Teleconferencing server and teleconferencing system

• US 7,225,224 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US10/394,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/218, 709/238, 709/246, 379/202.01, 379/201.01, 379/205.01, 379/88.14
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a teleconferencing system that enables disabled persons to conveniently participate in teleconferences. The format converting means of the server converts text or voice data inputted from a transmitting party to the receiving method corresponding to the telephone terminal of each destination terminal registered in the registration portion to obtain transmission data matched to the receiving method of each of the telephone terminals. A transmitting portion sends the transmission data to the respective telephone terminals.

Claims

1. A teleconferencing server which realizes teleconferencing utilizing a plurality of telephone terminals, comprising:

an input format and a reception format registering means for registering the input format and the reception format of each of the telephone terminals, the input format representing a method of communication used by a user to input information into a telephone terminal and the reception format representing a method of communication used by a user to receive information from a telephone terminal;

a receiving means for receiving input data from the telephone terminals in the input format of the respective telephone terminal;

a conversion means for converting the received input data to data conforming to the reception format of each of the plurality of telephone terminals; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the converted input data converted by the conversion means to the respective telephone terminals,

wherein the input formats and the reception formats include at least three of voice, text, Braille, and image.

2. A teleconferencing server as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a language type recording means for recording the language utilized by the user of each of the telephone terminals, and

a language type conversion means for converting the input data to the language type utilized by each user,

wherein the transmitting means is a means for transmitting the converted input data converted by the language type conversion means to the respective telephone terminals.

3. The teleconferencing server of claim 1, wherein the image format comprises a configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users.

4. The teleconferencing server of claim 3, wherein the configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users comprises at least one of sign language and lip-reading.

5. The teleconferencing server of claim 1, wherein the input format and the reception format are set by the user of each telephone terminal and the user settings for the input format and the reception format of each telephone terminal are stored in the teleconferencing server.

6. A teleconferencing server which realizes teleconferencing utilizing a plurality of telephone terminals, comprising:

an input format and reception format registering means for registering the input format and the reception format of each of the telephone terminals;

a receiving means for receiving the input data inputted from the telephone terminals in the input format of the respective telephone terminal;

a conversion means for converting the received input data to data conforming to the reception format of each of the plurality of telephone terminals;

a transmitting means for transmitting the converted input data converted by the conversion means to the telephone terminal having the target reception format;

a language type recording means for recording the language utilized by the user of each of the telephone terminals; and

a language type conversion means for converting the input data to the language type utilized by each user,

wherein the input formats and reception formats include at least three of voice, text, Braille, and image, and

wherein the transmitting means is a means for transmitting the converted input data converted by the language type conversion means to the target telephone terminal.

7. The teleconferencing server of claim 6, wherein the image format comprises a configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users.

8. The teleconferencing server of claim 7, wherein the configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users comprises at least one of sign language and lip-reading.

9. A teleconferencing system comprising a plurality of telephone terminals and a teleconferencing server, each telephone terminal operable to transmit, as distribution data, input data to the other telephone terminals, further comprising:

a communication means for transmitting the input data from a telephone terminal to the teleconferencing server, and for receiving the distribution data from the teleconferencing server;

an input means for inputting the input data transmitted from the communication means to the teleconferencing server;

a reproduction format setting means for setting a reproduction format of the distribution data from the teleconferencing server;

a distribution data format converting means for converting the reproduction format of said distribution data to a format set by the reproduction format setting means; and

a reproduction means for reproducing the converted distribution data,

wherein the reproduction format represents a method of communication used by a user to receive information from a telephone terminal, the method of communication comprising voice, text and image.

10. A teleconferencing system as defined in claim 9, wherein the reproduction format setting means is configured to set a plurality of reproduction formats,

wherein the distribution data format converting means is operable to set each distribution data to the respective reproduction format set by the reproduction format setting means, and

wherein the reproduction means is configured to reproduce distribution data corresponding to each of the formats converted to by the reproduction format converting means.

11. The teleconferencing system of claim 10, wherein the reproduction of the distribution data in the respective formats is simultaneous.

12. The teleconferencing system of claim 10, wherein the reproduction of the distribution data in the respective formats is in a time division manner.

13. The teleconferencing system of claim 9, wherein the image format comprises a configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users.

14. The teleconferencing system of claim 13, wherein the configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users comprises at least one of sign language and lip-reading.

15. The teleconferencing system of claim 9, wherein the reproduction format comprises a format to facilitate communications by visually-impaired users.

16. The teleconferencing system of claim 15, wherein the format to facilitate communications by visually-impaired users comprises Braille.

22. The teleconferencing system of claim 9, further comprising:

a storage means,

wherein the reception format is set by the user of each telephone terminal and the user setting for the reception format of each telephone terminal is stored in the storage means.

17. A teleconferencing server used in teleconferencing at least two terminals, comprising:

a registering portion operable to register for each terminal an input format and a reception format, the input format representing a method used by a user to input data to the terminal and the reception format representing a method used by a user to receive data;

a receiving portion operable to receive from each terminal the input data in the respective registered input formats;

a conversion portion operable to convert the received data from each terminal to data conforming to the reception format of the other terminal or terminals; and

a transmitting portion operable to transmit the respective converted data to each terminal,

wherein the input format comprises voice, text and image, and the reception format comprises voice, text and image.

18. The teleconferencing server of claim 17, wherein the image format comprises a configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users.

19. The teleconferencing server of claim 18, wherein the configuration to facilitate communications by hearing-impaired users comprises at least one of sign language and lip-reading.

20. The teleconferencing server of claim 17, wherein the input format comprises a format to facilitate communications by visually-impaired users, and

wherein the reception format comprises a format to facilitate communications by visually-impaired users.

21. The teleconferencing server of claim 20, wherein the format to facilitate communications by visually-impaired users comprises Braille.

23. The teleconferencing server of claim 17, wherein the input format and the reception format are set by the user of each terminal and the user settings for the input format and the reception format of each terminal are stored in the teleconferencing server.