Status and control icons on a continuous presence display in a videoconferencing system

• US 20060256188A1
• Filed: 04/17/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Kenoyer, Michael L., Mock, Wayne E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Various embodiments of a videoconferencing system and methods for visually indicating status and/or control information on a continuous presence display for a videoconference are described herein. In one embodiment, status information may be received from one or more of the endpoints of the videoconference and one or more status icons may be displayed on a continuous presence display in response to the status information. In another embodiment, a control icon may be displayed on the continuous presence display in order to visually indicate an endpoint that has been selected for controlling one or more of its properties.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information for a videoconference, the method comprising:

receiving a video signal from each of a plurality of endpoints of the videoconference;

displaying the video signals from each of the plurality of endpoints simultaneously on a display device;

receiving status information from one or more of the endpoints of the videoconference; and

displaying one or more icons on the display device in response to the status information received from the one or more endpoints, wherein each icon corresponds to a respective one of the one or more endpoints and is displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the respective endpoint, and wherein each icon has a graphical appearance that graphically indicates at least a portion of the status information received from the respective endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving first status information from a first endpoint and second status information from a second endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises;

displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint graphically indicates the first status information received from the first endpoint; and

displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the second endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the second endpoint graphically indicates the second status information received from the second endpoint.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving status information from each of the plurality of endpoints;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises;

for each of the plurality of endpoints, displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the endpoint, wherein the at least one icon graphically indicates the status information received from the endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving status information from a first endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises displaying a plurality of icons corresponding to the first endpoint, wherein each of the icons corresponding to the first endpoint is displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein each of the icons corresponding to the first endpoint graphically indicates a portion of the status information received from the first endpoint.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving first status information from a first endpoint, wherein the first status information indicates that audio is muted at the first endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises displaying a first mute icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein the first mute icon graphically indicates that audio is muted at the first endpoint.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints further comprises receiving second status information from a second endpoint, wherein the second status information indicates that audio is muted at the second endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons further comprises displaying a second mute icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the second endpoint, wherein the second mute icon graphically indicates that audio is muted at the second endpoint.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving first status information from a first endpoint;

wherein the plurality of icons includes a first icon that graphically indicates at least a portion of the first status information, wherein the first icon is displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein said graphically indicating at least a portion of the first status information comprises graphically indicating one or more of;

a volume level for the first endpoint;

a video source for the first endpoint; and

/or

camera information for the first endpoint.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a composite image including the video signals from each of the plurality of endpoints and the one or more icons, wherein said displaying the video signals and displaying the one or more icons comprises displaying the composite image.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving the video signals comprises receiving the video signals at a first endpoint of the videoconference, wherein said receiving the video signals comprises receiving a local video signal from the first endpoint and receiving a remote video signal from a second endpoint that is a remote endpoint with respect to the first endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises;

displaying at least one icon proximally to the local video signal of the first endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the local video signal of the first endpoint graphically indicates first status information received from the first endpoint; and

displaying at least one icon proximally to the remote video signal of the second endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the remote video signal of the second endpoint graphically indicates second status information received from the second endpoint.

10. A method for displaying information for a videoconference, the method comprising:

receiving a video signal from each of a plurality of endpoints of the videoconference;

displaying the video signals from each of the plurality of endpoints simultaneously on a display device; and

displaying a first control icon proximally to a first displayed video signal of a first endpoint, wherein the first control icon has a graphical appearance that graphically indicates that the first endpoint is selected for controlling one or more properties of the first endpoint.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving first user input selecting the first endpoint as an endpoint to control, wherein said displaying the first control icon proximally to the first displayed video signal of the first endpoint comprises displaying the first control icon proximally to the first displayed video signal of the first endpoint in response to the first user input selecting the first endpoint as the endpoint to control.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving second user input selecting a second endpoint as the endpoint to control, wherein the second user input is received after said displaying the first control icon proximally to the first displayed video signal of the first endpoint; and

re-displaying the first control icon proximally to a second displayed video signal of the second endpoint in response to the second user input selecting the second endpoint as the endpoint to control, wherein said re-displaying the first control icon proximally to the second displayed video signal of the second endpoint indicates that the second endpoint has been selected as the endpoint to control instead of the first endpoint.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein said displaying the first control icon proximally to the first displayed video signal of the first endpoint visually indicates that the first endpoint is selected for controlling one or more of the following properties of the first endpoint:

panning of a camera at the first endpoint;

tilting of a camera at the first endpoint;

zooming of a camera at the first endpoint;

selection of a video source at the first endpoint.

14. A videoconferencing device operable to:

receive a video signal from each of a plurality of endpoints of a videoconference;

display the video signals from each of the plurality of endpoints simultaneously on a display device;

receive status information from one or more of the endpoints of the videoconference; and

display one or more icons on the display device in response to the status information received from the one or more endpoints, wherein each of the one or more icons corresponds to a respective one of the one or more endpoints and is displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the respective endpoint, wherein each of the one or more icons has a graphical appearance that graphically indicates at least a portion of the status information received from the respective endpoint.

15. The videoconferencing device of claim 14,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving first status information from a first endpoint and second status information from a second endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises;

displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint graphically indicates the first status information received from the first endpoint; and

displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the second endpoint, wherein the at least one icon displayed proximally to the displayed video signal of the second endpoint graphically indicates the second status information received from the second endpoint.

16. The videoconferencing device of claim 14,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving status information from each of the plurality of endpoints;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises;

for each of the plurality of endpoints, displaying at least one icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the endpoint, wherein the at least one icon graphically indicates the status information received from the endpoint.

17. The videoconferencing device of claim 14,

wherein said receiving status information from the one or more endpoints comprises receiving first status information from a first endpoint, wherein the first status information indicates that audio is muted at the first endpoint;

wherein said displaying the one or more icons comprises displaying a first mute icon proximally to the displayed video signal of the first endpoint, wherein the first mute icon graphically indicates that audio is muted at the first endpoint.

18. The videoconferencing device of claim 14,

wherein the videoconferencing device is operable to create a composite image including the video signals from each of the plurality of endpoints and the one or more icons, wherein said displaying the video signals and displaying the one or more icons comprises displaying the composite image.