Method and system for presenting a video conference using a three-dimensional object

• US 7,475,112 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sinclair, Andrew, Moore, Timothy M., Zhong, Wei, Barkley, Warren Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joo; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/073,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 345/437, 345418-419, 709203-207, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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 presentation system receives streams of videos of a video conference and presents the videos on the faces of a three-dimensional object. The presentation system selects which video should be presented more prominently than the other videos. The presentation system generates an image of the three-dimensional object that represents a view location from which the selected video is prominently visible and videos of other conference participants are less prominently visible. The presentation system then displays the image to the conference participant.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for presenting videos of a conference, the conference having videos of participants in the conference, the method comprising:

analyzing audio signals associated with the videos to determine participants who are currently engaged in a dialog, wherein each of the videos has an associated audio signal;

selecting to display prominently a video of a conference leader and videos of the participants who are currently engaged in a dialog and whose contributions to the dialog are not short utterances;

assigning the video selected of the conference leader and the videos selected of the participants to adjacent faces of a three-dimensional object;

identifying a view location from which to view the three-dimensional object, the view location being a location from which a face displaying the video selected of the conference leader and faces displaying the videos selected of the participants are prominently displayed;

generating an image of the three-dimensional object from the identified view location with the assigned video selected of the conference leader and videos selected of the participants displayed on the adjacent faces of the three-dimensional object; and

changing the view location so that a face depicting a video of a new participant is prominently displayed when the new participant begins speaking, unless a contribution of the new participant is a short utterance, while continuing to prominently display the face displaying the video selected of the conference leader,

wherein the view location does not change when a contribution of at least one of the participants or the new participant is a short utterance, which prevents rapid changes of videos that are prominently displayed;

wherein changing the view location includes reassigning the videos selected to faces of the three-dimensional object so that the face displaying the video selected of the conference leader is always visible and continues to be prominently displayed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a face is prominently displayed when the view location is in front of the face.

3. The method of claim 1 including:

receiving the videos of the participants in the conference; and

sending the generated image to the computer system of a participant in the conference for display to the participant in the conference.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system is a computer system of a participant in the conference and including:

receiving videos of other participants in the conference; and

displaying the generated image on a display device of the computer system of the participant in the conference.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional object is a cube.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a participants window, the participants window comprising a list of the participants in the conference; and

displaying a speaking icon in the participants window in association with a currently speaking participant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference leader specifies the view location.

8. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to present multiple live videos, the instructions implementing a method comprising:

analyzing audio signals associated with the videos to determine participants who are currently engaged in a dialog, wherein each of the videos has an associated audio signal;

selecting to display prominently videos of participants who are currently engaged in a dialog and whose contributions to the dialog are not short utterances, including determining one of the videos selected to display most prominently;

assigning the videos selected to adjacent faces of a three-dimensional object;

receiving from a user an indication of a view angle at which to view the video determined to be most prominently displayed;

generating an image of the three-dimensional object so that multiple videos on the faces of the three-dimensional object are visible within the image with the videos selected being displayed more prominently than other videos within the image and the video determined being displayed most prominently at the view angle received from the user; and

switching the videos that are prominently displayed so that a face depicting a video of the new participant is prominently displayed at the view angle received from the user when a new participant begins speaking, unless a contribution of the new participant is a short utterance, wherein the three-dimensional object is automatically rotated when switching a video that is to be prominently displayed;

wherein the view location does not change when a contribution of at least one of the participants or the new participant is a short utterance, which prevents rapid changes of videos that are prominently displayed;

wherein switching the view location includes reassigning the videos selected to faces of the three-dimensional object so that videos associated with participants currently engaged in dialog are assigned to adjacent faces.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

displayed a participants window, the participants window comprises a list of participants; and

displaying a speaking icon the participants window in association with a currently speaking participant.

10. A computer system for presenting multiple live videos of a baseball game, the computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a component that receives live videos;

a component that generates an image of a three-dimensional object with multiple live videos of the baseball game displayed on faces of the three-dimensional object within the image, wherein live videos of a pitcher, a batter, and a base runner are assigned to adjacent faces of the three-dimensional object, wherein the faces assigned the live videos of the pitcher and the batter are displayed with equal prominence within the image, and wherein a face assigned the live video of the base runner is displayed with less prominence within the image;

a component that analyzes video and audio content of the baseball game to determine an activity of the baseball game, wherein the activity includes the base runner stealing a base; and

a component that changes the videos that are displayed prominently within the image by rotating the three-dimensional object so that the face depicting the video of the base runner is more prominently displayed when the base runner begins to steal a base, so that videos of the baseball game currently with activity are most prominently displayed;

wherein the changes to the videos that are displayed includes reassigning the videos to adjacent faces of the three-dimensional object if the videos are not assigned to adjacent faces.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the computer system is a multipoint control unit.