Teleconferencing method and system

• US 7,116,350 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Destiny Conferencing, LLC
• Inventors: Allen, David L., Williams, Herold
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US10/716,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.01, 379/93.17, 379 9321- 9324, 379/93.37, 379/202.01, 522/201, 52/32, 522/207, 52/361, 434/307.R, 700/237, 108/60, 244/118.5, 312/312, D19/60, 235/381, 348 1401- 1416, 348/211, 348/222, 348/399, 348/401, 348/402, 348/409, 348/439, 348/448, 348/415, 348/451, 348/452, 348/458, 348/459, 348/552, 348/578, 348/581, 348/584, 348/585, 348/586, 348/591, 348/592, 348/598, 348/606, 348/632, 348/911
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• 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 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• 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 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method and system provides a face-to-face video conference. The method and apparatus comprise a conferencing system consisting of a conferencing station defining a predetermined motif, an image system for generating a substantially full scale image of a person at the conferencing station so that participants at the conferencing station feel that any images of persons displayed by the imager at the conferencing station are present and face-to-face. The method comprises the steps of receiving image data at a teleconferencing station, the image data including data corresponding to at least one person, and displaying an image corresponding to the image data at the teleconferencing station so that at least one participant at the teleconferencing station views an image of said at least one person, thereby providing a face-to-face presence environment whereat the image of at least one person appears substantially life size. The teleconferencing method may further include the steps of generating image data corresponding to an image, transmitting at least a portion of the image data corresponding to at least a portion of the image to a teleconferencing station and displaying the portion of the image data at the teleconferencing station during a teleconference.

Claims

1. A method for providing a conferencing environment comprising a first suite and at least one second suite, said method comprises the steps of:

providing a first plurality of components comprising a first plurality of walls, at least one of said first plurality of walls having at least one first display associated therewith, said at least one first display being capable of displaying a first substantially life-size image of at least one remote person situated at a remote location;

assembling said first plurality of components at a first location to define the said first suite;

situating a first plurality of audio-visual components in said first suite;

providing a second plurality of components comprising a second plurality of walls, at least one of said second plurality of walls having at least one second display associated therewith, said at least one second display being capable of displaying a second substantially life-size image of at least one person situated in said first suite;

assembling said second plurality of components at said remote location to define said at least one second suite;

situating a second plurality of audio-visual components in said least one second suite;

enabling said first suite to be connected to said at least one second suite so that (i) said first display at said first suite displays said first substantially life-size image of said at least one remote person situated at said remote location so that said at least one person who views said first display at said first suite will see said first substantially life-size image, and (ii) said second display at said second suite displays said second substantially life-size image of said at least one person situated in said first suite on said second display so that said at least one remote person who views said second display will see said second substantially life-size image of said at least one person displayed on said second display; and

said enabling step comprising the step of enhancing data associated with at least one of said substantially life-size image or said second substantially life-size image to increase a resolution of said first substantially life-size image or second substantially life-size image before it is displayed on said at least one first display or at least one second display, respectively.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises steps of:

decorating at least one of said first suite or said at least one second suite with a plurality of furnishings;

mounting at least one of said first or second plurality of audio-visual components in said first or said at least one second suites, respectively, so that it is not visible during a video conference.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein said at least one of said first or second plurality of audio-visual components each comprises a microphone associated with a table situated in front of said first or second display, respectively.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein said at least one of said first or second plurality of audio-visual components comprises at least one speaker.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

decorating said at least one second suite with a plurality of furnishings comprising at least one chair to be used by at least one remote person at said at least one second suite;

situating said at least one chair such that said at least one remote person faces said display when seated on said at least one chair.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

making said at least one of said first or second plurality of components from at least one of the following;

gypsum, clay-based material, ceramic, paper, cardboard, foam, wood, or styrofoam.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second plurality of components are modular.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said first and second displays are electronic.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said first and second displays are LCD displays.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said first suite and said at least one second suite each comprise a table situated in front of said first and second displays, respectively.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said first or second plurality of components comprises either a dropped or sunken ceiling.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said first or second plurality of walls define a non-rectangular polygonal shape.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein said polygonal shape comprises an octagonal.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

causing participants in a video conference in said first suite or said at least one second suite to be situated a predetermined distance from said first display or second display, respectively.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said predetermined distance is about 5 feet, 6 inches.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

decorating said first suite and said at least one second suite substantially identically.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said decorating step comprises the step of:

decorating said first suite and said at least one second suite differently.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said decorating step comprises the step of:

defining said first suite or said at least one second suite with at least one of a business setting, an education setting, a seminar setting, a home environment, a religious setting, or a celebration setting.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein each of said first and second plurality of audio-visual components comprises at least one audio component and at least one camera, said method further comprising the steps of:

decorating each of said first suite and said at least one second suite with a plurality of furnishings;

mounting said at least one of said first or said second audio-visual components relative to said olurality of furnishings so that it is not visible during a video conference, and mounting said at least one camera in each of said first suite and said at least one second suite so that it is visible during said video conference.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein each of said first and second plurality of audio-visual components comprises a microphone associated with a table situated in said first suite or said at least one second suite, respectively.

21. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said first and said second plurality of audio-visual components comprises at least one speaker.

22. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said plurality of furnishings comprise a table situated in proximate modular components comprise a plurality of walls.

23. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

making said plurality of components from at least one of the following;

gypsum, clay-based material, ceramic, paper, cardboard, foam, wood, or styrofoam.

24. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said first suite and said at least one second suite each comprise a height of about 8 feet, 6 inches.

25. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein said at least one of said first suite or said at least one second suite comprises dimensions of about 20 feet×

20 feet by 9 feet.

26. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said at least one of said first suite or said at least one second suite comprises either a dropped or sunken ceiling.

27. The method as recited in claim 26 wherein said at least one of said first suite or said at least one second suite defines a non-rectangular polygonal shape.

28. The method as recited in claim 27 wherein said polygonal shape comprises an octagonal.

29. The method as recited in claim 26 wherein at least two of said first suite or said at least one second suite comprises different widths.

30. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

causing participants in a video conference at said first suite to be situated a predetermined distance from said first display.

31. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein said predetermined distance is about 5 feet, 6 inches.

32. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first suite and said at least one second suite each define at least one of a business setting, an education setting, a seminar setting, a home environment, a religious setting, or a celebration setting.

33. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

decorating said suite with a plurality of subjects to facilitate defining a predetermined sensory setting.

34. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first plurality of audio-visual components comprises a plurality of cameras, said method further comprising the steps of:

decorating said first suite with a plurality of furnishings comprising a plurality of chairs to be used by said at least one person at said first suite;

situating said plurality of chairs such that each of said at least one person seated in said plurality of chairs are located in the field of view of only one of said plurality of cameras.

35. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of audio-visual components comprises at least one camera, said method further comprising the steps of:

decorating said at least one second suite with a plurality of furnishings comprising at least one chair to be used by at least one remote person at said at least one second suite;

situating said at least one chair such that said at least one remote person faces said at least one camera when seated on said at least one chair.

36. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

decorating said at least one second suite with a plurality of furnishings comprising at least one chair to be used by at least one remote person at said at least one second suite;

situating said at least one chair such that said at least one remote person faces said display when seated on said at least one chair.

37. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

providing a third audio visual component in a ceiling of at least one of said first suite or said at least one second suite.