Method and Apparatus for Facilitating Conversation in a Noisy Environment
OwnerChristine Weingold, Peter Weingoldinventors
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a communication system to facilitate natural multiparty conversation in a noisy environment. The communication system may include a wireless headset. Each headset is connected to a wireless hub. In one embodiment, one of the headsets is integrated with the hub. Each participant in the conversation may wear the wireless headset. The speech from each non-hub headset is wirelessly communicated to the hub. The hub combines the speech from each participant into a conversation stream and transmits the conversation stream to all participants.
Claims20
A method for enhancing a conversation between participants, comprising:
- capturing speech of one of the participants by a microphone of a wireless headset to generate speech samples;
- wirelessly transmitting by the wireless headset the speech samples to a hub;
- wirelessly receiving by the wireless headset in a full-duplex communication a conversation stream from the hub, wherein the conversation stream includes the speech samples received by the hub from any and all of the participants in the conversation to stream the speech samples from any and all of the participants to the one participant;
- and
- radiating the conversation stream from a headphone of the wireless headset to the one participant to stream the speech from any and all of the participants in the conversation to the one participant.
A method for enhancing a conversation between participants, comprising:
- wirelessly receiving by a hub speech samples of any and all of the participants in the conversation;
- receiving by the hub speech samples of local participant from a headset, if any, that is integrated with the hub;
- combining by the hub all of the speech samples received into a conversation stream that includes the speech samples from any and all of the participants in the conversation;
- and
- wirelessly transmitting the conversation stream from the hub back to any and all of the participants from whom speech samples are received to stream the speech samples in a full-duplex communication from any and all of the participants to any and all of the participants in the conversation.
An apparatus used in wireless communication between participants in a conversation, comprising:
- a microphone configured to receive speech of one participant in the conversation;
- a sampling circuit configured to convert the speech into speech samples;
- a processor configured to encode and modulate the speech samples, wherein the processor is further configured to demodulate and decode a conversation stream received from a hub, wherein the conversation stream includes the speech samples received by the hub from any and all of the participants in the conversation;
- a transceiver configured to transmit the encoded and modulated speech samples to the hub and to receive the conversation stream from the hub in full duplex to stream the speech samples between any and all of the participants and the one participant;
- and
- a headphone configured to radiate the conversation stream to the one participant to stream the speech from any and all of the participants in the conversation to the one participant.
An apparatus used in wireless communication between participants in a communication, comprising:
- a transceiver configured to receive speech samples from headsets of any and all of the participants and to transmit a conversation stream in full duplex back to the headsets from which speech samples are received to stream the received speech samples between the headsets of any and all of the participants;
- and
- a processor configured to demodulate and decode the speech samples from the headsets, to combine all the demodulated and decoded speech samples into combined samples, and to encode and to modulate the combined samples into the conversation stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.