Speaker position identification and user interface for its representation

• US 9,083,822 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Basart, Edwin J., Rucinski, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US13/672,675
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/142.1, 379/142.17, 379/202.01, 379/205.01, 704/246, 704/250, 704/270, 704/275, 704/276
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony

Abstract

A system, method and graphical user interface for determining a speaker'"'"'s position and a generating a display showing the position of the speaker. In one embodiment, the system comprises a first speakerphone system and a second speakerphone system communicatively coupled to send and receive data. The speakerphone system comprises a display, an input device, a microphone array, a speaker, and a position processing module. The position processing module is coupled to receive acoustic signals from the microphone array. The position processing module uses these acoustic signals to determine a position of the speaker. The position information is then sent to other speakerphone system for presentation on the display.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface comprising:

a call management display area including a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions dynamically adjusted based in part on a number of speakers, each partition corresponding to a position around a phone system, the call management display conveying a position of an active speaker in a three-dimensional representation, the three-dimensional representation including information depicting a distance from the phone system;

at least one identifier, each identifier corresponding to a partition of the plurality of partitions; and

at least one position indicator icon, each position indicator icon corresponding to a corresponding identifier of the at least one identifier, the position indicator icon showing the active speaker based on received acoustic signals indicating the position of the active speaker.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one identifier includes a live or stored image corresponding to an identity of a speaker.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the call management display area is represented by a circular area and each partition of the plurality of partitions is represented by a portion of the circular area.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the call management interface comprises a list of identities, the identities ranked based on a likelihood that they correspond to an identified speaker.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional representation includes at least one of the information depicting the distance from the phone system and information depicting height above the phone system.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further including, presenting, on the call management interface, an on-screen position of the position indicator icon corresponding to a determined position of the active speaker.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the call management interface includes a separate window to depict the position of the active speaker.

8. A method comprising:

providing a user interface for display, the user interface including;

a call management display area including a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions dynamically adjusted based in part on a number of speakers, each partition corresponding to a position around a phone system, the call management display conveying a position of an active speaker in a three-dimensional representation, the three-dimensional representation including information depicting a distance from the phone system;

at least one identifier, each identifier corresponding to a partition of the plurality of partitions; and

at least one position indicator icon, each position indicator icon corresponding to a corresponding identifier of the at least one identifier, the position indicator icon showing the active speaker based on received acoustic signals indicating the position of the active speaker.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifier includes a live or stored mage corresponding to the identity of a speaker.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the call management display area is represented by a circular area and each partition of the plurality of partitions is represented by a portion of the circular area.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the call management interface comprises a list of identities, the identities ranked based on a likelihood that they correspond to an identified speaker.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the three-dimensional representation includes at least one of the information depicting the distance from the phone system and information depicting height above the phone system.

13. The method of claim 8, further including, presenting, on the call management display area, an on-screen position of the position indicator icon corresponding to a determined position of the active speaker.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the call management display area includes a separate window to depict the position of the active speaker.

15. A system, comprising;

one or more processors;

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

provide a user interface for display, the user interface including;

a call management display area including a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions dynamically adjusted based in part on a number of speakers, each partition corresponding to a position around a phone system, the call management conveying a position of an active speaker in a three-dimensional representation, the three-dimensional representation including information depicting a distance from the phone system;

at least one identifier, each identifier corresponding to a partition of the plurality of partitions; and

at least one position indicator icon, each position indicator icon corresponding to a corresponding identifier of the at least one identifier, the position indicator icon showing the active speaker based on received acoustic signals indicating the position of the active speaker.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one identifier includes a live or stored mage corresponding to an identity of a speaker.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the call management display area is represented by a circular area and each partition of the plurality of partitions is represented by a portion of the circular area.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the call management interface comprises a list of identities, the identities ranked based on a likelihood that they correspond to an identified speaker.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the three-dimensional representation includes at least one of the information depicting the distance from the phone system and information depicting height above the phone system.

20. The system of claim 15, further including, presenting, on the call management display area, an on-screen position of the position indicator icon corresponding to a determined position of the active speaker.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the call management display area includes a separate window to depict the position of the active speaker.

22. A method for displaying speaker position comprising:

receiving acoustic signals data from a plurality of speakers in a surrounding environment indicating physical positions of the plurality of speakers associated with a phone system;

determining a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions dynamically adjusted based on the received acoustic signals data from the plurality of speakers and each partition corresponding to a position around the phone system;

generating at least one identifier, each identifier corresponding to a partition of the plurality of partitions;

generating at least one position indicator icon, each of the at least one position indicator icons corresponding to a corresponding identifier of the at least one identifier; and

providing for display a call management display area including the plurality of partitions and conveying the position of the active speaker in a three-dimensional representation, the three-dimensional representation including information depicting a distance from the phone system, the at least one position indicator icon, the at least one position indicator icon showing an active speaker based on received acoustic signals indicating the position of the active speaker, and at least one identifier, each identifier corresponding to a partition of the plurality of partitions.