Speech-selective audio mixing for conference
Granted: January 12, 2016
Patent Number:
9237238
A conference apparatus reduces or eliminates noise in audio for endpoints in a conference. Endpoints in the conference are designated as a primary talker and as secondary talkers. Audio for the endpoints is processed with speech detectors to characterize the audio as speech or not and to determine energy levels of the audio. As the audio is written to buffers and then read from the buffers, decisions for the gain settings of faders for read audio of the endpoints being combined in the…
Method and system for switching between video streams in a continuous presence conference
Granted: December 15, 2015
Patent Number:
9215416
A media relay conferencing system includes a media relay multipoint control unit and a media relay endpoint that handle needs for Intra frames in an efficient way, improves the conferees experience, and reduces the load on the resources associated with that media relay videoconference by reducing the number of Intra frames and lowering the impact of Intra frames when they are needed. In some embodiments, when a requiring media relay endpoint requests an Intra frame for a video stream…
Immersive telepresence anywhere
Granted: December 15, 2015
Patent Number:
9215406
A conferencing peripheral for use with a mobile device or laptop or desktop computer can include one or more of projectors, cameras, microphones, and speakers. Such a device can work with the mobile device to provide a higher quality conferencing experience than has been provided to date by projecting a substantially full size, high resolution, image of conference participants onto a screen or wall and by providing microphones, speakers, and sufficient audio processing to provide high…
Mobile group conferencing with portable devices
Granted: December 1, 2015
Patent Number:
9203633
A master device (e.g., a laptop) controls a videoconference connection with a far-end and acts as a controller for slave devices in a group. The master establishes the connection with the far-end using a wide area network and connects with the slaves using a Wi-Fi connection of a local area connection. To connect to the slaves, the master outputs an ultrasonic beacon encoding the master's address in the local network. The beacon also allows differences in the various clocks to be handled…
System and method for point to point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems
Granted: November 24, 2015
Patent Number:
9197852
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.
Video conferencing method and device thereof
Granted: November 3, 2015
Patent Number:
9179100
A method of video conferencing among two or more video conference endpoints is provided, wherein the method comprises steps of: processing media data of the video conference into unified coding formats while switching media data of the video conference between the two or among more video conference endpoints; and saving the processed media data into recording files of continuous presence mode and lecture mode, wherein the recording file of continuous presence mode saves media data…
Remote controlled moving platform for a camera
Granted: October 13, 2015
Patent Number:
9157569
A moving platform for use with a camera and track assembly, and comprising a platform body having a hollow rectangular shape with five mirrored exterior sides and one open bottom side. Within and attached to the platform body is a drive wheel, an electric motor and a gear box adapted to drive the drive wheel, a non-drive wheel positioned and rotatable parallel to the drive wheel, a pair of directional wheels spaced from the drive wheel and the non-drive wheel, and a guide wheel assembly…
System and method for handling critical packets loss in multi-hop RTP streaming
Granted: September 8, 2015
Patent Number:
9131110
Disclosed are example embodiments of a method and system to reduce re-transmission requirements of a compress media transferring system implemented in a network where packet loss could be possible. An extended header for each transmitted packet can indicate the priority of the packet and endpoints can determine if a re-transmission of a missing packet is desired. Buffering of packets at different hops in a multi-hop system could allow for the retransmission request to be satisfied by a…
Managing the layout of multiple video streams displayed on a destination display screen during a videoconference
Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number:
9088692
A system includes a network interface for sending and receiving at least video data between two or more endpoints, where each endpoint includes a display screen. A camera may be located at more than one endpoint capturing video data. The system also includes a control unit for controlling spatial arrangement of one or more video data streams displayed on a display screen of one or more endpoints. The control unit determines a state and configuration of a videoconference and accesses a…
Providing direct eye contact videoconferencing
Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number:
9088693
A videoconferencing unit comprises a display screen configured to display a video data stream comprising images of a far end participant. A processor is adapted to decode the video data stream and generate a modified region of the video data stream. The modified region of the video data stream is displayed on the display screen at a location where images of eyes of the far end participant are displayed on the display screen. A camera is configured with a lens to capture images of a near…
System and method for combining a plurality of video streams generated in a videoconference
Granted: June 23, 2015
Patent Number:
9065974
Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for videoconferencing that allows video images from two or more cameras at the same site to be displayed as a single panoramic image. Accordingly, a conferencing endpoint having a single monitor can display the panoramic image of the two or more video images from an endpoint having multiple cameras, such as a telepresence endpoint. A sliding display area can be used to define manually a zoomed portion of the panoramic image to be displayed.…
Boron and fluorine-free glass fiber composites
Granted: June 9, 2015
Patent Number:
9051207
This invention discloses a kind of boron and fluorine-free fiberglass composite with its characteristic that it has the following compounds under particular mix ratio: SiO2, Al2O3, SiO2+Al2O3, CaO, MgO, TiO2, ZnO, Na2O+K2O and Fe2O3. The preferential process of this invention is: selection of mineral?grinding of mineral?compounding as per ratio?melting in furnace?outflow from platinum bushing?fiberizing?coating of infiltrating liquid?protofilament drying. Compared with the traditional E…
Method and system for adapting a CP layout according to interaction between conferees
Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number:
9041767
A system and method is disclosed for adapting a continuous presence videoconferencing layout according to interactions between conferees. Using regions of interest found in video images, the arrangement of images of conferees may be dynamically arranged as displayed by endpoints. Arrangements may be responsive to various metrics, including the position of conferees in a room and dominant conferees in the videoconference. Video images may be manipulated as part of the arrangement,…
Method and system for providing continuous presence video in a cascading conference
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9035990
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for providing continuous presence video stream in a cascading video conference, i.e., a video conference that is conducted over more than one MCU. A cascading continuous presence composition controller (CCCC) selects which endpoints from among all of the endpoints participating in the conference should be displayed in the layout, regardless of which endpoints are associated with which MCU. The CCCC can be resident on one of the MCUs, resident on a…
Automatic camera selection for videoconferencing
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9030520
In videoconference camera selection, audio inputs associated with cameras for a videoconference are each processed into first and second audio energies respectively for first and second frequency ranges. The selection then determines which of the audio inputs has a greatest ratio of the first audio energy to the second audio energy and selects the associated camera view for outputting video for the videoconference. The selection can also process video inputs from the cameras either alone…
Detection and suppression of returned audio at near-end
Granted: May 5, 2015
Patent Number:
9025764
Audio from a near-end that has been acoustically coupled at the far-end and returned to the near-end unit is detected and suppressed at the near-end of a conference. First and second energy outputs for separate bands are determined for the near-end audio being sent from the near-end unit and for the far-end audio being received at the near-end unit. The near-end unit compares the first and second energy outputs to one another for each of the bands over a time delay range and detects the…
Speakerphone using a secure audio connection to initiate a second secure connection
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9001702
Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various…
Artifact reduction in time compression
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8996389
Various techniques are disclosed for reducing artifacts generated by time compression. by adapting the time compression based on the state of the received audio. The amount of time compression may be bounded based on audio characteristics. Another feature provides a way of determining the most correlated portions of segments of audio. Voiced speech may be distinguished from unvoiced speech. Another feature provides a way of distinguishing between silence, voiced speech, and unvoiced…
Far field noise suppression for telephony devices
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8989815
Noise suppression systems and methods suppress far field noise in a microphone signal. A telephony system includes a main microphone and a reference microphone. In one example, the main microphone and the reference microphone can be located in the same device. In another example, the main microphone and the reference microphone can be located in two separate devices. A DSP can use the reference microphone signal to carry out suppression of far field noise in the main microphone signal.…
Speakerphone transmitting password information to a remote device
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8977683
Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various…
