Tag interrogator and microphone array for identifying a person speaking in a room

• US 20080101576A1
• Filed: 11/01/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Vernick, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,995,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A conferencing room has conferencing equipment which identifies a person speaking, among a group of people in the conferencing room, to remote participants in a conference call. The conferencing equipment includes a plurality of unique tags, each fixed proximate to a seating position for a person in the conferencing room. Each person reads the tag at their seated position using a personal interrogator, which may be incorporated into a cellular telephone. The person'"'"'s identification and seated location are received and stored by a controller. The controller receives inputs from a microphone array, which monitors the voices in the room. By using the microphone array, the controller can approximate the source of the voice to one of the unique tag locations and hence can identify the person speaking.

Claims

1. Conference call equipment comprising:

a controller including an input to receive identification information and location information from an interrogator, and an output to transmit identification information about a person speaking on a conference call to conference call participants; and

a microphone array including a plurality of microphones located in fixed positions relative to a conferencing room, wherein said microphone array is connected to said controller.

2. The conference call equipment of claim 1, further comprising:

an interrogator, wherein said interrogator is incorporated into a cellular telephone and transmits the identification information and the location information to said controller.

3. The conference call equipment of claim 1, further comprising:

an interrogator, wherein said interrogator is a user carried RFID interrogator for reading an RFID tag mounted in a fixed position proximate a seating position in the conferencing room.

4. The conference call equipment of claim 1, further comprising:

an interrogator, wherein said interrogator is a user carried bar code scanner for reading a bar code tag mounted in a fixed position proximate a seating position in the conferencing room.

5. The conference call equipment of claim 1, further comprising:

an interrogator, wherein said interrogator is incorporated into a unit mounted in a fixed position proximate a seating position in the conferencing room.

6. The conference call equipment of claim 5, wherein said interrogator is an RFID interrogator for reading an RFID tag carried by a conference call participant.

7. The conference call equipment of claim 6, wherein said RFID tag is incorporated into an ID card.

8. The conference call equipment of claim 5, wherein said interrogator is a bar code scanner for reading a bar code tag carried by a conference call participant.

9. The conference call equipment of claim 8, wherein said bar code tag is incorporated into an ID card.

10. The conference call equipment of claim 1, wherein at least one microphone of said microphone array is used to transmit the voices of participants to the conference call.

11. The conference call equipment of claim 1, wherein said microphone array includes a plurality of microphones mounted in or attached to the walls or ceiling of the conferencing room.

12. The conference call equipment of claim 1, wherein said microphone array includes a plurality of microphones mounted in or attached to a unit placed in the conferencing room.

13. The conference call equipment of claim 12, wherein said unit is a decorative housing for placement on a conference table in the conferencing room.

14. Conference call equipment comprising:

a controller including an input to receive identification information and location information, and an output to transmit identification information about a person speaking on a conference call to conference call participants;

a microphone array including a plurality of microphones located in fixed positions relative to a conferencing room, wherein said microphone array is connected to said controller; and

an interrogator for transmitting the identification information and location information to said controller.

15. The conference call equipment of claim 14, wherein said interrogator is a user carried device which has a unique ID relating to the identification information and which is capable of reading location information.

16. The conference call equipment of claim 14, wherein said interrogator is a device located in a fixed position which has a unique ID relating to the location information and which is capable of reading identification information from a user carried tag.

17. A method of operating conference call equipment comprising:

receiving an identification code and a location code from a plurality of transmitting devices;

associating the identification code to the location code for each transmitting device;

monitoring the outputs of a plurality of microphones;

selecting a location code closest to a person speaking based upon the outputs of the plurality of microphones; and

sending a signal to other conference call equipment relating to the identification code associated with the selected location code.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification code is linked to a person'"'"'s name and the signal being sent to other conference call equipment represents the person'"'"'s name.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification code is linked to a person'"'"'s name and at least one of the following additional information:

job title, job description, biographical data, employer, business address, email address and telephone number, and the signal being sent to other conference call equipment represents the person'"'"'s name and the additional information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal being sent is the identification code and the receiving conference call equipment accesses from a memory at least a person'"'"'s name corresponding to the identification code.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification code is a unique ID of the transmitting device and the unique ID is linked to the identity of the possessor of the transmitting device.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the location code is embodied on a tag fixed in a location proximate a seating positioning in a conferencing room and read by a device carried by a participant of the conference call.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said receiving step is accomplished via a wireless link.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification code is embodied on a tag carried by a participant of the conference call and is read by an interrogator fixed in a location proximate a seating positioning in a conferencing room.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving step is accomplished via a hardwired link.