System and method for providing communication channels that each comprise at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions

• US 7,933,226 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Woodruff, Allison G., Aoki, Paul M., Wilson, Daniel H., Yu, Chen, Thornton, James D., Szymanski, Margaret H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laekemariam; Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US10/809,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,589 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-263, 370/266, 370/329, 370/341, 370/431, 370/464, 370/264, 379/93.2, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/205.01, 704/231, 704/270, 704/275
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention is a computer controlled method for use with a communication system. The method includes a step of receiving a plurality of communications, where each one of the plurality of communications is from one of a plurality of communication sources; includes a step of mixing (that is responsive to a plurality of floor controls) the plurality of communications for a plurality of outputs associated with plurality of communication sources; and includes a step of analyzing, for a plurality of users associated with the plurality of communication sources, one or more conversational characteristics of two or more of the plurality of users. The method also includes a step of automatically adjusting the plurality of floor controls responsive to the step of analyzing. Other embodiments include systems and devices that use the method as well as program products that cause a computer to execute the method.

Claims

1. A method for providing a communication channel that comprises at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions, comprising:

defining a communication channel comprising a set of properties that are dynamically changeable to determine structure for content delivery;

delivering content through the communication channel between at least two participants while monitoring at least one arbitrary data source;

monitoring out-of-channel context, wherein the out-of-channel context originates from at least one of ambient environment sensors and contact sensors;

modeling at least one desired qualitative property for the communication channel based on the monitoring of the at least one arbitrary data source and out-of-channel context, wherein the desired qualitative property comprises at least one of binary settings, categorical settings, and a parametric property; and

dynamically changing a portion of the set of properties for the communication channel in accordance with the at least one desired qualitative property.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

altering the communication channel as a primary communication channel.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of human language.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

altering the communication channel as a continuous communication channel.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over a primary communication channel.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of analyzed human language.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

performing speech recognition to the content delivered over the primary channel in determining the analyzed human language elements.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of prosodic content.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the prosodic content elements comprise prosodic evidence of emotional state.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the prosodic content elements comprise prosodic evidence of conversational engagement.

11. A method according to claim 5, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of audio content.

12. A method according to claim 5, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of text.

13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over a secondary communication channel.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the content delivered over the secondary communication channel substantially comprises elements of video content.

15. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over the communication channel comprising conversational characteristics.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

providing temporal alignment of features identified in the conversational characteristics.

17. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on the modeling.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the inference comprises assessing attributes of individuals.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the inference comprises assessing attributes of environment.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the inference comprises assessing attributes of groups.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein the inference comprises modeling goals of individuals.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the inference further comprises modeling the goals of the individuals as a group.

23. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on historical information.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the inference is based on a history of monitored data.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the inference is based on a history of modeled attributes.

26. A method according to claim 23, wherein the inference is based on a history of channel properties.

27. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on joint behaviors of the at least two participants.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the inference comprises drawing the inference on common actions.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the inference comprises drawing the inference on a temporal correlation of actions.

30. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional manual input; and

dynamically changing the set of properties for the communication channel further based on the additional manual input.

31. A system for providing a communication channel that comprises at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions, comprising:

a communication channel comprising a set of properties that are dynamically changeable to determine structure for content delivery and to deliver content between at least two participants while monitoring at least one arbitrary data source;

a monitoring module to monitor out-of-channel context, wherein the out-of-channel context originates from at least one of ambient environment sensors and contact sensors;

a modeling component to model at least one desired qualitative property for the communication channel based on the monitoring of the at least one arbitrary data source and out-of-channel context, wherein the desired qualitative property comprises at least one of binary settings, categorical settings, and a parametric property; and

a switch to dynamically change a portion of the set of properties for the communication channel in accordance with the at least one desired qualitative property.

32. A method for providing a communication channel that comprises at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions, comprising:

defining a communication channel comprising a set of properties that are dynamically changeable to determine structure for content delivery;

delivering content through the communication channel between at least two participants while monitoring at least one arbitrary data source;

monitoring the content delivered over the communication channel comprising conversational characteristics and providing temporal alignment of features identified in the conversational characteristics;

modeling at least one desired qualitative property for the communication channel based on the monitoring of the at least one arbitrary data source and the content, wherein the desired qualitative property comprises at least one of binary settings, categorical settings, and a parametric property; and

dynamically changing a portion of the set of properties for the communication channel in accordance with the at least one desired qualitative property.

33. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

altering the communication channel as one of a primary communication channel and a continuous communication channel.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of human language.

35. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on the modeling, wherein the inference comprises at least one of assessing attributes of individuals, assessing attributes of environment, assessing attributes of groups, modeling goals of individuals, and modeling the goals of the individuals as a group.

36. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on historical information, wherein the inference is based on at least one of a history of monitored data, a history of modeled attributes, and a history of channel properties.

37. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on joint behaviors of the at least two participants, wherein the inference comprises at least one of drawing the inference on common actions and drawing the inference on a temporal correlation of actions.

38. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

receiving additional manual input; and

dynamically changing the set of properties for the communication channel further based on the additional manual input.

39. A method for providing a communication channel that comprises at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions, comprising:

defining a primary communication channel comprising a set of properties that are dynamically changeable to determine structure for content delivery;

delivering content through the primary communication channel between at least two participants while monitoring at least one arbitrary data source;

monitoring the content delivered over the primary communication channel, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of prosodic content comprising one of prosodic evidence of emotional state and prosodic evidence of conversational engagement;

modeling at least one desired qualitative property for the communication channel based on the monitoring of the at least one arbitrary data source, wherein the desired qualitative property comprises at least one of binary settings, categorical settings, and a parametric property; and

dynamically changing a portion of the set of properties for the communication channel in accordance with the at least one desired qualitative property.

40. A method according to claim 39, further comprising:

altering the communication channel as one of a primary communication channel and a continuous communication channel.

41. A method according to claim 40, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of human language.

42. A method according to claim 39, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on the modeling, wherein the inference comprises at least one of assessing attributes of individuals, assessing attributes of environment, assessing attributes of groups, modeling goals of individuals, modeling the goals of the individuals as a group.

43. A method according to claim 39, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on historical information, wherein the inference is based on at least one of a history of monitored data, a history of modeled attributes, and a history of channel properties.

44. A method according to claim 39, further comprising:

drawing an inference based on joint behaviors of the at least two participants, wherein the inference comprises at least one of drawing the inference on common actions and drawing the inference on a temporal correlation of actions.

45. A method according to claim 39, further comprising:

receiving additional manual input; and

dynamically changing the set of properties for the communication channel further based on the additional manual input.

46. A method for providing a communication channel that comprises at least one property dynamically changeable during social interactions, comprising:

defining a communication channel comprising a set of properties that are dynamically changeable to determine structure for content delivery;

delivering content through the communication channel between at least two participants while monitoring at least one arbitrary data source;

drawing an inference based on joint behaviors of the at least two participants, wherein the inference comprises one of drawing the inference on common actions and drawing the inference on a temporal correlation of actions;

modeling at least one desired qualitative property for the communication channel based on the monitoring of the at least one arbitrary data source, wherein the desired qualitative property comprises at least one of binary settings, categorical settings, and a parametric property; and

dynamically changing a portion of the set of properties for the communication channel in accordance with the at least one desired qualitative property.

47. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

altering the communication channel as one of a primary communication channel and a continuous communication channel.

48. A method according to claim 47, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of human language.

49. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over a primary communication channel.

50. A method according to claim 49, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of analyzed human language.

51. A method according to claim 50, further comprising:

performing speech recognition to the content delivered over the primary channel in determining the analyzed human language elements.

52. A method according to claim 49, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises elements of prosodic content and further wherein the prosodic content elements comprise at least one of prosodic evidence of emotional state and prosodic evidence of conversational engagement.

53. A method according to claim 49, wherein the content delivered over the primary communication channel substantially comprises at least one of elements of audio content and elements of text.

54. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over a secondary communication channel, wherein the content delivered over the secondary communication channel substantially comprises elements of video content.

55. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

monitoring content delivered over the communication channel comprising conversational characteristics.

56. A method according to claim 55, further comprising:

providing temporal alignment of features identified in the conversational characteristics.

57. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

receiving additional manual input; and

dynamically changing the set of properties for the communication channel further based on the additional manual input.