Method and system for handling video signals of conference

• US 20060023062A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Potekhin, Sergey, Brachel, Nir, Leviav, Eyal, Eran, Knaz, Elbaze, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 7,929,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and method particularly useful in handling the video of a “large” conference is disclosed. The system and method initially defines certain conferees as panel members, which can provide input video signals to the multipoint control unit and can receive output video signals or a composite layout for the conference from the multipoint control unit. The system and method also initially defines audience members, which only passively receive the output video signals or layout from the multipoint control unit and do not have their video signals incorporated into the layout of the videoconference. In one aspect, an audience terminal can request to participate in the conference. By making an appropriate request, the audience terminal can, if system resources are adequate, participate fully as a panel member and may supply video signals to the conference for at least some portion of time. Alternatively, the audience member can supply information other than video signals to the conference, such as voting data or other data allowing the audience member to participate in the conference as more than a merely passive viewing participant.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a conference between a plurality of terminals with a conferencing control unit, the method comprising:

designating at the control unit at least one terminal as a panel terminal;

designating at the control unit at least one terminal as an audience terminal;

processing at the control unit input video signals only from the at least one panel terminal to form one or more output video signals;

sending the one or more output video signals from the control unit to the at least one panel terminal and to the at least one audience terminal; and

receiving at the control unit a request from the at least one audience terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference is an audio/video conference or a multimedia conference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more output video signals from the control unit include a first output video signal for the at least one panel terminal and a second output video signal for the at least one audience terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein first and second output video signals are the same.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein first and second output video signals are different according to a preference defined by the terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein designating the terminals is performed when reserving the conference, starting the conference, or connecting one of the terminals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein designating a panel terminal comprises allocating an input video module and an output video module of the control unit for the panel terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein designating an audience terminal comprises:

associating an output video module of the control unit for the audience terminal, and

allocating an input module of the control unit for receiving requests from the audience terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request to change the requesting terminal from an audience terminal to a panel terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein changing the requesting terminal comprises allocating more video resources to the requesting terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at the control unit whether the request from the audience terminal can be implemented.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the request from the audience terminal can be implemented comprises determining whether video resources on the control unit are available.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the request from the audience terminal can be implemented comprises determining whether video resources of the control unit can be released.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request to have input video signals from the requesting terminal to be displayed to the conference.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the control unit a request from the at least one panel terminal to change to an audience terminal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein changing a panel terminal to an audience terminal comprises reducing a greater amount of video resources of the control unit of the requesting terminal to a lesser amount of video resources of the control unit.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein-allocating the audience module of the control unit for the at least one audience terminal comprises allocating an input module of the control unit for receiving requests from the audience terminal.

17. A method of conducting a conference between a plurality of terminals with a conferencing control unit, the method comprising:

initially designating at the control unit at least one terminal as a panel terminal by allocating a panel module of the control unit for the at least one panel terminal, wherein the panel terminal transmits an input video signal for the conference to the control unit and receives a first output video signal from the control unit;

initially designating at the control unit at least one terminal as an audience terminal by allocating an audience module of the control unit for the at least one audience terminal, wherein the audience terminal receives a second output video signal from the control unit, wherein the first and second output video signals include the input video signals transmitted only from the at least one panel terminal; and

receiving at the audience module of the control unit a request from the at least one audience terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the conference is an audio/video conference or a multimedia conference.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second output video signals are the same.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second output video signals are different according to a preference defined by the terminals.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein designating the terminals is performed when reserving the conference, starting the conference, or connecting one of the terminals.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein allocating the panel module of the control unit for the at least one panel terminal comprises allocating an input video module and an output video module of the control unit for the at least one panel terminal.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the request comprises a request to change the requesting terminal from an audience terminal to a panel terminal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein changing the requesting terminal comprises allocating more video resources to the requesting terminal.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising if the request can be implemented by the control unit, thereafter receiving information from the requesting audience terminal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the request comprises a request to have input video signals from the audience terminal to be displayed to the conference, and wherein the information comprises the input video signal from the requesting terminal.

28. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving at the control unit a request from the at least one panel terminal to change to an audience terminal.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein changing a panel terminal to an audience terminal comprises reducing a greater amount of video resources of the control unit of the requesting terminal to a lesser amount of video resources of the control unit.

30. A system for conducting a conference over a network and between a plurality of terminals, the system comprising:

a control unit in communication with the terminals via the network, each terminal being designatable by the control unit as a panel terminal or an audience terminal, the control unit processing input video signals only from the panel terminals to form one or more output video signals and sending the one or more output video signals to the panel terminals and to the audience terminals,

wherein the control unit receives and responds to electronic signals from the audience terminals.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the conference is an audio/video conference or a multimedia conference.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the control unit allocates a greater amount of video resources of the control unit to the panel terminals than to the audience terminals.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the electronic signal comprises a request from the audience terminal.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the control unit changes the designation of an audience terminal to a panel terminal in response to the request.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the control unit allocates more video resources to the requesting terminal.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the control unit determines whether video resources of the control unit are available for the requesting terminal.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the control unit releases video resources of an inactive panel terminal and allocates the released video resources to the requesting terminal.

38. A control unit for conducting a conference between a plurality of terminals, the control unit-comprising:

at least one panel module allocated for one or more panel terminals of the plurality of terminals, the panel module processing input video signals only from the panel terminals to be displayed in one or more layouts for the conference and sending the one or more layouts of the conference to the plurality of terminals; and

at least one audience module allocated for one or more audience terminals of the plurality of terminals, the audience module receiving an audience signal from the audience terminals.

39. The control unit of claim 38, wherein the panel module comprises:

one or more input video modules allocated to the panel terminals for receiving the input video signals from the panel terminals, and

one or more output video modules allocated to the plurality of terminals for sending the one or more layouts of the conference to the plurality of terminals.

40. The control unit of claim 38, wherein the audience module comprises one or more input modules allocated to the audience terminals for receiving the audience signal from the audience terminals.

41. The control unit of claim 38, wherein the modules are permanent or temporary logic modules.

42. The control unit of claim 38, wherein the audience signal comprises a request for the control unit to designate the sending audience terminal as a panel terminal.

43. The control unit of claim 42, wherein the control unit determines whether the panel module has free video resources for the requesting terminal.

44. The control unit of claim 43, wherein the control unit allocates the free video resources of the panel module to the requesting terminal.

45. The control unit of claim 43, wherein the control unit releases video resources of an inactive panel terminal and allocates the released video resources to the requesting terminal.

46. The control unit of claim 45, wherein the control unit designates the inactive terminal as an audience terminal.