Method and system for participant control of privacy during multiparty communication sessions

• US 7,058,168 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Knappe, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Benny Quoc
• Application Number:
  US09/751,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 37920201-20601, 379260-262, 379/265, 379/266, 709/204
• US Class Current: 379/204.01
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• 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: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling

Abstract

A method and system for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication session includes receiving a request from a first participant to a multiparty communication connection for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant to the multiparty communication connection. The sidebar is provided by at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first participant and the second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants to the multiparty communication connection.

Claims

1. A method for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

receiving a request from a first participant to the multiparty communication connection for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant to the multiparty communication connection;

providing the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first participant and the second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants to the multiparty communication connection; and

wherein the conference output streams comprise stereo streams, further comprising providing the sidebar by altering the spatial positioning of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants relative to the voice stream of the other participant to the sidebar in conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the sidebar by eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

requesting permission from the second participant for the sidebar; and

in response to at least approval by the second participant, providing the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiparty connection comprises a conference call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating conference output streams for each participant to the multiparty communication connection at a conference bridge.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the sidebar by spatially positioning the voice stream generated by the other participant to the sidebar forward of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants in the conference output stream generated for the first and second participants.

7. A system for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

logic encoded on media;

the logic operable to receive a request from a first participant for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant and to provide the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first and second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants; and

wherein the conference output streams comprise stereo streams, the logic further operable to provide the sidebar by altering the spatial positioning of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants relative to the voice stream of the other participant to the sidebar in conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.

8. The system of claim 7, the logic further operable to provide the sidebar by eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

9. The system of claim 8, the logic further operable to request permission from the second participant for the sidebar and in response to at least approval by the second participant to provide the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the multiparty connection comprises a conference call.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a conference bridge including the logic encoded on media.

12. The system of claim 7, the logic further operable to provide the sidebar by spatially positioning the voice stream generated by the other participant to the sidebar forward of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants in the conference output stream generated for the first and second participants.

13. A system for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a first participant to the multiparty communication connection for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant to the multiparty communication connection;

means for providing the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first participant and the second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants to the multiparty communication connection; and

wherein the conference output streams comprise stereo streams, further comprising means for providing the sidebar by altering the spatial positioning of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants relative to the voice stream of the other participant to the sidebar in conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for providing the sidebar by eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for requesting permission from the second participant for the sidebar; and

means for response to at least approval by the second participant, providing the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating the voice stream generated by the first participant and the voice stream generated by the second participant from conference output streams generated for the set of remaining participants.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the multiparty connection comprises a conference call.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises a conference bridge.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for providing the sidebar by spatially positioning the voice stream generated by the other participant to the sidebar forward of voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants in the conference output stream generated for the first and second participants.

19. A conference bridge, comprising:

an input buffer for each of a plurality of participants to a multiparty conference, the input buffer operable to receive and buffer audio streams generated by the participants,

a cross-connect operable to cross-connect on audio stream from each participant to conference output stream generators for remaining participants;

the conference stream output generator for each participant operable to at least substantially eliminate audio streams received from the cross-connect for other participants engaged in a sidebar from which the participant is excluded and to combine a set of resulting audio streams to generate a conference output stream for the participant,

an output buffer for each participant, the output buffer operable to receive and buffer the conference output stream for transmission to the participant; and

further comprising a converter operable to convert each audio stream received from a participant from a native format to a common format of the conference bridge.

20. The conference bridge of claim 19, the converter operable to convert each conference output stream for a participant from the common format to the native format.

21. The conference bridge of claim 19, further comprising a normalizer operable to normalize audio streams received from the participants.

22. A method for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

receiving an audio stream from each of a plurality of participants to a multiparty communication connection;

cross-connecting the audio streams of each participant engaged in a sidebar to a conference output stream generator for each of the remaining participants engaged in the sidebar;

cross-connecting the audio stream of each participant not engaged in the sidebar to a conference stream output generator for each of the remaining participants not engaged in the sidebar;

at the conference stream output generator for each participant, combining the received audio streams to generate a conference output stream for the participant;

wherein the conference output streams comprise stereo streams and further comprising;

cross-connecting the audio stream of each participant excluded from the sidebar to a conference output stream generator for each of the remaining participants; and

spatially positioning the audio streams of each participant engaged in the sidebar to a position of higher prominence than audio streams of remaining participants excluded from the sidebar in the conference output streams for participants engaged in the sidebar.

23. A system for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

means for receiving an audio stream from each of a plurality of participants to a multiparty communication connection;

means for cross-connecting the audio streams of each participant engaged in a sidebar to a conference output stream generator for each of the remaining participants engaged in the sidebar;

means for cross-connecting the audio stream of each participant not engaged in the sidebar to a conference stream output generator for each of the remaining participants not engaged in the sidebar;

means for at the conference stream output generator for each participant, combining the received audio streams to generate a conference output stream for the participant participant;

wherein the conference output streams comprise stereo streams and further comprising;

means for cross-connecting the audio stream of each participant excluded from the sidebar to a conference output stream generator for each of the remaining participants; and

means for spatially positioning the audio streams of each participant engaged in the sidebar to a position of higher prominence than audio streams of remaining participants excluded from the sidebar in the conference output streams for participants engaged in the sidebar.

24. A method for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

receiving a request from a first participant to the multiparty communication connection for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant to the multiparty communication connection; and

providing the sidebar by;

at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first participant and the second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants to the multiparty communication connection; and

substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants from conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising eliminating voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants from conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.

26. A method for participant control of privacy during a multiparty communication connection, comprising:

receiving a request from a first participant to the multiparty communication connection for a sidebar between the first participant and a second participant to the multiparty communication connection;

providing the sidebar by at least substantially eliminating voice streams generated by the first participant and the second participant from conference output streams generated for a set of remaining participants to the multiparty communication connection;

wherein the conference output streams comprise monaural streams and further comprising providing the sidebar by attenuating voice streams generated by the set of remaining participants in conference output streams generated for the first and second participants.