Videoconferencing hardware

• US 6,583,806 B2
• Filed: 04/07/1997
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Collaboration Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Lantz, Keith A., Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Burnett, Gerald J., Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US08/833,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14, 348/15, 348/16, 348/17, 348/18, 329/388, 329/389, 329/390, 329/93.17
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5018 Initiating a conference during a two-party conversation, i.e. three-party service or three-way call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 : Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 : PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 : Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 : where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 : User guidance or feature selection
• 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 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 : Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 : Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 : Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 : Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1326 : Consultation call, broker's call, call hold, toggling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 : Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet

Abstract

A teleconferencing apparatus and system consisting of a unitary housing. The housing includes audio and video capture capabilities for capturing video images and spoken audio of a participant in a videoconference; a monitor for displaying visual images associated with at least one participant; audio and reproduction capabilities; and an adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of audio. A plurality of the apparatuses are distributed in the system and interconnected by a first network and a second network. The first network provides an AV path along which AV signals, representing video images and spoken audio of the participants can be carried while the second network provides a data path along which data can be shared among a plurality of participants. The system may also include two monitors, one for displaying the video images of the participants and the other for displaying data shared among the participants.

Claims

1. A teleconferencing apparatus comprising:

a unitary housing including

(a) audio and video capture devices

(i) for capturing video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color, and spoken audio

(1) of a participant in a videoconference;

(b) a monitor

(i) for displaying visual images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color

(1) associated with at least one participant;

(c) audio reproduction devices; and

(d) an adaptive acoustic echo canceler,

wherein the audio capture and reproduction devices are integrated into the unitary housing in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to each other and cooperate with the adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of the audio.

2. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

(a) receive the captured audio of a first, second and third participant;

(b) combine the received audio of the second and third participants into an audio sum; and

(c) reproduce the audio sum at the apparatus of the first participant.

3. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first participant'"'"'s audio reproduction devices include

(a) a plurality of speakers and

wherein the apparatus is associated with:

(a) an audio control configured to cause the reproduction of the audio sum

(i) at the first participant'"'"'s workstation

(ii) such that the composition of the audio,

(1) originating from each of the second and third participants,

(2) reproduced at each speaker

(3) is dependent on a position of the second and third participant'"'"'s images reproduced on the first participant'"'"'s monitor.

4. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the housing further includes

(a) at least two echo cancelers.

5. The teleconferencing apparatus according to claim 2, further including:

(a) a wireless communications connection

(i) between the housing and a signal transmitting network.

6. The teleconferencing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the wireless communications connection is configured to

(a) accept signals transmitted along cellular telephone channels.

7. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus uses analog audio video networking.

8. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus uses digital audio video networking.

9. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus uses audio video networking device via unshielded twisted pair.

10. The teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said unitary housing is capable of being mounted on a side of a monitor of comparable size as said unitary housing.

15. The teleconferencing system of claim 10, wherein the housing further

(a) includes at least two echo cancelers.

11. A teleconferencing system for conducting a teleconference among a plurality of participants, comprising:

(a) a plurality of workstations each including

(i) a unitary housing having

(1) a first monitor for displaying participant video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color,

(2) audio and video capture devices for capturing video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color and spoken audio of the participants,

(3) audio reproduction devices,

(4) an adaptive acoustic echo canceler,

 

wherein the audio capture and reproduction devices are integrated into the unitary housing in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to each other and cooperate with the adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of the audio, and

 

a second monitor;

(b) a data path

(i) along which data can be

(1) shared among a plurality of the participants and

(2) displayed interactively on at least two workstations'"'"' monitors; and

(c) an audio and video path,

(i) for carrying audio and video signals at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color

(1) representing video images and spoken audio of the participants,

(2) among the workstations

(3) for reproduction on at least one monitor associated with the workstation of one of the participants.

12. The teleconference system according to claim 11, wherein the second monitor is

(a) arranged adjacent the first monitor

(b) at approximately the eye-level of a participant in a teleconference.

13. The teleconferencing system of claim 11,

(a) wherein the system is configured to

(i) receive the captured audio of a first, second and third participant;

(ii) combine the received audio of the second and third participants into an audio sum; and

(iii) reproduce the audio sum at the apparatus of the first participant.

14. The teleconferencing system of claim 13, wherein the first participant'"'"'s audio reproduction capabilities include

(a) a plurality of speakers, and

wherein the apparatus is further associated with:

(a) an audio control configured to cause the reproduction of the audio sum

(i) at the first participant'"'"'s workstation

(ii) such that the composition of the audio,

(1) originating from each of the second and third participant,

(2) reproduced at each speaker of the first participant'"'"'s apparatus

(3) is dependent on a position of the second and third participant'"'"'s images reproduced on the first participant'"'"'s monitor.

16. The teleconferencing system of claim 11, further comprising:

(a) a wireless communications connection

(i) between the workstation and the audio and video path.

17. The teleconferencing system of claim 16, wherein the wireless communications connection is configured to

(a) accept signals transmitted along cellular telephone channels.

18. The teleconferencing system of claim 11, wherein said system uses analog audio video networking.

19. The teleconferencing system of claim 11, wherein said system uses digital audio video networking.

20. The teleconferencing system of claim 11, wherein said system uses audio video networking via unshielded twisted pair.

21. The teleconferencing system of claim 11, wherein said unitary housing is capable of being mounted on a side of a monitor of comparable size as said unitary housing.