Camera-based facial recognition or other single/multiparty presence detection as a method of effecting telecom device alerting

• US 8,629,895 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Vandy
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/828,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345/467, 345/158, 348/14.03, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.07, 348/41, 709/204, 709/224, 709/205, 715/753, 715/758, 382/103, 434/257, 175/25, 379/93.21, 379/202.01, 455/416, 705/7.13, 725/24
• US Class Current: 348/14.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A camera can be associated with each conference participant endpoint. The camera, either frame or video-based, can monitor and detect one or more of gestures, facial recognition, emotions, and movements of the conference participant. Based on the detection of one or more of these triggering events, a correlation to an action corresponding the triggering event can be evoked. For example, if a participant raises their hand, e.g., a triggering event, the system can recognize that this is a request to speak. The participant can then be queued in the system based, for example, relative to other participants'"'"' requests. When the other participants have finished speaking, and it is the time for the user who raised their hand to speak, the system can optionally queue the user by modifying the endpoint with which they are associated.

Claims

1. A conferencing method in a conferencing environment which includes a plurality of conference participants comprising:

detecting at least one triggering event at least one participant endpoint;

correlating the at least one triggering event to one or more actions;

queuing the one or more actions within the conference; and

updating a dynamic agenda of a flow of the conference based on the at least one triggering event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if a conflict exists between the one or more actions and one or more other detected or scheduled actions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic agenda of the flow of the conference is distributed to the plurality of conference participants.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a conference endpoint of a status of a requested action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions control one or more aspects of the conferencing environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one triggering event includes one or more of an emotion, gesture, change in facial expression, and movements of the conference participant.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising resolving conflicts based on one or more of rules, job position, moderator preferences, ranking, priority, and title.

8. One or more means for performing the steps of claim 1.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor executable instructions that, if executed, perform the steps of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the at least one triggering event comprises detecting a plurality of triggering events and wherein the dynamic agenda of the flow of the conference comprises the plurality of triggering events.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the at least one triggering event comprises detecting a plurality of triggering events from a plurality of endpoints and wherein the dynamic agenda of the flow of the conference is updated based on the plurality of triggering events.

12. A conferencing system in a conferencing environment which includes a plurality of conference participants comprising:

one or more of a gesture recognition module and facial recognition module that that detect at least one triggering event at least one participant endpoint;

a triggering event module that correlates the at least one triggering event to one or more actions;

a queuing module that queues the one or more actions within the conference; and

a dynamic agenda module that updates a dynamic agenda of a flow of the conference based on the at least one triggering event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the queuing module further determines if a conflict exists between the one or more actions and one or more other detected or scheduled actions.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the dynamic agenda of the flow of the conference is distributed to the plurality of conference participants.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a conference agent module that notifies a conference endpoint of a status of a requested action.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more actions control one or more aspects of the conferencing environment.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one triggering event includes one or more of an emotion, gesture, change in facial expression, and movements of the conference participant.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the queuing module resolves conflicts based on one or more of rules, job position, moderator preferences, ranking, priority, and title.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein a participant endpoint includes a camera, a display and a communications endpoint.

20. A conferencing system in a conferencing environment which includes a plurality of conference participants comprising:

one or more of a gesture recognition module and facial recognition module that detect at least one triggering event at least one participant endpoint;

a triggering event module that correlates the at least one triggering event to one or more actions;

a queuing module that queues the one or more actions within the conference; and

wherein a combination of triggering events can be detected, with a certain sequence of triggering events within a certain time frame being correlatable to one or more functions; and

triggering actions from one or more participants are weighed to determine an action for the conference as a whole;

or

the one or more triggering events are correlatable to a request to initiate a running of one or more applications.