Method and system for coordinating communication devices to create an enhanced representation of an ongoing event

• US 7,433,327 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Harville, Michael, Covell, Michele, Tanguay, Donald O. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo; John
• Application Number:
  US10/683,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20050078172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/252, 370/230, 370/235, 370/260, 370/486, 709/203, 340/457.1, 379/198, 379/156, 379/158
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention recites a coordinating component for creating an enhanced representation of an ongoing event using inputs from a communication session established between a plurality of communication devices. A first input port receives a first input from a first of the plurality of communication devices. A second input port receives a second input from a second of the plurality of communication devices. The first of the plurality of communication devices and the second of the plurality of communication devices do not have a prior association. A generator for selectively combining the first input and the second input creates an enhanced representation of the ongoing event. The enhanced representation is then output from an output port.

Claims

1. A coordinating component for creating an enhanced representation of a communication session established between a plurality of communication devices, said coordinating component comprising:

a first input port for receiving a first input from a first of said plurality of communication devices;

a second input port for receiving a second input from a second of said plurality of communication devices, wherein said first of said plurality of communication devices and said second of said plurality of communication devices do not have a prior association;

a generator for selectively combining said first input and said second input to create said enhanced representation of said communication session;

a record generator for creating a customized record of said communication session in response to detecting a triggering event; and

an output port for sending said enhanced representation of said communication session.

2. The coordinating component of claim 1 wherein said first input, said second input, and said enhanced representation are selected from the group consisting of audio data, visual data, and audio/visual data.

3. The coordinating component of claim 1 wherein said coordinating component is disposed upon at least one of said plurality of communication devices.

4. The coordinating component of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of communication devices can be coordinated with an enhanced media environment.

5. A method for coordinating a communication session comprising:

communicatively coupling a plurality of communication devices, each of said plurality of communication devices comprising at least one sensor, wherein said plurality of communication devices do not have a prior association with each other;

establishing a communication session between said plurality of communication devices;

storing a user defined parameter for creating a unique record of said communication session; and

using a coordinating component to selectively combine inputs from said sensors of said plurality of communication devices to create an enhanced representation of said communication session.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising:

communicatively coupling at least one of said plurality of communication devices with a network; and

implementing said coordinating component via said network.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

using one of said plurality of communication devices to implement said coordinating component.

8. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said sensor comprises an audio sensor and wherein said plurality of communication devices further comprise:

an audio output device;

a visual input device; and

a visual output device.

9. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising:

communicatively coupling at least one of said plurality of communication devices with an enhanced media environment.

10. A communication method comprising:

establishing a communication session between a plurality of communication devices, wherein said plurality of communication devices do not require a prior association with each other, each of said plurality of communication devices comprising;

a bus;

a processor coupled with said bus;

a memory coupled with said bus; and

an audio system coupled with said bus;

designating a coordinating component for said communication session, said coordinating component for automatically creating an enhanced representation of a plurality of audio inputs from said plurality of communication devices;

creating a customized record of said enhanced representation; and

outputting an enhanced representation of said audio input.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said designating comprises selecting at least one of said plurality of communication devices to implement said coordinating component.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method for coordinating a communication session comprising:

communicatively coupling a plurality of communication devices, each of said plurality of communication devices comprising a sensor coupled with a bus;

establishing a communication session between said plurality of communication devices;

storing a user defined parameter for creating a unique record of said communication session; and

using a coordinating component to selectively combine inputs from said plurality of sensors of said plurality of communication devices to create an enhanced representation of said communication session.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said method further comprises:

using one of said plurality of communication devices to implement said coordinating component.

14. A system for creating an enhanced representation of an ongoing event comprising:

a plurality of communication devices, wherein said plurality of communication devices do not have a prior association with each other, each of said plurality of communication devices comprising at least one sensor;

a communication interface for communicatively coupling said plurality of communication devices to establish a communication session concerning an ongoing event;

a coordinating component, said coordinating component for selectively combining inputs from said plurality of communication devices to create an enhanced representation of said ongoing event; and

a record generator for creating a record of said enhanced representation.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said enhanced representation is conveyed to said plurality of communication devices.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said plurality of communication devices are disposed at two or more physically separated locations.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said enhanced representation comprises a teleconference meeting.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said enhanced representation is conveyed to at least one media presentation device of an enhanced media environment.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein, for at least two of said plurality of communication devices, said at least one sensor comprises an audio sensor and wherein said enhanced representation comprises audio data created from selective combination of input from said audio sensors.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said enhanced representation comprises a concatenation of segments of audio data created from selective combination of input from said audio sensors.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the selection of the segments of audio data is based upon audio analysis methods selected from the group consisting of speech/noise discrimination and audio energy level comparison.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said plurality of communication devices further comprises an audio display operable for playing a portion of said enhanced representation and a visual display operable for playing a portion of said enhanced representation.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said enhanced representation is input from a group of sensors consisting of an audio sensor disposed within said enhanced media environment, and a visual sensor disposed within said enhanced media environment.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said enhanced representation comprises a visual output of said ongoing event and wherein said coordinating component creates said visual output using a visual processing operation selected from the group consisting of video cropping, video resizing, video color modification, and video brightness modification.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said visual output comprises a concatenation of selected segments corresponding to non-overlapping time segments of said ongoing event, and wherein arrangement of the non-overlapping time segments is based upon the start time of each of the non-overlapping time segments.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the selection of said visual output is based upon visual analysis methods selected from the group consisting of face detection, motion analysis, and skin-color detection.

27. The system of claim 14 wherein said coordinating component is implemented upon one or more of said plurality of communication devices.

28. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said plurality of communication devices is communicatively coupled with a communication network, and wherein said coordinating component is implemented upon at least one computer system accessible via said communication network.

29. The system of claim 14 wherein said coordinating component determines a synchronization between the internal clocks of each of said plurality of communication devices.

30. The system of claim 14 wherein said coordinating component detects a human gesture based upon analysis of at least one visual input from said plurality of communication devices.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said human gesture is selected from a group consisting of detecting a pre-defined head movement, detecting a pre-defined hand gesture, and detecting a pre-defined motion of a physical aid.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein said coordinating component excludes at least one of said plurality of communication devices as an input device for said enhanced representation in response to detecting said human gesture.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein said coordinating component appends a time notation to said enhanced representation in response to detecting said human gesture.

34. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said plurality of communication devices stores a user-specific data, and wherein said coordinating component utilizes said user-specific data when creating said enhanced representation.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein said user-specific data is selected from the group consisting of a name, a biographical textual data, a visual facial data, a speaker-dependent audio phoneme model, and audio voice model, a description of a human gesture, and a mapping of an action to be initiated upon detecting a recognized human gesture.

36. The system of claim 14 wherein said enhanced representation is comprised at least in part of a textual transcript obtained via application of speech recognition to said audio data.

37. The system of claim 14 wherein said enhanced representation comprises an audio/visual summary of the ongoing event, wherein said summary has a time length that is significantly less than that of the communication session.

38. The system of claim 14 wherein said enhanced representation further comprises a timeline index identifying a time period in which a participant of said ongoing event spoke.