Teleconference group formation using context information

• US 7,973,857 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pasanen, Antti, Ahmaniemi, Ali, Virolainen, Jussi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne D
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US11/616,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/518, 455/519, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 348/416.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Teleconferencing and, in particular, distributed teleconferencing may use methods and systems for location grouping to reduce feedback and other audio anomalies. Terminals and users connected to the same teleconference and in the same location might not need to receive audio signals from the other terminals and users in the same location. As such, by detecting and analyzing the location of each participating terminal, the terminals (and thus, the users thereof) may be organized into location groups to provide proper audio mixing. In one example, first and second terminals in the same location might not receive each other'"'"'s audio in a downstream teleconference signal. The location and grouping of terminals may be processed using context fingerprint information derived from sensor readings of each terminal. Sensors may include GPS sensors, cameras, BLUETOOTH sensors and the like. Context fingerprint information may further be synchronized to enhance location determination and grouping.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a teleconference server, context fingerprints from each of one or more participating terminals connected to a teleconference, wherein the context fingerprints characterize a physical environment in which the one or more participating terminals are located;

evaluating, at the teleconference server, the context fingerprints to determine physical location similarities between the one or more participating terminals including;

determining a physical distance between a first participating terminal and a second participating terminal using the context fingerprints received from each, and

determining whether the determined physical distance is within a threshold physical distance; and

grouping, by the teleconference server, the one or more participating terminals into one or more location groups based on the evaluations of the context fingerprints, wherein each of the one or more location groups represents a physical location, wherein grouping the one or more participating terminals includes;

grouping the first and second participating terminals in the same location group in response to determining that the determined physical distance is within the threshold physical distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context fingerprints include at least one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, camera sensor signals, acoustic sensor signals, wireless network characteristics, global system for mobile communications (GSM) base station identification information and BLUETOOTH neighborhood information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context fingerprints are received automatically from the one or more participating terminals prior to initiation of audio routing in the teleconference.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of requesting the context fingerprints from at least one of the one or more participating terminals that has not provided the context fingerprints automatically.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating audio routing in the teleconference once the one or more participating terminals have been grouped.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein initiating audio routing includes filtering out an audio signal originating from a first terminal in a first location group from a downstream signal for a second terminal in the first location group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a first synchronization message to the first and second participating terminals for synchronizing transmission of context fingerprints from each of the first and second participating terminals to a first predefined schedule.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization message includes a predefined event configured to trigger one or more sensor readings associated with the context fingerprints.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first input audio signal from the first participating terminal and a second input audio signal from a third participating terminal connected to the teleconference, wherein the third participating terminal is grouped in a second location group different from the first location group; and

generating a first output audio signal for the first location group, wherein the output audio signal includes the second input audio signal and wherein generating the first output audio signal includes filtering out the first input audio signal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a second output audio signal for the second location group, wherein the output audio signal includes the first input audio signal and wherein generating the second output audio signal includes filtering out the second input audio signal.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting a second synchronization message to third and fourth participating terminals for synchronizing transmission of context fingerprints from each of the third and fourth participating terminals to a second predefined schedule different from the first predefined schedule.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when provided to a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:

receive context fingerprints from each of one or more participating terminals connected to a teleconference, wherein the context fingerprints characterize a physical environment in which the one or more participating terminals are located;

evaluate the context fingerprints to determine physical location similarities between the one or more participating terminals including;

determining a physical distance between a first participating terminal and a second participating terminal using the context fingerprints received from each, and

determining whether the determined physical distance is within a threshold physical distance; and

group the one or more participating terminals into one or more location groups based on the evaluations of the context fingerprints, wherein each of the one or more location groups represents a physical location, wherein grouping the one or more participating terminals includes;

grouping the first and second participating terminals in the same location group in response to determining that the determined physical distance is within the threshold physical distance.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the context fingerprints include at least one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, camera sensor signals, acoustic sensor signals, wireless network characteristics, global system for mobile communications (GSM) base station identification information and BLUETOOTH neighborhood information.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the context fingerprints are received automatically from the one or more participating terminals prior to initiation of audio routing for the teleconference.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for requesting the context fingerprints from at least one of the one or more participating terminals that has not provided the context fingerprints automatically.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for initiating audio routing in the teleconference once the one or more participating terminals have been grouped.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for initiating audio routing include further instructions for filtering out an audio signal originating from a first terminal in a first location group from a downstream signal for a second terminal in the first location group.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for transmitting a synchronization message to the one or more participating terminals for synchronizing the context fingerprints prior to receiving context fingerprints from each of the one or more participating terminals.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the synchronization message includes a predefined event configured to trigger one or more sensor readings associated with the context fingerprints.

20. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive context fingerprints from one or more terminals participating in a teleconference, wherein the context fingerprints characterize a physical environment in which the one or more participating terminals are located,

evaluate the context fingerprints to determine physical location similarities between the one or more participating terminals including;

determining a physical distance between a first participating terminal and a second participating terminal using the context fingerprints received from each; and

determining whether the determined physical distance is within a threshold physical distance, and

group the one or more participating terminals into one or more location groups based on the evaluations of the context fingerprints, wherein each of the one or more location groups represents a physical location, wherein grouping the one or more participating terminals includes;

grouping the first and second participating terminals in the same location group in response to determining that the determined physical distance is within the threshold physical distance.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an audio mixing module configured to generate downstream audio signals to the one or more terminals based on the one or more location groups.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the context fingerprints include at least one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, camera sensor signals, acoustic sensor signals, wireless network characteristics, global system for mobile communications (GSM) base station identification information and BLUETOOTH neighborhood information.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the teleconference is a distributed teleconference network.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the grouping module is further configured to synchronize the context fingerprints by transmitting a synchronization message to each of the one or more participating terminals, the synchronization message includes a predefined event for triggering sensor readings corresponding to the context fingerprints.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving context fingerprints from each of one or more participating terminals connected to a teleconference, wherein the context fingerprints characterize a physical environment in which the one or more participating terminals are located;

means for evaluating the context fingerprints to determine physical location similarities between the one or more participating terminals, wherein the means for evaluating the context fingerprints includes;

means for determining a physical distance between a first participating terminal and a second participating terminal using the context fingerprints received from each, and

means determining whether the determined physical distance is within a threshold physical distance; and

means for grouping the one or more participating terminals into one or more location groups based on the evaluations of the context fingerprints, wherein each of the one or more location groups represents a physical location, wherein grouping the one or more participating terminals includes;

grouping the first and second participating terminals in the same location group in response to determining that the determined physical distance is within the threshold physical distance.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for transmitting a synchronization message to the one or more participating terminals for synchronizing the context fingerprints prior to receiving context fingerprints from each of the one or more participating terminals.