Polycom Patent Applications

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE TO A PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A CONFERENCING SESSION

Granted: November 19, 2009
Application Number: 20090285131
A conferencing system for an enterprise is disclosed. The conferencing system allows a conferencing session conducted on a conferencing device within a premises to be controlled from a portable communication device. The system provides a generic user interface to the portable communication device for controlling the conferencing session. Commands for controlling the conferencing session are entered on the portable communication device and signaled to the conferencing device.

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING CONFERENCING RESOURCES IN A PREMISES

Granted: November 19, 2009
Application Number: 20090285130
A conferencing system for an enterprise is disclosed. The conferencing system includes a management apparatus for managing conferencing resources in a premises. The management apparatus includes a communications link for communicating with a proximity announcing system, which indicates whether a portable communications device is near a conferencing device within the premises. The management apparatus can transmit a message to a proximate portable communication device indicating that a…

Audio Signal Routing

Granted: October 8, 2009
Application Number: 20090252315
A communication system that includes multiple conferencing devices connected in a daisy-chain configuration is communicably connected to far-end conference participants. Multiple conferencing devices provide improved sound quality to the far-end participants by reducing aural artifacts resulting from reverberation and echo. The daisy-chain communication system also reduces the processing and transmission time of the near-end audio signal by processing and transmitting the audio signal in…

COMPUTER PROGRAM AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INITIALIZING AN AUDIO CONTROLLER

Granted: September 24, 2009
Application Number: 20090240993
A computer program of the type commonly known as a “wizard” is disclosed that initializes user interface software for controlling an audio conferencing device. The wizard allows the desired audio inputs (e.g., microphone, telephones, etc.) and audio outputs (speakers, recording devices, etc.) to be chosen by an audio system administrator. Thereafter, the wizard allows an audio conferencing device (or devices) to be chosen by the administrator, or allows such a device(s) to be…

CONFIGURING VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEMS TO CREATE VIDEO SESSIONS WITH REALISTIC PRESENCE

Granted: September 10, 2009
Application Number: 20090225152
Methods and apparatuses for automating the interface of different videoconferencing systems are disclosed. In brief, according to one or more embodiments according to the invention, a first method comprises, upon connection of two videoconferencing systems, information containing the number and type of screens in each system is exchanged, and this information is used to set up custom camera and/or display settings in each local system.

INTEGRATED DESKTOP VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEM

Granted: July 30, 2009
Application Number: 20090189973
Disclosed herein is a videoconferencing system that has been integrated into a flat panel display or computer monitor. The integration provides an improved form factor for the videoconferencing system. In addition, the integration offers the dual use as a computer monitor and as a videoconferencing system. The system includes a videoconferencing module attaching to a back of the flat panel display. The videoconferencing module has videoconferencing electronics that electronically connect…

TWIN-CONTACT KEYBOARD ARRANGEMENT

Granted: May 21, 2009
Application Number: 20090128373
Devices, methods, and techniques for keyboard scanning are disclosed herein. Keyboard arrangements can include a plurality of keys and a keyboard decoder. Each of the plurality of keys can include at least one drive contact and a plurality of sense contacts. Each drive contact can be connected to an output (drive) line of the keyboard decoder, and each sense contact can be connected to an input (sense) line of the keyboard decoder such that each key is connected to a unique combination…

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH RESOLUTION VIDEOCONFERENCING

Granted: May 7, 2009
Application Number: 20090115838
A system and method for high resolution video conferencing is shown and described. A transmitting station and a receiving station including video cameras or sensors, a plurality of microphones and speakers, video, audio and communication processing engines are disclosed. Video is processed and transferred through the system allowing for multiple video streams to be produced and audio is processed and transferred through the system allowing for sound to be played back with an indication…

INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR TELEPRESENCE VIDEOCONFERENCING

Granted: April 16, 2009
Application Number: 20090096861
An integrated videoconferencing system has a credenza that houses three displays at predefined angles with respect to one another. A table positions in from the credenza for seating participants across from the credenza's displays. The table has three seating sections that are angled at another predefined angle with respect to one another. Three cameras are positioned in the top of the credenza, and each has a view angle directed perpendicularly at one of the seating sections. The table…

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSIGNING A PLURALITY OF MACS TO A PLURALITY OF PROCESSORS

Granted: March 12, 2009
Application Number: 20090067320
A bank of processing units is connected to a number of LANs via a bank of MAC controllers. An interconnect switch allows any of the processing units to access any of the MAC controllers. A housekeeping processor periodically detects faults in the connectivity of the processing units to the LANs. When a fault is detected, a redundant processing unit is assigned to be connected to the LAN. If a fault still exists, then a redundant MAC controller is assigned to the redundant processing…

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOST PACKET RECOVERY WITH CONGESTION AVOIDANCE

Granted: February 19, 2009
Application Number: 20090046580
Devices and techniques for overcoming lost packets and avoiding congestion when conducting media conferences over packet switched networks are described herein. To avoid the problem of lost packets, redundant information is inserted into the media stream that permits the receiver to reconstruct any lost packets from the redundant information. Congestion avoidance techniques include adjusting the bitrate of the media stream to find the highest bitrate that can be supported without packet…

SMART CROPPING OF VIDEO IMAGES IN A VIDEOCONFERENCING SESSION

Granted: November 27, 2008
Application Number: 20080291265
Systems and methods are disclosed for controlling cropping areas of video images to match the allocated area associated with the image in a video conferencing layout. The disclosed methods can protect regions of interest from being cropped. A region of interest within a video image is identified to adjust the cropping in such a way that the region of interest is preserved within the cropped image. The region of interest may be identified based on motion detection or flesh tone detection,…

Method and Apparatus for Automatically Suppressing Computer Keyboard Noises in Audio Telecommunication Session

Granted: November 13, 2008
Application Number: 20080279366
A communication system automatically mutes a microphone in response to a key event detected from a coupled keyboard to prevent delivery of noise generated by the keyboard to a far end of the communication session. A timer is initiated for a time period when the key event occurs, and the microphone remains muted for the time period of the timer. The timer may be restarted to maintain the microphone mute in response to a subsequent key event detected while the timer is running. If the…

DE-BLOCKING FILTER ARRANGEMENTS

Granted: October 30, 2008
Application Number: 20080267297
Described herein is a de-blocking filter arrangement for video encoders and decoders that include a de-blocking loop filter. In some embodiments, the post filter may be configured to process all edges that were not processed by the loop filter. In other embodiments the encoder may specify which edges should be processed by the loop filter and/or by the post filter. Also disclosed herein is a de-blocking filter arrangement for video encoders and decoders that include first and second…

APPEARANCE MATCHING FOR VIDEOCONFERENCING

Granted: September 11, 2008
Application Number: 20080218585
Methods and systems for presenting video images generated by multiple endpoints in a videoconference such that the displayed images have consistent appearance, for example consistent brightness levels are disclosed. Sampling methods and algorithms are used to calculate an appropriate amount of correction for each video image and the images are adjusted accordingly. Brightness correction may implement one or more brightness sampling and analyzing logical modules (BSAM) and one or more…

WEB-ENABLED PRESENTATION DEVICE AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

Granted: July 10, 2008
Application Number: 20080168355
A presentation device includes an embedded web server for transmitting images representative of presentation information to network-connected terminals concurrently with the display of such presentation information at the presentation site. The images may be viewed at the terminals by pointing a conventional web browser to a DNS name or IP address associated with the presentation device. Certain of the terminals may be given presenter privileges, wherein the users of the presenter…

CONFERENCE LINK BETWEEN A SPEAKERPHONE AND A VIDEO CONFERENCE UNIT

Granted: June 19, 2008
Application Number: 20080143819
A conference link between devices in teleconference system at one site is disclosed. The linked devices include video conference units, speakerphones or stand-alone loudspeakers. Audio data can be transmitted through the conference link between devices. Audio data processing can be performed in either a video conference unit or a speakerphone. The microphones and loudspeakers in the video conference unit may be eliminated. The microphones and loudspeakers in the speakerphone are used.…

METHOD FOR CREATING A VIDEOCONFERENCING DISPLAYED IMAGE

Granted: June 12, 2008
Application Number: 20080136899
A user can design their own custom composed view for a videoconference depending on the users' individualized needs. The view can include segments (windows) in which participating conferees' video images are presented and accessory elements such as window borders, text, icons, and the like. The content of the accessory elements can be linked to events within the conference or the content of other objects within the view. A custom composed view for a video conference can be designed…

VIDEOCONFERENCING NETWORK ADAPTER DETECTION USING STUN PROTOCOL

Granted: June 5, 2008
Application Number: 20080129817
A network adapter detection is used to establish a videoconference between a videoconferencing unit and a remote endpoint. Information about a plurality of network adapters available for the videoconferencing application is obtained, and one or more test messages are sent to at least one open source server using each of one or more of the obtained network adapters. The videoconferencing unit than awaits a response to each of the one or more sent test messages from the at least one open…

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION FOR VIDEOCONFERENCING IN LOSSY PACKET SWITCHED NETWORKS

Granted: May 22, 2008
Application Number: 20080117819
A system and method for adjusting a video bit rate (VBR) over a network includes reducing the VBR if the network incurs a packet loss (PL) that is greater than a PL threshold increasing the VBR if the PL is less than or equal to the PL threshold over a maximum integer number of time intervals and increasing the maximum integer number of time intervals if the PL is greater than the packet loss threshold at the increased VBR. In addition, the VBR is increased over consecutive time…