Auxiliary Speaker Microphone System for Cellular Conference Calls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for enhancing cellular phone audio capabilities for group conversations are either expensive or limited in adaptability to different room sizes and numbers of participants, and do not effectively improve microphone functionality.
Innovation Solution
A supplemental speaker and microphone system that connects to a cellular phone's audio socket, featuring a base with a primary dock, remote microphone pucks, and a transceiver, allowing for remote microphone placement and rechargeable batteries, enabling multiple participants to listen and speak without shouting or crowding around the phone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a speaker phone option is used on a cellular phone, then sound projection is improved, but participants must crowd around the phone and shout into it
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the audio functionality into separate components: a base unit with speaker and a remote microphone puck. This segmentation allows the speaker to be positioned optimally for sound projection while the microphone can be placed remotely to capture audio without requiring participants to crowd around the phone.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote microphone puck acts as an intermediary between participants and the cellular phone. It captures audio signals from participants at a distance and transmits them to the base unit, eliminating the need for participants to shout into the phone while maintaining clear audio capture.
2Reliability
If conference phones with multiple microphones are used, then multiple participants can speak clearly, but the system becomes expensive and limited to land lines
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to work with universal cellular phone audio jacks, making it compatible with multiple phone models and types. The base unit connects to the cellular phone's existing audio interface, while remote pucks can be stacked or positioned independently, providing multi-functional adaptability for different group sizes and configurations without requiring expensive dedicated conference phone hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using expensive dedicated conference phone hardware, the system creates a functional copy of conference phone capabilities by using remote microphone pucks that can be positioned around the room. These pucks replicate the audio capture function of expensive conference phone microphones but at a lower cost and with greater flexibility.
3Illumination intensity
If external audio speakers are connected to improve audio output, then sound quality is improved, but microphone capabilities remain unchanged
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges audio output improvement with microphone functionality enhancement in a single integrated solution. The base unit provides improved speaker output while simultaneously accepting remote microphone pucks that enhance audio capture, eliminating the need for separate solutions for each function.
4Adaptability or versatility
If remote microphone pucks are used, then participants can be distributed across larger spaces, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a nested configuration where remote microphone pucks can be stacked on top of each other or placed on the base unit. Each puck contains all necessary components (microphone, transceiver, battery) in an integrated nested design, simplifying the overall system while allowing flexible deployment across different room sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
Each remote microphone puck is a self-contained unit with its own rechargeable battery and wireless transceiver. The pucks automatically connect to the base unit when in range, and can be independently positioned without requiring complex configuration or wiring, allowing participants to easily adapt the system to different room layouts.
Data Source
AI summary
A supplemental speaker and microphone system for use with a cellular phone has a plug to connect to an audio socket of the cellular phone. A base of the system carries a speaker, a primary microphone and a primary transceiver. A pair of remote microphone pucks is removably disposed on the base, and each has a secondary microphone, a secondary transceiver, and a battery. The system converts the cellular phone into a conference phone without the need of wirelessly connecting the cellular phone to the system.