Teleconferencing audio bridge

• US 6,178,237 B1
• Filed: 12/24/1997
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Horn, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US08/997,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202, 379/203, 379/204, 379/205, 379/206, 379/158, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/40 Applications of speech amplifiers
• 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 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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

An arrangement for a teleconferencing bridge allows one or more users to control at least one characteristic of at least some of the input signals received by the bridge, such that the output signals received by each user in a teleconference is a user-controlled combination of all the input signals, including the changed input signals. The arrangement allows a rich set of audio bridging features to be provided cost-effectively. Those features include subconferencing, monitoring, whispering, muting, complex gain control, and pseudo stereo.

Claims

1. A communications bridge for use in teleconferencing comprising:

a plurality of input paths for carrying input signals;

a plurality of output paths for carrying output signals; and

a data means including a plurality of data items, each data item representing a gain element having a coupling characteristic between one of said plurality of input paths and one of said plurality of output paths such that output signals on each output path is a combination of the coupling of each input signal to that output path as specified by its respective data item.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the coupling characteristic includes amplitude of signals from at least one of the plurality of input paths.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the coupling characteristic includes gain elements associated with crosspoints of an input path with one or more output paths.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the coupling characteristic includes at least one gain element.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein an output signal O carried on a particular output path i is defined by $O_i=\sum _{}^{}$

j=1j=n

Ij

Gij,

where n represents the number of input paths, G represents the gain elements, i represents an output path, O represents the output signal of the output path, and I represents the input signals for each one of the input paths.

6. A communications bridge for use in teleconferencing comprising:

a matrix of input and output communications paths through which flow respectively, input signals and output signals; and

means for changing one or more characteristics of the input signals coupled to an output communications path such that the output signals flowing out of each output communications path represent a selected combination of the input signals from the input communications paths, including the changed input signals.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the one or more characteristics include the input signals'"'"' amplitude.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein the characteristics include gain elements associated with crosspoints of the input and output communications paths.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the output signals for a particular output communications path are defined by $O_i=\sum _{}^{}$

j=1j=n

Ij

Gij,

where n represents the number of input communications paths, G represents the gain elements, i represents a particular output path, O represents the output signals for the particular output path, and I represents the input signals from each input communications path.

10. The invention of claim 6 further comprising:

means for adding for a particular output communications path, the input signals from each input communications path weighted by the gain element associated with the intersection of each input communications path with the particular output communications path.

11. The invention of claim 6 wherein the input and output communications paths are logical communications paths.

12. A communications bridge for use in teleconferencing comprising

a matrix of input and output communication paths through each one of which flow respectively, input signals and output signals, wherein each combination of a) one of the input communication paths, and b) at least one of the output communication paths is associated with a participant of a teleconference;

and

means for controlling at least one of a plurality of gain elements associated with crosspoints of the input and output communications paths to affect the amplitude of the input signals from at least one input communications path such that output signals for each output communications path represent a selected combination of input signals from the input communications paths, including the amplitude-affected input signals.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein output signals for a particular output communications path are defined by $O_i=\sum _{}^{}$

j=1j=n

Ij

Gij,

where n represents the number of input communications paths, G represents the gain elements, i represents a particular output communications path, O represents the output signals for the particular output communications path, and I represents the input signals from each input communications path.

14. The invention of claim 12 further comprising

means for adding for a particular output communications path, the input signals for the input communications paths wherein, in the addition, the input signals from each input communications path are weighted by the gain element associated with the intersection of each input communications path with the particular output communications path.

15. The invention of claim 12 further comprising

means for excluding input signals associated with a particular participant from the output signals flowing through the communications output path associated with the participant.

16. The invention of claim 12 further comprising

means for excluding input signals flowing through one or more input communications paths from the output signals flowing through one or more output communications paths.

17. The invention of claim 12 further comprising

means for excluding input signals flowing through input communications paths associated with a first group of participants from the output signals flowing through output communications paths associated with a second group of participants;

and

means for excluding input signals flowing through input communications paths associated with the second group of participants from the output signals flowing through output communications paths associated with the first group of participants.

18. The invention of claim 12 further comprising

means for transmitting to one participant at least two different combinations of the input signals from the input communications paths, via two separate output communications paths.

19. A method of connecting multiple participants in a teleconference comprising the steps of:

receiving in a communications data bridge input signals from at least one of a plurality of participants in a teleconference; and

means for changing in the bridge at least one characteristic of the input signals from the at least one participant such that the output signals transmitted to the plurality of participants represent a selected combination of the input signals, including the changed input signals.

20. The invention of claim 19 wherein the characteristics of the input signals include the input signals'"'"' amplitude.

21. The invention of claim 19 wherein the characteristics include gain elements associated with the input signals received from the at least one participant, and the output signals transmitted to a particular participant.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a matrix defined by a plurality of logical input communications paths crossing a plurality of logical output communications paths, wherein a gain element is associated with each crosspoint of one of said input communications paths and one of said output communications paths;

means for receiving input signals via at least one of the input communications paths;

means for transmitting output signals via at least one of the output communications paths; and

a user interface associated with a user terminal connected to the apparatus for controlling the gain elements to affect the input signals'"'"' amplitude such that transmitted output signals via at least one of the output communications paths represent a selected combination of the input signals from the at least one input communications paths, including the amplitude-affected input signals.

23. A communications bridge for use in teleconferencing comprising:

a plurality of input paths for carrying input signals;

a plurality of output paths for carrying output signals; and

a data means storing a plurality of data items, each data item representing a coupling characteristic of a gain element associated with a crosspoint of at least one of said input paths and at least one of said output paths.