Detecting reactions and providing feedback to an interaction

• US 8,670,018 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cunnington, Sharon K., Hegde, Rajesh K., Quinn, Kori, Li, Jin, Chou, Philip A., Zhang, Zhengyou, Tan, Desney S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US12/789,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357, 455461-466, 4555501-560, 455 901- 903, 4554561-466, 4555751-5759, 455 301-4262, 704270-278, 709201-207, 709217-248
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Reaction information of participants to an interaction may be sensed and analyzed to determine one or more reactions or dispositions of the participants. Feedback may be provided based on the determined reactions. The participants may be given an opportunity to opt in to having their reaction information collected, and may be provided complete control over how their reaction information is shared or used.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor in communication with computer-readable storage media;

a sensing component, maintained in the computer-readable storage media and executed on the processor, to receive information from one or more sensors regarding a reaction of one or more participants to an interaction between participants of a meeting, wherein the information comprises biometric information associated with the one or more participants;

an analysis component to analyze the information for identifying the reaction of the one or more participants; and

a feedback component that adjusts an environment of a room in which the one or more participants are located in response to the reaction identified, wherein the one or more participants is provided with an option as to whether or not to share the reaction identified associated with the meeting to be utilized to adjust the environment of the room.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the feedback component adjusts an environmental parameter of the room comprising at least one of lighting, temperature, sound or aroma.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the information is received by the sensing component during a first meeting;

and

the feedback component adjusts the environment of the room in preparation for a second meeting conducted subsequently to the first meeting.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving sensor information by the sensing component during a set of earlier meetings taking place prior to the interaction, wherein the sensor information is stored in a computer readable storage device as stored information; and

analyzing the stored information to establish a baseline of the participants'"'"' reactions to a culture or environment, wherein the system more accurately analyzes interaction-specific reactions of the participants during the interaction, and adjusts the environment of the room according to the interaction-specific reactions.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the interaction comprises a videoconference between a first location and a second location;

the sensing component receives the information from one or more first sensors of the plurality of sensors that collect information from one or more participants at the first location and from second sensors of the plurality of sensors that collect information from one or more participants in the second location; and

the feedback component adjusts an environment of at least one of a room at the first location or a room at the second location.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is in communication with the plurality of sensors through a network, the plurality of sensors comprising sensors located in one or more chairs or tables of the one or more participants to the interaction.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the feedback component provides feedback to a chair of a participant based on the one more reactions identified.

8. A method comprising:

receiving data relating to a sensed physical condition of at least one participant to an interaction between participants of a gathering, wherein the sensed physical condition is ascertained by analyzing biometric information of the one or more participants;

identifying, by a processor, a reaction of the at least one participant based at least in part on the sensed physical condition;

providing the at least one participant with control over dissemination of an amount of reaction information regarding the reaction of the at least one participant to the gathering; and

providing feedback to one or more participants to the interaction based at least in part on the reaction identified.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interaction includes a plurality of participants, the providing the feedback comprising providing the feedback to a presenter to inform the presenter of a reaction of the plurality of participants.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the feedback includes information provided to the presenter during a presentation for enabling the presenter to improve communication to the audience during the presentation.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the feedback includes information provided to the presenter following a presentation for the presenter to improve at least one of the presentation or a communication technique.

12. The method according to claim 8, the providing the feedback comprising providing an aggregation of reactions identified for a plurality of participants to present an indication of an overall reaction of the plurality of participants to the interaction.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interaction comprises a videoconference, the receiving data relating to a sensed physical condition comprising receiving data relating to a sensed physical condition of one or more participants to the videoconference at a first location and receiving data relating to a sensed physical condition of one or more participants to the videoconference at a second location, for identifying reactions of the participants at the first location and the second location.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the providing feedback comprises:

providing the reaction information relating to a particular participant to the particular participant; and

providing the particular participant with a control interface providing participant with control regarding whether to share at least part of the reaction information with selected other participants.

15. The method according to claim 8, the receiving data relating to a sensed physical condition comprising sensing at least one of head movement, facial expressions, body movement, heart rate, body temperature, or respiration rate.

16. A computer-readable memory having instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations comprising:

receiving sensor data relating to a sensed physical condition of at least one participant to an interaction;

determining at least one reaction for the at least one participant based at least in part on the sensed physical condition; and

providing feedback based at least in part on an analysis of the at least one reaction and one or more other reactions determined from previous interactions, wherein the feedback identifies a pattern in participant reaction from the at least one reaction and the one or more other reactions and provides information based at least in part on the identified pattern for improving communication during an interaction.

17. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the feedback indicates whether a particular individual should attend a meeting based at least in part on reactions determined for the particular individual for previous meetings.

18. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the feedback indicates a seating arrangement for one or more individuals attending a meeting.

19. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the feedback identifies one or more environmental parameters to be implemented at an interaction.

20. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the analysis comprises comparing a biometric parameter to a baseline parameter.