The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 28, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 09, 1998
Debby Hindus, San Francisco, CA (US);
Scott Mainwaring, San Francisco, CA (US);
Elin Pedersen, RedWood City, CA (US);
Sean Michael White, San Francisco, CA (US);
William Gaver, London, GB;
Interval Research Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A variable bandwidth communication system includes a first communication station and a second communication station coupled to the first communication station for continuous, by directional communication. The first communication station is capable of transmitting at a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth, and is capable of receiving at a third bandwidth and a fourth bandwidth greater than the third bandwidth. The transmitting bandwidth of the first communication station is selectable by first user. The second communication station is capable of receiving at the first bandwidth and at the second bandwidth and is capable at transmitting at the third bandwidth and the fourth bandwidth. Again, the transmitting bandwidth of the second communication station is selectable by the second user. Preferably, but not necessarily, the first bandwidth and the third bandwidth are about the same, and the second bandwidth and the fourth bandwidth are about the same. The first communication system is capable of displaying communication received at the fourth bandwidth at a first lower bandwidth display level, and the second communication system is capable of displaying communications received at the second bandwidth at a second lower bandwidth display level. In this fashion, two or more users can interact at a variety of threshold levels dependent upon the user's desires for privacy and/or high bandwidth communications.