Conference where mixing is time controlled by a rendering device

• US 7,965,660 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Varesio, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/448,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20100039962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 370/353, 370/389, 709/217, 709/232
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A telecommunications terminal hosts a conference mixer adapted to enable an at least audio conference between a first conference peer and at least two further conference peers. The conference mixer includes for each of the at least two further conference peers, a respective first data buffer configured to buffer portions of at least an audio data stream received from the respective conference peer; a first audio data stream portions mixer fed by the first data buffers and configured to: a) get audio data stream portions buffered in the first data buffers; b) mix the audio data stream portions from the first data buffers to produce a first mixed audio data portion; and c) feed the first mixed audio data portion to a rendering device of the telecommunications terminal, wherein the first audio data stream portions mixer is configured to perform operations a), b) and c) upon receipt of a notification from the rendering device indicating that the rendering device is ready to render a new mixed audio data portion.

Claims

1. A telecommunications terminal hosting a conference mixer capable of being adapted to enable an at least audio conference between a first conference peer and at least two further conference peers, the conference mixer comprising:

for each of the at least two further conference peers, a respective first data buffer capable of being configured to buffer portions of at least an audio data stream received from a respective conference peer;

a first audio data stream portions mixer fed by the first data buffers and capable of being configured to;

a) get audio data stream portions buffered in the first data buffers;

b) mix the audio data stream portions from the first data buffers to produce a first mixed audio data portion; and

c) feed the first mixed audio data portion to a rendering device of the telecommunications terminal,

wherein said first audio data stream portions mixer is capable of being configured to perform operations a), b) and c) upon receipt of a notification from said rendering device indicating that the rendering device is ready to render a new mixed audio data portion.

2. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein said rendering device comprises a loudspeaker.

3. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein each of said first data buffers comprises at least two storage areas each one capable of being adapted to store at least one fragment of the audio data stream received from the respective peer.

4. The telecommunications terminal of claim 3, wherein each of said first data buffers is capable of being configured to be fed by a respective rendering function, said rendering function capable of being adapted to receive the audio data stream from the respective conference peer, and to provide to the respective first data buffer fragments of predetermined size of the audio data streams.

5. The telecommunications terminal of claim 4, wherein each of said storage areas has a size equal to a maximum common divisor of the sizes of the fragments of the audio data streams generated by the rendering functions of the at least two further peers.

6. The telecommunications terminal of claim 4, wherein each of said storage areas has a size equal to a lowest common multiple of the sizes of the fragments of the audio data streams generated by the rendering functions of the at least two further peers.

7. The telecommunications terminal of claim 4, further comprising a first application program interface for enabling access thereto by rendering functions.

8. The telecommunications terminal of claim 7, wherein said conference mixer is capable of being configured to be implemented as a user-space process running in a user space of the telecommunications terminal.

9. The telecommunications terminal of claim 7, wherein said conference mixer is capable of being configured to be implemented as a kernel-space process running in a kernel space of the telecommunications terminal.

10. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of the at least two further conference peers, a respective second data buffer capable of being configured to buffer the portions of at least an audio data stream received from the other conference peer;

a second audio data stream portions mixer fed by the second data buffers and configured to;

d) get audio data stream portions buffered in the second data buffers;

e) get audio data stream portions from a capturing device of the telecommunications terminal; and

f) mix the audio data stream portions from the second data buffers and the audio data stream portions from the capturing device to produce a respective second mixed audio data portion to be sent to a respective one of said at least two further conference peers,

wherein said second audio data stream portions mixer is configured to perform operations d), e) and f) upon receipt of a notification from said capturing device indicating that the capturing device has captured a new audio data stream portion.

11. The telecommunications terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

for each of the at least two further conference peers, a respective third data buffer capable of being configured to buffer the second mixed audio data portions produced by the respective second audio data stream portions mixer.

12. The telecommunications terminal of claim 11, wherein each of said third data buffers is capable of being configured to feed a respective grabbing function, said grabbing function capable of being adapted to transmit the audio data stream to the respective conference peer.

13. The telecommunications terminal of claim 12, further comprising a second application program interface for enabling access thereto by said grabbing function.

14. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein said conference mixer is capable of being further configured to:

detect the presence of said at least two further conference peers;

automatically enable the first audio data stream portions mixer upon detection of said at least two further peers; and

automatically disable said first audio data stream portions mixer in case the presence of just one further peer is detected.

15. The telecommunications terminal of claim 14, wherein said conference mixer is capable of being further configured to automatically enable the second audio data stream portions mixers upon detection of the presence of said at least two further peers, and to automatically disable the second audio data stream portions mixers in case the presence of just one further peer is detected.

16. A method of performing an at least audio conference between a first conference peer and at least two further conference peers, comprising:

at a telecommunications terminal of the first conference peer, performing a first buffering of portions of at least an audio data stream received from each of the at least two further conference peers; and

upon receipt of a notification from a rendering device of the telecommunications terminal, indicating that the rendering device is ready to render a new mixed audio data portion;

mixing the audio data stream portions buffered in said first buffering, to produce the mixed audio data portion; and

feeding the mixed audio data portion to the rendering device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said rendering device comprises a loudspeaker.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said performing a first buffering comprises storing at least one portion of the audio data stream received from a respective peer.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising receiving said at least one portion of the audio data stream to be stored from a respective rendering function capable of being adapted to receive the audio data stream from the respective conference peer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least one portion has a size equal to a maximum common divisor of the sizes of audio data stream fragments generated by the rendering functions of the at least two further peers.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least one portion has a size equal to a lowest common multiple of the sizes of audio data stream fragments generated by the rendering functions of the at least two further peers.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

performing a second buffering, for each of the at least two further conference peers, of the portions of at least an audio data stream received from the other conference peer; and

upon receipt of a notification from a capturing device of the telecommunications terminal indicating that the capturing device has captured a new audio data stream portion;

mixing the data stream portions buffered in said second buffering with an audio data stream portion captured by the capturing device to produce a respective second mixed audio data portion to be sent to a respective one of said at least two further conference peers.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

performing, for each of the at least two further conference peers, a third buffering of the second mixed audio data portions.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

feeding the buffered second mixed audio data portions to a respective grabbing function capable of being adapted to transmit the audio data stream to the respective conference peer.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting the presence of said at least two further conference peers;

automatically enabling said first buffering and mixing upon detection of said at least two further peers; and

automatically disabling said first buffering and mixing in case the presence of just one further peer is detected.