Method and system for controlling audio signals in multiple concurrent conference calls

• US 9,736,312 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Yoakum, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US12/948,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,463 Days
• Field of Search: 37920201, 37920301, 37920401, 37920501, 37920601, 370260, 370261, 370262, 370352, 370353, 370354, 370355, 455416, 709204, 709205, 709206, 709207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences. A user interface is displayed that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area. The first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference. A first plurality of participant identifiers is displayed in association with the first defined area, and each of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference. Aural position identifiers are determined for each participant associated with the first conference, and an aural position identifier is selected for the second conference. Audio signals are provided at aural positions identified by the aural position identifiers, enabling the user to correlate the voices of different participants with corresponding locations on the user interface, and to listen to multiple conferences simultaneously.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences, comprising:

displaying, by a processing device, a user interface that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference;

displaying a first plurality of participant identifiers in association with the first defined area, wherein each of the first plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;

determining a plurality of first aural position identifiers based on a position of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each first aural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier is different from the others;

determining at least one second aural position identifier associated with the second defined area, wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is different from each of the plurality of first aural position identifiers; and

providing, concurrently to an audio output port, an audio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at an aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference, and an audio signal of at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first conference is a selected conference;

receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the user interface; and

in response to the first conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the first conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the second conference.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, via user input, a selection indicating that the second conference is the selected conference;

receiving the audio signal associated with the user of the user interface; and

in response to the second conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the second conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the first conference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the first defined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second plurality of participants corresponding to a second plurality of participant identifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the first conference and the second conference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signal of the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at the aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at the aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, further comprises:

providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signals of at least two participants in the second conference at a same aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is based on a position of a participant identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants with respect to the reference position, and wherein providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, further comprises:

providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at a first aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, and the audio signal of a second participant of the second conference at an aural position based on a position of a participant identifier corresponding to the second participant and the reference position.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via user input, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined area from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is farther from the reference position than the first position; and

in response thereto, decreasing a volume associated with the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first defined area comprises an image of a first light beam, and the second defined area comprises an image of a second light beam.

9. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed on a processor to implement a method for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences, the method comprising:

displaying, by a processing device, a user interface that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference;

displaying a plurality of participant identifiers in the first defined area, wherein each of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;

determining a first plurality of first aural position identifiers based on a position of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each first aural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier is different from the others;

determining at least one second aural position identifier associated with the second defined area wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is different from each of the plurality of first aural position identifiers; and

providing, concurrently to an audio output port, an audio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at an aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference, and an audio signal of at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the first conference is a selected conference;

receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the user interface; and

in response to the first conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the first conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the second conference.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via user input, a selection indicating that the second conference is the selected conference;

receiving the audio signal associated with the user of the user interface; and

in response to the second conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the second conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the first conference.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the first defined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second plurality of participants corresponding to a second plurality of participant identifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the first conference and the second conference.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via user input, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined area from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is farther from the reference position than the first position; and

in response thereto, decreasing a volume associated with the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference.

14. A processing device, comprising:

a communications interface adapted to communicate with a network;

a display; and

a controller comprising a processor coupled to the communications interface, the controller adapted to;

display a user interface on the display that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference;

display a first plurality of participant identifiers in the first defined area, wherein each of the first plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;

determine a plurality of first aural position identifiers based on a position of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each first aural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier is different from the others;

determine at least one second aural position identifier associated with the second defined area wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is different from each of the plurality of first aural position identifiers; and

provide, concurrently to an audio output port, an audio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at an aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference, and an audio signal of at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

15. The processing device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine that the first conference is a selected conference;

receive an audio signal associated with a user of the user interface; and

in response to the first conference being the selected conference, direct the audio signal of the user to the first conference and inhibit the audio signal of the user from being sent to the second conference.

16. The processing device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

receive, via user input, a selection indicating that the second conference is the selected conference;

receive the audio signal associated with the user of the user interface; and

in response to the second conference being the selected conference, direct the audio signal of the user to the second conference and inhibit the audio signal of the user from being sent to the first conference.

17. The processing device of claim 14, wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the first defined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second plurality of participants corresponding to a second plurality of participant identifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the first conference and the second conference.

18. The processing device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

receive, via user input, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined area from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is farther from the reference position than the first position; and

in response thereto, provide a control signal to a media server to diminish a volume associated with the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference.

19. The processing device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

display, in response to a selection of one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, a volume selection tool;

receive, via user input, data indicating that a user has manipulated the volume selection tool; and

in response thereto, provide a control signal to a media server to diminish a volume of the audio signal of the participant who corresponds to the one of the first plurality of participant identifiers.