Multi-pod conference systems

1. A multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants, comprising:

a plurality of pods for local conference participants wherein an individual pod connects to one or more said plurality of pods through a data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from another said individual pod, said individual pods further comprise:

pod processor means for providing communication and interpretation facilities for data and commands and for providing audio processing for various pod functions;

an input device and a display that couple to said pod processor means, said input device receives command input from the local conference participant, and said display provides visual indicators of the operational status to the local conference participant;

a loudspeaker that couples to a digital to analog converter that converts digital audio to analog audio, said loudspeaker couples to said pod processor means;

3 physical bi-polar microphones positioned at 120 degree intervals in the horizontal resting plane of the pod, each individual physical microphone connects to a pair of audio ports with each audio port being equal distance from said loudspeaker, said physical microphones couple to analog to digital converting means for converting the analog audio to digital audio, said physical microphones couple to said pod processor means;

3 virtual microphones for reducing common-mode noise, said virtual microphones are formed by virtual microphone means for combining 2 or more said physical microphones into a virtual microphone;

pod echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of sound between said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones and said loudspeaker; and

microphone gating means for determining the best microphone of said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones to gate on or off by using a loudness value, a quietness counter, and a noise floor value;

wherein said individual pod uses said microphone gating means to gate on or off said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones; and

pod gating means for determining the best individual pod to gate on or off using said computed values of said microphone gating means;

a base unit that couples to said plurality of pods through said data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from said plurality of pods, said base unit further couples to a carrier medium that communicates audio data from the local conference participants to and from the remote conference participants, said base unit further comprises:

base controller means for providing control and computation facilities for various base functions, said base controller means couples to said converting means for converting audio data between said carrier medium and said data communication means;

wherein said command input and display information from said individual pod is distributed to said plurality of pods such that said plurality of pods can be operated in tandem; and

wherein said computed values of said pod gating means is distributed to other said pods to gate said pods on and or off.

2. The claim of claim 1 wherein said base unit and said plurality of pods is configured in a daisy chain.

3. The claim of claim 1 wherein said data communication means includes a wired or a wireless connection.

4. The claim of claim 1 wherein said carrier medium further comprises a telephone line and said base unit further comprises base echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of local audio.

5. The claim of claim 1 where said carrier medium further comprises VOIP.

6. The claim of claim 1 wherein said microphone gating means only uses said virtual microphones for determining the best microphone to gate on or off.

7. A method of manufacturing a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants, comprising:

providing a plurality of pods for local conference participants wherein an individual pod connects to one or more said plurality of pods through a data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from another said individual pod, said individual pods further comprise:

providing pod processor means for providing communication and interpretation facilities for data and commands and for providing audio processing for various pod functions;

coupling an input device and a display to said pod processor means, said input device receives command input from the local conference participant, and said display provides visual indicators of the operational status to the local conference participant;

coupling a loudspeaker to a digital to analog converter that converts digital audio to analog audio, said loudspeaker couples to said pod processor means;

positioning 3 physical bi-polar microphones at 120 degree intervals in the horizontal resting plane of the pod, each individual physical microphone connects to a pair of audio ports with each audio port being equal distance from said loudspeaker, said physical microphones couple to analog to digital converting means for converting the analog audio to digital audio, said physical microphones couple to said pod processor means;

forming 3 virtual microphones for reducing common-mode noise by virtual microphone means for combining 2 or more said physical microphones into a virtual microphone;

providing pod echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of sound between said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones and said loudspeaker; and

providing microphone gating means for determining the best microphone of said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones to gate on or off by using a loudness value, a quietness counter, and a noise floor value;

wherein said individual pod uses said microphone gating means to gate on or off said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones; and

providing pod gating means for determining the best individual pod to gate on or off using said computed values of said microphone gating means;

providing a base unit that couples to said plurality of pods through said data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from said plurality of pods, said base unit further couples to a carrier medium that communicates audio data from the local conference participants to and from the remote conference participants, said base unit further comprises:

providing base controller means for providing control and computation facilities for various base functions, said base controller means couples to said converting means for converting audio data between said carrier medium and said data communication means;

wherein said command input and display information from said individual pod is distributed to said plurality of pods such that said plurality of pods can be operated in tandem; and

wherein said computed values of said pod gating means is distributed to other said pods to gate said pods on and or off.

8. The claim of claim 7 wherein said base unit and said plurality of pods is configured in a daisy chain.

9. The claim of claim 7 wherein said data communication means includes a wired or a wireless connection.

10. The claim of claim 7 wherein said carrier medium further comprises a telephone line and said base unit further comprises base echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of local audio.

11. The claim of claim 7 where said carrier medium further comprises VOIP.

12. The claim of claim 7 wherein said microphone gating means only uses said virtual microphones for determining the best microphone to gate on or off.

13. A method of using a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants, comprising:

providing a plurality of pods for local conference participants wherein an individual pod connects to one or more said plurality of pods through a data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from another said individual pod, said individual pods further comprise:

providing pod processor means for providing communication and interpretation facilities for data and commands and for providing audio processing for various pod functions;

receiving command input on an input device and providing visual indicators of the operational status on a display with the local conference participant, said input device and said display couple to said pod processor means;

converting digital audio to analog audio with a loudspeaker that couples to a digital to analog converter and said pod processor means;

using analog to digital converting means for converting the analog audio to digital audio with 3 physical bi-polar microphones positioned at 120 degree intervals in the horizontal resting plane of the individual pod, each individual physical microphone connects to a pair of audio ports with each audio port being equal distance from said loudspeaker, said physical microphones couple to said pod processor means;

forming 3 virtual microphones for reducing common-mode noise using virtual microphone means for combining 2 or more said physical microphones into a virtual microphone;

echo cancelling sound between said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones and said loudspeaker using pod echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of sound; and

determining the best microphone of said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones to gate on or off by using a loudness value, a quietness counter, and a noise floor value using microphone gating means;

wherein said individual pod uses said microphone gating means to gate on or off said physical microphones and or said virtual microphones; and

determining the best individual pod to gate on or off using said computed values of said microphone gating means using pod gating means;

providing a base unit that couples to said plurality of pods through said data communication means for communicating data and audio data to and from said plurality of pods, said base unit further couples to a carrier medium that communicates audio data from the local conference participants to and from the remote conference participants, said base unit further comprises:

providing base controller means for providing control and computation facilities for various base functions, said base controller means couples to said converting means for converting audio data between said carrier medium and said data communication means;

wherein said command input and display information from said individual pod is distributed to said plurality of pods such that said plurality of pods can be operated in tandem; and

wherein said computed values of said pod gating means is distributed to other said pods to gate said pods on and or off.

14. The claim of claim 13 wherein said base unit and said plurality of pods is configured in a daisy chain.

15. The claim of claim 13 wherein said data communication means includes a wired or a wireless connection.

16. The claim of claim 13 wherein said carrier medium further comprises a telephone line and said base unit further comprises base echo cancellation means for echo cancellation of local audio.

17. The claim of claim 13 where said carrier medium further comprises VOIP.

18. The claim of claim 13 wherein said microphone gating means only uses said virtual microphones for determining the best microphone to gate on or off.