System for electronically-mediated collaboration including eye-contact collaboratory

• US 6,466,250 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Lacker, Tamara, Hein, Cheryl M., Howard, Michael D., Daily, Michael J., Lee, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/497,748
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.03, 348/14.07, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.16, 379/93.17, 379/93.21, 379/202, 709/204, 709/205, 345/330, 370/260, 382/118
• US Class Current: 348/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/144 camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact

Abstract

A system and method for producing and receiving electronically-mediated collaboration is presented. The electronically-mediated collaboration system and method include a high-fidelity audio system as well as application and cursor sharing, and a session manager module to synchronize among participants. In one embodiment, the system includes an eye contact collaboratory that manipulates video and eye position input to synthesize virtual camera images which simulate ordinary gaze behavior in a collaboratory system. An audio component optionally spatializes the voices of the participants to appear to coincide with their images.

Claims

1. An electronically-mediated collaboration system, comprising:

at least two modular systems communicating with each other, each one of said modular systems usable by a participant and including;

a graphical user interface (GUI) module for communicating non-audio data to a said other one of said modular systems;

an audio subsystem for receiving audio from and transmitting audio to an audio subsystem in said other one of said modular systems;

a display for presenting non-audio data to said participant;

wherein the non-audio data includes a representation of each said participant and a shared cursor visually associated with the representation of a current cursor user; and

a session manager module for synchronizing and coordinating communication of non-audio data between said modular systems

wherein each one of said modular systems usable by each said participant further includes an eye contact collaboratory subsystem, the eye contact collaboratory system comprising;

at least two GUI submodules communicating with each other, each one of said GUI submodules usable by the participant and including;

a camera suite having at least one camera for recording video input of discrete images of said participant representing at least two perspectives of said participant;

an image synthesizer for synthesizing first virtual camera images from said discrete images of said participant and transmitting said first virtual camera images to said other said GUI submodules; and

an eye position generator for generating first eye position data of said participant from said virtual camera images of said participant and transmitting to said other said GUI submodules; and

a display output generator for generating display output of other participants for said participant using second virtual camera images from said other said GUI submodules, second eye position data from said other said GUI submodules and control inputs from said participant.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said session manager module is implemented within one of said modular systems, said one of said modular systems being a host modular system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said audio subsystem comprises audio hardware for receiving audio input and providing audio output.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said audio subsystem provides a bandwidth in the order of at least twice the bandwidth of a standard telephone.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said audio subsystem uses a plurality of audio channels selectable by said participant.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said audio subsystem uses spatialized audio.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one shared cursor is associated by color to said representation of said current cursor user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one shared cursor is associated by a connecting line extending from said at least one shared cursor to said representation of said current cursor user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said non-audio data includes a two dimensional display.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said non-audio data includes a three dimensional display.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said representations of said each said participant are updated at approximately 30 Hz.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said non-audio data further includes a display indicator for identifying status of said each said participant.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said display indicator uses a color change to said representation of an active speaker.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said display indicator uses a position change to said representation of an active speaker.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said display indicator uses the same background color for said representation of said each said participant from the same site.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said display indicator displays data describing said participants.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of said modular systems usable by each said participant further includes an eye contact collaboratory subsystem.