Patent ID: 8861744
Filing Date: 2014-10-14
Classification: H04R

Abstract:
1. A distributed audio system comprising: plural speaker units, each speaker unit comprising a wireless speaker unit receiver and a wireless speaker unit transmitter, a speaker unit speaker coupled to the speaker unit receiver and a speaker unit microphone coupled to the speaker unit transmitter, the speaker unit receiver being operable to receive wireless audio information signals for delivery by the speaker unit speaker as audio, the speaker unit transmitter receiving audio information corresponding to audio detected by the speaker unit microphone for transmission by the speaker unit transmitter as audio information signals; at least one instructor unit comprising a wireless instructor unit receiver and a wireless instructor unit transmitter, an instructor unit speaker coupled to the instructor unit receiver and an instructor unit microphone coupled to the instructor unit transmitter, the instructor unit receiver being operable to receive wireless audio information signals for delivery by the instructor unit speaker as audio, the instructor unit transmitter receiving audio information corresponding to audio detected by the instructor unit microphone for transmission by the instructor unit transmitter as audio information signals; a base unit comprising at least one wireless base unit transmitter operable to transmit audio information signals and at least one wireless base unit receiver operable to receive audio information signals, the base unit being operable in response to control signals to selectively route the audio information signals along respective audio pathways, the audio pathways comprising respective instructor unit to speaker unit audio pathways between the instructor unit and the speaker units via the instructor unit microphone, the instructor unit transmitter, the base unit receiver, the base unit transmitter, the speaker unit receiver of each speaker unit and to the speaker unit speaker of each speaker unit, the audio pathways comprising respective speaker unit to instructor unit audio pathways between the speaker units and the instructor unit via the speaker microphone of each speaker unit, the speaker unit transmitter of each speaker unit, the base unit receiver, the base unit transmitter, the instructor unit receiver and to the instructor unit speaker, and the audio pathways comprising speaker unit to speaker unit pathways between respective speaker units, each such speaker unit to speaker unit audio pathway being via the speaker microphone of one of the speaker units, the speaker unit transmitter of the said one of the speaker units, the base unit receiver, the base unit transmitter, the speaker unit receiver of another of the speaker units other than said one speaker unit and the speaker unit speaker of said other of the speaker units; a remote control comprising a wireless transmitter operable to transmit control signals to the base unit receiver, the base station unit, in response to the received control signals, being operable to selectively control the delivery of audio information signals along the audio pathways to and from the instructor unit to the speaker units, to and from the speaker units to the instructor unit, and to and from one or more speaker units to one or more other speaker units; and wherein, in response to control signals from the remote control, the speaker to speaker audio pathways are open, a respective one of the speaker units is selected, and the speaker unit to instructor unit audio pathway for the selected speaker is open, such that audio detected by the speaker microphone of the selected one of the speaker units is provided as audio at the speaker unit speakers of the speaker units other than the speaker unit speaker of the selected speaker unit and also at the instructor unit speaker.