METHOD FOR CARRYING OUT A VOICE CONFERENCE AND VOICE CONFERENCE SYSTEM

• US 20100061536A1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Gilg, Virginie
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.10
• 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 and a voice conference system for carrying out a voice conference are disclosed, the system having at least three voice terminals in a communication system. At least one of the voice terminals is associated with a first group such that the voice data provided by the respective receiving channels thereof is decoded into individual voice signals for said group. Said individual voice signals are superimposed to form an aggregate voice signal and the aggregate voice signal is encoded into first aggregate voice data. Furthermore, at least two of the voice terminals are associated with a second group such that the second group has only voice terminals wherein an extensive inactivity on the respective receiving channels thereof is identified. The first aggregate voice data is supplied to the voice terminals associated with the second group by the respective receiving channels for a respective output of the first aggregate voice data.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method of carrying out a voice conference with at least three voice terminals in a communication system, the voice terminals each having a receive channel to receive coded voice data occurring during the voice conference for the outputting of voice signals formed by decoding the received voice data at the respective voice terminal, and a recording channel to supply coded voice data for the voice conference, with the voice data to be supplied being formed by coding from voice signals recorded at the respective voice terminal, comprising:

assigning at least temporarily one of the voice terminals to a first group such that the voice data supplied by way of its respective recording channels is decoded respectively for it into individual voice signals, these individual voice signals are superimposed to form an aggregate voice signal and the aggregate voice signal is coded into first aggregate voice data;

assigning at least temporarily two of the voice terminals to a second group such that the second group only includes voice terminals for which extensive inactivity is identified at their respective recording channels; and

supplying the first aggregate voice data to the voice terminals assigned to the second group by way of their respective receive channels for respective outputting of the first aggregate voice data.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the assigning of voice terminals to the first group takes place such that the first group only includes voice terminals for which extensive activity is identified at their respective recording channels.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

reforming the first group after the end of a time segment or by identifying a change in activity at one of the respective recording channels or by identifying user actions at one of the voice terminals.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

reforming the second group after the end of a time segment or by identifying a change in activity at one of the respective recording channels or by identifying user actions at one of the voice terminals.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

forming for one of the voice terminals of the first group a terminal-specific aggregate voice signal by superimposing the individual voice signals of the voice terminals of the first group and by coding into terminal-specific aggregate voice data; and

supplying the terminal-specific aggregate voice data to the voice terminal by the associated receive channel for a terminal-specific output.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

coding the aggregate voice signal into second aggregate voice data that is different from the first aggregate voice data;

assigning at least temporarily two of the voice terminals to a third group such that the third group only includes voice terminals for which extensive inactivity is identified at their respective recording channels; and

supplying the second aggregate voice data to the voice terminals assigned to the third group by way of their respective receive channels for respective outputting of the second aggregate voice data.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the aggregate voice signal is coded into the first aggregate voice data by just one first coder.

23. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the aggregate voice signal is coded into the second aggregate voice data by just one second coder, which is different from the first coder.

24. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a coder selection takes place adaptively.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the adaptive selection of one of the respective coders takes place such that the output quality at the relevant voice terminals is optimized.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the adaptive selection of one of the respective coders takes place such that a transmission bandwidth at the respective receive channel of relevant voice terminals is optimized.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the adaptive selection of one of the respective coders takes place such that the number of coders deployed simultaneously for the voice conference is minimized.

28. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

identifying at least temporarily extensive inactivity of a voice terminal assigned to the first group;

cancelling the assigning of the identified inactive voice terminal to the first group; and

assigning the identified inactive voice terminal to the second group.

29. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

identifying at least temporarily extensive inactivity of a voice terminal assigned to the first group; and

characterizing as available a coder hitherto assigned to transmit voice data to this inactive voice terminal.

30. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

identifying at least temporarily extensive activity of a voice terminal assigned to the second group;

cancelling the assignment of the identified active voice terminal to the second group; and

assigning the identified active voice terminal to the first group.

31. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

identifying at least temporarily extensive activity of a voice terminal assigned to the second group;

forming a terminal-specific aggregate voice signal for the active voice terminal;

assigning a coder characterized as available to the active voice terminal; and

coding by the coder the terminal-specific aggregate voice signal for the active voice terminal into aggregate voice data specifically for the active voice terminal.

32. A voice conference system for a plurality of voice terminals in a communication system, comprising:

a signal mixing unit to superimpose individual voice signals of voice terminals assigned to a first group to form an aggregate voice signal and to superimpose a selection of individual voice signals respectively of the voice terminals assigned to the first group to form terminal-specific aggregate voice signals.

33. The voice conference system as claimed in claim 32, further comprising:

a signal mixing control unit to select the individual voice signals to be superimposed by the signal mixing unit from the incoming individual voice signals from the voice terminals in the voice conference.

34. The voice conference system as claimed in claim 33, further comprising:

a coding unit with a plurality of available coders to code the aggregate voice signal into first aggregate voice data and the terminal-specific aggregate voice signals into terminal-specific aggregate voice data by a selected coder in each instance.

35. The voice conference system as claimed in claim 34, further comprising:

a coding control unit to select and to configure coders to be used by the coding unit, which are selected respectively for the aggregate voice signal and the terminal-specific aggregate voice signals.