text:
A hand-free extension device to support a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (PAN) includes a PAN wireless transceiver having a processor and a cellular audio signal output; and a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
The present invention relates generally to a mobile phone hand-free extension device.
The technology of mobile phones has made possible mobile voice communication for millions of people. Mobile phones are carried and used daily by hundreds of millions of people and become an ordinary household items worldwide. The mobile phone user quite often makes the phone call while driving an automobile and therefore creates a potential hazardous driving condition since the driver has to hold the mobile phone and drive at the same time.
A hand-free kit is an external accessory to the mobile phone and its purpose is to free the driver from distraction of holding and using the mobile phone. Several technologies have been pursued to enable the driver to use the mobile phone without holding the cellular phone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,456 discloses a control switch box with cables linking the mobile phones and the vehicular stereo system. However, installating such kind of accessory is quite involved and requires wiring and routing inside the automobile body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,794 discloses another method that uses an FM transmitter to send the audio signal from the mobile phone to the vehicular FM radio. In the disclosure, there is no need to physically connect the mobile phone and the vehicular audio system. However, the disadvantage of this approach is that the frequency of the FM transmitter has to be set to the same channel as the FM radio receiver that the driver is currently listening to whenever he wants to use the hand-free kit. The frequency of either the FM transmitter or the FM radio receiver has to be adjusted and it causes much inconvenience in application.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,308 discloses a mobile phone hand-free extension device having an FM radio transmitter with an active frequency searching circuitry to utilize a vehicular FM radio receiver for reproducing the audio signals from the mobile phone. The active frequency searching circuitry automatically detects which frequency band the vehicular FM radio receiver is currently using and set the RF frequency of the FM transmitter to the detected frequency. The FM transmitter relays the audio signals from the mobile phone by transmitting the audio signals through radio wave to the vehicular FM radio receiver to be reproduced by the speaker of the receiver. The system detects radio frequency of the FM radio receiver and to set the frequency of the FM transmitter automatically.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 20050135297 discloses a Bluetooth terminal, relay, and system for determining a network configuration automatically and for transferring to an optimal waiting state. The Bluetooth terminal is provided with a profile functioning as a headset for communicating a terminal on the partner side via a voice gateway terminal, includes an input key for accepting an input operation including a transmitting operation, a receiving operation, and a call termination operation. A waiting state selecting member is provided for selecting a waiting state to be transferred upon call termination from a first waiting state in which an SCO link is disconnected and an ACL link is maintained, a second waiting state in which the SCO link and the ACL link are both disconnected. The waiting state selecting member selects the first waiting state after communication without input key operation being terminated, and selects the second waiting state after communication with input key operation being terminated.
In a first aspect, a hand-free extension device to support a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (PAN) includes a PAN wireless transceiver having a processor and a cellular audio signal output; and a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
Implementations of the first aspect may include one or more of the following. The PAN can be a Bluetooth network. The switch can be a multiplexer. A car mounted microphone is connected to the wireless transceiver to capture user speech during a telephone call. One or more wireless audio equipment can be wirelessly communicating with the PAN such that the one or more car speakers renders audio generated by the wireless audio equipment. The wireless audio equipment can be one of the following: MP3 files, .WAV files, MPEG files. The switch can mix the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals. Alternatively, the switch can provide one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers. An amplifier can amplify the cellular audio signals. The amplifier can also fade the cellular and the car stereo audio signals during transitions between audio signal transitions.
In a second aspect, a method to provide hand-free calling with a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (PAN) includes receiving a car stereo audio signal; receiving a cellular audio signal using the PAN; and selecting and routing one of the cellular audio signal or the car stereo audio signal to one or more car speakers.
Implementations of the second aspect may include one or more of the following. The PAN comprises Bluetooth. The routing can be multiplexing the audio signals. The method can capture user speech during a telephone call with a car mounted microphone coupled to the wireless transceiver. The one or more car speakers can be supplied with audio signals generated by one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the PAN. The wireless audio equipment stores one of: MP3 files, .WAV files, MPEG files. The method can mix the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals. Alternatively, only one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals can be presented at a time to the one or more speakers.
In a third aspect, a method to provide hands-free conversation for a cellular telephone call includes turning on a car stereo equipment if the car stereo equipment is initially off; receiving cell phone audio over a personal area network (PAN); routing cell phone audio to a car speaker during the cellular telephone call; and routing the car stereo equipment signal to the car speaker when the call ends.
Implementations of this aspect may include one or more of the following. The device can mute the speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio to prevent an abrupt clicking sound. The device can also fade sound from car speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio.
Advantages of the system may include one or more of the following. The system allows conventional car radios to work with modern cell phones such as Bluetooth capable cell phones. This is automatically done without needing to detect the radio frequency being tuned by a vehicular FM radio receiver and to relay the audio signal from a mobile phone to the vehicular FM radio receiver using a radio wave at the frequency detected.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a careful reading of a detailed description provided herein below with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a general schematic diagram showing the audio output extension for a mobile phone hands-free operation according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows in more detail an exemplary Bluetooth receiver used in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a mobile phone hands-free apparatus.
FIG. 4 shows a flow chart for providing audio output extension for a mobile phone hand-free operation according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a general schematic diagram showing an audio output extension device 10 for a mobile phone hand-free operation according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile phone hand-free extension device 10 includes a short-range receiver 11 that wirelessly communicates with a cellular telephone 2 and other wireless audio equipment 7 (such as Bluetooth equipped MP3 players, Bluetooth PDAs, or additional Bluetooth cell phones, for example) through a personal area network (PAN) such as Bluetooth. The short range receiver 11 can also receive external audio input from devices such as the iPod or Zen music player, MP3 player, GPS system or other suitable players.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the device 10 is directly connected or cabled/wired to the output of the car stereo equipment 1 that can receive various signals including AM signals, FM signals, satellite signals (Sirius or XM satellites for example), tape signals, and/or CD signals. The stereo equipment output is provided as an input to a sound source selecting switch or multiplexer 9 that receives the output of the car radio 1 as well as the output of the receiver 11 and can route either cell phone sound or the car radio sound to a car audio system 5 such as surround sound speakers. The receiver 11 includes a relay connected to the power input of the car stereo equipment to allow a processor to instruct the relay to turn on or off the car stereo equipment 1. This allows completely automatic operation of the stereo equipment 1 as opposed to requiring the user to first manually turn on the stereo equipment 1. The receiver 10 optionally includes an audio power amplifier that amplifies an output audio signal of the mobile-phone 2.
In one embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the receiver 11 is a Bluetooth (BT) compatible device. A CPU 33 executes various processes according to a program stored in a ROM 34. A RAM 25 provides a work area for storing data or the like temporarily when the CPU 33 executes various processes. An operating interface 36 is connected to the various input keys 17 (16). A BT module, the CPU 33, the ROM 34, the RAM 35 and the interface 36 are connected to each other via a common bus. The device 10 optionally includes a speaker 37, and a microphone 38, which are connected to the common bus via an I/O interface 39. The BT module mainly includes an RF unit 31 and a BT chip 32. The BT chip 32 executes a process for establishing inter-Piconet synchronization with respect to the terminal on the partner side, or coding/decoding process or the like of the transmitting and receiving signals. In other words, the respective BT modules digital-modulate carrier signals by the transmitting data upon transmission, and spread spectrum is effected to the modulated carrier signals by frequency hopping. Thereafter, the transmitting signal, after having amplified to a level of transmission output which is equal to or smaller than a prescribed value, is transmitted from an antenna AT to the wireless terminal on the partner side. Wireless signals from the wireless terminal on the partner side are received via the antenna AT, then inverse spread spectrum is effected, and then digital decoding is executed.
The receiver 11 can process AM/FM/CD stereo receiver. In addition to handling radio stations, the receiver 11 lets users listen to MP3 music while pairing with most Bluetooth mobile phones. The I/O interface 39 is connected to keys that allow the driver to make calls, take calls, and access a mobile address book hands-free via voice-recognition technology. The keypad controls both phone dialing and messaging functions, as well as radio station presets in the audio mode. The receiver optionally provides a display such as an LCD display that shows Caller ID, and the radio or music source is automatically muted as the phone audio is routed through the vehicle's speakers 5. The LCD display can also show text information pertaining to MP3 tracks, and there is a search menu for tracks and playlists. Address book and other personalized features from the mobile phone easily synchronize with the receiver's internal memory, allowing the driver to quickly access contacts and make calls hands-free.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment that does not require a direct wiring/cabling/connecting to the car stereo equipment 1. This embodiment is a Bluetooth aftermarket add-on equipment that converts existing car stereos into Bluetooth compatible radios or stereo equipment. In this embodiment, the PAN receiver 11 is connected to a AM or FM transceiver 30 that transmits to an existing car stereo equipment 1 over AM or FM frequencies. The stereo equipment 1 receives the transmissions and renders the transmission on speakers already wired to the pre-existing stereo equipment 1. In this manner, Bluetooth capability is provided without rewiring the car audio system.
In one embodiment, the FM transceiver 30 can be the FM transmitter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,308 having an active frequency searching circuitry to automatically detect which frequency band the vehicular FM radio receiver is currently using and set the RF frequency of the FM transmitter to the detected frequency. The FM transmitter relays the audio signals from the mobile phone by transmitting the audio signals through radio wave to the vehicular FM radio receiver to be reproduced by the speaker of the receiver. The system detects radio frequency of the FM radio receiver and to set the frequency of the FM transmitter automatically. In general, the active frequency-searching unit controls the radio frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) inside the FM transmitter and sends a signal with a particular pattern at the audio frequency to modulate the RF carrier of the FM transmitter. The signal sent with a particular pattern can be either a digital signal or an analog signal. The radio frequency of the FM transmitter is controlled in such a way that it starts from the lower band edge of the commercial FM band such as 88-108 MHz and increases repeatedly by a predetermined frequency step to the upper band edge. The preferred predetermined frequency step can be the allocated channel bandwidth of an FM station. At each frequency point, the FM transmitter will send out the modulated RF carrier. If the frequency of the FM transmitter matches that of the FM radio receiver 1, the signal with a particular pattern at the audio frequency will be demodulated, retrieved and broadcasted from the speaker 5 that is connected to the FM radio receiver. A microphone picks up the audio signal from the speaker and sends it to the active frequency search unit to determine if this audio signal is the same as the particular signal that the FM transmitter originally sent out. The frequency stepping process, the signal emitting process, and the signal comparing process are repeated over and over again until the original signal sent out by the frequency-searching unit is received by it again. When this condition is met, the RF frequency of the FM transmitter is locked on to that of the FM radio receiver. After the RF frequency of the FM transmitter is set to that of the FM radio receiver, a switch disconnects the audio signal generated by the frequency-searching unit and connects the audio signal picked up by a second microphone to the FM transmitter. The second microphone is placed close to the internal speaker of the mobile phone 2 to pick up the audio signal generated by the voice of the other party on the line. As a result, the audio signal is relayed to the FM radio receiver 1 and the voice is reproduced by the speaker 5.
In yet another embodiment, a digital-to-analog converter realizes the frequency-searching unit with a RF signal detector. When the RF signal detector detects the signal exchange between the mobile phone 2 and the base station, it sends a signal into one of the I/O port of the processor or microcontroller 33 (FIG. 2) to activate the frequency searching sequence. The frequency searching sequence works as follows: the microcontroller uses a plurality of I/O ports to send a parallel digital data to the DAC. The number of I/O ports used corresponds to the number of bits of the digital data. The DAC converts the digital data to a corresponding analog DC voltage value. The DC voltage is used to control the oscillating frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator inside the FM transmitter and as a result the RF frequency of the FM transmitter is controlled by the microcontroller. The DAC is configured such that the minimum analog DC voltage converted from the digital data corresponds to the lower band edge of the commercial FM bands and the maximum analog DC voltage converted from the digital data corresponds to the upper band edge of the commercial FM bands. The microcontroller can increase or decrease the RF frequency of the FM transmitter by a minimum frequency step that is determined by the number of bits used for a digital data. For example, if 10 bits are used for a digital data, the step frequency will be (108-88) MHz divided by 210, i.e. 19.5 KHz. The microcontroller increases the RF frequency of the FM transmitter from the lower band edge to the upper band edge or in a reverse way decreases the frequency from upper band edge to the lower band edge repeatedly by a frequency step in a programmable way to cover the whole commercial FM frequency band. At each frequency point, the microcontroller sends a beacon signal at audio frequency with a particular pattern from one of its I/O ports to the FM transmitter through the switch. The pattern of the beacon signal is chosen to be different from any other possible audio signal, such as a voice signal or a noise signal from the automobile in the environment. The RF carrier modulated by the beacon signal is transmitted by the FM transmitter at the RF frequency set by the microcontroller. If the car FM radio receiver or stereo equipment 1 is working at the same RF frequency, the car RF radio receiver 1 will receive and demodulate the beacon signal, which is further broadcasted by the speaker 5. The microphone picks up the beacon signal and sends it to a signal comparator to determine if the received signal has the same pattern as the original beacon signal. If the signal pattern is matched, it represents a frequency locking condition, i.e. the FM transmitter 30 and the car FM radio receiver 1 are both working at the same RF frequency channel.
Step 110: Cell phone detects an incoming phone call.
Step 120: Device determines if car stereo equipment is operating.
Step 130: If car stereo is off, turn car stereo on.
Step 140 Set car stereo to predetermined volume.
Step 150 Multiplexer mutes or fades sound from car speaker to prevent abrupt clicking sound.
Step 160: Cell phone output is connected to speaker by multiplexer.
Step 170: Phone audio is outputted on the car speaker.
Step 180: When call ends, multiplexer mutes sounds from cell phone and gradually fades back to stereo output if user was using the car stereo equipment and otherwise turns off the car stereo equipment.
In one embodiment, the cell phone or another Bluetooth media player can transmit music to the device 10 to play music such as MP3 music or MPEG audio to the car stereo equipment over the Bluetooth piconet.
In yet another embodiment, the device 100 can be embedded in a phone and avoid the need to physically connect the mobile phone and the vehicular audio system. This is done by automatically detecting radio frequency of the FM radio receiver and to set the frequency of the FM transmitter automatically as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,308 which discloses a mobile phone hand-free extension device having an FM radio transmitter with an active frequency searching circuitry to utilize a vehicular FM radio receiver for reproducing the audio signals from the mobile phone, the content of which is incorporated by reference. In this embodiment, the Bluetooth transceiver in the cell phone can interact with another Bluetooth media player that can transmit music to the device 10 over the Bluetooth piconet to play music such as MP3 music or MPEG audio to the car stereo equipment using an FM transmitter embedded in the cell phone. This embodiment can send music from a Bluetooth equipped Apple iPod, for example, to the car FM receiver directly.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details described thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to apply power to the car stereo and to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the PAN comprises Bluetooth.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a multiplexer.
4. The device of claim 1, comprising a car mounted microphone coupled to the wireless transceiver to capture user speech during a telephone call.
5. The device of claim 1, comprising one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the PAN, wherein the one or more car speakers renders audio generated by the wireless audio equipment.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the wireless audio equipment stores one of: MP3 files, .WAV files, MPEG files.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the switch mixes the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the switch provides one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers.
9. The device of claim 1, comprising an amplifier coupled to the cellular audio signal.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the amplifier fades the cellular and the car stereo audio signals during transitions between audio signal transitions.
routing one of the cellular audio signal through the FM radio receiver to one or more car speakers during a telephone call.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the PAN comprises Bluetooth.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting comprises multiplexing the audio signals.
14. The method of claim 11, comprising capturing user speech during a telephone call with a car mounted microphone.
15. The method of claim 11, comprising driving one or more car speakers with audio signals generated by one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the PAN.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless audio equipment stores one of: MP3 files, .WAV files, MPEG files.
17. The method of claim 11, comprising mixing the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals.
18. The method of claim 11, comprising providing only one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers.
routing the car stereo equipment signal to the car speaker when the call ends.
20. The method of claim 18, comprising muting the speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio to prevent an abrupt clicking sound.

lowercased:
a hand-free extension device to support a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (pan) includes a pan wireless transceiver having a processor and a cellular audio signal output; and a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
the present invention relates generally to a mobile phone hand-free extension device.
the technology of mobile phones has made possible mobile voice communication for millions of people. mobile phones are carried and used daily by hundreds of millions of people and become an ordinary household items worldwide. the mobile phone user quite often makes the phone call while driving an automobile and therefore creates a potential hazardous driving condition since the driver has to hold the mobile phone and drive at the same time.
a hand-free kit is an external accessory to the mobile phone and its purpose is to free the driver from distraction of holding and using the mobile phone. several technologies have been pursued to enable the driver to use the mobile phone without holding the cellular phone.
u.s. pat. no. 6,134,456 discloses a control switch box with cables linking the mobile phones and the vehicular stereo system. however, installating such kind of accessory is quite involved and requires wiring and routing inside the automobile body.
u.s. pat. no. 5,867,794 discloses another method that uses an fm transmitter to send the audio signal from the mobile phone to the vehicular fm radio. in the disclosure, there is no need to physically connect the mobile phone and the vehicular audio system. however, the disadvantage of this approach is that the frequency of the fm transmitter has to be set to the same channel as the fm radio receiver that the driver is currently listening to whenever he wants to use the hand-free kit. the frequency of either the fm transmitter or the fm radio receiver has to be adjusted and it causes much inconvenience in application.
u.s. pat. no. 6,928,308 discloses a mobile phone hand-free extension device having an fm radio transmitter with an active frequency searching circuitry to utilize a vehicular fm radio receiver for reproducing the audio signals from the mobile phone. the active frequency searching circuitry automatically detects which frequency band the vehicular fm radio receiver is currently using and set the rf frequency of the fm transmitter to the detected frequency. the fm transmitter relays the audio signals from the mobile phone by transmitting the audio signals through radio wave to the vehicular fm radio receiver to be reproduced by the speaker of the receiver. the system detects radio frequency of the fm radio receiver and to set the frequency of the fm transmitter automatically.
u.s. patent application ser. no. 20050135297 discloses a bluetooth terminal, relay, and system for determining a network configuration automatically and for transferring to an optimal waiting state. the bluetooth terminal is provided with a profile functioning as a headset for communicating a terminal on the partner side via a voice gateway terminal, includes an input key for accepting an input operation including a transmitting operation, a receiving operation, and a call termination operation. a waiting state selecting member is provided for selecting a waiting state to be transferred upon call termination from a first waiting state in which an sco link is disconnected and an acl link is maintained, a second waiting state in which the sco link and the acl link are both disconnected. the waiting state selecting member selects the first waiting state after communication without input key operation being terminated, and selects the second waiting state after communication with input key operation being terminated.
in a first aspect, a hand-free extension device to support a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (pan) includes a pan wireless transceiver having a processor and a cellular audio signal output; and a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
implementations of the first aspect may include one or more of the following. the pan can be a bluetooth network. the switch can be a multiplexer. a car mounted microphone is connected to the wireless transceiver to capture user speech during a telephone call. one or more wireless audio equipment can be wirelessly communicating with the pan such that the one or more car speakers renders audio generated by the wireless audio equipment. the wireless audio equipment can be one of the following: mp3 files, .wav files, mpeg files. the switch can mix the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals. alternatively, the switch can provide one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers. an amplifier can amplify the cellular audio signals. the amplifier can also fade the cellular and the car stereo audio signals during transitions between audio signal transitions.
in a second aspect, a method to provide hand-free calling with a mobile phone capable of networking with a personal area network (pan) includes receiving a car stereo audio signal; receiving a cellular audio signal using the pan; and selecting and routing one of the cellular audio signal or the car stereo audio signal to one or more car speakers.
implementations of the second aspect may include one or more of the following. the pan comprises bluetooth. the routing can be multiplexing the audio signals. the method can capture user speech during a telephone call with a car mounted microphone coupled to the wireless transceiver. the one or more car speakers can be supplied with audio signals generated by one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the pan. the wireless audio equipment stores one of: mp3 files, .wav files, mpeg files. the method can mix the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals. alternatively, only one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals can be presented at a time to the one or more speakers.
in a third aspect, a method to provide hands-free conversation for a cellular telephone call includes turning on a car stereo equipment if the car stereo equipment is initially off; receiving cell phone audio over a personal area network (pan); routing cell phone audio to a car speaker during the cellular telephone call; and routing the car stereo equipment signal to the car speaker when the call ends.
implementations of this aspect may include one or more of the following. the device can mute the speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio to prevent an abrupt clicking sound. the device can also fade sound from car speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio.
advantages of the system may include one or more of the following. the system allows conventional car radios to work with modern cell phones such as bluetooth capable cell phones. this is automatically done without needing to detect the radio frequency being tuned by a vehicular fm radio receiver and to relay the audio signal from a mobile phone to the vehicular fm radio receiver using a radio wave at the frequency detected.
the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a careful reading of a detailed description provided herein below with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
fig. 1 is a general schematic diagram showing the audio output extension for a mobile phone hands-free operation according to the present invention.
fig. 2 shows in more detail an exemplary bluetooth receiver used in fig. 1.
fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of a mobile phone hands-free apparatus.
fig. 4 shows a flow chart for providing audio output extension for a mobile phone hand-free operation according to the present invention.
fig. 1 is a general schematic diagram showing an audio output extension device 10 for a mobile phone hand-free operation according to the present invention. referring to fig. 1, the mobile phone hand-free extension device 10 includes a short-range receiver 11 that wirelessly communicates with a cellular telephone 2 and other wireless audio equipment 7 (such as bluetooth equipped mp3 players, bluetooth pdas, or additional bluetooth cell phones, for example) through a personal area network (pan) such as bluetooth. the short range receiver 11 can also receive external audio input from devices such as the ipod or zen music player, mp3 player, gps system or other suitable players.
in the embodiment of fig. 1, the device 10 is directly connected or cabled/wired to the output of the car stereo equipment 1 that can receive various signals including am signals, fm signals, satellite signals (sirius or xm satellites for example), tape signals, and/or cd signals. the stereo equipment output is provided as an input to a sound source selecting switch or multiplexer 9 that receives the output of the car radio 1 as well as the output of the receiver 11 and can route either cell phone sound or the car radio sound to a car audio system 5 such as surround sound speakers. the receiver 11 includes a relay connected to the power input of the car stereo equipment to allow a processor to instruct the relay to turn on or off the car stereo equipment 1. this allows completely automatic operation of the stereo equipment 1 as opposed to requiring the user to first manually turn on the stereo equipment 1. the receiver 10 optionally includes an audio power amplifier that amplifies an output audio signal of the mobile-phone 2.
in one embodiment shown in fig. 2, the receiver 11 is a bluetooth (bt) compatible device. a cpu 33 executes various processes according to a program stored in a rom 34. a ram 25 provides a work area for storing data or the like temporarily when the cpu 33 executes various processes. an operating interface 36 is connected to the various input keys 17 (16). a bt module, the cpu 33, the rom 34, the ram 35 and the interface 36 are connected to each other via a common bus. the device 10 optionally includes a speaker 37, and a microphone 38, which are connected to the common bus via an i/o interface 39. the bt module mainly includes an rf unit 31 and a bt chip 32. the bt chip 32 executes a process for establishing inter-piconet synchronization with respect to the terminal on the partner side, or coding/decoding process or the like of the transmitting and receiving signals. in other words, the respective bt modules digital-modulate carrier signals by the transmitting data upon transmission, and spread spectrum is effected to the modulated carrier signals by frequency hopping. thereafter, the transmitting signal, after having amplified to a level of transmission output which is equal to or smaller than a prescribed value, is transmitted from an antenna at to the wireless terminal on the partner side. wireless signals from the wireless terminal on the partner side are received via the antenna at, then inverse spread spectrum is effected, and then digital decoding is executed.
the receiver 11 can process am/fm/cd stereo receiver. in addition to handling radio stations, the receiver 11 lets users listen to mp3 music while pairing with most bluetooth mobile phones. the i/o interface 39 is connected to keys that allow the driver to make calls, take calls, and access a mobile address book hands-free via voice-recognition technology. the keypad controls both phone dialing and messaging functions, as well as radio station presets in the audio mode. the receiver optionally provides a display such as an lcd display that shows caller id, and the radio or music source is automatically muted as the phone audio is routed through the vehicle's speakers 5. the lcd display can also show text information pertaining to mp3 tracks, and there is a search menu for tracks and playlists. address book and other personalized features from the mobile phone easily synchronize with the receiver's internal memory, allowing the driver to quickly access contacts and make calls hands-free.
fig. 3 shows an embodiment that does not require a direct wiring/cabling/connecting to the car stereo equipment 1. this embodiment is a bluetooth aftermarket add-on equipment that converts existing car stereos into bluetooth compatible radios or stereo equipment. in this embodiment, the pan receiver 11 is connected to a am or fm transceiver 30 that transmits to an existing car stereo equipment 1 over am or fm frequencies. the stereo equipment 1 receives the transmissions and renders the transmission on speakers already wired to the pre-existing stereo equipment 1. in this manner, bluetooth capability is provided without rewiring the car audio system.
in one embodiment, the fm transceiver 30 can be the fm transmitter disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,928,308 having an active frequency searching circuitry to automatically detect which frequency band the vehicular fm radio receiver is currently using and set the rf frequency of the fm transmitter to the detected frequency. the fm transmitter relays the audio signals from the mobile phone by transmitting the audio signals through radio wave to the vehicular fm radio receiver to be reproduced by the speaker of the receiver. the system detects radio frequency of the fm radio receiver and to set the frequency of the fm transmitter automatically. in general, the active frequency-searching unit controls the radio frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (vco) inside the fm transmitter and sends a signal with a particular pattern at the audio frequency to modulate the rf carrier of the fm transmitter. the signal sent with a particular pattern can be either a digital signal or an analog signal. the radio frequency of the fm transmitter is controlled in such a way that it starts from the lower band edge of the commercial fm band such as 88-108 mhz and increases repeatedly by a predetermined frequency step to the upper band edge. the preferred predetermined frequency step can be the allocated channel bandwidth of an fm station. at each frequency point, the fm transmitter will send out the modulated rf carrier. if the frequency of the fm transmitter matches that of the fm radio receiver 1, the signal with a particular pattern at the audio frequency will be demodulated, retrieved and broadcasted from the speaker 5 that is connected to the fm radio receiver. a microphone picks up the audio signal from the speaker and sends it to the active frequency search unit to determine if this audio signal is the same as the particular signal that the fm transmitter originally sent out. the frequency stepping process, the signal emitting process, and the signal comparing process are repeated over and over again until the original signal sent out by the frequency-searching unit is received by it again. when this condition is met, the rf frequency of the fm transmitter is locked on to that of the fm radio receiver. after the rf frequency of the fm transmitter is set to that of the fm radio receiver, a switch disconnects the audio signal generated by the frequency-searching unit and connects the audio signal picked up by a second microphone to the fm transmitter. the second microphone is placed close to the internal speaker of the mobile phone 2 to pick up the audio signal generated by the voice of the other party on the line. as a result, the audio signal is relayed to the fm radio receiver 1 and the voice is reproduced by the speaker 5.
in yet another embodiment, a digital-to-analog converter realizes the frequency-searching unit with a rf signal detector. when the rf signal detector detects the signal exchange between the mobile phone 2 and the base station, it sends a signal into one of the i/o port of the processor or microcontroller 33 (fig. 2) to activate the frequency searching sequence. the frequency searching sequence works as follows: the microcontroller uses a plurality of i/o ports to send a parallel digital data to the dac. the number of i/o ports used corresponds to the number of bits of the digital data. the dac converts the digital data to a corresponding analog dc voltage value. the dc voltage is used to control the oscillating frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator inside the fm transmitter and as a result the rf frequency of the fm transmitter is controlled by the microcontroller. the dac is configured such that the minimum analog dc voltage converted from the digital data corresponds to the lower band edge of the commercial fm bands and the maximum analog dc voltage converted from the digital data corresponds to the upper band edge of the commercial fm bands. the microcontroller can increase or decrease the rf frequency of the fm transmitter by a minimum frequency step that is determined by the number of bits used for a digital data. for example, if 10 bits are used for a digital data, the step frequency will be (108-88) mhz divided by 210, i.e. 19.5 khz. the microcontroller increases the rf frequency of the fm transmitter from the lower band edge to the upper band edge or in a reverse way decreases the frequency from upper band edge to the lower band edge repeatedly by a frequency step in a programmable way to cover the whole commercial fm frequency band. at each frequency point, the microcontroller sends a beacon signal at audio frequency with a particular pattern from one of its i/o ports to the fm transmitter through the switch. the pattern of the beacon signal is chosen to be different from any other possible audio signal, such as a voice signal or a noise signal from the automobile in the environment. the rf carrier modulated by the beacon signal is transmitted by the fm transmitter at the rf frequency set by the microcontroller. if the car fm radio receiver or stereo equipment 1 is working at the same rf frequency, the car rf radio receiver 1 will receive and demodulate the beacon signal, which is further broadcasted by the speaker 5. the microphone picks up the beacon signal and sends it to a signal comparator to determine if the received signal has the same pattern as the original beacon signal. if the signal pattern is matched, it represents a frequency locking condition, i.e. the fm transmitter 30 and the car fm radio receiver 1 are both working at the same rf frequency channel.
step 110: cell phone detects an incoming phone call.
step 120: device determines if car stereo equipment is operating.
step 130: if car stereo is off, turn car stereo on.
step 140 set car stereo to predetermined volume.
step 150 multiplexer mutes or fades sound from car speaker to prevent abrupt clicking sound.
step 160: cell phone output is connected to speaker by multiplexer.
step 170: phone audio is outputted on the car speaker.
step 180: when call ends, multiplexer mutes sounds from cell phone and gradually fades back to stereo output if user was using the car stereo equipment and otherwise turns off the car stereo equipment.
in one embodiment, the cell phone or another bluetooth media player can transmit music to the device 10 to play music such as mp3 music or mpeg audio to the car stereo equipment over the bluetooth piconet.
in yet another embodiment, the device 100 can be embedded in a phone and avoid the need to physically connect the mobile phone and the vehicular audio system. this is done by automatically detecting radio frequency of the fm radio receiver and to set the frequency of the fm transmitter automatically as taught in u.s. pat. no. 6,928,308 which discloses a mobile phone hand-free extension device having an fm radio transmitter with an active frequency searching circuitry to utilize a vehicular fm radio receiver for reproducing the audio signals from the mobile phone, the content of which is incorporated by reference. in this embodiment, the bluetooth transceiver in the cell phone can interact with another bluetooth media player that can transmit music to the device 10 over the bluetooth piconet to play music such as mp3 music or mpeg audio to the car stereo equipment using an fm transmitter embedded in the cell phone. this embodiment can send music from a bluetooth equipped apple ipod, for example, to the car fm receiver directly.
although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details described thereof. various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
a sound source selecting switch coupled to the cellular audio signal and to a car stereo audio signal, the switch controlled by the processor to apply power to the car stereo and to route the cellular or the car stereo audio signals to one or more car speakers.
2. the device of claim 1, wherein the pan comprises bluetooth.
3. the device of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a multiplexer.
4. the device of claim 1, comprising a car mounted microphone coupled to the wireless transceiver to capture user speech during a telephone call.
5. the device of claim 1, comprising one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the pan, wherein the one or more car speakers renders audio generated by the wireless audio equipment.
6. the device of claim 5, wherein the wireless audio equipment stores one of: mp3 files, .wav files, mpeg files.
7. the device of claim 1, wherein the switch mixes the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals.
8. the device of claim 1, wherein the switch provides one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers.
9. the device of claim 1, comprising an amplifier coupled to the cellular audio signal.
10. the device of claim 9, wherein the amplifier fades the cellular and the car stereo audio signals during transitions between audio signal transitions.
routing one of the cellular audio signal through the fm radio receiver to one or more car speakers during a telephone call.
12. the method of claim 11, wherein the pan comprises bluetooth.
13. the method of claim 11, wherein the selecting comprises multiplexing the audio signals.
14. the method of claim 11, comprising capturing user speech during a telephone call with a car mounted microphone.
15. the method of claim 11, comprising driving one or more car speakers with audio signals generated by one or more wireless audio equipment coupled to the pan.
16. the method of claim 15, wherein the wireless audio equipment stores one of: mp3 files, .wav files, mpeg files.
17. the method of claim 11, comprising mixing the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to allow a user to listen to both audio signals.
18. the method of claim 11, comprising providing only one of the cellular and the car stereo audio signals to the one or more speakers.
routing the car stereo equipment signal to the car speaker when the call ends.
20. the method of claim 18, comprising muting the speaker during transitions between cellular phone audio and car stereo audio to prevent an abrupt clicking sound.


text:
Architect of Record: 1x1 architecture inc.
Structural Engineer: Crosier Kilgour and Partners Ltd.
Mechanical Engineer: SMS Engineering Ltd.
Electrical Engineer: SMS Engineering Ltd.
Other Consultants: AMEC Earth and Environmental Ltd.

lowercased:
architect of record: 1x1 architecture inc.
structural engineer: crosier kilgour and partners ltd.
mechanical engineer: sms engineering ltd.
electrical engineer: sms engineering ltd.
other consultants: amec earth and environmental ltd.


text:
The Old Growth Conservancy Society (OGCS) was formed in 2007 and is dedicated to protecting the ecological integrity and increasing public appreciation of the Old Growth Conservancy.
The OGCS is a registered BC Society, No. S-0051760. The Board of Directors is comprised of community members representing a range of conservation and recreation interests, including naturalists, mountain bikers and hikers. All share a common interest in protecting the exceptional natural features and recreational assets of the West Vancouver mountainside.
The formation of the OGCS followed a recommendation made in the 2006 Strategy for Protection, a report commissioned by District of West Vancouver (DWV) for developing a management plan for the Conservancy. OGCS works with DWV in the management and stewardship of the Conservancy; a DWV staff member attends Board meetings as a non-voting member. The Board meets monthly, with an Annual General Meeting held in the spring.
OGCS activities include working with the DWV and the North Shore Mountain Biking Association on access/trail matters, monitoring environmental conditions in the OGC and adjacent areas, sponsoring field trips in the OGC and other local old growth areas, providing information about the OGC at public events and through the OGCS website.
OGCS membership is $10.00/year. Please submit a membership application form.

lowercased:
the old growth conservancy society (ogcs) was formed in 2007 and is dedicated to protecting the ecological integrity and increasing public appreciation of the old growth conservancy.
the ogcs is a registered bc society, no. s-0051760. the board of directors is comprised of community members representing a range of conservation and recreation interests, including naturalists, mountain bikers and hikers. all share a common interest in protecting the exceptional natural features and recreational assets of the west vancouver mountainside.
the formation of the ogcs followed a recommendation made in the 2006 strategy for protection, a report commissioned by district of west vancouver (dwv) for developing a management plan for the conservancy. ogcs works with dwv in the management and stewardship of the conservancy; a dwv staff member attends board meetings as a non-voting member. the board meets monthly, with an annual general meeting held in the spring.
ogcs activities include working with the dwv and the north shore mountain biking association on access/trail matters, monitoring environmental conditions in the ogc and adjacent areas, sponsoring field trips in the ogc and other local old growth areas, providing information about the ogc at public events and through the ogcs website.
ogcs membership is $10.00/year. please submit a membership application form.


text:
In the coming years the world is going to see over one billion people cross the gap from poverty into the middle-class and the majority of those making this transition will live in the developing nations of the Asian region. This trend will manifest in huge opportunities in particular for the Australian agribusiness sector, for studies show that when people move from poverty into a middle class existence they spend up to 80% of their new disposable income on food and drink.
This burgeoning market will not only demand more quantities of food but they will also demand more diverse foods and beverages. Their diets will become more westernised containing varied proteins, vegetables, fruits and diary. Exotic and specialised foods as well as fine wine and champagne will become more popular. Asian consumers will also become increasingly concerned with issues of quality, safety, nutrition, ethics and sustainability.
The Australian brand is already known worldwide for its high standards of quality, nutrition, cleanliness and environmental sustainability. Combined with our diverse infrastructure and industry capability and our close proximity to the Asian market, Australian agribusinesses are well positioned to take advantage of this potential within our local region.
The Ag in the Asian Century Export and Innovation Conference held in Toowoomba in the famous Darling Downs agricultural region later this month will explore the potential business opportunities presented by this trend. Featuring world class speakers and delivering the latest research this year’s conference will build on the succuss of 2014, taking the search for innovation and export opportunities in the Asian market to the next level.
Wiley is a proud Conference Partner of this fantastic event which has again secured a wide range of national and international speakers focusing on export and innovation opportunities in the Australian agribusiness sector. Wiley’s own Michael Matthewson (Business Operations Manager – Toowoomba) will be part of a panel session at 9am on the 24th September discussing Transport and Logistics – Opportunities stem from better global supply chains with John Warda, Cheong Hwei, John Wagner and Peter Keyte.
Conference attendees will have the chance to connect with business leaders, government officials, academics and prominent industry representatives who are experts at identifying innovation and export opportunities and improving the effectiveness of the agribusiness supply chain. You can view the program here.
Join Wiley and other representatives of the Agribusiness sector for two intensive days of speakers, panel discussions and networking which will assist you to better understand how your business can take advantage of the opportunities presented by Asia’s developing markets.
We look forward to seeing you at the event, come and have a chat at the Wiley stand.

lowercased:
in the coming years the world is going to see over one billion people cross the gap from poverty into the middle-class and the majority of those making this transition will live in the developing nations of the asian region. this trend will manifest in huge opportunities in particular for the australian agribusiness sector, for studies show that when people move from poverty into a middle class existence they spend up to 80% of their new disposable income on food and drink.
this burgeoning market will not only demand more quantities of food but they will also demand more diverse foods and beverages. their diets will become more westernised containing varied proteins, vegetables, fruits and diary. exotic and specialised foods as well as fine wine and champagne will become more popular. asian consumers will also become increasingly concerned with issues of quality, safety, nutrition, ethics and sustainability.
the australian brand is already known worldwide for its high standards of quality, nutrition, cleanliness and environmental sustainability. combined with our diverse infrastructure and industry capability and our close proximity to the asian market, australian agribusinesses are well positioned to take advantage of this potential within our local region.
the ag in the asian century export and innovation conference held in toowoomba in the famous darling downs agricultural region later this month will explore the potential business opportunities presented by this trend. featuring world class speakers and delivering the latest research this year’s conference will build on the succuss of 2014, taking the search for innovation and export opportunities in the asian market to the next level.
wiley is a proud conference partner of this fantastic event which has again secured a wide range of national and international speakers focusing on export and innovation opportunities in the australian agribusiness sector. wiley’s own michael matthewson (business operations manager – toowoomba) will be part of a panel session at 9am on the 24th september discussing transport and logistics – opportunities stem from better global supply chains with john warda, cheong hwei, john wagner and peter keyte.
conference attendees will have the chance to connect with business leaders, government officials, academics and prominent industry representatives who are experts at identifying innovation and export opportunities and improving the effectiveness of the agribusiness supply chain. you can view the program here.
join wiley and other representatives of the agribusiness sector for two intensive days of speakers, panel discussions and networking which will assist you to better understand how your business can take advantage of the opportunities presented by asia’s developing markets.
we look forward to seeing you at the event, come and have a chat at the wiley stand.


text:
An icony (and non-icony) REQUEST-A-THON!
I started this with the intention of it being a textures/bases resource, that sort of changed about 3 posts in. I went for a paid account but figured when my 6 months (or whatever the hell I got) was up I wouldn't renew. Well I'm convert now and this place is staying put. I'll try to keep building it the best I can. So I'm opening a request-a-thon week. I'll happily take requests all week. I do have a few ideas for more sets this month, there will certainly be some LOST icons (with added Benryness, mmm) but I want to hear what you guys want to see.
So if you have any ideas for icons/wallpapers please comment and have you say. I'll try to fulfil all requests.
Can I have a "WTF?" icon with Hanson on it? Or just the words, whatever you like.
Also, if you could make me a quote icon from HBP, the sentence is "He was becoming more and more obsessed with Draco Malfoy." I've thought maybe a texture and the words "more and more obsessed with Draco" would do fine.
Pretty please? If you could only make me one, I'd rather the first. Thank you very much, it's so nice of you to offer!
Not sure if I got the Hanson thing right. Let me know if I misunderstood.
Ohh I agree with Rachael haha, and maybe some S2 of him being a blonde?
...where I could find screen caps from beyond episode 6 of S2? I tried the Robert Knepper fansite and they go no further than that.
You might want to check out the first set of T-Bag icons I just posted for Rachael above too.
I would love to have some general PB icons, maybe some from Season 1? And then Wentworth anything would be brilliant. General HP is also nice. I may have one more request, but I've got to check on something.
Gah, I used to love Nip/Tuck, I never see it on anymore. Sure thing, I'll get to these in the next few days.
Also can you make me some Hanson ones with their wives from the HFF thingy??
I won't touch wifey or family stuff (sorry) but I'll take a look at those T-Bag ones for you.
Just thought I should mention the requestathon is now closed and I'll look at getting the final few sets requested online this evening. Thanks for all your requests and comments, it was interesting trying out some different things.

lowercased:
an icony (and non-icony) request-a-thon!
i started this with the intention of it being a textures/bases resource, that sort of changed about 3 posts in. i went for a paid account but figured when my 6 months (or whatever the hell i got) was up i wouldn't renew. well i'm convert now and this place is staying put. i'll try to keep building it the best i can. so i'm opening a request-a-thon week. i'll happily take requests all week. i do have a few ideas for more sets this month, there will certainly be some lost icons (with added benryness, mmm) but i want to hear what you guys want to see.
so if you have any ideas for icons/wallpapers please comment and have you say. i'll try to fulfil all requests.
can i have a "wtf?" icon with hanson on it? or just the words, whatever you like.
also, if you could make me a quote icon from hbp, the sentence is "he was becoming more and more obsessed with draco malfoy." i've thought maybe a texture and the words "more and more obsessed with draco" would do fine.
pretty please? if you could only make me one, i'd rather the first. thank you very much, it's so nice of you to offer!
not sure if i got the hanson thing right. let me know if i misunderstood.
ohh i agree with rachael haha, and maybe some s2 of him being a blonde?
...where i could find screen caps from beyond episode 6 of s2? i tried the robert knepper fansite and they go no further than that.
you might want to check out the first set of t-bag icons i just posted for rachael above too.
i would love to have some general pb icons, maybe some from season 1? and then wentworth anything would be brilliant. general hp is also nice. i may have one more request, but i've got to check on something.
gah, i used to love nip/tuck, i never see it on anymore. sure thing, i'll get to these in the next few days.
also can you make me some hanson ones with their wives from the hff thingy??
i won't touch wifey or family stuff (sorry) but i'll take a look at those t-bag ones for you.
just thought i should mention the requestathon is now closed and i'll look at getting the final few sets requested online this evening. thanks for all your requests and comments, it was interesting trying out some different things.


text:
Showcasing work by ex-staff and pupils of Dartington Hall School.
The Power of Place project, led by artist and ex-Dartingtonian Alice Leach, was set up in 2010 to celebrate the cultural legacy of Dartington Hall School 1926 – 1987.
Part of a unique social experiment, Dartington Hall School was in the vanguard of progressive co-education. Founded by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, the school was central to the Dartington Venture – widely regarded by Victor Bonham-Carter as ‘the most important private enterprise ever undertaken in the economic, social and cultural rehabilitation of a rural area’.
Dorothy was the guiding spirit behind the school, having played a leading part in progressive education in America, but Leonard’s unhappy memories of his education at Repton School and his experience working for Rabindranath Tagore in his ‘community’ in W. Bengal, helped cement their joint vision.
The original concept was a school without buildings, where the estate and surrounding countryside were to be looked on as the ‘classrooms’. ‘I want the thing to grow quite naturally out of our own home life and never to mention the word school from the start,’ wrote Leonard. It was to be a school that was ‘prepared to break with a number of outdated, but often unquestioned, traditions from the past.’ All the full-time workers on the Estate were regarded as members of staff, and expected to contribute to the ‘joint adventure’ in learning. Instead of a headmaster there was an education committee.
This initial experiment, between 1926 and 1930, represents one of the most radical attempts of the 20th Century to break down the boundaries between learning and life. As numbers increased both within the school and on the Estate it was clear that this approach had to change.
Among the 20th century’s leading private patrons of architecture, the arts and education in England, Dorothy and Leonard saw the arts as integral to their vision and wanted artists to contribute to the education of children at the School. Dorothy was particularly passionate about them, arguing ‘if at Dartington we aim to provide a full and balanced life, then it is essential to include the arts.’ Not surprisingly the School became a Mecca for imaginative parents including Jacob Epstein, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, Aldous Huxley, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and Bertrand Russell.
In the thirties, Dartington became a vibrant, virtually international artistic centre with many cultural refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Hein Heckroth, designer to the Ballet Jooss, who trained at the Bauhaus, but was blacklisted by the Nazis because his wife was Jewish, Cecil Collins, the painter, and Willi Soukop, the Austrian sculptor, were all resident at the Hall. Naum Slutzky, who also trained at the Bauhaus, taught metalwork to a youthful Lucian Freud. Bernard Leach and his son David taught pottery and the American Abstract Expressionist Mark Tobey was the school’s resident artist.
Portfolio - Dartington Hall School Artists 1926-1987. Specially published for 85th Anniversary a collection of images and poems by ex-Dartingtonians, staff and pupils. On sale for £15 a copy. More than one copy on sale for £10 each. For more details Contact Me.
The following list is a small proportion of artists from Dartington Hall School with websites. Scroll down to labels for more artists.
Thanos Fatouros took the picture of Foxhole Courtyard in the snow when he was at Dartingon Hall School in the 80s.
The Dartington Hall Trust has kindly given us use of the main building at Aller Park and the gallery space on the estate, plus they have graciously taken over stewarding for the duration of the show.

lowercased:
showcasing work by ex-staff and pupils of dartington hall school.
the power of place project, led by artist and ex-dartingtonian alice leach, was set up in 2010 to celebrate the cultural legacy of dartington hall school 1926 – 1987.
part of a unique social experiment, dartington hall school was in the vanguard of progressive co-education. founded by leonard and dorothy elmhirst, the school was central to the dartington venture – widely regarded by victor bonham-carter as ‘the most important private enterprise ever undertaken in the economic, social and cultural rehabilitation of a rural area’.
dorothy was the guiding spirit behind the school, having played a leading part in progressive education in america, but leonard’s unhappy memories of his education at repton school and his experience working for rabindranath tagore in his ‘community’ in w. bengal, helped cement their joint vision.
the original concept was a school without buildings, where the estate and surrounding countryside were to be looked on as the ‘classrooms’. ‘i want the thing to grow quite naturally out of our own home life and never to mention the word school from the start,’ wrote leonard. it was to be a school that was ‘prepared to break with a number of outdated, but often unquestioned, traditions from the past.’ all the full-time workers on the estate were regarded as members of staff, and expected to contribute to the ‘joint adventure’ in learning. instead of a headmaster there was an education committee.
this initial experiment, between 1926 and 1930, represents one of the most radical attempts of the 20th century to break down the boundaries between learning and life. as numbers increased both within the school and on the estate it was clear that this approach had to change.
among the 20th century’s leading private patrons of architecture, the arts and education in england, dorothy and leonard saw the arts as integral to their vision and wanted artists to contribute to the education of children at the school. dorothy was particularly passionate about them, arguing ‘if at dartington we aim to provide a full and balanced life, then it is essential to include the arts.’ not surprisingly the school became a mecca for imaginative parents including jacob epstein, barbara hepworth and ben nicholson, aldous huxley, sir clough williams-ellis and bertrand russell.
in the thirties, dartington became a vibrant, virtually international artistic centre with many cultural refugees fleeing nazi persecution. hein heckroth, designer to the ballet jooss, who trained at the bauhaus, but was blacklisted by the nazis because his wife was jewish, cecil collins, the painter, and willi soukop, the austrian sculptor, were all resident at the hall. naum slutzky, who also trained at the bauhaus, taught metalwork to a youthful lucian freud. bernard leach and his son david taught pottery and the american abstract expressionist mark tobey was the school’s resident artist.
portfolio - dartington hall school artists 1926-1987. specially published for 85th anniversary a collection of images and poems by ex-dartingtonians, staff and pupils. on sale for £15 a copy. more than one copy on sale for £10 each. for more details contact me.
the following list is a small proportion of artists from dartington hall school with websites. scroll down to labels for more artists.
thanos fatouros took the picture of foxhole courtyard in the snow when he was at dartingon hall school in the 80s.
the dartington hall trust has kindly given us use of the main building at aller park and the gallery space on the estate, plus they have graciously taken over stewarding for the duration of the show.


text:
Fear of the dentist is more common than many think. Though most people put on a brave face when visiting the dentist, the truth is that the average patient is at least somewhat fearful of dental drills and other dental instruments. Some patients are fearful of dentists and dental hygienists. If you are fearful of the dentist, you should know you are not alone. Here is a quick look at the most common fears of the dentist.
It is no secret that dental drilling generates noises and odors. In particular, the sound of dental drills invokes fear in countless patients. If someone has not been to the dentist in a while due to phobia, they should know dental technology has improved. Dental offices now use highly advanced drills to minimize odor, noise and pain. Laser drills are especially helpful, as they are completely silent.
The fear of dental professionals is almost always rooted in negative experiences at the dentist's office during a patient's youth. If someone has a fear of the dentist, it is time to face that fear. Meet with our dentist and dental hygienists as soon as possible. Once a new patient interacts with our team, they will no longer be as fearful of dental treatments, procedures and cleanings. Our team goes to great lengths to keep patients as comfortable as possible throughout the duration of their appointment.
Patients often fear injections from needles, as these sharp instruments seem to have the potential to be quite painful. If someone is hesitating to visit the dentist's office because they dread being injected with a needle, they should not worry. The dentist can apply a numbing gel to minimize the pain. Furthermore, our dental team has extensive experience with needles. We know exactly how to minimize patient pain and maximize comfort.
Dentists use instruments aside from dental drills. As an example, dentists rely on probes for plenty of dental operations. If someone fears such instruments, they should ask their dentist to explain exactly how they will be used in the mouth. Once it is fully understood how these instruments are used, the phobia will almost certainly dissipate.
Give our dental a team a call to find out how we alleviate fears of the dentist, improve oral health and make life that much easier for our patients. Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment.
« What is a Permanent Partial Denture?

lowercased:
fear of the dentist is more common than many think. though most people put on a brave face when visiting the dentist, the truth is that the average patient is at least somewhat fearful of dental drills and other dental instruments. some patients are fearful of dentists and dental hygienists. if you are fearful of the dentist, you should know you are not alone. here is a quick look at the most common fears of the dentist.
it is no secret that dental drilling generates noises and odors. in particular, the sound of dental drills invokes fear in countless patients. if someone has not been to the dentist in a while due to phobia, they should know dental technology has improved. dental offices now use highly advanced drills to minimize odor, noise and pain. laser drills are especially helpful, as they are completely silent.
the fear of dental professionals is almost always rooted in negative experiences at the dentist's office during a patient's youth. if someone has a fear of the dentist, it is time to face that fear. meet with our dentist and dental hygienists as soon as possible. once a new patient interacts with our team, they will no longer be as fearful of dental treatments, procedures and cleanings. our team goes to great lengths to keep patients as comfortable as possible throughout the duration of their appointment.
patients often fear injections from needles, as these sharp instruments seem to have the potential to be quite painful. if someone is hesitating to visit the dentist's office because they dread being injected with a needle, they should not worry. the dentist can apply a numbing gel to minimize the pain. furthermore, our dental team has extensive experience with needles. we know exactly how to minimize patient pain and maximize comfort.
dentists use instruments aside from dental drills. as an example, dentists rely on probes for plenty of dental operations. if someone fears such instruments, they should ask their dentist to explain exactly how they will be used in the mouth. once it is fully understood how these instruments are used, the phobia will almost certainly dissipate.
give our dental a team a call to find out how we alleviate fears of the dentist, improve oral health and make life that much easier for our patients. reach out to us today to schedule an appointment.
« what is a permanent partial denture?


black washi tape red white and black printable planner tape for.
black washi tape black white tape bronzing textured decorative adhesive tapes masking.
black washi tape marble tape set of 2 black marble and white marble.
black washi tape matte black tape by mt.
black washi tape black white set decorative scotch tape adhesive railway road traffic sticky paper.
black washi tape mt dot black tape.
black washi tape black floral tape tube.
black washi tape share this.
black washi tape white with black heart mt masking tape tape 4.
black washi tape black bronzing hot silver moon tape decoration sticker label.
black washi tape black and white premium tape.
black washi tape black lines tape.
black washi tape tape it.
black washi tape black tape dot stripe grid triangle.
black washi tape studio clear acrylic stamps tape.
black washi tape mt masking tape matte black tape fox and star.
black washi tape inky black tape.
black washi tape hot pink and black tape.
black washi tape slim solid black mt masking tape tape 1.
black washi tape black and white tape clip art set printable digital instant download.
black washi tape tape black and white floral floral pattern tape flower tape plant tape black tape masking tape.
black washi tape black tape matte black tape set.
black washi tape grey black and white tape strips with torn edges and different patterns.
black washi tape mt solid matte black tape wide mt mt masking tape tape.


text:
I keep hearing about the way the Left and Cindy Sheehan are politicizing the deaths of soliders in Iraq, but then I read stories like this from the AP today, which makes the point that even the tombstones of our dead soliders are being politicized by the Pentagon. The families of soliders, who should have final approval of what appears on headstones are often not being given the option to exclude the political title from the headstone, which are part of the Pentagon’s “War is Awesome” campaign, dating from the 1980s.
Nadia and Robert McCaffrey, whose son Patrick was killed in Iraq in June 2004, said “Operation Iraqi Freedom” ended up on his government-supplied headstone in Oceanside, Calif., without family approval.
“I was a little taken aback,” Robert McCaffrey said, describing his reaction when he first saw the operation name on Patrick’s tombstone. “They certainly didn’t ask my wife; they didn’t ask me.” He said Patrick’s widow told him she had not been asked either.
I’m surprised that we are even allowed to see photographs of the cemetaries.

lowercased:
i keep hearing about the way the left and cindy sheehan are politicizing the deaths of soliders in iraq, but then i read stories like this from the ap today, which makes the point that even the tombstones of our dead soliders are being politicized by the pentagon. the families of soliders, who should have final approval of what appears on headstones are often not being given the option to exclude the political title from the headstone, which are part of the pentagon’s “war is awesome” campaign, dating from the 1980s.
nadia and robert mccaffrey, whose son patrick was killed in iraq in june 2004, said “operation iraqi freedom” ended up on his government-supplied headstone in oceanside, calif., without family approval.
“i was a little taken aback,” robert mccaffrey said, describing his reaction when he first saw the operation name on patrick’s tombstone. “they certainly didn’t ask my wife; they didn’t ask me.” he said patrick’s widow told him she had not been asked either.
i’m surprised that we are even allowed to see photographs of the cemetaries.


text: Michel Faber has written nine books. In addition to the Whitbread-shortlisted Under the Skin, he is the author of the highly acclaimed The Crimson Petal and the White, The Book of Strange New Things, The Fire Gospel and The Fahrenheit Twins. He has also written two novellas, The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps and The Courage Consort, and has won several short-story awards, including the Neil Gunn, Ian St James and Macallan. Born in Holland, brought up in Australia, he now lives in the Scottish Highlands.

lowercased: michel faber has written nine books. in addition to the whitbread-shortlisted under the skin, he is the author of the highly acclaimed the crimson petal and the white, the book of strange new things, the fire gospel and the fahrenheit twins. he has also written two novellas, the hundred and ninety-nine steps and the courage consort, and has won several short-story awards, including the neil gunn, ian st james and macallan. born in holland, brought up in australia, he now lives in the scottish highlands.


text:
Universal Components have a variety of Commercial Vehicle (CV) parts available including calipers spares and accessories. With over 2000 products available from stock, each calipers product can be collected or on our overnight delivery service. If you can't find the calipers or calipers parts, spares and accessories you need, simple contact us directly.
Our sales team will source your calipers requirements without delay, and get back to you with a price as soon as possible. Alternatively, select from our best-selling calipers parts below.

lowercased:
universal components have a variety of commercial vehicle (cv) parts available including calipers spares and accessories. with over 2000 products available from stock, each calipers product can be collected or on our overnight delivery service. if you can't find the calipers or calipers parts, spares and accessories you need, simple contact us directly.
our sales team will source your calipers requirements without delay, and get back to you with a price as soon as possible. alternatively, select from our best-selling calipers parts below.


text:
The Nikkiso Europe GmbH is not participating and is not obliged to participate in a dispute resolution before a consumer arbitration board.
All offers are non-binding and without obligation. The person responsible expressly reserves to change, complete or delete parts of pages or the entire pages completely without special notice, or to cease their publication temporarily or permanently.
We assume no warranty or liability for the freedom of third party rights in connection with this permission. .

lowercased:
the nikkiso europe gmbh is not participating and is not obliged to participate in a dispute resolution before a consumer arbitration board.
all offers are non-binding and without obligation. the person responsible expressly reserves to change, complete or delete parts of pages or the entire pages completely without special notice, or to cease their publication temporarily or permanently.
we assume no warranty or liability for the freedom of third party rights in connection with this permission. .


text:
A great opportunity to acquire a very economic property and modernize it to raise its value in the market. Ideal for young investors or for a holiday apartment. Given its central position and well located near all facilities such as local shops, medical center, the square just 1 minute away, and the seaside just 5 minutes strolling, this apartment is ideal for a young couple who wants start a future project.
Located on the second floor with elevator in a quiet community with few maintenance costs, and with a nice terrace that offers plenty of sun from midday to late afternoon. A large open space consisting of a living room and kitchen open concept. A large fireplace and access to the terrace. Air conditioning.
2 very large double bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. It also has a room for washer / dryer. A true gem to be polished and extract all its potential. Visits highly recommended.

lowercased:
a great opportunity to acquire a very economic property and modernize it to raise its value in the market. ideal for young investors or for a holiday apartment. given its central position and well located near all facilities such as local shops, medical center, the square just 1 minute away, and the seaside just 5 minutes strolling, this apartment is ideal for a young couple who wants start a future project.
located on the second floor with elevator in a quiet community with few maintenance costs, and with a nice terrace that offers plenty of sun from midday to late afternoon. a large open space consisting of a living room and kitchen open concept. a large fireplace and access to the terrace. air conditioning.
2 very large double bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. it also has a room for washer / dryer. a true gem to be polished and extract all its potential. visits highly recommended.


text:
At 3am on June 24, the alarm of one of JP Morgan’s most senior London bankers rang loudly. Vis Raghavan, deputy chief executive and head of banking for JP Morgan’s EMEA division, had set it just in case Britain had made what many bankers believed would be an unthinkable decision to leave the European Union. Within the hour, it became clear that what had seemed impossible just a day ago, was now a certainty.
Across the City, bankers on currency trading desks were mobilised to deal with the huge swings in sterling. But a few floors above them, teams of M&A bankers were fielding calls from anxious clients wanting to postpone any further deal work.

lowercased:
at 3am on june 24, the alarm of one of jp morgan’s most senior london bankers rang loudly. vis raghavan, deputy chief executive and head of banking for jp morgan’s emea division, had set it just in case britain had made what many bankers believed would be an unthinkable decision to leave the european union. within the hour, it became clear that what had seemed impossible just a day ago, was now a certainty.
across the city, bankers on currency trading desks were mobilised to deal with the huge swings in sterling. but a few floors above them, teams of m&a bankers were fielding calls from anxious clients wanting to postpone any further deal work.


text:
Compatible with HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard is Original/Genuine and new keyboard, manufacturer by HP , With 12 months warranty for manufacturer's defects and 30-days money-back guarantee on all the products.
HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard Fits Parts NO.
HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard Fit Laptop Model.
Why Buy HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard here?
We focus on bring the best HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard sales to our customers and strong desire our customers can buy their satisfaction HP Pavilion dv3-2320ep Keyboard. We are committed to providing customers with high-quality, high-capacity and low price Replacement keyboard for laptop.

lowercased:
compatible with hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard is original/genuine and new keyboard, manufacturer by hp , with 12 months warranty for manufacturer's defects and 30-days money-back guarantee on all the products.
hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard fits parts no.
hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard fit laptop model.
why buy hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard here?
we focus on bring the best hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard sales to our customers and strong desire our customers can buy their satisfaction hp pavilion dv3-2320ep keyboard. we are committed to providing customers with high-quality, high-capacity and low price replacement keyboard for laptop.


text:
Is your hardwood flooring in rough shape? Our hardwood floor specialists can repair it in a flash. Blackwood Floors and Beyond LLC provides wood floor restoration services in Granger, Indiana and surrounding areas.
We can replace damaged planks and refinish faded areas in less time than you might think. Contact us today to schedule hardwood floor repair services and get your free estimate.
Call now to arrange for hardwood floor repair services.

lowercased:
is your hardwood flooring in rough shape? our hardwood floor specialists can repair it in a flash. blackwood floors and beyond llc provides wood floor restoration services in granger, indiana and surrounding areas.
we can replace damaged planks and refinish faded areas in less time than you might think. contact us today to schedule hardwood floor repair services and get your free estimate.
call now to arrange for hardwood floor repair services.


text: Year after year, resolutions lists are chock-full of career goals, but what prevents those professional aspirations from being fulfilled? While intrinsic motivation plays a major role in career advancement, a solid plan is just as important. Whether you’re seeking a promotion at your current company or desire an entirely new role, there are several key tactics that will help make 2018 a year of job transformation. We invited three career experts to share their top pointers.

lowercased: year after year, resolutions lists are chock-full of career goals, but what prevents those professional aspirations from being fulfilled? while intrinsic motivation plays a major role in career advancement, a solid plan is just as important. whether you’re seeking a promotion at your current company or desire an entirely new role, there are several key tactics that will help make 2018 a year of job transformation. we invited three career experts to share their top pointers.


text:
How is it that some homes overflow with lovely feelings of contentment while others are just “meh”? Often it is the result of an elusive quality known as harmony. Harmony is one of the most essential principles of design, but it often defies description. To achieve harmony, a delicate balance is needed between all of the other elements and principles of design.
While we were gushing over Gussie at the latest photo shoot, we couldn’t help but notice the natural sense of harmony that flows throughout this home. As the fluffiest member of the family, she too fits right in with the welcoming composition. While we work closely with clients on architecture and material selections, the credit for achieving the complete sense of harmony goes to our brilliant homeowners! But . . . we are happy to tell you how it’s done.
Harmony is a complex formula that we can start to understand by looking at the basic elements of design. Individual factors like color, line, and proportion, can be described as either creating unity through sameness, or adding variety through contrast. Well balanced elements bring the most pleasing sense of order and relevance to the exterior and interior design of a home.
When every part of a home has a general sense of order and belonging it is referred to as unity. In this home it starts with the consistent use of unsaturated light and airy colors to create a palette that is visually soothing.
Maintaining a consistent character will further the sense of harmony in home design. As a lakeside retreat, this home uses references to the nautical theme as well as natural materials to be beautifully in sync with the lake front setting. Playful details, like the porthole pantry window, lighting and hardware, join the guest bunk-room concept to lend a refreshing vacation atmosphere to this home.
A subtle contrast in material selection plays an important role in alleviating monotony. This allows the eye to pause on areas of interest, without a jarring transition. Here the light ash flooring and weathered wood furnishings play well against the matt wall surface. While the color palette and character remain consistent, this contrast offers a healthy balance for the overall sense of harmony of the room.
Visual texture will also enhance the harmony of a home. Here architectural elements add moments of importance with a light hand that is consistent with the homes lake front character. The woodworking details include shiplap paneling, cabinetry and crown molding which all serve to introduce contrast to the smooth quartz countertops, shapely glass light fixtures and hardware. Every accessory is refined and displayed in keeping with a harmonious approach.
Most importantly, the exterior of this home is thoughtfully planned to be in complete harmony with its lakefront setting. The natural stone foundation is a mix of lighter natural shades to support the refined selection of washed gray shingles and silvery white trim. And just as nature likes to surprise us with pop of color, the peaceful exterior of this home is gently accented by a lovely shade of blue to reflect the sky and nearby waters.
You can see more of this delightful getaway in our last blog were we take you through the process of building, from the Tear down to Tranquility. See our Houzz Portfolio for a complete tour! For a limited time the entire step-by-step process of this home’s evolution will be shown on the Lowell Custom Homes Project Gallery!
We always love hearing from you and are happy to discuss your personal home projects! Building a new home or remodeling can be an exciting adventure and our team of experts will answer all of your questions and guide you every step of the way!
New Home Builder and Home Remodeler categories!
We would appreciate your vote – just click here – Vote for Lowell Custom Homes!
Should You Remodel or Tear Down & Rebuild Your Home?
← Should You Remodel or Tear Down & Rebuild Your Home?
Reblogged this on Concepts In Design, Inc..

lowercased:
how is it that some homes overflow with lovely feelings of contentment while others are just “meh”? often it is the result of an elusive quality known as harmony. harmony is one of the most essential principles of design, but it often defies description. to achieve harmony, a delicate balance is needed between all of the other elements and principles of design.
while we were gushing over gussie at the latest photo shoot, we couldn’t help but notice the natural sense of harmony that flows throughout this home. as the fluffiest member of the family, she too fits right in with the welcoming composition. while we work closely with clients on architecture and material selections, the credit for achieving the complete sense of harmony goes to our brilliant homeowners! but . . . we are happy to tell you how it’s done.
harmony is a complex formula that we can start to understand by looking at the basic elements of design. individual factors like color, line, and proportion, can be described as either creating unity through sameness, or adding variety through contrast. well balanced elements bring the most pleasing sense of order and relevance to the exterior and interior design of a home.
when every part of a home has a general sense of order and belonging it is referred to as unity. in this home it starts with the consistent use of unsaturated light and airy colors to create a palette that is visually soothing.
maintaining a consistent character will further the sense of harmony in home design. as a lakeside retreat, this home uses references to the nautical theme as well as natural materials to be beautifully in sync with the lake front setting. playful details, like the porthole pantry window, lighting and hardware, join the guest bunk-room concept to lend a refreshing vacation atmosphere to this home.
a subtle contrast in material selection plays an important role in alleviating monotony. this allows the eye to pause on areas of interest, without a jarring transition. here the light ash flooring and weathered wood furnishings play well against the matt wall surface. while the color palette and character remain consistent, this contrast offers a healthy balance for the overall sense of harmony of the room.
visual texture will also enhance the harmony of a home. here architectural elements add moments of importance with a light hand that is consistent with the homes lake front character. the woodworking details include shiplap paneling, cabinetry and crown molding which all serve to introduce contrast to the smooth quartz countertops, shapely glass light fixtures and hardware. every accessory is refined and displayed in keeping with a harmonious approach.
most importantly, the exterior of this home is thoughtfully planned to be in complete harmony with its lakefront setting. the natural stone foundation is a mix of lighter natural shades to support the refined selection of washed gray shingles and silvery white trim. and just as nature likes to surprise us with pop of color, the peaceful exterior of this home is gently accented by a lovely shade of blue to reflect the sky and nearby waters.
you can see more of this delightful getaway in our last blog were we take you through the process of building, from the tear down to tranquility. see our houzz portfolio for a complete tour! for a limited time the entire step-by-step process of this home’s evolution will be shown on the lowell custom homes project gallery!
we always love hearing from you and are happy to discuss your personal home projects! building a new home or remodeling can be an exciting adventure and our team of experts will answer all of your questions and guide you every step of the way!
new home builder and home remodeler categories!
we would appreciate your vote – just click here – vote for lowell custom homes!
should you remodel or tear down & rebuild your home?
← should you remodel or tear down & rebuild your home?
reblogged this on concepts in design, inc..