Patent ID: 7471797
Filing Date: 2008-12-30
Classification: G10K,H04K,H04S

Abstract:
1. A networked sound masking system, comprising: a communication network; a plurality of sound masking units, each sound masking unit connected to the communication network, each sound masking unit configured to selectively output a signal from at least one of a plurality of output signal channels carried over the communication network based on a control signal carried over a control signal channel of the communication network; and a control unit configured to selectively output at least one sound masking signal on the plurality of output signal channels of the communication network, and the control unit configured to generate the control signal and output the control signal on the control signal channel of a communication network; at least some of the sound masking units being responsive to a masking signal volume command, and at least some of the sound masking units being responsive to a masking signal spectrum command; the control unit being configured to generate the masking signal volume command for controlling a volume characteristic of the sound masking signal; and the control unit being configured to generate the masking signal spectrum command for controlling a frequency characteristic of the sound masking signal; and wherein the control unit is configured to receive at least one paging signal, and output the paging signal on one of the plurality of output signal channels; and each of the sound masking units includes a first control component and a second control component, the first control component being selectively responsive to the masking signal volume command and the masking signal spectrum command for controlling the volume characteristic and the frequency characteristic, respectively, of the sound masking signal, and the second control component being selectively responsive to a paging volume signal for controlling the volume of the paging signal.