Adaptive, Multi-channel Teleconferencing System

• US 20080232568A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Diethorn, Eric John
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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 method is disclosed to determine the presence of one or more cellular phones in the same sound field as an endpoint that is dedicated for teleconferencing, such as a speakerphone. The teleconference bridge of the illustrative embodiment continually receives geo-location information about the cell phone. Based on the geo-location of the cell phone relative to the position of the speakerphone, the bridge determines whether to include or exclude signals that are received from the cell phone when preparing a signal for transmission to the speakerphone during a conference call. The bridge also determines whether to refrain from transmitting an audio signal to the cell phone, when the bridge infers that the cell phone is being used as a satellite microphone, such as when the cell phone is placed on a conference room table. As a result, each conference call participant is able to use his or her own cell phone as a personal satellite microphone, which can improve the sound quality of the conference call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, at a teleconference bridge, a first teleconference call that involves at least a first endpoint assigned to a first port, a second endpoint assigned to a second port, and a third endpoint assigned to a third port, wherein first endpoint is capable of having a telephone call independently of said teleconference bridge, and wherein said second endpoint and said third endpoint are acoustically isolated from each other;

receiving, at said teleconference bridge, a first receive audio signal s₁ from said first endpoint via said first port, a second receive audio signal s₂ from said second endpoint via said second port, and a third receive audio signal s₃ from said third endpoint via said third port;

determining whether to transmit any audio signal that is based on at least one of said signal s₂ and said signal s₃ to said first endpoint, based on i) the terminal type of said first endpoint, ii) whether said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint, and iii) whether said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said third endpoint; and

transmitting a first transmit audio signal x₁ to said third endpoint, wherein said signal x₁ is based on at least one of said signal s₁ and said signal s₂.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a second transmit signal x₂ to said second endpoint, wherein said signal x₂ is based on said signal s₃, and wherein at least a component of said signal s₁ is excluded from said signal x₂ when said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first endpoint comprises cellular telephone functionality and said second endpoint is a conference telephone.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

transmitting, from said teleconference bridge, a third transmit audio signal x₃ to said second endpoint;

receiving a fourth receive audio signal s₄ from said first endpoint; and

determining that said signal s₄ is sufficiently correlated with said signal x₃ and, as a result, that said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said second endpoint and said third endpoint are determined to be acoustically isolated from each other, based on comparing the identifier of said second endpoint and the identifier of said third endpoint to a database of endpoints.

6. A method comprising:

monitoring whether a first endpoint is acoustically collocated with a second endpoint, wherein first endpoint is capable of having a telephone call independently of a teleconference bridge and is capable of moving into or out from being acoustically collocated with said second endpoint;

receiving, at said teleconference bridge, a first receive audio signal s₁ from said first endpoint via a first port, a second receive audio signal s₂ from said second endpoint via a second port, and a third receive audio signal s₃ from a third endpoint via a third port, wherein said first endpoint, said second endpoint, and said third endpoint are part of a first conference call that is handled by said teleconference bridge;

transmitting, from said teleconference bridge, a first transmit audio signal x₁ to said third endpoint and a second transmit audio signal x₂ to said second endpoint, wherein said signal x₁ is based on at least one of signal s₁ and signal s₂, and wherein signal x₂ is based on at least one of said signal s₁ and said signal s₃; and

when said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint, excluding at least a component of said signal s₁ from said signal x₂.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said first endpoint comprises cellular telephone functionality and said second endpoint is a conference telephone.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, when said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint, refraining from transmitting any audio signals to said first endpoint during at least a first portion of said first conference call.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the refraining is based on a predetermined characteristic of a fourth receive audio signal s₄ received from said first endpoint.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said predetermined characteristic is audio level.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the refraining is based on the spatial proximity of said first endpoint to said second endpoint.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting a third transmit audio signal x₃ to said first endpoint during a second portion of said first conference call, wherein said signal x₃ is based on said signal s₃.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said second endpoint and said third endpoint are determined to be acoustically isolated from each other, based on comparing the identifier of said second endpoint and the identifier of said third endpoint to a database of endpoints.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein the determination of said first endpoint being acoustically collocated with a second endpoint comprises:

transmitting, from said teleconference bridge, a third transmit audio signal x₃ to said second endpoint;

receiving a fourth receive audio signal s₄ from said first endpoint; and

determining that said signal s₄ is sufficiently correlated with said signal x₃.

15. A method comprising:

monitoring whether a first endpoint is acoustically collocated with a second endpoint, wherein said first endpoint comprises cellular telephone functionality;

receiving, at a teleconference bridge, a first receive audio signal s₁ from said first endpoint via a first port and a second receive audio signal s₂ from said second endpoint via said second port, wherein said first endpoint and said second endpoint are part of a first conference call that is handled by said teleconference bridge;

transmitting, from said teleconference bridge, a first transmit audio signal x₁ to a third endpoint that is also part of said conference call and a second transmit audio signal x₂ to said second endpoint, wherein said signal x₁ is based on at least one of signal s₁ and signal s₂; and

when said first endpoint is acoustically collocated with said second endpoint, i) excluding at least a component of said signal s₁ from said signal x₂ and ii) refraining from transmitting any audio signals to said first endpoint during at least a first portion of said first conference call.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the refraining is based on a predetermined characteristic of a third receive audio signal s₃ received from said first endpoint.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said predetermined characteristic is audio level.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the refraining is based on the spatial proximity of said first endpoint to said second endpoint.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising transmitting a third transmit audio signal x₃ to said first endpoint during a second portion of said first conference call.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the transmitting of said signal x₃ is based on a movement of said first endpoint away from said second endpoint.