Method and apparatus for providing an interactive presentation environment

• US 7,395,508 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hintermeister, Gregory Richard, Rahn, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US11/035,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 715751-753, 715755-759, 709204-205, 348/211.12
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An interactive presentation environment for eMeetings or the like that provides participants with more control over what they see and hear. One embodiment of the interactive presentation environment comprises a meeting recorder adapted to create a recording of a live meeting and a navigation control for selecting a portion of the recording to view during the live meeting. Some embodiment may further comprise a timeline control containing a first graphical indicator associated with a live position and a second graphical indicator associated with a current position, a bookmark control adapted to mark a portion of the recording for archiving, and a display operatively connected to the meeting recorder and the navigation control.

Claims

1. A method of presenting an electronic meeting, comprising:

receiving a live meeting signal, said live meeting signal having at least an audio content and a visual content, said visual content comprising a plurality of images which change during said live meeting;

recording the live meeting signal during the live meeting, each of said plurality of images of said visual content being recorded at a respective time of presentation during said live meeting;

presenting a navigation control coupled to an interactive display that allows a user to select, for presentation to said user on said interactive display during the live meeting, content of said live meeting from among a plurality of selections supported by said navigation control, said plurality of selections including;

(a) a currently presented portion of said live meeting including a currently presented image; and

(b) any arbitrary portion of said live meeting previously recorded by said step of recording the live meeting signal, said portion including a previously recorded image different from said currently presented image;

responsive to said user selecting (a) with said navigation control, presenting said currently presented image to said user during said live meeting; and

responsive to said user selecting (b) with said navigation control, presenting to said user during said live meeting the previously recorded image which the user selects with said navigation control.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an audio control that allows the user to adjust the relative volumes of audio content currently presented and audio content previously recorded and selected by said navigation control.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visuals comprise a plurality of static images.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a bookmark control that allows the user to mark portions of the recorded signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said navigation control comprises:

a timeline having times associated with presentation times of said live meeting; and

a moveable slider which is interactively positionable by said user to select presentation times associated with any of said currently presented portion of said live meeting and any arbitrary said portion of said live meeting previously recorded by said meeting recorder.

6. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method of presenting an electronic meeting, the method comprising:

receiving a live meeting signal, said live meeting signal having at least an audio content and a visual content, said visual content comprising a plurality of images which change during said live meeting;

recording the live meeting signal during the live meeting, each of said plurality of images of said visual content being recorded at a respective time of presentation during said live meeting;

presenting a navigation control coupled to an interactive display that allows a user to select, for presentation to said user on said interactive display during the live meeting, content of said live meeting from among a plurality of selections supported by said navigation control, said plurality of selections including;

(a) a currently presented portion of said live meeting including a currently presented image; and

(b) any arbitrary portion of said live meeting previously recorded by said step of recording the live meeting signal, said portion including a previously recorded image different from said currently presented image;

responsive to said user selecting (a) with said navigation control, presenting said currently presented image to said user during said live meeting; and

responsive to said user selecting (b) with said navigation control, presenting to said user during said live meeting the previously recorded image which the user selects with said navigation control.

7. The method of claim 6, providing an eMeeting user interface adapted to present the navigation control.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

associating the eMeeting user interface with a first user;

metering use of the eMeeting user interface; and

charging the first user a fee based at least in part on the metered use.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said navigation control comprises:

a timeline having times associated with presentation times of said live meeting; and

a moveable slider which is interactively positionable by said user to select presentation times associated with any of said currently presented portion of said live meeting and any arbitrary said portion of said live meeting previously recorded by said meeting recorder.

10. A method of presenting an electronic meeting, comprising:

receiving a live meeting signal of said electronic meeting, said live meeting signal having at least an audio content;

recording the live meeting signal during the electronic meeting; and

presenting a navigation control to a user during said electronic meeting that allows said user to select a previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal; and

responsive to a selection of a previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal, said selection being made by said user during said live meeting using said navigation control, presenting audio content of the selected previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal to said user during the electronic meeting simultaneously with presenting audio content of a currently received live meeting signal of said electronic meeting to said user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting an audio control that allows said user to adjust the relative volumes of audio content of the currently received live meeting signal and audio content of the selected previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein audio content is presented using a plurality of speakers, wherein at least one parameter of the speaker output is altered between audio content from said selected previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal and audio content from the currently received live meeting signal to make the audio contents appear to originate from different locations.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said navigation control comprises:

a timeline having times associated with presentation times of said electronic meeting; and

a moveable slider which is interactively positionable by said user to select presentation times associated with any of said currently received live meeting signal and any arbitrary previously recorded portion of the recorded live meeting signal.