Audio conferencing method
Granted: January 10, 2006
Patent Number:
6985571
A conferencing method that conducts an audio conference over the Internet. The method includes receiving digitized audio signals, summing a plurality of received audio signals that contain speech, providing a summed conference signal from the summed plurality of audio signals with an audio conference mixer, transcoding the summed conference signal, and streaming the transcoded summed signal onto the Internet.
Automatic camera tracking using beamforming
Granted: December 27, 2005
Patent Number:
6980485
An acoustic tracking system that uses an array of microphones to determine the location of an acoustical source. Several points in space are determined to be potential locations of an acoustical source. Beamforming parameters for the array of microphones are determined at each potential location. The beamforming parameters are applied to the sound received by the microphone array for all of the potential locations and data is gathered for each beam. The most likely location is then…
Global directory service with intelligent dialing
Granted: December 13, 2005
Patent Number:
6975721
A central directory system for a network of dial-up communication devices is described. In a preferred embodiment, the communication devices are videoconferencing devices. The system includes a directory management module coupled to the network and configured for importing and exporting directory information to and from a communication device. The directory information received by the management module can be grouped into address books by an access control module coupled to a database in…
System and method for device co-location discrimination
Granted: October 25, 2005
Patent Number:
6959260
A system and method for determining if a first and second device are co-located includes first and second sensors for receiving a sample signal. Each sensor is coupled to the first and second devices. The first and second devices each responsively generate a first and second signal representing the sampled signal. Also included is a transmission device located at the first device for transmitting the first signal to the second device and a receiving device located at the second device…
System and method for point to point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems
Granted: September 6, 2005
Patent Number:
6941343
A system and method for integrating a personal computer based presentation with a videoconferencing system. A coupling device includes a card, insertable into a PCMCIA slot of a laptop computer or like machine, which includes a cable coupled to the card at a first end and to a connector coupled at a second end. The card includes firmware for loading into RAM of the computer and software operable to execute code.
Videoconferencing system with horizontal and vertical microphone arrays
Granted: July 26, 2005
Patent Number:
6922206
A system and method for acoustic source location using a horizontal and vertical microphone array. Tilt sensors are provided within each array to allow full determination of the tilt of each array. Based on the acoustic source location results, an image capture device may be maneuvered to focus in the direction of the acoustic source location.
System and method for computing a location of an acoustic source
Granted: June 28, 2005
Patent Number:
6912178
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for computing a location of an acoustic source is disclosed. The method includes steps of processing a plurality of microphone signals in frequency space to search a plurality of candidate acoustic source locations for a maximum normalized signal energy. The method uses phase-delay look-up tables to efficiently determine phase delays for a given frequency bin number k based upon a candidate source location and a microphone…
Method for local exchange subscriber line conferencing
Granted: May 24, 2005
Patent Number:
6898273
A local conferencing exchange subscriber line conferencing system and method using a series of input signals from the phone of a subscriber, such as a dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) sequence of key inputs starting with a star key input, to initiate the conference. The conference is set up in a bridge and the phone of the subscriber is connected to the bridge. All subsequent callers to the subscriber's phone number at the local exchange carrier are routed and connected to the conference…
Local exchange subscriber line conferencing method
Granted: April 26, 2005
Patent Number:
6885740
A local conferencing exchange subscriber line conferencing method using a series of input signals from the phone of a subscriber, such as a dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) sequence of key inputs starting with a star key input, to initiate the conference by enabling a termination attempt trigger. The conference is set up in a bridge and the phone of the subscriber is connected to the bridge. All subsequent callers to the subscriber's phone number at the local exchange carrier are routed…
Large-scale, fault-tolerant audio conferencing over a hybrid network
Granted: April 12, 2005
Patent Number:
6879565
An audio conferencing method in a hybrid network. Input from a plurality of endpoints connected to an audio conference in the hybrid network is received in a media gateway. The media gateway converts the input to an MCU-usable format and selects input based on predetermined selection criteria. An MCU mixes the selected input with other selected input to form an output stream and a sum stream which are matched with the endpoints in the audio conference. The media gateway converts the…
System and method for static perceptual coding of macroblocks in a video frame
Granted: March 8, 2005
Patent Number:
6864909
The present invention allows video images with improved subjective quality to be transmitted without a concomitant increase in a total number of bits transmitted per frame. Quantization parameters are applied to coefficients of macroblocks within a given video frame. A lower value of quantization parameter is applied near a central region of a video frame. This central region is referred to as a prime video region. Applying a lower quantization parameter to the prime video region has the…
Integrated portable videoconferencing unit
Granted: January 25, 2005
Patent Number:
6847403
A portable integrated videoconferencing unit has an integral housing in which an interior chamber houses an electronics board for performing video, audio, and communications processing. Integrally mounted on the housing are a video camera and preferably a microphone array for providing directive audio processing. The electronics board receives and processes video and audio outputs of the camera and microphone array respectively, and generates compressed video and audio outputs for…
Videoconference closed caption system and method
Granted: August 3, 2004
Patent Number:
6771302
A system and method for closed caption in a videoconference environment. In a method according to one embodiment of the present invention, a connection is established with a videoconference device. Subsequently, a closed caption page associated with the videoconference device is selected. Text is then entered on the closed caption page. The text is displayed to at least one device associated with a videoconference in which the videoconference device is participating.
Interactive conference content distribution device and methods of use thereof
Granted: July 6, 2004
Patent Number:
6760749
A multimedia distribution device includes an embedded stream encoder and an embedded stream server for encoding and transmitting, through utilization of streaming technology, audio and video content originating from a videoconference site and received through a network interface, to network-connected terminals. In situations in which the videoconference includes the presentation of slides or other content, the device may include a file conversion engine for converting the presentation…
System and method of monitoring video and/or audio conferencing through a rapid-update web site
Granted: July 6, 2004
Patent Number:
6760750
The operation and status of a system, such as a video/audio conferencing system, is monitored through the use of a web-based system. The system includes multiple client computer devices that interconnect with a web server. The web server is able to access the system to determine status changes, as well as to control the operation of the system. For operability across multiple platforms and technologies, the interface between the web server and the system is performed using a Microsoft…
Method and system for multimedia video processing
Granted: June 29, 2004
Patent Number:
6757005
An improved method and a system of utilizing the decoding/encoding video resources of a Video Processing Device (VPD) by offering a distributed architecture. A conventional VPD comprises a plurality of video ports, each video port is dedicated to a user and comprises at least one decoder and one encoder. The distributed VPD comprises a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. Each input port includes an input module. The input module is operative to receive a compressed…
Video display mode automatic switching system and method
Granted: June 1, 2004
Patent Number:
6744460
An automatic switching system and method for determining and effecting an optimal video display mode based on the interaction among participants in a conference or discussion is disclosed. The system includes a timer which continuously monitors the duration of signals received from each of a number of endpoints. The system further includes a signal switching processor which compares the signal durations to predefined parameters which define various display mode switching thresholds. The…
Adaptive electronic zoom control
Granted: March 9, 2004
Patent Number:
6704048
An adaptive electronic zoom system is described which includes an electronic camera having an image sensor with pixels, a controller communicating with an address generator to select in response to an external input or feedback signals from the electronic camera a subset of pixels from the pixels of the image sensor, the subset of pixels defining a zoom area. The zoom area can be located at any position within the image sensor area. The zoom ratio/pan/tilt of the zoom area is…
Media role management in a video conferencing network
Granted: March 9, 2004
Patent Number:
6704769
According to the principles of the invention, there is provided a system, apparatus, and method for managing media in a multimedia conferencing system according to media roles. Each media stream may be explicitly labeled with a role that describes the function or purpose of the stream, such as “people” or “content.” The labels may be hierarchical, and may include layers for media type, additional media source description, and the like, e.g.,…
Conferencing system having an embedded web server, and method of use thereof
Granted: February 17, 2004
Patent Number:
6693661
A videoconferencing system includes an embedded web server and a network interface for connecting the videoconferencing systems to a network. Computers and other devices on the network may manage and control various operations of the videoconferencing system through a conventional browser interface by accessing web pages transmitted by the embedded web server. In addition, users of network-connected computers may upload presentation files to the videoconferencing system to enable…
