator activation thereof and for applying the generated dialing indicia to the communications network.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 37 words
The conferencing system of claim 12 further including means for at least reducing the level of the electrical representations of the voice signals applied to the network during the application of generated dialing indicia to the network.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 34 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means for providing automatic gain control in .the response of at least one of said responding and receiving means for the applied and transmitted signals respectively.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 28 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 further including means associated with the receiving means for providing an audible indication of a ring signal received by said communications network.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 18 words
The conferencing system of claim 1 wherein said transmitting means includes means for transmitting at an optical wavelength.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 14 words
The conferencing system of claim 16 wherein said optical wavelength is in the infrared.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 27 words
The conferencing system of claim 17 further including means for providing pulse rate modulation of the infrared energy in response to the signals received from the network.

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