Wireless surround sound speaker system

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6487296
  • Patent Number
    6,487,296
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, September 30, 1998
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 26, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
Disclosed is a wireless surround sound speaker system wherein a transmitter broadcasts a variety of FM signals that correspond to the individual speaker channels commonly found in a surround sound system. Receivers, individually equipped with signal receiving, conditioning and amplification components, are configured to receive any one of the broadcast signals in a remote location and are used to drive a conventional loudspeaker in that location. Powered by wall socket or via DC battery packs, the receivers, used in conjunction with the transmitter, provide surround sound capabilities without the need for complex and difficult wiring.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates generally to wireless speaker systems and more specifically to a wireless surround sound speaker system in which a transmitting unit transmits separate and distinct signals for all of the various output channels requisite of surround sound processing.




2. Description of the Related Art




Home theater entertainment systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex. Typical surround sound systems incorporate at least five speakers: front right and left speakers, rear right and left speakers and a front center speaker, requiring that a number of loudspeakers be placed throughout the viewing room, on all sides of the listener/viewer, in order to achieve the desired audio effects. In fact, in some home theater systems, speakers are also placed throughout the entire house in order to broadcast music to every room when the theater effects are not in use. As a result, a multitude of speaker wires must be run throughout the room and the house to each speaker which can be extremely difficult to accomplish. Also, the fact that there is an individual channel associated with each of the surround sound speakers that makes attaching a speaker wire to the correct receiver output channel and speaker equally troublesome. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which the surround sound speakers can be placed and used throughout a room, or even an entire home, while avoiding the burdens associated with wiring such speakers and adjusting their channel selection and equalization settings. The development of the present invention fulfills this need. To accomplish this, switchable receiving units are tuned to a desired transmitter output channel and include an integrated amplifier, signal biasing capabilities and a graphic equalizer for adjusting the tonal characteristics of the individual speaker to which it is connected, thereby allowing use of the present invention interchangeably with existing loudspeaker arrangements and adjusted at a remote location.




A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, several references disclose wireless speaker systems in which FM or infrared signals are transmitted to speakers that are equipped with signal receiving and amplification electronics that are used to drive the loudspeakers. While many of these inventions touch upon the principles of surround sound processing and wireless signal transmission, none of these devices include any individualized channel selection or equalization features that allow the speakers to be used interchangeably and therefore neither anticipate nor disclose any embodiment that would preclude its novelty and the utilitarian functionality of the present invention:




U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,718, issued in the name of Ambourn et al.;




U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,658, issued in the name of Borchardt et al.;




U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,422, issued in the name of Harrison et al.;




U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,323, issued in the name of Schotz et al.;




U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,641, issued in the name of Abe et al.;




U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,388, issued in the name of Mlodzikowski et al.; and




U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,382, issued in the name of Kenney.




The '718 patent, issued in the name of Ambourn et al., discloses a surround sound processor system in which an audio signal is decoded into in-phase and out-of-phase components. The in-phase signals are sent via FM transmitter to a receiver component that is connected to an amplifier that boosts the signal, driving the center channel loudspeaker(s). The out-of-phase signals are sent via FM transmitter to a receiver component that is connected to an amplifier that boosts the signal, driving the rear channel loudspeaker(s). This disclosure differs from the present invention in that the receiver/amplifier portions are not integrated into the speaker design which necessitates further wiring in the remote location. Furthermore, the '718 invention requires the use of external wiring connections between the receiver/amplifier combination, making likely the occurrence of the problems to which the present invention is directed.




The '658 patent, issued in the name of Borchardt et al., discloses a wireless signal transmission system wherein an audio signal is via FM transmission to a pair of wireless headphones. The disclosure neither discloses nor anticipates any surround sound applications utilizing loudspeakers with integrated signal receiving, amplification channel selection and graphic equalization capabilities.




The '422 patent, issued in the name of Harrison et al., discloses a remote speaker arrangement for surround sound applications intended to eliminate the need for front channel speakers. The wireless rear speakers are used to create “phantom” front speakers by combining a bipolar rear speaker with a mono front speaker. This arrangement, however, requires that the speakers be wired to a combination receiver/amplifier in the remote location and therefore suffers from the drawbacks that the present invention solves. The disclosure neither discloses nor anticipates any surround sound applications utilizing loudspeakers with integrated signal receiving, amplification channel selection and graphic equalization capabilities.




The '323 patent, issued in the name of Schotz et al., discloses an analog spread spectrum wireless speaker system intended to allow the user to place a pair of speakers at a remote location without the need to run speaker wires. The '641 patent, issued in the name of Abe et al., discloses a wireless receiver for use with headphones or loudspeakers. The device consists of a transmitter that transmits infrared radiation signals, modulated by an audio signal, to an infrared receiver that translated the signal to an audio signal and amplifies it for use with headphones or loudspeakers at a remote location. These disclosures differ from the present invention in that the receiver/amplifier portions are not integrated into the speaker design which necessitates further wiring in the remote location. Furthermore, the disclosures neither disclose nor anticipate any surround sound applications utilizing loudspeakers with integrated signal receiving, amplification channel selection and graphic equalization capabilities.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,388, issued in the name of Mlodzikowski et al., discloses an infrared speaker system in which a pair of remotely located speakers are fit individually with an infrared receiver and an audio amplifier. An infrared transmitter connected to a stereo or the like converts both left and right channel audio signals to an infrared signal and sends them to the speakers. Each speaker receiver is equipped with a filter that selects the appropriate channel, left or right, converts it to an audio signal and amplifies it, driving the loudspeaker. The '382 patent, issued in the name of Kenney, discloses a remote speaker system similar in nature to that of the '388 disclosure, the main difference being that an infrared signal rather than an FM signal is used to transmit the audio signal. While these disclosures do anticipate individual reception and amplification components in each speaker, the speakers are still limited to a single, non-selectable channel. Furthermore, the disclosures neither disclose nor anticipate any surround sound applications utilizing loudspeakers with integrated signal receiving, amplification channel selection and graphic equalization capabilities.




While several features exhibited within these references may be incorporated into this invention, alone and in combination with other elements, the present invention is sufficiently different so as to make it distinguishable over the prior art.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention consists of a system uses a transmitting unit that emits a low level FM signal for each of the surround sound speaker channels. The transmitting unit incorporates surround sound processing circuitry that in which the user can select the desired effect to apply to the signals, from large concert hall to intimate club settings, along with conventional front-rear biasing, right-left biasing and graphic equalization capabilities. Individual receiving units, powered either by DC battery supply or conventional AC wall socket, are used to receive the transmitted signal and drive existing loudspeaker arrangements. The receiving unit includes electronic components that receive the respective speaker channel signal, convert it to an audio signal and amplifies it in order to drive the loudspeaker. Each receiving unit is fit with a channel selection switch that allows it to be configured to receive and amplify any of the surround sound channel signals transmitted by the transmitting unit. Furthermore, each receiving unit includes individual left-right biasing, front-rear biasing and graphic equalization and volume adjustment capabilities that can be enabled and used in the remote location, defeating the settings of the transmitting unit in the scenario where users in different locations or rooms are listening to the same selection.




It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system wherein a transmitting unit and a receiving unit allows the user to place speakers about a room or rooms without running speaker wires from stereo components to each individual speaker assembly.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which each receiving unit is fully self sufficient, being powered either a battery powered DC supply or a power cord plugged into a conventional wall socket.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which a transmitter unit transmits individual channel signals, in stereo or surround sound, on an FM frequency.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which a transmitter unit includes the ability to adjust the settings for the left-right biasing, front-rear biasing, graphic equalization and volume of the transmitted signal(s).




It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which the use of a receiver assembly allows for use of the wireless speaker system with existing loudspeaker arrangements.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which each individual receiver assembly can be configured to receive any of the stereo or surround sound signals transmitted by the transmitter unit.




Finally, It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless speaker system in which each receiver assembly allows the user to adjust the individual settings for the left-right biasing, front-rear biasing, graphic equalization and volume of the transmitted signal(s), defeating those of the transmitter unit.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:





FIG. 1

is a plan view of the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a front view of the transmitter component of the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged front view of the control panel of the receiver unit component of the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a front view of a conventional loudspeaker used in conjunction with the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a block diagram depicting the operation of the transmitter component of the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 6

is a block diagram depicting the operation of the receiver unit component of the wireless surround sound speaker system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.











LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS






10


Speaker System






11


Listener






12


Television






13


Transmitter






14


Receiver






15


Front-Left Speaker






16


Front Right-Speaker






17


Center Speaker






18


Rear-Left Speaker






19


Rear-Right Speaker






20


Transmitter Control Panel






21


Graphic Equalizer






22


Sliding Knobs






23


Balance Knob






24


Fader Knob






25


Volume Knob






26


Surround Sound Effects Buttons






27


Power Switch






30


Loudspeaker






31


Speaker






32


Receiver Control Panel






33


Air Port






34


Graphic Equalizer






35


Sliding Knobs






36


Balance Knob






37


Fader Knob






38


Volume Knob






39


Conditioning Selection Switch






40


Channel Selection Knob






41


Power Switch






42


Power Cord






43


Two-Prong Plug






50


Home Theater/Stereo System






51


Sound Signals






52


Left Channel






53


Right Channel






54


Surround Sound Processor






55


In-Phase Sound Signal






56


Front-Left Sound Signal






57


Front-Right Sound Signal






58


Out-Of-Phase Sound Signal






59


Rear-Left Sound Signal






60


Rear-Right Sound Signal






65


In-Phase Transmitter Signal






66


Out-Of-Phase Transmitter






67


In-Phase Broadcast Signal






68


Out-Of-Phase Broadcast Signal






70


Signal Level Conditioning Circuitry






71


Conditioned In-Phase Sound Signal






72


Conditioned Front-Left Sound Signal






73


Conditioned Front-Right Sound Signal






74


Conditioned Out-Of-Phase Sound Signal






75


Conditioned Rear-Left Sound Signal






76


Conditioned Rear-Right Sound Signal






80


Conditioned In-Phase Transmitter






81


Conditioned Out-Of-Phase Transmitter






82


Conditioned In-Phase Broadcast Signal






83


Conditioned Out-Of-Phase Broadcast Signal






90


Conditioned In-Phase Signal Receiver






91


Conditioned Out-Of-Phase Signal Receiver






92


Conditioned Signal Decoder






93


First Selected Conditioned Signal






100


In-Phase Signal Receiver






101


Out-Of-Phase Signal Receiver






102


Unconditioned Signal Decoder






103


Selected Signal






105


Signal Level Conditioning Circuitry






106


Second Selected Conditioned






110


Amplifier




DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




1. Description of the Preferred Embodiment




Referring now to

FIG. 1

, depicted is a plan view of the remote surround sound speaker system, hereinafter speaker system


10


. The speaker system


10


is depicted in this figure in a surround sound home theater application where the listener


11


is viewing a television


12


upon which a motion picture or other program where the listener


11


may desire surround sound effects. The transmitter


13


transmits wireless signals to several receivers


14


that, in turn, are used to drive a front-left speaker


15


, a front right-speaker


16


, a center speaker


17


, a rear-left speaker


18


and a rear-right speaker


19


, broadcasting the appropriate sounds via loudspeakers


30


required to create the desired surround sound effect. As will be described in further detail herein below, the individual receivers


14


are identical in construction and can be configured so as assume the configuration of any of the aforementioned position-specific speakers (front-left, front-right, etc.). Furthermore, each receiver


14


is capable of either remote or local signal level conditioning wherein graphic equalization, balance adjustment, fader adjustment, and volume adjustment are applied to the signal broadcast by the transmitter


13


.




Referring now to

FIG. 2

, depicted is the transmitter


13


that is used in conjunction with the speaker system


10


. The transmitter control panel


20


houses the various controls that allow the user to define the operation of the transmitter


13


. A graphic equalizer


21


allows for the adjustment of the tonal characteristics of the sound, on several bands, by use of individual sliding knobs


22


. A balance knob


23


allows for the adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels. A fader knob


24


allows for the adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels. A volume knob


25


allows for the adjustment of the playing volume. An array of surround sound effects buttons


26


allow for the selection of a variety of surround sound effects to be applied to the broadcast signal. Connected to a conventional home entertainment or stereo system (not shown), the user can select from a variety of effects including normal stereo, concert hall, jazz club, theater, rock and pop. A power switch


27


allows the transmitter


13


to be powered on and off. The function of the controls located on the transmitter control panel


20


as they relate to the operation of the transmitter


13


will be discussed in further detail herein below.




Referring now to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, depicted is a receiver


14


for use in conjunction with the speaker system


10


to drive existing loudspeakers


30


without the need to run speaker wires (not shown) from the home entertainment or stereo system to each loudspeaker


30


. The loudspeaker


30


supports at least one speaker


34


and an air port


33


and is connected to the receiver


14


via speaker wires (not shown). The receiver control panel


32


houses the various controls that allow the user to define the operation of the receiver


14


. A graphic equalizer


34


allows for the adjustment of the tonal characteristics of the sound, on several bands, by use of individual sliding knobs


35


. A balance knob


36


allows for the adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels. A fader knob


37


allows for the adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels. A volume knob


38


allows for the adjustment of the playing volume. A conditioning location selection switch, hereinafter conditioning selection switch


39


allows the user to select the location of the signal conditioning for that particular receiver


14


. A channel selection knob


40


allows for individual channel selection on a per speaker basis. A power switch


41


allows the receiver


14


to be powered on and off. A power cord


42


with a two-prong plug


43


allows the speaker assembly to be powered by a conventional wall socket (not shown) and the receiver


14


includes an optional battery power supply (not shown) that allows the receiver to operate in a completely wireless(not including speaker wires), re-chargeable manner. The function of the controls located on the receiver control panel


32


as they relate to the operation of the receiver


14


will be discussed in further detail herein below.




2. Operation of the Preferred Embodiment




In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention and as shown in

FIG. 5

, the transmitter


13


used in conjunction with the speaker system


10


operates in the following manner. A home theater/stereo system


50


is used to feed sound signals


51


, consisting of a left channel


52


and right channel


53


, into the transmitter


13


. The sound signals


51


can be that generated by a variety of devices including a stereo receiver, CD player, cassette deck, video disc, DVD, etc. (Not shown). The sound signals


51


are first processed by a surround sound processor


54


in which the desired effect as defined by the user-selected surround sound effects buttons


26


. The surround sound processor


54


generates an in-phase sound signal


55


consisting of a front-left sound signal


56


and a front-right sound signal


57


, and an out-of-phase sound signal


58


consisting of a rear-left sound signal


59


and a rear-right sound signal


60


. The in-phase sound signal


55


and the out-of-phase sound signal


58


are fed to an in-phase transmitter


65


and an out-of-phase transmitter


66


, respectively. The in-phase transmitter


65


and out-of-phase transmitter


66


consist of FM transmitters used to transmit an in-phase broadcast signal


67


and an out-of-phase broadcast signal


68


.




The in-phase sound signal


55


and the out-of-phase sound signal


58


are also fed, in parallel, to signal level conditioning circuitry


70


, where the in-phase sound signal


55


and the out-of-phase sound signal


58


are further conditioned in terms of tonal characteristics of the sound, adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels, adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels and playing volume as defined by the user on the transmitter control panel


20


via the graphic equalizer


21


, balance knob


23


, fader knob


24


and volume knob


25


, respectively. The level conditioning circuitry


70


generates a conditioned in-phase sound signal


71


consisting of a conditioned front-left sound signal


72


and a conditioned front-right sound signal


73


, and a conditioned out-of-phase sound signal


74


consisting of a conditioned rear-left sound signal


75


and a conditioned rear-right sound signal


76


. The conditioned in-phase sound signal


71


and the conditioned out-of-phase sound signal


74


are fed to a conditioned in-phase transmitter


80


and a conditioned out-of phase transmitter


81


, respectively. The conditioned in-phase transmitter


80


and the conditioned out-of-phase transmitter


81


consist of FM transmitters used to transmit a conditioned in-phase broadcast signal


82


and a conditioned out-of-phase broadcast signal


83


.




In

FIG. 6

, the receiver


14


used in conjunction with the speaker system


10


operates in the following manner. The conditioned in-phase broadcast signal


82


and the conditioned out-of-phase broadcast signal


83


are received by a conditioned in-phase signal receiver


90


and a conditioned out-of-phase signal receiver


91


, respectively. The conditioned in-phase signal receiver


90


and conditioned out-of phase signal receiver


91


consist of FM receivers that retrieve the particular frequency generated by the conditioned in-phase transmitter


80


and the conditioned out-of-phase transmitter


81


, respectively.




Once received by the conditioned in-phase signal receiver


90


and the conditioned out-of-phase signal receiver


91


, the conditioned in-phase sound signal


71


and the conditioned out-of-phase sound signal


74


are sent to a conditioned signal decoder


92


wherein a single channel is selected, i.e. the conditioned front-left sound signal


72


, the conditioned front-right sound signal


73


, the conditioned rear-left sound signal


75


, the conditioned rear-right sound signal


76


, or a center signal (not shown), to be played by the particular receiver


14


. The center signal is a combination of both the conditioned front-left sound signal


72


and the conditioned front-right sound signal


73


, creating a monophonic signal. The selection is made by the user via the channel selection knob


40


located on the receiver control panel


32


. Thus, a first selected conditioned signal


93


is produced by the conditioned signal decoder


92


.




The in-phase broadcast signal


67


and an out-of-phase broadcast signal


68


are received by an in-phase signal receiver


100


and a out-of-phase signal receiver


101


, respectively. The in-phase signal receiver


100


and out-of-phase signal receiver


101


consist of FM receivers that retrieve the particular frequency generated by the in-phase transmitter


65


and an out-of-phase transmitter


66


, respectively.




Once received by the in-phase signal receiver


100


and the out-of-phase signal receiver


101


, the in-phase sound signal


55


and the out-of-phase sound signal


58


are sent to an unconditioned signal decoder


102


wherein a single channel is selected, i.e. the front-left sound signal


56


, the front-right sound signal


57


, the rear-left sound signal


59


, the rear-right sound signal


60


, or a center signal (not shown), to be played by the particular receiver


14


. The center signal is a combination of both the front-left sound signal


56


and the front-right sound signal


57


, creating a monophonic signal. The selection is made by the user via the channel selection knob


40


located on the receiver control panel


32


. Thus, a selected signal


103


is produced by the unconditioned signal decoder


102


.




The selected signal


103


is fed to signal level conditioning circuitry


105


, where it is further conditioned in terms of tonal characteristics of the sound, adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels, adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels and playing volume as defined by the user on the receiver control panel


32


via the graphic equalizer


34


, balance knob


36


, fader knob


37


and volume knob


38


, respectively. The level conditioning circuitry


105


generates a second selected conditioned signal


106


.




The first selected conditioned signal


93


and second selected conditioned signal


106


are connected to the conditioning selection switch


39


, allowing the user to select which signal is sent to an amplifier


110


that drives the loudspeaker


30


. In providing this selection capability, the user of the speaker system


10


can allow the transmitter


13


to condition the signal being listened to or can control it remotely in the location of the receiver


14


.




While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown, illustrated, and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in this field that various modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is for this reason that the scope of the invention is set forth in and is to be limited only by the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A remote surround sound speaker system comprising:a transmitter for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of receivers, said wireless signals are capable of driving at least a front-left speaker, a front right-speaker, a center speaker, a rear-left speaker and a rear-right speaker, wherein said transmitter is capable transmitting sound signals including a left channel and right channel, said sound signals being first processed by a surround sound processor generating an in-phase sound signal consisting of a front-left sound signal and a front-right sound signal, and an out-of-phase sound signal consisting of a rear-left sound signal and a rear-right sound signal, said in-phase sound signal and said out-of-phase sound signal communicating with an in-phase transmitter and an out-of-phase transmitter, respectively, and wherein said in-phase transmitter and said out-of-phase transmitter each consist of FM transmitters used to transmit an in-phase broadcast signal and an out-of-phase broadcast signal respectively; a plurality of said receivers, each said receiver in wireless communication with said transmitter, each said receiver is capable of both remote and local signal level conditioning wherein graphic equalization, balance adjustment, fader adjustment, and volume adjustment are applied to the signal broadcast by said transmitter; a graphic equalizer capable of adjustment of the tonal characteristics of the sound, on several bands, by use of individual sliding knobs including a balance knob allowing for the adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels, a fader knob allowing for the adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels, a volume knob allowing for the adjustment of the playing volume, a conditioning selection switch allowing a user to select the location of the signal conditioning for one particular receiver, and a channel selection knob allowing for individual channel selection on a per speaker basis; a plurality of speakers, one said speaker in direct communication with one said receiver; and wherein said individual receivers are identical in construction and can be configured to communicate with said transmitter to drive at least a front-left speaker, a front right-speaker, a center speaker, a rear-left speaker or a rear-right speaker; wherein said in-phase sound signal and said out-of-phase sound signal are also fed, in parallel, to signal level conditioning circuitry, where said in-phase sound signal and said out-of-phase sound signal are further conditioned in terms of tonal characteristics of the sound, adjustment of the sound between the right and left channels, adjustment of the sound between front and rear channels and playing volume as defined by the user on the transmitter control panel via the graphic equalizer, balance knob, fader knob and volume knob, respectively.
  • 2. The remote surround speaker system of claim 1, wherein said level conditioning circuitry further generates a conditioned in-phase sound signal consisting of a conditioned front-left sound signal and a conditioned front-right sound signal, and a conditioned out-of-phase sound signal consisting of a conditioned rear-left sound signal 75 and a conditioned rear-right sound signal;and wherein the conditioned in-phase sound signal and the conditioned out-of-phase sound signal are fed to a conditioned in phase transmitter and a conditioned out-of-phase transmitter 81, respectively, said conditioned in-phase transmitter and said conditioned out-of-phase transmitter comprising FM transmitters used to transmit a conditioned in-phase broadcast signal and a conditioned out-of-phase broadcast signal.
  • 3. A wireless surround sound speaker system comprising:a transmitter unit connected to a conventional home entertainment or stereo system such that the audio signals generated by said home entertainment or stereo system are conveyed to said transmitter unit, said transmitter unit having surround sound signal processing means that produce a plurality of unconditioned surround sound audio signals from said audio signals, said transmitter unit having signal conditioning means that produce a plurality of conditioned surround sound audio signals from said unconditioned surround sound audio signals, said transmitter unit broadcasting said unconditioned surround sound audio signals and said conditioned surround sound audio signals via separate and distinct FM frequencies; and a receiver unit that receives said unconditioned surround sound audio signals and said conditioned surround sound audio signals broadcast by said transmitter unit, said receiver unit having speaker channel selection means whereby a selected speaker channel is isolated from said unconditioned surround sound audio signals and said conditioned surround sound audio signals, said receiver unit amplifying said selected speaker channel, driving a loudspeaker to which said receiver unit is connected.
  • 4. The wireless surround speaker system of claim 3, wherein said receiver integrates both said loudspeakers in combination with integrating signal receiving, amplification, channel selection and graphic equalization capabilities.
  • 5. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said signal conditioning applied by said transmitter unit further comprises left-right loudspeaker biasing, front-rear loudspeaker biasing, graphic equalization and volume controls.
  • 6. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said receiver unit further comprises a signal conditioning means whereby said selected speaker channel received by said receiver unit is adjusted in terms of left-right loudspeaker biasing, front-rear loudspeaker biasing, graphic equalization and volume controls prior to amplification, said selected speaker channel being selected from said unconditioned surround sound audio signals.
  • 7. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said unconditioned surround sound audio signals further comprise a front-left unconditioned surround sound audio signal, a front-right unconditioned surround sound audio signal, a rear-left unconditioned surround sound audio signal and a rear-right unconditioned surround sound audio signal.
  • 8. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said conditioned surround sound audio signals further comprise a front-left conditioned surround sound audio signal, a front-right conditioned surround sound audio signal, a rear-left conditioned surround sound audio signal and a rear-right conditioned surround sound audio signal.
  • 9. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said signal conditioning applied by said transmitter unit further comprises left-right loudspeaker biasing, front-rear loudspeaker biasing, graphic equalization and volume controls.
  • 10. The wireless surround sound speaker system of claim 3, wherein said receiver unit is selectably powered by AC electricity supplied by a conventional wall socket or by a DC battery supply.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Number Name Date Kind
3590382 Kenney Jun 1971 A
4612665 Inami et al. Sep 1986 A
4899388 Mlodzikowski et al. Feb 1990 A
5182552 Paynting Jan 1993 A
5218641 Abe et al. Jun 1993 A
5361381 Short Nov 1994 A
5666422 Harrison et al. Sep 1997 A
5666658 Borchardt et al. Sep 1997 A
5668884 Clair, Jr. et al. Sep 1997 A
5673323 Schotz et al. Sep 1997 A
5708718 Ambourn et al. Jan 1998 A
6154549 Arnold et al. Nov 2000 A
6198825 Daryanani Mar 2001 B1