# US 11,451,914 B2 · System and method for hybrid in-person and remote audio/visual conference broadcasting > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,914 B2 - Document ID: US11451914B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/408,411 - Filed: 2021-08-21 - Published: 2021-12-09 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2007-07-26 - Assignees: Social Microphone, Inc. - Applicants: Social Microphone, Inc. - Inventors: Kenneth Nathaniel Sherman; Andrew Michael Livingston - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451914B2 ## CPC - 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) - H04M 3/568: {audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants (echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30)} - H04R 3/00: Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) - H04M 2207/18: wireless networks - H04R 2227/003: Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet - H04R 2420/07: Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones - H04W 24/00: Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements - H04W 72/00: Local resource management - H04W 74/00: Wireless channel access - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W 88/02: Terminal devices - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A hybrid in-person and remote audiovisual conference broadcasting system provides a centrally controlled system for managing and broadcasting the audiovisual data collected from mobile devices both in humanly perceptible proximity of an in-person public-address system and beyond humanly perceptible proximity to the in-person public-address system. In an exemplar embodiment, a moderator controls requests from various participant members to broadcast audio or video from their personal mobile device to the other group members. Some members may be in proximity to an in-person public address system where they may for example be able to hear amplified audio and see live projected or otherwise presented video. In this exemplar embodiment, remote users not in proximity to the in-person public address system may also participate by for example listening to and viewing the broadcast audiovisual data on their personal mobile devices. Both in-person/local users and remote users may request to be selected for broadcasting to all users. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of hybrid broadcasting from mobile devices, comprising the steps of: accepting submitted broadcasting requests from one or more mobile devices of a mobile device group, the mobile device group comprising one or more local mobile devices and one or more remote mobile devices; selecting a selected mobile device from the one or more mobile devices submitting broadcast requests; broadcasting data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using an in-person public-address system, the one or more local mobile devices being within humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person public-address system; and broadcasting data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using each of the one or more remote mobile devices generally simultaneously with the step of broadcasting data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using the in-person public-address system, the one or more remote mobile devices being beyond humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person public-address system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: blocking selectively mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device from transmitting at least a portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and from transmitting at least the portion of the data to remote mobile devices of the mobile device group. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein all mobile devices exclusive of the selected mobile device are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to all mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein only a portion of the mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to all mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises audio data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the audio data is captured by the selected mobile device in real time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises visual data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the visual data is captured by the selected mobile device in real time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises audio data and visual data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the audio data and visual data is captured by the selected mobile device in real time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one mobile device of the mobile device group is configured as a smartphone. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: serially selecting at least two distinct mobile devices of the mobile device group as the selected mobile device. ### Claim 13 A method of conducting a hybrid meeting using mobile devices, comprising the steps of: collecting in-person data via an in-person audio/visual system; collecting remote data from one or more remote mobile devices located beyond humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person audio/visual system; broadcasting the in-person data and the remote data in a humanly perceptible form using the in-person audio/visual system; and broadcasting the in-person data and the remote data in a humanly perceptible form using one or more remote mobile devices generally simultaneously with the step of broadcasting the in-person data and the remote data in a humanly perceptible form using the in-person audio/visual system, the one or more remote mobile devices being beyond humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person audio/visual system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: broadcasting the in-person data and the remote data in a humanly perceptible form using one or more local mobile devices generally simultaneously with the step of broadcasting the in-person data and the remote data in a humanly perceptible form using the in-person audio/visual system, the one or more local mobile devices being within humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person audio/visual system. ### Claim 15 A system for hybrid broadcasting from mobile devices, comprising: a central communication processor and controller configured to: accept submitted broadcasting requests from one or more mobile devices of a mobile device group, the mobile device group comprising one or more local mobile devices and one or more remote mobile devices; select a selected mobile device from the one or more mobile devices submitting broadcast requests; and a broadcasting system configured to broadcast data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using an in-person public-address system, the one or more local mobile devices being within humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person public-address system; and broadcast data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using each of the one or more remote mobile devices generally simultaneously with the step of broadcasting data in a humanly perceptible form from the selected mobile device using the in-person public-address system, the one or more remote mobile devices being beyond humanly perceptible proximity of the in-person public-address system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the central communication processor and controller is further configured to selectively block mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device from transmitting at least a portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and from transmitting at least the portion of the data to remote mobile devices of the mobile device group. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the central communication processor and controller is further configured to block all mobile devices exclusive of the selected mobile device from transmitting at least the portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to all mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the central communication processor and controller is configured to block only a portion of the mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device from transmitting at least the portion of the data to the in-person public-address system and are blocked from transmitting at least the portion of the data to all mobile devices of the mobile device group exclusive of the selected mobile device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the data comprises audio data. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the audio data is captured by the selected mobile device in real time.