Systems and methods for virtual co-location

• US 10,574,942 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Travelers Indemnity Company (The Travelers Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Travelers Indemnity Company (The Travelers Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: Scanlon, Ryan M., Roy, Douglas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung-Hoang J
• Application Number:
  US16/035,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 591 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1041 Televoting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating collaboration between a local user or team in a meeting space and one or more remote users outside the meeting space are provided. The virtual co-location system may include, for example, an IOT device including sensors, a microphone, a beacon light, a speaker, a user control interface (e.g., including a control input adjusted by the local user, the user control interface producing an electronic control signal representing a setting of a control device), and/or a local microprocessor for executing local collaboration software. The virtual co-location systems and methods may also or alternatively include a remote computer having a remote microprocessor for executing remote collaboration software.

Claims

1. A virtual co-location device disposed at a meeting location, comprising:

a housing coupled to;

a processing device;

a transceiver device in communication with the processing device, with a remote user device, and with a web service hosting a state file;

a beacon in communication with the processing device;

at least one of (i) a sound sensor, (ii) a light sensor, and (iii) a proximity sensor, being disposed to acquire data from the meeting location and being in communication with the processing device; and

a non-transitory memory device in communication with the processing device, the non-transitory memory device storing (a) data defining at least one threshold and (b) logic instructions that when executed by the processing device, result in;

receiving, by the processing device and from the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the proximity sensor, an indication of a sensor reading for the meeting location;

comparing, by the processing device, the sensor reading to the at least one threshold;

generating, by the processing device and in response to the comparing, a signal indicative of a state of the meeting location;

transmitting, by the transceiver device and to the web service, the signal indicative of the state of the meeting location, thereby causing the state file to be updated to be descriptive of the state of the meeting location;

receiving, by the transceiver device, from the remote user device and in response to the updating of the state file, an indication of a virtual hand raise signal; and

outputting, by the beacon and in response to the receiving of the virtual hand raise signal, at least one of a visual and an audio indication of the virtual hand raise signal.

2. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the housing is further coupled to:

a display device in communication with the processing device.

3. The virtual co-location device of claim 2, wherein the logic instructions, when executed by the processing device, further result in:

outputting, by the display device and in response to the receiving of the virtual hand raise signal, an avatar representative of a user of the remote user device.

4. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the housing is further coupled to:

a microphone in communication with the processing device; and

a speaker in communication with the processing device.

5. The virtual co-location device of claim 4, wherein the logic instructions, when executed by the processing device, further result in:

conducting a two-way teleconference between one or more users at the meeting location and a user of the remote user device by;

(i) transmitting, via the transceiver device and to the remote user device, sound detected by the microphone;

(ii) receiving, via the transceiver device and from the remote user device, audio information; and

(iii) outputting, via the speaker, the audio information.

6. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the comparing results in a determination that the sensor reading is above the at least one threshold, and wherein the signal indicative of the state of the meeting location is indicative of the meeting room being occupied.

7. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the proximity sensor comprises the sound sensor and the light sensor, and wherein the sensor reading for the meeting location comprises each of a sound sensor reading and a light sensor reading, and wherein the at least one threshold comprises each of a sound threshold and a light threshold.

8. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the proximity sensor comprises the sound sensor and the proximity sensor, and wherein the sensor reading for the meeting location comprises each of a sound sensor reading and a proximity sensor reading, and wherein the at least one threshold comprises each of a sound threshold and a proximity threshold.

9. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the proximity sensor comprises the light sensor and the proximity sensor, and wherein the sensor reading for the meeting location comprises each of a light sensor reading and a proximity sensor reading, and wherein the at least one threshold comprises each of a light threshold and a proximity threshold.

10. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the proximity sensor comprises each of the sound sensor, the light sensor, and the proximity sensor, and wherein the sensor reading for the meeting location comprises each of a sound sensor reading, a light sensor reading, and a proximity sensor reading, and wherein the at least one threshold comprises each of a sound threshold, a light threshold, and a proximity threshold.

11. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the light sensor comprises a photo diode.

12. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor comprises at least one of a PIR sensor, an optical sensor, a microwave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an acoustic motion sensor, an RFID reader, and an NFC reader.

13. The virtual co-location device of claim 1, wherein the remote user device comprises a first remote user device, the virtual hand raise signal comprises a first virtual hand raise signal, the at least one of the visual and the audio indication of the first virtual hand raise signal comprises a first at least one of the visual and the audio indication of the first virtual hand raise signal, and wherein the logic instructions, when executed by the processing device, further result in:

receiving, by the transceiver device, from a second remote user device and in response to the updating of the state file, an indication of a second virtual hand raise signal; and

outputting, by the beacon and in response to the receiving of the second virtual hand raise signal, a second at least one of a visual and an audio indication of the second virtual hand raise signal.

14. The virtual co-location device of claim 13, wherein the first at least one of the visual and the audio indication of the first virtual hand raise signal comprises at least one of a first color and a first sound, and wherein the second at least one of the visual and the audio indication of the second virtual hand raise signal comprises at least one of a second color and a second sound.

15. A virtual co-location device disposed at a meeting location, comprising:

a housing coupled to;

a processing device;

a transceiver device in communication with the processing device, with a remote user device, and with a web service hosting a state file;

a display device in communication with the processing device;

a beacon in communication with the processing device;

at least one of (i) a sound sensor, (ii) a light sensor, and (iii) a motion sensor, being disposed to acquire data from the meeting location and being in communication with the processing device; and

a non-transitory memory device in communication with the processing device, the non-transitory memory device storing (a) data defining at least one threshold and (b) logic instructions that when executed by the processing device, result in;

receiving, by the processing device and from the at least one of (i) the sound sensor, (ii) the light sensor, and (iii) the motion sensor, an indication of a sensor reading captured at the meeting location;

comparing, by the processing device, the sensor reading to the at least one threshold;

generating, by the processing device and in response to the comparing, a signal indicative of a state of the meeting location;

transmitting, by the transceiver device and to the web service, the signal indicative of the state of the meeting location, thereby causing the state file to be updated to be descriptive of the state of the meeting location;

outputting, by the display device and in response to the updating of the state file, an indication of the state of the meeting location;

receiving, by the transceiver device, from the remote user device and in response to the updating of the state file, an indication of a virtual hand raise signal; and

outputting, by the beacon and in response to the receiving of the virtual hand raise signal, at least one of a visual and an audio indication of the virtual hand raise signal.