Managing Drop-Ins on Focal Points of Activities

• US 20170017640A1
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bellamy, Rachel K. E., Connell, Jonathan H. II, Farrell, Robert G., Gaucher, Brian P., Lenchner, Jonathan, Melville, David O. S., Salapura, Valentina
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• 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: 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 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls

Abstract

A computer-implemented method manages drop-ins on conversations near a focal point of proximal activity in a gathering place. One or more processors receive a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors in a gathering place, and then identify a focal point of proximal activity based on the first set of received sensor data received from the one or more sensors. One or more processors characterize a conversation near the focal point based on a second set of received sensor data from the one or more sensors, and then present a characterization of the conversation to an electronic device. One or more processors enable the electronic device to allow a user to drop-in on the conversation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing drop-ins on conversations near a focal point of proximal activity in a gathering place, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors in a gathering place;

identifying, by one or more processors, a focal point of proximal activity based on the first set of received sensor data received from the one or more sensors;

characterizing, by one or more processors, a conversation near the focal point based on a second set of received sensor data from the one or more sensors;

presenting, by one or more processors, a characterization of the conversation to an electronic device; and

enabling, by one or more processors, the electronic device to allow a user to drop-in on the conversation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a microphone, wherein the second set of received sensor data provides a representation of spoken words from the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

identifying, by one or more processors, the spoken words to characterize the conversation near the focal point.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a microphone, wherein the second set of received sensor data provides a representation of spoken words from the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

evaluating, by one or more processors, a definition of one or more of the spoken words to characterize the conversation near the focal point.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a microphone, wherein the second set of received sensor data provides a representation of spoken words from the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

evaluating, by one or more processors, one or more of a timbre, pitch, and intensity of the spoken words to characterize the conversation near the focal point.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a camera, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes an appearance of an entity engaged in the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

characterizing, by one or more processors, the conversation based on the appearance of the entity engaged in the conversation.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a motion detector, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes movement of an entity engaged in the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

characterizing, by one or more processors, the conversation based on the movement of the entity engaged in the conversation.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the conversation is between a first entity and a second entity, wherein sensors from the one or more sensors are location detectors, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes a relative position between the first entity and the second entity, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

characterizing, by one or more processors, the conversation based on the relative position between the first entity and the second entity.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a biometric sensor, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes a biometric state of an entity engaged in the conversation, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

characterizing, by one or more processors, the conversation based on the biometric state of the entity engaged in the conversation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a remote communication device connected to a local communication device at the gathering place, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

receiving, by one or more processors, a request from a user of the remote communication device to join the conversation; and

in response to receiving the request from the user of the remote communication device to join the conversation, connecting, by one or more processors, the remote communication device to the local communication device to enable the user to join the conversation.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a local display at the focal point of proximal activity, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

displaying, by one or more processors, the characterization of the conversation on the local display.

11. A system for managing drop-ins on conversations near a focal point of proximal activity in a gathering place, the system comprising:

one or more sensors in a gathering place, wherein the one or more sensors generate a first set of sensor data and a second set of sensor data, wherein the first set of sensor data identifies a focal point of proximal activity in the gathering place, and wherein the second set of sensor data characterizes a conversation near the focal point;

a connection to an electronic device, wherein the connection transmits a characterization of the conversation to the electronic device, and wherein the connection enables the electronic device to allow a user to drop-in on the conversation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a microphone, wherein the second set of received sensor data provides a representation of spoken words from the conversation, and wherein the spoken words characterize the conversation near the focal point.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a camera, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes an appearance of an entity engaged in the conversation, and wherein the entity engaged in the conversation characterizes the conversation.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the conversation is between a first entity and a second entity, wherein sensors from the one or more sensors are location detectors, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes a relative position between the first entity and the second entity, and wherein the relative position between the first entity and the second entity characterizes the conversation.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic device is a local communication device at the gathering place, and wherein the system further comprises:

an electronic connection to a remote communication device, wherein the local communication device connects the remote communication device to the local communication device to enable the user to join the conversation.

16. A computer program product for managing drop-ins on conversations near a focal point of proximal activity in a gathering place, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code being readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first set of sensor data from one or more sensors in a gathering place;

identifying a focal point of proximal activity based on the first set of received sensor data received from the one or more sensors;

characterizing a conversation near the focal point based on a second set of received sensor data from the one or more sensors;

presenting a characterization of the conversation to an electronic device; and

enabling the electronic device to allow a user to drop-in on the conversation.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a microphone, wherein the second set of received sensor data provides a representation of spoken words from the conversation, and wherein the method further comprises:

evaluating the spoken words to characterize the conversation near the focal point.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein a sensor from the one or more sensors is a camera, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes an appearance of an entity engaged in the conversation, and wherein the method further comprises:

characterizing the conversation based on the appearance of the entity engaged in the conversation.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the conversation is between a first entity and a second entity, wherein sensors from the one or more sensors are location detectors, wherein the second set of received sensor data describes a relative position between the first entity and the second entity, and wherein the method further comprises:

characterizing the conversation based on the relative position between the first entity and the second entity.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is a remote communication device connected to a local communication device at the gathering place, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request from a user of the remote communication device to join the conversation; and

in response to receiving the request from the user of the remote communication device to join the conversation, connecting the remote communication device to the local communication device to enable the user to join the conversation.