Virtual round-table videoconference

• US 8,319,819 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Alan J., Mauchly, J. William, Sowa, David W., Friel, Joseph T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/055,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 370260-271
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• 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 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for creating a virtual round table videoconference is described. An embodiment of the system comprises a plurality of displays arranged in an arc configuration with a table to create a virtual round table. Cameras are arranged around the plurality of displays such that when a participant looks at a display with an image of a remote participant, the camera associated with the display captures an image of the participant'"'"'s gaze, making eye contact with the camera. The image is displayed at the remote participant'"'"'s endpoint creating the effect of eye contact between the participants. In another embodiment, audio speakers are arranged to provide directional sound such that the video source for a display and the audio source for the associated speaker are from the same endpoint.

Claims

1. A method for creating a virtual illusion of meeting around a continuous table for a multipoint video conference comprising:

showing, on a display system, a center perspective image of participants in a plurality of remote endpoints using a scaled and composited image of participants at the plurality of remote endpoints;

showing, on a display system, a left side perspective image of a plurality of participants at a first remote endpoint; and

showing, on the display system, a right side perspective image of a plurality of participants at a second remote endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the scaled and composited image of participants at the plurality of remote endpoints comprises scaling the image such that participants shown in the center perspective image appear visually farther away than those at the right or left side of the display system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein showing, on the display system, the left side perspective image of the plurality of participants at the first remote endpoint comprises displaying on a right side of the display system the left side perspective image of the participants at the first remote endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein showing, on the display system, the right side perspective image of the plurality of participants at the second remote endpoint comprises displaying on a left side of the display system the right side perspective image of the participants at the second remote endpoint.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying on the right side of the display system the left side perspective image of the participants at the first remote endpoint comprises displaying the left side perspective image such that participants in the left side perspective image nearer to the center portion of the display system appear visually farther away than those at the right side of the display system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying on the left side of the display system the right side perspective image of the participants at the second remote endpoint comprises displaying the right side perspective image such that participants in the right side perspective image nearer to the center portion of the display system appear visually farther away than those at the left side of the display system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display system comprises a plurality of displays configured in an arc pattern such that the images on the display system in combination with a table creates the illusion of the continuous table.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the display system comprises one display configured to display the center, left and right perspectives such that the images on the display system in combination with the table creates the illusion of the continuous table.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing directional sound for audio signals associated with each remote endpoint to draw the attention of participants to a new speaker when the participants are not looking at an image associated with the new speaker.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing directional sound for audio signals associated with each remote endpoint to draw the attention of participants to a new speaker when the participants are not looking at the image associated with the new speaker further comprises:

locating a plurality of audio speakers near a display system; and

associating the source for the audio speaker with the image being displayed on the display system.

11. A system for creating a virtual illusion of meeting around a continuous table for a multipoint video conference comprising:

a network; and

a plurality of endpoints operably connected to the network wherein an endpoint is configured to;

display, on a display system, a center perspective image of participants in a plurality of remote endpoints using a scaled and composited image of participants at the plurality of remote endpoints;

display, on the display system, a left side perspective image of a plurality of participants at a first endpoint; and

display, on the display system, a right side perspective image of a plurality of participants at a second endpoint.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the endpoint is configured to display the center perspective image of participants in the plurality of endpoints comprises the endpoint being further configured to display the center perspective image generally in the center of a display system.

13. The system claim of 11, wherein the endpoint is configured to display the center perspective image of participants in the plurality of endpoints comprises the plurality of endpoints being configured to use scaled and composited images of participants at the plurality of remote endpoints such that the participants shown in the center perspective image appear visually farther away than those at the right or left side of the display system.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the endpoint is configured to display the left side perspective image of the plurality of participants at the first endpoint comprises the endpoint being further configured to display on a right side of the display system, the left side perspective image of the participants at the first endpoint.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the endpoint is configured to display the right side perspective image of the plurality of participants at the second endpoint comprises the endpoint being further configured to display on a left side of the display system, the right side perspective image of the participants at the second endpoint.

16. The system of claim of 14, wherein the endpoint is configured to display on the right side of the display system, the left side perspective image of the participants at the first endpoint comprises the endpoint being further configured to display the left side perspective image such that participants in the left side perspective image nearer to a center portion of the display system appear visually farther away than those at the right side of the display system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the endpoint is configured to display on the left side of the display system, the right side perspective image of the participants at the second endpoint comprises the endpoint being further configured to display the right side perspective image such that participants in the right side perspective image nearer to the center portion of the display system appear visually farther away than those at the left side of the display system.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the display system comprises a plurality of displays configured in an arc pattern such that the images on the display system in combination with a table creates the illusion of the continuous table.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the display system comprises one display configured to display the center, left and right perspectives such that the images on the display system in combination with the table creates the illusion of the continuous table.