Polycom Patent Grants

Multimedia signal latency management by skipping

Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number: 9467491
A method or system for enabling client devices connected to a network to subscribe to a one or more multimedia signals available in a selection of bandwidths, based on an analysis of capabilities of the client, the quality of the connection, and the real-time changes in the ability of the client to process the signal.

Automatic video layouts for multi-stream multi-site presence conferencing system

Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number: 9462227
A videoconference multipoint control unit (MCU) automatically generates display layouts for videoconference endpoints. Display layouts are generated based on attributes associated with video streams received from the endpoints and display configuration information of the endpoints. An endpoint can include one or more attributes in each outgoing stream. Attributes can be assigned based on video streams' role, content, camera source, etc. Display layouts can be regenerated if one or more…

Method and system for synchronizing audio and video streams in media relay conferencing

Granted: August 23, 2016
Patent Number: 9426423
A novel technique allows synchronizing a plurality of audio and video streams received at a receiving media relay endpoint via an intermediate node, such as a media relay multipoint control unit. The received streams were generated by a plurality of transmitting media relay endpoints and been relayed to the plurality of receiving media relay endpoints via the intermediate node, but are seen as being using a single time domain, in terms of wall clock and manipulated timestamps, while…

Retractable camera device

Granted: August 2, 2016
Patent Number: 9405173
A retractable camera device is described which removes a camera from view when not in use. The device may include a tube having two ends, an interior void and an outer surface, a ballscrew shaft positioned within the interior void of the tube, a camera mast assembly movably coupled to the tube and engaging the ballscrew shaft, a camera, having a 360° viewing angle, coupled to an end of the camera mast, and at least one ribbon cable folded in an accordion pattern and encircling the outer…

Method and system for providing a virtual cafeteria

Granted: July 12, 2016
Patent Number: 9392225
An incidental virtual meeting (IVM) system deployed in multiple rooms can be used to provide a “virtual cafeteria” allowing for incidental meetings and video conferences. Wall endpoints in each room may detect the presence of a person in a proximity to the IVM (wall) endpoint and establish a connection to the associated wall endpoint in the other room, to allow unplanned meetings to occur. A room may have multiple wall endpoints, allowing the room to be connected to more than one…

Videoconferencing endpoint having multiple voice-tracking cameras

Granted: July 12, 2016
Patent Number: 9392221
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…

Method and system for determining reference points in video image frames

Granted: July 5, 2016
Patent Number: 9386276
A videoconferencing system for determining alignment information for images captured by two or more cameras is disclosed. The videoconferencing system can include a plurality of endpoints and at least one control unit (CU) such as a multipoint control unit (MCU), for example. An endpoint can include a plurality of cameras and at least one projector. The projector is used to project a pattern at the near end site, which pattern is captured by the plurality of cameras. The image frames…

Method and system for dispatching received sessions between a pluratlity of instances of an application using the same IP port

Granted: June 28, 2016
Patent Number: 9379984
A logical module, referred as Load Balancer Module (LBM), is disclosed which listens to one of certain common predefined port number. These well-known ports for receiving communication video conference signaling and control protocols is thereafter load balanced and multi-plexed to a number of instances of protocol stack applications. By balancing the multi-media data stream across a multitude of application instances multiple multi-media data streams may be serviced and processed by a…

Method and systems for optimizing bandwidth utilization in a multi-participant full mesh peer-to-peer video session

Granted: June 28, 2016
Patent Number: 9380266
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…

Method and system to add video capability to any voice over internet protocol (Vo/IP) session initiation protocol (SIP) phone

Granted: June 28, 2016
Patent Number: 9380078
Systems and methods of configuring an add-on device to augment the capability of existing endpoint infrastructure are disclosed. In one embodiment, a video add-on device is configured to receive, augment or downgrade, and forward messages for an existing SIP audio-only phone. The video add-on device in this embodiment can receive messages from the existing SIP audio-only phone and augment the messages with information regarding the additional video capabilities being provided. The…

Speakerphone

Granted: June 28, 2016
Patent Number: D760201

Intelligent layouts for call scaling and layout persistence

Granted: June 14, 2016
Patent Number: 9369672
Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and techniques for creating media conferencing layouts that are intelligent (i.e., based on some underlying principle to enhance user-perceived conference quality) and persistent (i.e., consistent within a call and from one call to the next).

Method and system for handling content in videoconferencing

Granted: June 14, 2016
Patent Number: 9369671
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…

Method and system for using mesh control for video conferencing bridges and cascading conferences

Granted: May 10, 2016
Patent Number: 9338402
A videoconferencing system allows a distributed group of separately addressable multipoint controller signaling layer and multipoint controller application layer units to be logically combined for the purpose of managing a videoconference with a plurality of endpoints. In some embodiments, a primary multipoint controller signaling layer unit may identify other multipoint controller signaling layer units and multipoint controller application layer units to handle requests for joining an…

System and method for a hybrid topology media conferencing system

Granted: May 10, 2016
Patent Number: 9338401
Examples hybrid topologies of a conferencing system are disclosed. An example of a hybrid topology may comprise a plurality of endpoints and a central entity. Each of said plurality of endpoints may provide its primary video stream and audio stream to said centralized entity. The centralized entity provides the primary speaker stream and the mixed audio stream to each of said plurality of endpoint participants. In addition, some of plurality of endpoint establishes low bandwidth/low…

Digital linking of multiple microphone systems

Granted: May 10, 2016
Patent Number: 9338301
Systems and methods for digitally linking multiple microphones and managing microphone signals are provided. Embodiments provide for digitally linking of multiple auto-mixer systems where a large number of microphones are required. In large auto-mixer systems, microphone input channels may be distributed among many devices. Rather than transmitting these signals individually to a central processing device for the auto-mixer, it is most efficient to distribute the audio signal processing…

Facilitating multi-party conferences, including allocating resources needed for conference while establishing connections with participants

Granted: April 19, 2016
Patent Number: 9319634
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…

Dynamic adaption of a continuous presence videoconferencing layout based on video content

Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number: 9294726
Dynamically adapting a continuous presence (CP) layout in a videoconference enhances a videoconferencing experience by providing optimum visibility to regions of interest within the CP layout and ignoring regions of no interest. Based on the CP layout, a CP video image can be built, in which a conferee at a receiving endpoint can observe, simultaneously, several other participants' sites in the conference. For example, more screen space within the CP layout is devoted to presenting the…

Automatic microphone muting of undesired noises by microphone arrays

Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number: 9282405
Methods and systems for cancellation of table noise in a speaker system used for video or audio conferencing are disclosed. Table noise is cancelled by using a vertical microphone array to distinguish the tilt angle of sound received by a microphone. If the sound is close to horizontal, the audio is muted. If the sound is above a given angle from horizontal, it is not muted, as this indicates a person speaking. This eliminates paper rustling, keyboard clicks and the like.

Artifact reduction in packet loss concealment

Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number: 9263049
Various techniques are disclosed for improving packet loss concealment to reduce artifacts by using audio character measures of the audio signal. These techniques include attenuation to a noise fill instead of attenuation to silence, varying how long to wait before attenuating the extrapolation, varying the rate of attenuation of the extrapolation, attenuating periodic extrapolation at a different rate than non-periodic extrapolation, and performing period extrapolation on successively…