Enabling additional endpoints to connect to audio mixing device

• US 10,326,886 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: John Chuan, Mee Tchin Jane, Kong, Cheuk-man, Do, Tu Dien, Ismail, Usman
• Primary Examiner(s): George, Ayanah S
• Application Number:
  US15/692,964
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/121 Details of network access arrangements or protocols

Abstract

A system capable of connecting a device to a wired communication network (e.g., Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)) using an adapter. During a telephone call using the PSTN, the adapter may mix two or more audio streams to enable multiple devices to join the telephone call. However, the adapter has limited resources. If the adapter receives a request from an additional device to join the call, the adapter may send a notification that indicates a maximum number of endpoints has been reached. To enable audio mixing for additional devices, the system may send multiple audio streams to a communication server to be mixed and the mixed audio stream are sent to the adapter to be output using the PSTN. The communication server may receive the audio streams from the adapter or directly from the devices.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least a first network component capable of connecting to a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

at least a second network component capable of connecting to at least one data network;

memory including instructions operable to be executed by the at least one processor to configure the first device to;

receive, from the PSTN, input audio data as part of a telephone call;

send, to a second device via the at least one data network, the input audio data, the second device participating in the telephone call;

send, to a third device via the at least one data network, the input audio data, the third device participating in the telephone call;

receive, from the second device via the at least one data network, first audio data;

receive, from the third device via the at least one data network, second audio data;

generate first output audio data based at least in part on the first audio data and the second audio data;

send, to the PSTN, the first output audio data as part of the telephone call;

receive, from a fourth device via the at least one data network, a request to join the telephone call;

determine that a first number of devices connected to the first device exceeds a second number of devices that the first device can support;

send, via the at least one data network, a notification indicating that the first number of devices exceeds the second number of devices;

receive, from a remote server via the at least one data network, third audio data, a first portion of the third audio data generated by the third device and a second portion of the third audio data generated by the fourth device;

generate second output audio data based on the third audio data; and

send, to the PSTN, the second output audio data as part of the telephone call.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the second device via the at least one data network, fourth audio data; and

generate the second output audio data based at least in part on the third audio data and the fourth audio data.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

send, to at least one of the fourth device or the remote server via the at least one data network, the notification,

wherein the third device sends the first portion of the third audio data to the remote server and the fourth device sends the second portion of the third audio data to the remote server.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the notification;

receive, from the third device via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data;

receive, from the fourth device via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data;

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data; and

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data.

5. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least a first network component capable of connecting to at least one wired communication network;

at least a second network component capable of connecting to at least one data network;

memory including instructions operable to be executed by the at least one processor to configure the first device to;

receive, from a second device, first audio data;

receive, from a third device, second audio data;

generate first output audio data based at least in part on the first audio data and the second audio data;

send, via the wired communication network, the first output audio data as part of a synchronous communication session;

receive, from a fourth device via the at least one data network, a request to join the synchronous communication session;

determine that a first number of devices connected to the first device exceeds a second number of devices that the first device can support;

send, via the at least one data network, a message indicating that the second number of devices is exceeded;

receive, from a remote server via the at least one data network, third audio data, a first portion of the third audio data generated by the third device and a second portion of the third audio data generated by the fourth device;

generate second output audio data based on the third audio data; and

send, via the wired communication network, the second output audio data as part of the synchronous communication session.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the second device, fourth audio data, the second device corresponding to an analog telephone and the fourth audio data being analog; and

generate second output audio data based at least in part on the third audio data and the fourth audio data.

7. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the second device via the at least one data network, fourth audio data; and

generate second output audio data based at least in part on the third audio data and the fourth audio data.

8. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the remote server via the at least one data network, the third audio data, a third portion of the third audio data generated by the second device; and

generate the second output audio data by processing the third audio data.

9. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

send, to at least one of the fourth device or the remote server via the at least one data network, the message; and

receive, from the remote server via the at least one data network, the third audio data,

wherein the third device sends the first portion of the third audio data to the remote server and the fourth device sends the second portion of the third audio data to the remote server.

10. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the message;

receive, from the third device via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data;

receive, from the fourth device via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data;

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data; and

send, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data.

11. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the third device via the at least one data network, a request to at least one of initiate the synchronous communication session or accept the synchronous communication session;

receive, from the wired communication network, fourth audio data; and

send, to the third device via the at least one data network, the fourth audio data.

12. The first device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further configure the first device to:

receive, from the remote server via the at least one data network, a first instruction to at least one of initiate the synchronous communication session or accept the synchronous communication session;

receive, from the remote server via the at least one data network, a second instruction to send fourth audio data to and receive fifth audio data from the third device during the synchronous communication session;

receive, from the wired communication, the fourth audio data; and

send, to the third device via the at least one data network, the fourth audio data.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising, by a first device:

receiving, from a second device, first audio data;

receiving, from a third device, second audio data;

generating first output audio data based at least in part on the first audio data and the second audio data;

sending, via a wired communication network, the first output audio data as part of a synchronous communication session;

receiving, from a fourth device via at least one data network, a request to join the synchronous communication session;

determining that a first number of devices connected to the first device exceeds a second number of devices that the first device can support;

sending, via the at least one data network, a message indicating that the second number of devices is exceeded;

receiving, from a remote server via the at least one data network, third audio data, a first portion of the third audio data generated by the third device and a second portion of the third audio data generated by the fourth device;

generating second output audio data based on the third audio data; and

sending, via the wired communication network, the second output audio data as part of the synchronous communication session.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device, fourth audio data, the second device corresponding to an analog telephone and the fourth audio data being analog; and

generating the second output audio data based at least in part on the third audio data and the fourth audio data.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device via the at least one data network, fourth audio data; and

generating the second output audio data based at least in part on the third audio data and the fourth audio data.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the remote server via the at least one data network, the third audio data, a third portion of the third audio data generated by the second device; and

generating the second output audio data by processing the third audio data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

sending, to at least one of the fourth device or the remote server via the at least one data network, the message; and

receiving, from the remote server via the at least one data network, the third audio data,

wherein the third device sends the first portion of the third audio data to the remote server and the fourth device sends the second portion of the third audio data to the remote server.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

sending, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the message;

receiving, from the third device via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data;

receiving, from the fourth device via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data;

sending, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the first portion of the third audio data; and

sending, to the remote server via the at least one data network, the second portion of the third audio data.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the third device via the at least one data network, a request to at least one of initiate the synchronous communication session or accept the synchronous communication session;

receiving, from the wired communication network, fourth audio data; and

sending, to the third device via the at least one data network, the fourth audio data.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the remote server via the at least one data network, a first instruction to at least one of initiate the synchronous communication session or accept the synchronous communication session;

receiving, from the remote server via the at least one data network, a second instruction to send fourth audio data to and receive fifth audio data from the third device during the synchronous communication session;

receiving, from the wired communication network, the fourth audio data; and

sending, to the third device via the at least one data network, the fourth audio data.