System and method for localizing a talker using audio and video information
Granted: March 6, 2018
Patent Number:
9912908
A videoconferencing endpoint includes at least one processor a number of microphones and at least one camera. The endpoint can receive audio information and visual motion information during a teleconferencing session. The audio information includes one or more angles with respect to the microphone from a location of a teleconferencing session. The audio information is evaluated automatically to determine at least one candidate angle corresponding to a possible location of an active…
Method and system for new layout experience in video communication
Granted: January 23, 2018
Patent Number:
9876989
A striped composed video image is disclosed, in which a main segment image is displayed with a strip of small strip segments. The strip of small strip segments is composed from a plurality of video images from a plurality of video streams. A user may pull video from the strip into the main segment. The strip of small strip segments may scrolled without affecting the main segment.
Integration of scheduled meetings with audio-video solutions
Granted: January 9, 2018
Patent Number:
9866599
An intermediary server allows endpoints connected to two different types of conferencing systems to participate in an integrated conference without requiring plugins to be installed at each endpoint. A conference identifier provided by a first type of conferencing system can be used by endpoints of a second type of conferencing system by allowing the intermediary server to send the conference identifier to a server of the first type of conferencing system and receive a link that a server…
Panoramic image placement to minimize full image interference
Granted: December 12, 2017
Patent Number:
9843770
An automatic process for producing professional, directed, production crew quality, video for videoconferencing is described. Rule based logic is integrated into an automatic process for producing director quality video for videoconferencing. An automatic process can include a method for composing a display for use in a video system having an active talker video stream and a panoramic view video stream having more than one person in video. The method can include determining a region of…
System and method for brightening video image regions to compensate for backlighting
Granted: December 12, 2017
Patent Number:
9843761
A videoconferencing system includes at least one processor and at least one camera. The endpoint can capture one or more images with the camera. The system can locate a region of interest within an image, such as the area surrounding the face of a person participating in a videoconference. If the face area or other region of interest is too dark, the system can brighten the region to make it more visible. The system can determine whether the face is too dark by comparing the captured…
Method and apparatus for capability-based multimedia interactions
Granted: November 21, 2017
Patent Number:
9826006
Methods and systems are disclosed for enabling participants to interact remotely through multiple multimedia channels based on the configured capabilities of participants. The system consists of a server and one or more client devices. On joining new interactive session, the attributes and capabilities of the participant are determined. Other participants are notified as to the attributes and capabilities of the new participant. The interaction between participants is determined by their…
Conversational placement of speakers at one endpoint
Granted: October 24, 2017
Patent Number:
9800835
An automatic process for producing professional, directed, production crew quality, video for videoconferencing is described. Rule based logic is integrated into an automatic process for producing director quality video for videoconferencing. The automatic process uses sensor data to process video streams for video conferencing. A method and system for automatically processing sensor data on room activity into general room analytics for further processing by application of rules based…
System and method for point to point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems
Granted: September 19, 2017
Patent Number:
9769423
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.
Methods and system for simulated 3D videoconferencing
Granted: September 19, 2017
Patent Number:
9769422
A system and method for manipulating images in a videoconferencing session provides users with a 3-D-like view of one or more presented sites, without the need for 3-D equipment. A plurality of cameras may record a room at a transmitting endpoint, and the receiving endpoint may select one of the received video streams based upon a point of view of a conferee at the receiving endpoint. The conferee at the receiving endpoint will thus experience a 3-D-like view of the presented site.
Method and systems for optimizing bandwidth utilization in a multi-participant full mesh peer-to-peer video session
Granted: September 5, 2017
Patent Number:
9756107
An endpoint optimizes bandwidth by initiating a peer-to-peer conference with a plurality of remote devices, generating a first quality list comprising a first device of the plurality of remote devices from which to receive a first data stream at a first quality level, transmit a request to the first device to receive the first data stream at the first quality level, determining that a second device of the plurality of remote devices is not a member of the first quality list, and in…
Facilitating multi-party conferences, including allocating resources needed for conference while establishing connections with participants
Granted: August 29, 2017
Patent Number:
9749588
A system includes a network interface for sending and receiving one or more of video data and audio data between two or more endpoints. One or more of a video data source and an audio data source located at more than one endpoint and a control unit for controlling one or more of the video data and the audio data between endpoints. The control unit is operable to execute instructions to specify more than one participant in a conference, wherein at least one participant is remotely located…
Method and system for handling content in videoconferencing
Granted: August 22, 2017
Patent Number:
9743043
A technique allows delivering content in a videoconference among a plurality of conferees in multiple quality levels. Content distributed from a multipoint control unit that is connected to an endpoint that delivers the content to receiving endpoints may have two or more quality levels. The quality level can be adapted to the capabilities of the receiving endpoints and the current quality of the connection that is used to deliver the content toward the receiving endpoints. The quality…
Immersive telepresence anywhere
Granted: August 22, 2017
Patent Number:
9743039
A portable immersive telepresence conferencing system which can capture audio data and video data and communicate at least some of the captured data to at least one remote endpoint via a network interface, receive image data and audio data from at least one remote source via the network interface and render a depiction of at least one object, which is substantially the same size of the actual object being shown.
Room-specific pairing via a combined ultrasonic beacon/bluetooth approach
Granted: August 8, 2017
Patent Number:
9730255
Embodiments disclosed describe room specific pairing of electronic devices using the combination of ultrasonic signal and other wireless means such as Bluetooth. The ultrasonic signal is used to communicate a unique identifier to the electronic devices within the same physical location. The electronic device receiving the ultrasonic signal uses the unique identifier to establish a secure wireless communication with the base station. The wireless communication is then used to…
Method and system for sharing content in videoconferencing
Granted: August 8, 2017
Patent Number:
9729822
Content presented in association with a transmitting endpoint is obtained by the transmitting endpoint and transmitted to a receiving endpoint of a videoconference, along with associated information regarding interaction of a presenter with the content at the transmitting side. The receiving endpoint presents the presented content obtained from the transmitting endpoint similar to the presentation format at the transmitting side. Where the original presentation format is not suitable for…
Voice tracking camera with speaker identification
Granted: August 1, 2017
Patent Number:
9723260
A videoconferencing apparatus automatically tracks speakers in a room and dynamically switches between a controlled, people-view camera and a fixed, room-view camera. When no one is speaking, the apparatus shows the room view to the far-end. When there is a dominant speaker in the room, the apparatus directs the people-view camera at the dominant speaker and switches from the room-view camera to the people-view camera. When there is a new speaker in the room, the apparatus switches to…
Videoconferencing unit
Granted: June 6, 2017
Patent Number:
D788725
System for enabling communications and conferencing between dissimilar computing devices including mobile computing devices
Granted: May 23, 2017
Patent Number:
9661269
In one general embodiment, a system for enabling communications and conferencing between dissimilar computing devices including mobile computing devices. In another embodiment a method for enabling communications and conferencing between dissimilar computing devices including mobile computing devices. In a further embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause one or more processors to enable communications and conferencing between dissimilar…
Video error concealment method
Granted: May 23, 2017
Patent Number:
9661376
Disclosed herein is a system and method for reconstruction video information lost as a result of transmission errors. The system and method have four aspects, including: (1) changing the bit and/or packet rate; (2) inserting redundant information into the video bitstream; (3) providing automatic refresh of certain regions of the video on a periodic basis; and (4) interleaving coded macroblocks into diversity groups for transmission to spatially spread the effect of lost packets. The…
Lossy channel video blur avoidance
Granted: May 23, 2017
Patent Number:
9661325
Blurriness in a video image transmitted over a lossy network can be reduced by filtering the decoder output to determine whether updating of the reference frame based on the current video data is indicated. An update may be appropriate if the decoder output is sharper than the contents of the display buffer after the last update. Additionally, an update may be appropriate if there was a significant change to the underlying image, and thus to the encoder's input. Whether such a change has…