Inferred activity based conference enhancement method and system

• US 10,531,050 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Noll, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US15/916,769
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 345 23, 348 1408, 348 141, 348 1411, 348 1416, 348 77, 34821112, 37920201, 709204, 725 34, 715753, 715756, 726 3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method and system for optimizing conference session activities within a conference space, the system comprising at least a first sensor for sensing session characteristics and a processor receiving the sensed session characteristics and identifying a conference paradigm based on the sensed session characteristics, identifying an action sequence to perform as a function of the conference paradigm and performing the action sequence, wherein the action sequence results in automatic presentation of at least some information to at least a subset of conferees within the conference space.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing conference session activities within a conference space, the system comprising:

at least a first camera having a field of view and generating images of at least a portion of the conference space within the field of view;

a processor linked to the camera for receiving images, the processor programmed to identify conferees within the received images, identify relative juxtapositions of the conferees within the conference space and to identify a conference paradigm based at least in part on at least one sensed session characteristic;

wherein the step of identifying a conference paradigm includes identifying at least one of first and second conference paradigms from a set of conference paradigms.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying at least one of first and second conference paradigms comprises identifying a conference paradigm from a set of paradigms also including at least one a presentation conference paradigm, a content generation conference paradigm, an evaluation conference paradigm, a co-evaluation conference paradigm, and a collaboration conference paradigm.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further programmed to identify an action sequence to perform as a function of the identified conference paradigm and wherein performing the action sequence results in automatic presentation of supplemental content to conferees within the conference space and wherein the supplemental content is different based on which conference paradigm is identified.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further programmed to identify an action sequence to perform as a function of the identified conference paradigm and wherein performing the action sequence results in automatic presentation of supplemental content to conferees within the conference space and wherein the presentation of supplemental content is different based on which conference paradigm is identified.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein at least one large common emissive surface is located within the conference space and wherein presentation of supplemental content includes presenting the supplemental content via the common emissive surface, and wherein the supplemental content is presented in a first manner when a first conference paradigm is identified and is presented in a second manner when a second conference paradigm is identified.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a microphone configured to sense a voice of a conferee.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further programmed to include voice recognition software, and wherein the voice recognition software identifies words spoken in the conference space.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one proximity sensor for detecting presence of a conferee within the conference space.

9. A system for optimizing conference session activities within a conference space, the system comprising:

at least a first camera having a field of view and generating images of at least a portion of the conference space within the field of view;

a processor linked to the camera for receiving images, the processor programmed to identify conferees within the received images, identify relative juxtapositions of the conferees within the conference space, to identify a conference paradigm based at least in part on at least one sensed session characteristic and to identify an action sequence to perform as a function of the identified conference paradigm, the action sequence resulting in automatic presentation of supplemental content to conferees within the conference space and wherein the supplemental content is different based on which conference paradigm is identified;

wherein the step of identifying a conference paradigm includes identifying a paradigm from a set of conference paradigms including at least first and second conference paradigms.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the action sequence includes formulating a query based at least in part of the identified conference paradigm and at least a subset of the content shared within the conference space by the conferees.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second conference paradigms each comprise at least one of a presentation conference paradigm, a content generation conference paradigm, an evaluation conference paradigm, a co-evaluation conference paradigm, and a collaboration conference paradigm.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further programmed to identify the conference paradigm as a function of the orientation of the at least one conferee within the conference space.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a microphone and wherein the processor is programmed to recognize verbal communications within the conference space.

14. A system for optimizing conference session activities within a conference space, the system comprising:

a session characteristics sensor configured to sense at least one of a conferee presence within a conference space, a location of a conferee within a conference space, and a relative juxtaposition of a conferee within a conference space;

a session content sensor configured to sense content within the conference space;

a processor linked to the session characteristics sensor and the session content sensor, the processor programmed to evaluate sensed data from the session characteristics sensor to identify conferees within the conference space and to identify a conference paradigm based at least in part on the sensed session characteristics and to evaluate sensed data from the session content sensor to identify content based at least in part on the sensed session content sensor within the conference space;

wherein the step of identifying a conference paradigm includes identifying at least one of first and second conference paradigms from a set of conference paradigms.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the session characteristics sensor comprises at least one of a camera, a proximity sensor, and an entry/egress sensor.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the session content sensor comprises at least one of a microphone and an emissive surface.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the session characteristics sensor comprises a camera having a field of view and generating images of at least a portion of the conference space within the field of view.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the session content sensor comprises a microphone and the processor is further programmed to apply voice recognition to identify the meaning of voiced words acquired through the microphone.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further programmed to interrogate at least one portable device to identify a conferee.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further programmed to include at least one of a conferee recognition engine, a locations/orientation/posture engine, a speech recognition engine, a gesture engine, a content recognition engine, a search engine, and a conferee identity engine.