Communication System Eavesdropping via Master Slave Audio Gateway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems, such as VoIP-based systems, face limitations in allowing multiple devices to connect and experience high latency when streaming audio signals, particularly when using smartphones or laptops as audio gateways, restricting effective participation in telephone conferences.
Innovation Solution
A communication system that enables a slave communication unit to eavesdrop an audio streaming signal between an audio gateway and a master communication unit by using a second wireless interface for transmission, allowing multiple communication links and reducing latency through encryption key sharing and internal communication protocols like Bluetooth or DECT.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If VoIP-based systems are used to enable multiple users to join a telephone conference, then multiple communication units can participate, but the system demands several highly expensive communication units with internet connection
Solution Approach 1:
The master communication unit acts as an intermediary between the audio gateway and slave communication units. It receives the audio streaming signal from the audio gateway via Bluetooth and redistributes it to multiple slave units, eliminating the need for each slave unit to have direct internet connection or pairing capability with the audio gateway.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the communication roles into master and slave units. The master unit handles complex functions including internet connectivity, audio processing, and encryption key management, while slave units perform simpler functions of receiving and playing audio, reducing individual device requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If VoIP-based systems are used for telephone conference, then multiple users can join, but there is high latency between voice being captured by the microphone and played by the speakers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the audio streaming signal from the internet-based VoIP pathway and transfers it via direct Bluetooth connection from the audio gateway to the master communication unit. This removes the internet transmission delay from the audio path, significantly reducing latency.
3Reliability
If an audio gateway is paired via Bluetooth to a single communication unit, then the connection is simple and stable, but only one communication unit can be connected
Solution Approach 1:
The master communication unit serves as an intermediary that maintains the stable Bluetooth connection with the audio gateway while simultaneously distributing audio to multiple slave units. This preserves the reliability of the primary connection while enabling multi-device functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The master communication unit performs multiple functions: it acts as a Bluetooth audio receiver from the audio gateway, a wireless audio distributor to multiple slave units, and an encryption key manager. This multi-functionality enables one device to support multiple connections indirectly.
4Adaptability or versatility
If slave communication units eavesdrop on the audio streaming signal via the second communication link, then multiple devices can participate without direct pairing, but security concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
Slave communication units receive a copy of the encryption key from the master unit, allowing them to decrypt and eavesdrop on the audio stream without having direct pairing credentials with the audio gateway. This copying mechanism enables secure access for multiple devices without compromising the primary pairing security.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure presents a method and a communication system comprising; an audio gateway including; a first wireless interface configured to transmit and receive an audio signal via a first communication link, a processing unit configured to transfer the audio signal into an audio streaming signal, a second wireless interface configured to transmit the audio streaming signal via a second communication link, a plurality of communication units comprising a master communication unit and at least a first slave communication unit, wherein each of the communication unit comprises: a first wireless interface configured to receive the audio streaming signal via the second communication link and to communicate with a communication unit, a speaker configured to sound the audio streaming signal received from the audio gateway, a memory unit, and wherein the master communication unit is configured to transmit a pairing request via the second communication link to the audio gateway, and the audio gateway transmits then an encryption key to the master communication unit, and the first slave communication unit is configured to request the encryption key by transmitting an encryption request including an identification of the first slave communication unit to the master communication unit via a first internal communication link, and the master communication unit transmits then the encryption key relating to the second communication link to the first slave communication unit based on an access criteria, and the first slave communication unit is then configured to eavesdrop the audio streaming signal being communicated via the second communication link between the audio gateway and the master communication unit.