Multi-pod conference systems

Abstract

This disclosure describes a multi-pod conferencing system for local conference participants to communicate with remote conference participants that includes a plurality of pods for local conference participants where an individual pod connects to one or more plurality of pods through a data communication means. The individual pods further include the following: pod processor means; an input device and a display; a loudspeaker that couples to a digital to analog converter; 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 the loudspeaker, the physical microphones couple to analog to digital converting mean and pod processor means; 3 virtual microphones; pod echo cancellation means; and microphone gating means. The disclosed system further includes a base unit that couples to the plurality of pods through the data communication means. The base unit further includes base controller means, where the base controller means couples to the converting means. The system further includes the command input and display information from the individual pod that distributed to the plurality of pods such that the plurality of pods can be operated in tandem and where the computed values of the pod gating means is distributed to other pods to gate the pods on and or off.