Speaker identifier for multi-party conference

• US 6,457,043 B1
• Filed: 10/23/1998
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kwak, William I., Gardell, Steven E., Kelly, Barbara Mayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US09/178,271
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/228, 709/201, 709/206, 709/202, 370/352, 370/263
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• 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: H04M 2203/5081 Inform conference party of participants, e.g. of change of participants conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection, H04L12/1822
• 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

Abstract

A multi-party conferencing method and system determine which participants are currently speaking and send a speaker identification message to the terminals used by the participants in the conference. The terminals then display the speaker'"'"'s identity on a display screen. When more than one participant is speaking at the same moment in time, the system analyzes the audio streams from the terminals and identifies a terminal associated with a dominant party. When multiple participants are using the terminal associated with the dominant party, the system identifies the speaking participant within the dominant party based on an indication received from the speaker. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented in an H.323 Internet telephony environment.

Claims

1. A method of indicating which of a plurality of parties participating in a multi-party conference is a speaking party, the method comprising:

receiving audio information from all speaking parties of the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference;

comparing the audio information from all of the speaking parties in the multi-party conference;

selecting the audio information that corresponds to dominant audio information based on the comparison;

identifying the speaking party associated with the dominant audio information as a dominant speaking party;

broadcasting only the dominant audio information associated with the dominant speaking party; and

providing at least one identifier for display to identify the dominant speaking party to the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the at least one identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier comprises a name of the dominant speaking party.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier identifies a terminal associated with the dominant speaking party.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing, in a data memory, at least one identifier associated with each of the plurality of parties.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the providing further comprises:

matching the dominant speaking party with at least one stored identifier; and

retrieving the matched at least one identifier from the data memory.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises:

processing the dominant audio information to identify a terminal associated with the dominant speaking party.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from a terminal associated with a speaking party an indication that identifies the speaking party.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of H.323-compliant terminals are associated with the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the providing further comprises:

sending the at least one identifier over at least one secondary real-time protocol channel.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the identifying further comprises:

receiving an H.245 message, from a terminal associated with the dominant speaking party, that identifies the dominant speaking party.

12. A method of identifying a speaking party from among a plurality of parties participating in a multi-party conference from a plurality of terminals, the method comprising:

receiving audio information from all speaking parties of the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference;

comparing the audio information from all of the speaking parties in the multi-party conference;

selecting the audio information that corresponds to dominant audio information based on the comparison;

identifying one of the terminals associated with the dominant audio information;

broadcasting only the dominant audio information associated with the identified terminal;

obtaining an indication that identifies a dominant speaking party, of the plurality of parties, associated with the identified terminal; and

transmitting the indication for display by terminals used by the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the obtaining further comprises:

receiving from the identified terminal associated with the dominant speaking party the indication that identifies the dominant speaking party.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

storing, in data memory, at least one identifier associated with each of the plurality of parties.

18. The method of claim 19 wherein the providing further comprises:

sending the at least one identifier over at least one secondary real-time protocol channel.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of the terminals corresponds to two or more of the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the obtaining an indication includes:

obtaining an indication that identifies one of the two or more parties corresponding to the identified terminal as the dominant speaking party.

15. The method of 12 wherein the multi-party conference includes an H.323 protocol-based multi-party conference.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the obtaining further comprises:

receiving an H.245 message, from the identified terminal associated with the dominant speaking party, that identifies the dominant speaking party.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the transmitting comprises:

providing at least one identifier, associated with the dominant speaking party, to the plurality of terminals.

21. A system for indicating which of a plurality of parties participating in a multi-party conference, using a plurality of terminals, is currently speaking, the system comprising:

a multipoint processor configured to;

receive audio information from all speaking parties of the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference,

compare the audio information from all of the speaking parties in the multi-party conference,

select the audio information that corresponds to dominant audio information based on the comparison,

broadcast only the dominant audio information to the plurality of parties in the multi-party conference, and

identify a terminal associated with the dominant audio information; and

a speaker identifier processor configured to;

identify a currently speaking party from among the plurality of parties based on the identified terminal, and

provide at least one identifier for display by the plurality of terminals to identify the currently speaking party to the plurality of parties participating in the multi-party conference.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising:

a data memory for storing at least one identifier associated with each of the plurality of parties.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said speaker identifier processor further includes means for registering the identifiers in said data memory.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said speaker identifier processor further includes means for retrieving identifiers from said data memory and for transmitting the retrieved identifiers to the plurality of terminals.

25. The system of claim 21 further comprising:

a speaker identification switch associated with each of the terminals for sending a signal to said speaker identifier processor.

26. The system of claim 21 further comprising an H.323-compliant terminal for displaying the at least one identifier.