Communication system and method

• US 8,963,982 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/340,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.04, 348/14.11, 348/500, 370/252, 370/260, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/352, 370/395.2, 370/400, 379/90.01, 379/93.21, 379/202.01, 379/221.01, 379/93.25, 386/239, 386/326, 386/353, 455/466, 455/550.1, 709/203, 709/205, 709/220, 709/224, 709/225, 709/232, 713/323, 715/733, 715/748, 725/110, 725/106, 345/87
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/005 Microphone arrays

Abstract

A method, client application and user terminal, the method including providing a packet-based communication system for conducting voice or video calls over a packet-based network and providing an instance of a client application enabling a first user terminal to access the packet-based communication system. The client application is configured so as when executed on the first terminal to receive an input from multiple different audio and/or video input transducers of the first terminal, to analyze those inputs in relation to one another, and based on that analysis to select at least one audio and/or video input transducer and/or output transducer of the first terminal for use in conducting a voice or video call with a remote user terminal via the packet-based communication system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing instructions of a client application, for conducting voice or video calls over a communication system, the instructions executable by a processor of a user terminal to perform operations comprising;

receiving inputs from multiple different audio or video input transducers of the user terminal;

analyzing the received inputs in relation to one another; and

responsive to the analyzing, selecting at least one audio input transducer, video input transducer, or output transducer of the user terminal for use in conducting a voice or video call with a remote user terminal via the communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing relates to a relative proximity of a user to the input transducers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises comparing the energy or power level of the audio input from two or more audio input transducers of the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises performing a Fourier analysis of the input from two or more different audio or video inputs of the user terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises performing a voice recognition algorithm applied to the audio input from two or more audio input transducers of the user terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises performing a facial recognition algorithm applied to the video input from two or more video input transducers of the user terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises performing a motion recognition algorithm applied to the video input from two or more video input transducers of the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is made upon answering or initiating a call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting is made during an ongoing call.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to perform recognizing voice commands for controlling the call, and said selecting is based on analyzing audio inputs received due to one or more voice commands.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from audio input transducers is used to select an audio input transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from audio input transducers is used to select an audio output transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from audio input transducers is used to select a video input transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from audio input transducers is used to select a video output transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from video input transducers is used to select a video input transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from video input transducers is used to select a video output transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from video input transducers is used to select an audio input transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the inputs from video input transducers is used to select an audio output transducer of the user terminal for use in the call.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to perform an initial calibration process to determine relative input response properties of the different input transducers.

20. One or more computer-readable storage memories comprising instructions executable by one or more processors of a user terminal of a communication system to perform operations comprising:

receiving inputs from multiple different audio or video input transducers of the user terminal;

analyzing the received inputs in relation to one another; and

responsive to the analyzing, selecting at least one audio input transducer, video input transducer, or output transducer of the user terminal for use in conducting a voice or video call with a remote user terminal via the communication system.

21. The one or more computer-readable storage memories of claim 20, wherein the analyzing relates to a relative proximity of a user to the input transducers.

22. A user terminal comprising:

a transceiver operable to access a communication system to conduct voice or video calls over the communication system;

one or more processors operably coupled to the transceiver;

one or more computer-readable memories, coupled to the one or more processors, comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving inputs from multiple different audio or video input transducers of the user terminal;

analyzing the received inputs in relation to one another; and

responsive to the analyzing, selecting at least one audio input transducer, video input transducer, or output transducer of the user terminal for use in conducting a voice or video call with a remote user terminal via the communication system.

23. The user terminal of claim 22, wherein the analyzing relates to a relative proximity of a user to the input transducers.