Method and apparatus for multiparty collaboration enhancement

• US 20070050451A1
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Caspi, Rami, Beyda, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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

Abstract

A telecommunications system includes a network; a plurality of user devices operably coupled to said network and including a microphone and a speaker; a collaboration server configured to cause a playing of one or more test tones at said plurality of user devices and compensate for feedback if said test tones are detected by microphones associated with said plurality of user devices.

Claims

1. A conferencing method, comprising:

identifying a preliminary set of collocated conference participants;

muting a microphone associated with each of the preliminary set;

generating one or more test tones for playing on a speaker associated with each of the preliminary set;

opening a microphone associated with each of the preliminary set; and

detecting as collocated conference participants for whom the microphone detects the one or more test tones.

2. A conferencing method in accordance with claim 1, further including collectively muting microphones of a plurality of collocated participants.

3. A conferencing method in accordance with claim 1, further including collectively reducing the volume of speakers of a plurality collocated participants.

4. A conferencing method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said identifying a preliminary set includes determining which of which of a pool of potential conference participants is associated with an IP address correlated with a site of the conference.

5. A conferencing method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said identifying a preliminary set includes determining which of which of a pool of potential conference participants is associated with a presence state correlated with a site of the conference.

6. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a network;

a plurality of user devices operably coupled to said network and including a microphone and a speaker;

a collaboration server configured to cause a playing of one or more test tones at said plurality of user devices and compensate for feedback if said test tones are detected by microphones associated with said plurality of user devices.

7. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 6, said collaboration server configured identify a preliminary presence of said user devices based on IP addresses correlated with a collaboration site.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 6, said collaboration server configured identify a preliminary presence of said user devices based on presence states correlated with a collaboration site.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said collaboration server is configured to compensate for said feedback by muting a microphone of associated ones of said user devices.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said collaboration server is configured to compensate for said feedback by lowering a volume of speakers of associated ones of said user devices.

11. A conferencing system, comprising:

means for identifying a preliminary set of collocated conference participants;

means for muting a microphone associated with each of the preliminary set;

means for generating one or more test tones for playing on a speaker associated with each of the preliminary set;

means for opening a microphone associated with each of the preliminary set; and

means for detecting as collocated conference participants for whom the microphone detects the one or more test tones.

12. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 11, further including means for collectively muting microphones of a plurality of collocated participants.

13. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 11, further including means for collectively reducing the volume of speakers of a plurality collocated participants.

14. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said means for identifying a preliminary set includes means for determining which of which of a pool of potential conference participants is associated with an IP address correlated with a site of the conference.

15. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a conference controller configured to supervise teleconferences; and

a feedback controller configured to monitor locations of collocated user devices participating in a particular teleconference and provide feedback control to said collocated user devices;

wherein said feedback control includes

transmitting commands to user devices to turn off associated microphones and speakers;

on a device by device basis, causing the microphones and speakers to be turned on and one or more tones to be played;

detecting the one or more tones at the associated user devices; and

providing one or more I/O commands to control a speaker or microphone to control feedback.

16. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said one or more I/O commands are provided from a remote feedback controller to a user device.

17. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said one or more I/O commands are provided locally at a user device responsive to detection of the one or more tones.