Multipoint conference scalabilitiy for co-located participants

• US 8,797,379 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ogle, David M., Osenbach, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US13/483,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370260-261, 709/204
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A terminal device associated with a participant of the multipoint session can be identified. The multipoint session can be associated with a video and an audio stream. The terminal device can be a computing device comprising of an audio and video input, and a video output. The multipoint session can be a conference associated with a telephony session. The location of the terminal device and a conferencing device can be determined. The conferencing device can be associated with an audio input and output. If the terminal device is proximate to the conferencing device, a terminal device audio stream can be terminated and a conference device audio stream can be received. A video stream and an audio stream can be simultaneously presented upon the audio and video output of the conferencing device and terminal device. The video and the audio stream can be a synchronized stream of the session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a terminal device associated with a participant of the multipoint session, wherein the multipoint session is associated with a video stream and an audio stream, wherein the terminal device is a computing device comprising of an audio input, video input, and a video output, wherein the multipoint session is a conference associated with a telephony session;

determining the location of the terminal device and a conferencing device, wherein the conferencing device is associated with an audio input and an audio output; and

terminating an audio stream associated with the audio input of terminal device and receiving an audio stream from the audio input of a conference device if the terminal device is proximate to the conferencing device; and

simultaneously presenting a video stream upon the video output of the terminal device and an audio stream upon the audio output of the conferencing device, wherein the video stream and the audio stream is synchronized, wherein the video stream and audio stream is associated with the session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically presenting at least one proposed conferencing device proximate to the location of at least one terminal device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the proposed proximate conferencing device is automatically associated with the multipoint session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the session is associated with a video switching capability, wherein the video switching capability visually indicates a video stream associated with a participant of interest, wherein the video switching capability is maintained in response to an audio stream associated the audio input of the terminal device is terminated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the synchronization is a lip synchronization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony session conforms to a Voice over Internet Protocol session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an audio stream from the audio input and a video stream from the video input of the terminal device if the terminal device is not proximate to the conferencing device; and

presenting a video stream within the video output and an audio stream within the audio output of the terminal device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing device is at least one of a telephony device, videotelephony device, and a telepresence system.