Teleconference system and teleconference terminal

• US 9,473,741 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakatomi, Masashi, Kasuya, Yuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/383,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A teleconference terminal includes a positional relationship determining unit, a video switching unit, a first video output unit, and a second video output unit. The positional relationship determining unit sets relationship information indicating a displaying position relationship between a location video received from another teleconference terminal and shared information shared among a plurality of locations on the local teleconference terminal based on relationship information indicating a displaying position relationship between the location video and the shared information set on the other teleconference terminal. The video switching unit displays the location video received from the other teleconference terminal and shared information on a first display unit and a second display unit in the displaying position relationship specified in the relationship information set by the positional relationship determining unit.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a first communication terminal at a first location being connected to at least a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other, the first communication terminal including first circuitry configured to set display positions, as first position relationship information, of (i) a video of a second location received from a second communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display, and (ii) image data of shared information that is shared between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display, and

the second communication terminal at the second location being connected to at least a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other, the second communication terminal including second circuitry configured to receive the first position relationship information, and to set display positions, as second position relationship information, of (i) a video of the first location received from the first communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display connected to the second communication terminal, and (ii) the image data of shared information that is shared between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display connected to the second communication terminal, based on the received first position relationship information, such that the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information are set to be displayed on the first display and the second display connected to the second communication terminal in an opposite manner as the video of the second location and the image data of the shared information are set on the first and second display connected to the first communication terminal,

wherein the second circuitry is configured to control display of the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information on the first display and the second display connected to the second communication terminal based on the set second position relationship information.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second circuitry is further configured to:

set an initial value of the second position relationship information;

store the set initial value of the second position relationship information in a memory;

transmit the stored second position relationship information to another communication terminal when a connection request is received from the other communication terminal;

receive displaying position relationship information transmitted from the other communication terminal; and

reset the second position relationship information based on the displaying position relationship information received from the other communication terminal.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, the second circuitry being further configured to

generate a synthesize video for displaying the video received from the other communication terminal and the shared information on one display connected to the second communication terminal, and

control display of the synthesized video on the one display.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the second circuitry is further configured to

detect a position of a presenter making a presentation on the shared information, based on at least one of a video captured by an image capturing unit and sound collected by a sound collecting unit,

set the initial value of the second position relationship information based on the detected position of the presenter, and

reset the second position relationship information based on the received first position relationship information and the detected position.

5. A communication terminal configured to communicate with another communication terminal at a first location, the other communication terminal being connected to at least a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other, the other communication terminal including circuitry configured to set display positions, as first position relationship information, of (i) a video of a second location received from the communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display, and (ii) image data of shared information that is shared between the other communication terminal and the communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display, the present communication terminal being configured to connect to a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other at the second location and further comprising:

circuitry configured to receive the first position relationship information, and to set display positions, as second position relationship information, of (i) a video of the first location received from the other communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal, and (ii) the image data of shared information that is shared between the other communication terminal and the communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal, based on the received first position relationship information, such that the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information are set to be displayed on the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal in an opposite manner as the video of the second location and the image data of the shared information are set on the first and second display connected to the other communication terminal,

wherein the circuitry of the communication terminal is configured to control display of the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information on the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal based on the set second position relationship information.

6. A method implemented by a communication terminal configured to communicate with another communication terminal at a first location, the other communication terminal being connected to at least a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other, the other communication terminal including circuitry configured to set display positions, as first position relationship information, of (i) a video of a second location received from the communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display, and (ii) image data of shared information that is shared between the other communication terminal and the communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display, the present communication terminal being configured to connect to a first display and a second display disposed adjacent to each other at the second location, the method comprising:

receiving the first position relationship information;

setting display positions, as second position relationship information, of (i) a video of the first location received from the other communication terminal to be one of the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal, and (ii) the image data of shared information that is shared between the other communication terminal and the communication terminal to be the other of the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal, based on the received first position relationship information, such that the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information is set to be displayed on the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal in an opposite manner as the video of the second location and the image data of the shared information are set on the first and second display connected to the other communication terminal; and

controlling display of the video of the first location and the image data of the shared information on the first display and the second display connected to the communication terminal based on the set second position relationship information.