System for providing access to shared multimedia content

US 20140362161A1
(19) United States
(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0362161 A1
Leete, III
(54)
(43) Pub. Date:
SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO
SHARED MULTIMEDIA CONTENT
Dec. 11, 2014
Publication Classi?cation
(5 1) Int. Cl.
H04N 7/15
(52) vs. C].
(71) Applicant: Puddle Innovations, Spring Lake, MI
(US)
(2006.01)
CPC ................................... .. H04N 7/152 (2013.01)
(72)
Inventorl
Lawrence F- Leete, III, Spring Lake, MI
(Us)
(21)
USPC ..................................................... .. 348/14.02
(57)
Appl. No.: 14/296,842
ABSTRACT
A system for providing access to shared multimedia content
within a de?ned room environment includes a hub and a
(22) Filed:
(60)
plurality of remote connection devices. The hub, con?gured
Jun. 5, 2014
to provide a wireless network having a frequency of 60 GHZ
and compatible with the IEEE 802.1 1ad protocol, delivers the
wireless network via a plurality of radio transceivers and has
at least one local device connection. The local device connec
Related US Application Data
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SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO
SHARED MULTIMEDIA CONTENT
collaborative multimedia data without latent pauses, causing
disruption of the ideation, communication or sharing of data
and information. For example, wireless systems typically
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATION
achieve transmission rates of 700 Mbps and are not capable of
transmission rates greater than 3 Gbps necessary to maintain
[0001] This application claims the bene?t of US. Provi
sional Application No. 61/831,423, ?led Jun. 5, 2013, which
is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
uncompressed high-de?nition video conferencing (HDVC).
[0006] Cabling and wired systems create a great deal of
installation and life-cycle costs to con?gure and recon?gure a
meeting room (e.g. ?oor coring or trenching, inserting ?oor
stubs or poke-thru devices, installing shallow-raised or raised
?ooring, cable trays, behind-wall wireways, etc.). Connect
[0002] Increasingly in the global corporate environment,
ing all peripheral devices to a matrix-switching system
collaboration, both local and remote, is essential and requires
interactivity between participants to a degree beyond the cur
rent capabilities of conferencing and teleconferencing tech
nologies. The signi?cance of group ideation and remote col
laboration in the corporate environment has made the meeting
requires a large amount of wire that often has to be hidden and
trenched to give a clean aesthetic look to the meeting room.
room ubiquitous. For example, by one estimate, there are
approximately 67 million meeting rooms worldwide. Further,
the individuals participating in meetings are increasingly reli
ant on mobile user devices such as smartphones, tablets,
laptops, e-readers, etc. to carry digital content.
[0003] Issues individuals face within these collaborative
meeting environments include the lack of a staple product to
display, present, and collaborate around content and the
myriad connected adapters such as HDMI, VGA, Display
Port, MiniDisplayPort, Thunderbolt, USB, etc. necessary to
achieve connectivity with user devices. Existing collabora
tive presentation systems rely on a direct cabled or wired
connection connected physically to the users’ computers or
tablets. Existing wireless presentation systems require soft
ware packages to be downloaded to enable laptops or com
puters to communicate with existing presentation systems.
The software packages may force a user device to change the
settings and con?gure the user device for speci?c formats or
applications to be used with the user devices. Individuals or
corporate policies are generally averse to downloading unfa
miliar software that may change the format of their devices or
the characteristics of the content they are sharing in the col
laborative environment. Translation software may be needed
with tablets and smartphones to format the data being utilized
to meet some of the presentation system’s throughput
requirements. The formatting may enforce undesirable
changes on the look and feel of the presented data.
[0004] Currently, matrix-switching systems require a hard
wired or cabled/wired connection to reliably transmit and
receive the required bandwidth of data to and from the devices
Wiring a meeting room is inconvenient and costly; problems
compounded when moving or modifying meeting spaces
resulting in opening up walls, ?oors, and ceilings to remove
or add wires and cables. The effects are often disruptive and
may cause meetings to take longer than necessary.
[0007] Currently, wireless connectivity is preferred over
wired connectivity within corporations, educational facili
ties, and other types of organizations. However, currently
available wireless presentation systems (e. g. Apple TV, InFo
cus LiteShow III, Barco Clickshare, etc.) are not collaborative
and do not control multiple peripherals simultaneously. These
wireless systems are designed for an individual to present or
send content or data to a single peripheral device that is solely
controlled by the individual. That is, to present a counterpoint
during a meeting or presentation by taking over a connected
peripheral device, a ?rst individual must surrender control to
a second individual; a wireless version of “passing the cord.”
[0008] Security issues prevent many facilities from using a
wireless system for fear that the signal, communication, data,
ideation, information, and the like, may be compromised by
surveillance outside of the enclosed environment or other
wireless security fears. Consequently, many collaborative
workspaces default to wired infrastructures with cables and
wires for connectivity to insure data and communication
security. In today’s work environment, where user device
technologies allow for individuals and teams to access infor
mation and data immediately, a secure wireless environment
is necessary for individuals and teams to communicate, share,
collaborate and ideate around electronically presented data
while simultaneously controlling access to the signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009]
In one aspect, the invention relates to a system for
connected thereon. In addition, accessing and controlling the
peripheral devices connected to typical wired matrix-switch
providing access to shared multimedia content within a
ing systems requires multiple input devices. That is, currently,
a plurality of remote connection devices. The hub, con?gured
to provide a wireless network having a frequency of 60 GHZ
no single command and control device can control the data
de?ned room environment. The system comprises a hub and
presentation, the matrix-switching and the connected periph
and compatible with the IEEE 802.1 1ad protocol, delivers the
eral devices.
wireless network via a plurality of radio transceivers and has
[0005] While wired connections may be capable of han
dling the large amount of bandwidth needed to send and
at least one local device connection, wherein the at least one
local device connection includes an interface to an associated
wide area network. The hub has a controller which contains a
receive information between all connected devices in a con
ferencing environment, corresponding wireless systems do
switching logic processor. The plurality of remote connection
not. Due to the limited bandwidth capabilities of currently
available wireless systems, wireless applications cannot
handle the amount of two-way information being sent from
hard-wired matrix switches to peripheral computing and mul
timedia devices. That is, conventional wireless technology
does not support a broadband signal with the necessary band
width requirements to send unbuffered and uncompressed
devices each having at least one radio transceiver are con?g
ured to connect to one of the radio transceivers of the hub via
a wireless link. Each of the remote connection devices is
con?gured to be connected with at least one of a user device
brought into the room environment or a multimedia device
located within the room environment. Each of the plurality of
remote connection devices is capable of being associated with
US 2014/0362161A1
Dec. 11, 2014
cols that a connected user device or a connected multimedia
board, a touchscreen overlay device, a cable set-top box, and
a satellite set-top box. It is contemplated that future technolo
device is capable of receiving or transmitting. When the hub
gies including holographic projectors, silicon-infused verti
a user device or a multimedia device and one or more proto
is connected to a plurality of remote connection devices by a
cal glass walls as monitors or communications devices, and
wireless link, a connected user device or a connected multi
media device can act as a source for transmission of multi
media content to the hub. The hub rebroadcasts the multime
telepresence systems will be packaged as multimedia devices
for meeting room environments and include capabilities for
connectivity similar to that provided by current multimedia
dia content from the source to at least some of the other
connected remote connection devices which can receive all or
devices.
[0019] In a meeting room 10, the hub 16 may be advanta
a part of the broadcasted multimedia content. When another
of the connected remote connection devices issues a control
request signal to the hub, the hub then designates another of
geously located to deliver the highest data throughput for the
entirety of the peripheral devices. The hub 16 may be sus
pended from the ceiling of the meeting room or centrally
the connected remote connection devices as the source and
located on a conference table 11 or integrated into an element
broadcasts multimedia content from the newly-indicated
of the table 11 such as a table leg. The hub 16 is powered with
a standard AC/DC power connection, and may additionally
include a standard wired ethernet connection and plain old
source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010]
In the drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a meeting room with a system for
providing access to shared multimedia content according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram ofthe system ofFIG. 1 illustrat
ing the hub and remote connection devices.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a remote connection device and an
application for selectively controlling the system for shared
multimedia content.
[0014]
FIG. 4 illustrates a secure meeting environment
where the size and shape of the environment is recon?g
urable.
[0015]
FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a hub according
to an embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a remote con
nection device according to an embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
[0017] Referring now to FIG. 1, a meeting room 10 with a
system 14 for providing access to shared multimedia content
is shown. The meeting room 10 is bound by a ?oor, ceiling
and walls 12 of which form a de?ned room environment.
Furniture typical to a meeting room include conference tables
11 and chairs 13.A hub 16 is con?gured to provide a wireless
network in the meeting room 10. To enable high-performance
collaborative sharing, the wireless network operates over the
telephone service (POTS).
[0020] Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of the
system 14 is shown. The hub 16 delivers the wireless network
via a plurality of radio transceivers 24. The radio transceivers
24 wirelessly transmit and receive electronic communica
tions with the remote connection devices 22. The remote
connection devices 22 are each associated with a user device
18 brought into the meeting room or a multimedia device 20
located within the meeting room.
[0021] At least one of the radio transceivers 24 is preferably
located physically within the housing of the hub 16. Each
radio transceiver 24 includes electronic elements for commu
nicating high performance wireless data across a channel in
the 60 GHZ wireless regime. The electronic elements include
wireless transmit and receive electronics including ampli?ers
and ?lters, etc. Each radio transceiver 24 includes one or more
antenna elements where the antenna elements may support
beamforming according to the IEEE 802.1 lad protocol for
adaptively signaling within the coverage area of the radio
transceiver. The hub 16 preferably includes multiple radio
transceivers 24. For example, the hub 16 may include four
radio transceivers 24 to deliver the wireless network, though
the system 14 readily scales upward with the addition of more
radios, such as 8 or 16 depending upon the implementation.
[0022] Applied to wireless terrestrial applications, the
natural attenuation of 60 GHZ wirelessly transmitted signals
has been viewed as a limitation in the wireless networking
industry because of the high absorption of the signal in oxy
gen and the narrow beamwidth inherent to high frequency
60 GHZ frequency band and is compatible with 802.11ad
protocol. Via the wireless network, the hub 16 communicates
shared multimedia content with peripheral devices including
transmission. Consequently, the wireless networking indus
try relies entirely on adaptive beamforming to increase the
user devices 18 and multimedia devices 20 located within the
herein utilizes multiple (i.e. at least four) 60 GHZ radio trans
ceivers 24 within the housing of the hub 16 to take advantage
of spatially de?ned channels within the meeting room space.
That is, each radio transceiver 24 may operate a portion of the
meeting room 10 via one or more remote connection devices
22. The shared multimedia content may include one or more
of text, imagery, video, audio, interactive, hypermedia, tele
phony and combinations thereof.
[0018] The user devices 18 are personal portable consumer
electronics brought into the meeting room 10 and may
include, but not be limited to, a laptop computer, a smart
phone, a tablet computing device, a wearable computing
device, etc. The multimedia devices 20 located within the
meeting room 10 may include, but not be limited to, a televi
sion screen 20A, a monitor, a DVD player 20E, a computer, a
video playing device, an audio speaker 20D, an ampli?er, a
projector 20B, a high de?nition visual communication
(HDVC) device, a telephony system 20C, a voice over Inter
net Protocol (VOIP) system, a camera, an electronic white
distance of a transmission. However, the system 14 described
wireless network where the portion is de?ned by an area or
volume of the meeting room 10.As shown in FIG. 2, the radio
transceivers 24A-D and 24N wirelessly transmit and receive
in a respective portion 25A-D and 25N of the meeting room
10. In this way, the system 14 takes advantage of the narrow
beamwidth properties of the 60 GHZ wireless regime such
that spatially de?ned channels may be individually and simul
taneously operated in a meeting room 10 at substantially the
same operating frequency. In other words, spatially de?ned
channels allow for spectral reuse within the meeting room
environment. Con?guring the spatially de?ned channels may,
in part, determine the particular placement of the hub 1 6 in the
US 2014/0362161A1
Dec. 11, 2014
of the protocol depends on the protocols that the particular
meeting room 10. That is, the location of the hub 16 may be
preferably selected to orient the radio transceivers and asso
user device 18 or multimedia device 20 are capable of receiv
ciated antennas to advantageously maximize signal strength
ing and/ or transmitting.
throughout the room environment.
[0023] Additional radio transceivers 26 may be located
[0029] The hub 16 is connected to the remote connection
devices 22 by a wireless link according to the IEEE 802.1 lad
externally of the housing of the hub 16. The walls of the
protocol. A connected user device 18 or a multimedia device
meeting room 10 may house one or more additional radio
20 may act as a source for transmission of multimedia content
transceivers 26, each connected to the hub 16 via a wired or
act as a relay and pass communication from the hub 16 into an
to the hub 16. The hub 16 rebroadcasts the multimedia con
tent from the source to at least some of the other connected
remote connection devices 22. Each connected remote con
nection device 22 may receive all or a part of the broadcasted
multimedia content. When another of the connected remote
connection devices 22 issues a control request signal to the
adjacent room environment where the hub 16 is not physi
cally located. Additional radio transceivers 26 may be located
nected remote connection devices 22 as the source. The hub
wireless connection depending upon the implementation.
The walls may be static, conventional walls but may include
moveable elements such as a curtain, etc. In this way, the wall
may include a radio transceiver 26 con?gured to selectively
within a piece of fumiture located within the de?ned room
environment of the meeting room 10.
[0024] The hub 16 includes at least one local device con
nection 28. The local device connection 28 includes an inter
face to an associated wide area network. The interface to the
associated wide area network may be a direct or indirect
connection to the Internet. In this way, the system 14 connects
users physically located within the meeting room with
sources of data located external to the meeting room that
includes audio and video conferencing data indicative of
communications with remote collaborators.
[0025] The hub 16 includes a controller that contains a
switching logic processor 30. The switching logic processor
30 is con?gured to input multiple different streams of multi
media content. The switching logic processor 30 may split or
duplicate the streams, directing multiple output streams. The
switching logic processor 30 directs the multiple output
streams such that the data is directed to multiple user devices
18 and multimedia device 20 at approximately the same time.
hub 16, the hub 16 may then designate another of the con
16 may then broadcast multimedia content transmitted from
the newly-indicated source. When a user device 18 or a mul
timedia device 20 has a compatible wireless networking inter
face resident thereon, the hub 16 is con?gured to receive
connections directly with the user device 18 or multimedia
device 20 without an intervening remote connection device
22.
[003 0] Referring now to FIG. 3, a remote connection device
22 and an application for selectively controlling the system
for shared multimedia content is illustrated. The remote con
nection device 22 includes at least one 60 GHZ transceiver 32
electrically coupled to a processor 42 disposed on a printed
circuit board (PCB) 43 and input/output (I/O) ports 44. A
housing 46 sealing the electrical components therein may be
plastic, molded rubber, ceramic, aluminum or any material or
combination of materials used for electronics housings. For
hard-wired connections to a user device 18, the remote con
nection device 22 may include a tether 48. The tether 48 may
include one or more ports 50 for standard electrical connec
That is, the switching logic processor 30 synchronously mul
tors and may include compatibility with, for example, a Dis
tiplexes and delivers multimedia content to the radio trans
ceivers 24 for transmission to the peripheral devices con
housing 46, display elements may include LED-based
nected to the network. In this way, the hub 16 acts as a matrix
playPort , an HDMI port, a USB port, etc. Disposed on the
OLED/AMOLED diodes 52, a touch screen or other display
technologies.
switcher con?gured to wirelessly deliver multimedia content.
For example, the hub 16 may simultaneously route multiple
uncompressed high de?nition video streams to various mul
[0031] A software application resides on the hub 16 which
may only be accessed by a designated source remote connec
timedia devices 20.
[0026] The hub 16 includes a solid-state drive 29 that is
shared to all currently-connected remote connection devices
the hub 16, the designated source remote connection device
22. In this way, each user device 18 connected on the wireless
network may share ?les and other multimedia content
between connected user devices 18. Upon disconnection of a
user device 18 from the wireless network, the hub 16 may
delete any shared ?les.
[0027] Each of the remote connection devices 22 includes
at least one radio transceiver 32. Each of the radio transceivers
on the remote connection devices 22 is con?gured to connect
to one of the radio transceivers 24 of the hub 16 via a wireless
link. Each of the remote connection devices 22 is con?gured
to be connected with the peripheral devices, including one or
more user devices 18 brought into the room environment or a
multimedia device 20 located within the room environment.
The remote connection devices 22 are each con?gured to be
connected with the peripheral devices located within the
tion device 22. Using the software application transmitted by
22 may control one or more of the multimedia devices 20
located in the environment of the meeting room 10. The
software application allows for a command and control menu
of the hub 16 to be sent via the wireless network to a user
device 18 connected to the source remote connection device
22. By manipulation of the command and control menu, a
user device 18 controls the multimedia devices 20 to create a
uni?ed audio/visual presentation of multimedia content. The
user device 18 wirelessly transmits content to the peripheral
devices wirelessly connected via the 60 GHZ wireless net
work. In this way, an individual in the meeting room may
control the connected multimedia devices through the display
interface on their user device 18 to selectively share multi
media content.
[0032] In practice, when a collaborative team enters the
meeting room, each individual obtains a remote connection
device 22 and connects it to their user devices 18 by either a
room environment via a wired or a wireless connection.
wireless connection (e.g. WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, IR, 60 GHZ
[0028]
WiGig, etc.) or by a tethered wired connection (i.e. a high
speed serial connection like USB) depending upon the capa
Each of remote connection devices 22 are capable of
being associated with a user device 18 or a multimedia device
20 by one or more wired or wireless protocols. The selection
bilities of the particular user device 18. The designated source
US 2014/0362161Al
Dec. 11, 2014
remote connection device 22, when connected to a user
device 18 generates a menu 34 on the user device 18 allowing
paired with architectural components that make up an
enclosed room such as walls, ?oors, ceiling, moveable walls,
for the direct control of the peripheral devices connected to
the hub 16 through the 60 GHZ wireless network. The desig
doors, windows, recon?gurable walls, partition walls, and the
like, the signal may not be able to penetrate outside of the
nated source remote connection 22 transmits multimedia con
environment created, which in turn creates a de-facto secure
tent stored directly on and from the user device 18 to the hub
16 and then to one or more selected multimedia devices 20 by
wireless space. In this way, the meeting room and its archi
tectural components therein create a “natural Faraday cage”
selecting indicia 36 corresponding to the multimedia devices
to enable the creation of a secure wireless environment within
the enclosed meeting room environment. In contrast to exist
20. For example, selection of indicia on the menu 34 of the
user device 18 corresponding to a television screen 20A or
ing wireless technologies, auxiliary technologies or devices
whiteboard directs the multimedia content to the correspond
are not required to mask or block the transmittal signal within
the enclosed environment.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a secure meeting environment
ing multimedia devices 20. The switching logic processor in
the hub 16 then selectively multiplexes the multimedia con
tent to direct, for example, the graphical or video data to
television screen 20A, an electronic whiteboard or monitor
and the audio data to speakers 20. In this way, multimedia
content may be shared with any combination of multimedia
devices 20 and user devices 18 in the meeting room. Addi
where the size and shape of the environment is recon?g
urable. In a ?rst meeting room 100 con?gured with a hub 16,
the participants 112 inside the room 100 may collaborate
sharing content as described above. For example, data on a
tionally, when the multimedia content includes telephony,
user device may be displayed on an electronic whiteboard
20F. An individual 114 outside the meeting room 100 in an
video and audio data relating to a conference call may be
directed to appropriate multimedia devices 20 including a
adjacent hallway is not able to surveil the electronic data of
the 60 GHZ wireless network because of the intervening wall
monitor and speakers 20D.
structure 113. Similarly, an individual 116 in an adjacent
meeting room 110 is not able to surveil the data due to the
[0033]
While the menu 34 and corresponding controls may
include virtual buttons displayed on a display of a user device
18, the remote connection device 22 may include additional
controls in the form of hardwired buttons. The remote con
nection device 22 may include a “Go” button 38 to initiate and
execute the transmission of multimedia content stored on the
intervening wall structure 117.
[0038] The intervening wall structure 117 between the
meeting rooms may include an element that includes a radio
transceiver 118 for connecting to the hub 16. The wall struc
user device 18 to the hub 16, that, in turn, broadcasts to the
corresponding multimedia devices 20. The remote connec
tion device 22 may include a “Menu” button 40. The actuation
of the “Menu” button 40 initiates the selection of the indicia
corresponding to multimedia devices 20 to which multimedia
ture 117 may include a selectively moveable element such as
a curtain or shade. When moved to an open position, the wall
element 118 acts as a relay con?gured to pass communication
from the hub into an adjacent room environment such as the
second meeting room 110 where the hub 16 is not located.
The user devices and multimedia devices in the second meet
content is to be transmitted.
[0034] Other elements of the user interface of the remote
connection device 22 may include visual feedback to con?rm
connectivity with a user device 18. That is, when the remote
elements of the system for sharing multimedia content. In this
way, the individual 116 in the second meeting room 110 may
share content with those individuals 112 in the ?rst meeting
connection device 22 wirelessly pairs with a user device 18,
the remote connection device 22 may include, for example, a
lighted display element 52 that glows blue to convey a suc
cessful connection to the user device 18. As the user selects
indicia 36 of available multimedia devices 20 with which to
transmit multimedia content, a lighted display element 52
may glow red to convey a successful connection.
[0035]
Due to inherent properties of the 60 GHZ frequency
of the wireless network operating in a closed environment of
ing room 110 such as an electronic whiteboard 20G are now
room 100 while preserving the secure environment prevent
ing eavesdropping by the individual 114 outside the now
recon?gured meeting room that includes the ?rst and second
meeting rooms 110, 112.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of a hub
according to an embodiment is shown. As described above,
the hub 16 is the central device to the system and connects
wirelessly to the remote connection devices. In one embodi
less environment. Put simply, unless an individual is in the
meeting room environment, they cannot access the wireless
network of the meeting room.
ment, the hub 16 includes multiple separate HDMI inputs
210, 212. The HDMI inputs 210, 212 include input circuitry
that, in conjunction with the hub’s processor 230, convert the
input signals to a digital format compatible for transfer to
other components of the system. While HDMI is currently the
[0036]
most common type of high de?nition video connector avail
a meeting room 10, the system 14 also creates a secure wire
The natural attenuation of the 60 GHZ frequency of
the wireless network, which is also referred to as a millimeter
wave frequency, may be absorbed into the atmosphere after
distances of approximately 50 to 60 feet. The wavelength of
the radio transmission of the wireless network is approxi
mately 5 mm. Consequently, the transmissions, unlike longer
wavelength WiFi signals (e.g. 2.4 GHZ UHF and 5 GHZ SHF
bands), do not readily penetrate architectural components like
walls. Speci?cally, the 60 GHZ wireless network does not
penetrate the common materials such as metal, glass, wood,
drywall, and the like that typically make up architectural
able, the hub 16 also includes additional high de?nition video
inputs. For example, the hub 16 may include a DisplayPort
input 214.As with the HDMI inputs 210, 212, the DisplayPort
input 214 includes input circuitry, that in conjunction with the
hub’s processor 230, converts the input signal to a digital
format compatible for transfer to the other components of the
system. The hub 16 may include multiple gigabit Ethernet
connections 216. The hub 16 includes multiple high de?ni
tion outputs as well. As shown, the hub 16 includes two
components. Additionally, the high frequency enables high
HDMI outputs 220, 222 that may be con?gured to output
identical duplicate signals or two different independent sig
digital data rates; resulting in a preferred wireless network in
secure conference, collaborative, and teaming spaces. When
nals. Similarly, the hub 16 includes at least one DisplayPort
output 224.
US 2014/0362161A1
[0040] The hub 16 may include multiple serial connections.
As shown, the hub 16 includes four USB 3.0 ports 218 for
connecting to external devices. The four USB 3.0 ports 218
Dec. 11, 2014
includes capabilities for converting received data streams into
HDMI-compatible formats. The processor 230 includes con
nections to onboard RAM 328 and non-volatile memory or
include circuitry for compatibility to legacy USB 2.0 and
?ash 340 to support the execution of the operating system and
USB 1.0 devices such as akeyboard, amouse, avideo camera,
etc. The hub 16 may also include a serial port connection 244.
general purpose processing including the formatting of the
digital data.
Some conference calling equipment and many legacy elec
tronic devices include serial port connectivity.
[0041] The hub 16 may include audio input and output
ports 242. The audio input and output ports 242 may include
one or more connections for TRS, TRS micro-jack, XLR
male, XLR female, microphone mini-jack, headphone mini
jack, TOSLINK optical, RCA, coaxial, MIDI, etc.
[0042] The processor 230 controls the operations of the hub
16 and includes execution of an operating system for the hub
16. The operating system may be commercial-off-the-shelf,
open source, bespoke or combinations thereof. The processor
230 includes capabilities for handling large data rates, includ
ing multiple simultaneous, uncompressed high-de?nition
video streams. The processor 230 includes connectivity to
random access memory (RAM) 228 which is rated to a size
and speed to accommodate the most severe data loads
handled by the processor 230.
[0043] The hub 16 includes a solid-state drive (SSD) 240.
The SSD 240 stores both the software to run the processor 230
and provide data storage space for users of the system.
[0044] The hub 16 includes a power supply 256 to provide
power. The hub 16 is mains powered. Consequently, the
power supply 256 includes an external UL certi?ed AC/DC
convertor accepting standard 120 VAC mains power.
[0045] As described above, the hub 16 may include mul
tiple radio transceivers. As shown in FIG. 5, the hub may
include four radio transceivers 248, 250, 252, 254. The radio
transceivers 248, 250, 252, 254 may be 802.11ad/WiGig
radios that operate in the unlicensed 60 GHZ frequency band.
The radios may include electronics and antenna elements for
implementing a beamforming strategy and may be placed
advantageously in the hub 16 to create the spatial channels
described above. To ensure su?icient bandwidth for multiple
[0049]
The remote connection device 22 includes at least
one HDMI input 310. The HDMI input 310 includes input
circuitry that, in conjunction with the remote connection
device’s processor 330, converts the input signal to a digital
format compatible for transfer to other components of the
system. The remote connection device 22 also includes addi
tional high de?nition video inputs. For example, the remote
connection device 22 may include a DisplayPort input 314.
As with the HDMI input 310, the DisplayPort input 314
includes input circuitry, that in conjunction with the remote
connection device’s processor 330, converts the input signal
to a digital format compatible for transfer to the other com
ponents of the system. The remote connection device 22
includes multiple high de?nition outputs as well. As shown,
the remote connection device 22 includes one HDMI output
320 and one DisplayPort output 324.
[0050] The remote connection device 22 includes display
elements such as LEDs 326 and buttons 346 to provide a
human-machine interface (HMI). In this way, an operator of
the remote connection device 22 may receive visual feedback
pertaining to the status of the remote connection device 22 via
the LEDs 326 and initiate instructions for execution of the
features of the remote connection device 22 via the buttons
346.
[0051] The remote connection device 22 may include a
power supply 256. The power supply 256 may include an
internal UL-certi?ed AC/DC convertor accepting standard
120 VAC mains power. The remote connection device 22 may
also include a battery 358 for power when no external power
source is readily available. The remote connection device 22
may include a pair of charging contacts 360 to connect to
external power and to charge the internal battery 358.
signals, all four radio transceivers 248, 250, 252, 254 con?g
[0052] For a wired, tethered connection to a user device and
acts as a tether, the remote connection device 22 may include
ured in the 802.1 lad protocol must be available in the system.
Consequently, the hub 16 as shown in FIG. 5 includes the four
a serial connector such as a USB 3.0 connection 318.
complete radios con?gured to operate simultaneously.
ence room, the de?ned room environment is not limited to
[0046] The hub 16 includes display elements such as LEDs
226 and buttons 246 to provide a human-machine interface
(HMI). In this way, an operator of the hub 16 may receive
visual feedback pertaining to the status of the hub 16 via the
LEDs 226 and initiate instructions for execution of the fea
tures of the hub 16 via the buttons 246.
[0047] Referring now to FIG. 6, a block diagram of a
remote connection device 22 according to an embodiment is
shown. Each remote connection device 22 includes a single
radio transceiver 348 to communicate to the hub 16 on any
corporate meeting space. The system for sharing multimedia
[0053]
While described above in the context of a confer
content is applicable to educational and conference spaces.
That is, the de?ned room environment may include class
rooms and conference halls where ideation for the purposes
of teaching increasingly relies on multimedia content and
access to distributed digital data. Additionally, the room envi
ronment may be de?ned by consumer living spaces such as
living rooms, kitchens, home of?ces and any living space
where consumers consume multimedia content. For example,
the hub, as described above, may connect satellite or cable
available wireless (e.g. WiGig) channel. The radio transceiver
set-top boxes to consumers’ televisions and home entertain
supports a data throughput of at least 7 Gbps. The radio
transceiver 348 includes an antenna array capable of beam
forming to control the directionality of the output wireless
ment systems as well as personal electronic devices such as
transmission and reception.
[0048] The remote connection device 22 includes a proces
sor 330 to manage the electronic components contained
therein and connected thereon. The processor 330 includes
capabilities for execution of an operating system. The oper
ating system may be commercial-off-the-shelf, open source,
bespoke or combinations thereof. The processor 230 also
smartphones and tablets. In this way, the system delivers
streamed multimedia seamlessly and wirelessly to the
plethora of home consumer electronics throughout private
domestic living spaces as well as corporate and public spaces.
[0054] Bene?ts of the system for providing access to shared
multimedia described above include the reduction and/or
removal of the wiring and cabling that is both tedious and
expensive to install and maintain. Additionally, the system
eliminates the need to download presentation software and/or
US 2014/0362161A1
translation software as well as eliminating the multiple
remote control devices (e.g. infrared (IR), near-?eld commu
Dec. 11, 2014
connection devices which can receive all or a part of the
control the multimedia devices in a meeting room. By sup
plying an environment with a single standard for connectivity,
broadcasted multimedia content, and wherein when
another of the connected remote connection devices
issues a control request signal to the hub, the hub then
designates the another of the connected remote connec
the system enables new and legacy user devices to connect
tion devices as the source and broadcasts multimedia
nication (NFC), Bluetooth etc.) necessary to conventionally
and control any of the connected peripherals in the meeting
room environment to seamlessly share data and communica
tive technologies. The system eliminates the need for multiple
input-based devices to command and control the various sys
tems used in the modern teaming and conferencing environ
ments. The wireless matrix switching hub of the system pro
cesses large amounts of data without latent pauses.
[0055]
The wireless aspect of the system allows for teaming
and moveable tables and other custom collaborative furniture
to operate as designed. Conventional wired technology teth
ers the fumiture and the con?nes of the meeting room envi
ronment, enforcing predesigned footprints when sharing
multimedia content due to the physical constraints of hard
wired connections. However, the system described above
may replace most if not all the hard-wired connections by a
wireless 60 GHZ pathway to let users share content and enable
custom and on-the-?y recon?guration of the room environ
ment including tables or other furniture and even the walls.
[0056] This written description uses examples to disclose
the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any
person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including
making and using any devices or systems and performing any
incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention
is de?ned by the claims, and may include other examples that
occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are
intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have
structural elements that do not differ from the literal language
of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements
with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of
the claims.
What is claimed is:
1. A system for providing access to shared multimedia
content within a de?ned room environment comprising:
a hub con?gured to provide a wireless network having a
frequency of 60 GHZ and compatible with the IEEE
802.1 lad protocol, the hub delivering the wireless net
work via a plurality of radio transceivers, and having at
least one local device connection, wherein the at least
one local device connection includes an interface to an
associated wide area network, the hub having a control
ler which contains a switching logic processor;
a plurality of remote connection devices each having at
least one radio transceiver, con?gured to connect to one
of the radio transceivers of the hub via a wireless link,
each of the remote connection devices con?gured to be
connected with at least one of a user device brought into
the room environment or a multimedia device located
within the room environment, each of the plurality of
remote connection devices capable of being associated
with a user device or a multimedia device and one or
more protocols that a connected a user device or a mul
timedia device is capable of receiving or transmitting;
wherein, when the hub is connected to a plurality of remote
connection devices by a wireless link, a connected a user
device or a multimedia device can act as a source for
content from the newly-indicated source.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface to an asso
ciated wide area network comprises a direct or indirect con
nection to the Internet.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plu
rality of radio transceivers is located physically within a hous
ing for the hub.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plu
rality of radio transceivers is located externally of a housing
for the hub, and connected to the hub via a wired connection.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein at least one of the plu
rality of radio transceivers is located within a piece of furni
ture within the de?ned room environment.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the user device brought
into the room environment comprises a laptop computer, a
smartphone, a tablet computing device, or a wearable com
puting device.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein a multimedia device
located within the room environment comprises a television
screen, a monitor, a DVD player, a computer, a video playing
device, an audio speaker, a projector, a high de?nition visual
communication (HDVC) device, a telephony system, a voice
over lntemet Protocol (VOIP) system, a camera, an electronic
whiteboard, a touchscreen overlay device, a cable set-top box,
and a satellite set-top box.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of remote
connection devices are each con?gured to be connected with
the at least one of a user device or the multimedia device
located within the room environment via a wired or a wireless
connection.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the wireless connection
between the remote connection device and the user device or
the multimedia device comprises a 60 GHZ wireless connec
tion.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the hub delivers the
wireless network via four radio transceivers.
11. The system of claim 1 and further comprising a soft
ware application resident on the hub which can only be
accessed by a designated source remote connection device for
control of one or more of the multimedia devices located in
the room environment.
12. The system of claim 1 and further comprising a soft
ware application transmitted by the hub to a designated
source remote connection device for control of one or more of
the multimedia devices located in the room environment.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the hub further com
prises a solid-state drive which is shared to all currently
connected remote connection devices which are connected to
a user device on the wireless network for sharing ?les and
other content between connected user devices.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein any shared ?les are
deleted by the hub upon disconnection of a user device from
the wireless network.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the hub is con?gured to
receive connections directly with user devices brought into
transmission of multimedia content to the hub, wherein
the hub rebroadcasts the multimedia content from the
the room environment when the user device has a compatible
source to at least some of the other connected remote
wireless networking interface resident thereon.
US 2014/0362161A1
16. The system of claim 1 wherein the room environment
comprises at least one wall element having at least one radio
transceiver connected to the hub.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one wall
element comprises a moveable curtain.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one wall
element includes at least one relay con?gured to pass com
munication from the hub into an adjacent room environment
where the hub is not physically located.
19. The system of claim 1 wherein the shared multimedia
content comprises text, imagery, video, audio, interactive,
hypermedia, telephony and combinations thereof.
20. The system of claim 1 wherein the shared multimedia
content comprises more than one uncompressed high de?ni
tion video stream.
Dec. 11, 2014

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