Interaction based on facial recognition of conference participants

• US 7,847,815 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Mukul, Kumar, Sanjeev, Patel, Labhesh, Khouri, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Karen L
• Application Number:
  US11/546,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/201.01, 379/201.02
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes capturing a facial image of a participant to a video conference session from a video stream of the video conference session. A database containing a plurality a stored facial images is then accessed in an attempt to match the facial image with one of the stored facial images. Each stored facial image is associated with information in the database associated with a person, the information being retrieved in the event of a match. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing, in response to input received from a graphical user interface (GUI), a facial image of a participant to a video conference session from a video stream of the video conference session, the input being generated responsive to selection of the facial image by another participant, the GUI running on an endpoint device associated with the another participant;

accessing a database containing a plurality a stored facial images, each stored facial image being associated with information associated with a person;

matching the facial image with one of the stored facial images;

retrieving the information associated with the one of the stored facial images; and

establishing a private interactive communication session between the endpoint device running the GUI and the person associated with the one of the stored facial images, the private interactive communication session being separate from the video conference session.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating, as a user interface selectable object, the facial image of the participant to the video conference session.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the database to include the captured facial image.

4. A method comprising:

receiving input Identifying a facial image of a participant from a video feed to a video conference session;

creating a user selectable object of the facial image;

in response to input selection of the user selectable object during the video feed, initiating a database query in an attempt to match the facial image with one of a plurality of stored facial images, each stored facial image being associated with information associated with a person, the input selection being generated by a graphical user interface (GUI) running on an endpoint device; and

in the event of a match between a particular stored facial image and the facial image, retrieving the information associated with the particular stored facial image; and

establishing a private interactive communication session between the endpoint device and the person associated with the one of the stored facial images, the private interactive communication session being separate from the video conference session.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the person associated with the particular stored facial image is one of a group of persons attending the video conference session from a single endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising capturing the facial image of the participant to the video conference session.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the private interactive communication session comprises an instant message sent from the endpoint device running the GUI to an endpoint device of the person associated with the one of the stored facial images.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the information includes a temporary mapping to a communications device of the person.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a display; and

a program that runs on a personal computer (PC) to produce a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI providing a user of the PC with an ability to select a facial image of a participant from a video feed of a video conference session, selection of the facial image by the user during the video feed causing the PC to send output to a server hosting the video conference session, in response to receiving the output, the server accessing a database in an attempt to match the facial image with one of a plurality of stored facial images, each stored facial image being associated with information about a person, in the event of a match between a particular stored facial image and the facial image the server sending the information of the person associated with the particular stored facial image to the PC, the program being operable to display the information on the display, the GUI further providing the user with the ability to request the server to establish a private interactive communication session between the user and the person associated with the particular stored facial image in response to a click of a button on an input cursor device, the click occurring when a cursor positionable by the input cursor device is positioned over the facial image, the private interactive communication session being separate from the video conference session.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the private interactive communication session comprises an instant message session.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the private interactive communication session comprises an email message.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the private interactive communication session comprises a telephone call.