Prioritizing digital streams during digital conferencing

• US 9,049,032 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Scott K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqi, Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US13/620,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20130063545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 990 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/231, 709/244, 709/245, 709/238, 370/261, 370/238, 370/390, 348/14.08
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Using switching technologies to duplicate packets of a digital stream (e.g., digital video stream) sent from one workstation to multiple recipient workstations, where the switching technologies enable the multiple streams sent from the switch to the recipient workstations to be generated from a single digital stream sent from the sending workstation to the switch. Data units, such as video data units, may be transmitted by using a switch to enable receipt of a stream of data units including a payload portion and an attribute portion from at least two conferencing participants. The switch is used to duplicate at least a subportion of the payload portion of a data unit within the stream of data units, and to enable access to the duplicated subportion of the data unit by two or more conferencing participants.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

concurrently receiving data streams from a plurality of conferencing participants;

determining, by at least one processor, that a first participant of the plurality of conferencing participants is associated with a first priority;

based on determining the first participant is associated with a first priority, providing a first data stream corresponding to the first participant for display in a first position of a user interface;

determining, by the at least one processor, that a second participant of the plurality of conferencing participants is associated with a second priority that is higher than the first priority;

based on determining the second participant is associated with the second priority that is higher than the first priority, switching to providing a second data stream corresponding to the second participant for display in the first position of the user interface; and

ceasing to provide the first data stream in the first position of the user interface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining, by at least one processor, that a first participant of the plurality of conferencing participants is associated with a first priority comprises determining that the first participant has recently spoke into a microphone, moved while on camera, or typed text.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first participant is inactive; and

removing, based on the determination that the first participant is inactive, the display of the first participant from the first position of the user interface.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a third participant is associated with a third priority that is higher than the first priority of the first participant and the second priority of the second participant; and

based on detecting that the third participant is associated with the third priority, switching to providing a third data stream corresponding to the third participant for display in the first position of the user interface.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising filtering data streams of one or more of inactive participants.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising increasing a volume of an audio signal of the first participant when the display of the first participant is in the first position of the user interface.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising reducing the volume of an audio signal of the second participant when the display of the first participant is in the first position of the user interface.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising forwarding the data streams of one or more active conferencing participants to a client device.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising not forwarding the data streams of one or more inactive conferencing participants.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a selection of the second participant as a high-priority conferencing participant; and

enabling the display of the second participant in the first position of the user interface irrespective of a priority determined to be associated with the second participant.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more data streams comprise video streams.

12. A method comprising:

concurrently receiving data streams from a plurality of conferencing participants in a conference;

presenting a display of a first data stream from a first participant in a first position of a user interface;

determining, by at least one processor, a priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants;

determining a second participant has a higher priority than the first participant;

sending, based on the higher priority of the second participant, a second data stream from the second conference participant;

filtering, based on a lower priority of the first participant, the first data stream from the first participant; and

based on the higher priority of the second participant, switching to presenting the second data stream corresponding to the second participant in the first position of the user interface.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein determining, by the at least one processor, a priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants comprises determining whether the one or more conferencing participants are attempting to actively participate in the conference.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein determining whether the one or more conferencing participants are attempting to actively participate in the conference comprises determining whether the one or more conferencing participants have recently spoke into a microphone, moved while on camera, or typed text.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein:

sending the second data stream comprises forwarding, based on the higher priority of the second participant, the second data stream from the second participant to a client device; and

filtering the first data stream comprises preventing forwarding, based on the lower priority of the first participant, the first data stream from the first participant to the client device.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the client device comprises a mobile device.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the client device comprises a wireless phone.

18. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein one or more of the first data stream and the second data stream comprise video data and text data.

19. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein determining, by the at least one processor, a priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants comprises identifying a user defined priority ranking for the one or more conferencing participants.

20. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive data streams from a plurality of conferencing participants;

present a display of a first data stream from a first participant in a first position of a user interface;

determine a priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants;

determine a second participant has a higher priority than the first participant;

based on the higher priority of the second participant, send a second data stream from the second participant to a client device to switch to presenting a display of the second data stream corresponding to the second participant in the first position of the user interface; and

filter, based on a lower priority of the first participant, the first data stream from the first participant to cease to present the first data stream corresponding to the first participant for display in the first position of the user interface.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants is based on whether the one or more conferencing participants are attempting to actively participate in the conference.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to determine whether the one or more conferencing participants are attempting to actively participate in the conference by determining whether the one or more conferencing participants have recently spoken into a microphone, moved while on camera, or typed text.

23. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the client device comprises a mobile device.

24. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein one or more of the first data stream and the second data stream comprise video data and text data generated at client devices.

25. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein determining the priority for one or more conferencing participants of the plurality of conferencing participants comprises identifying a user defined priority ranking for the one or more conferencing participants.

26. The system as recited in claim 20, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

identify a selection of the second participant as a high-priority conferencing participant; and

enable the display of the second participant in the first position of the user interface irrespective of whether the second participant is active or inactive.

27. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein filtering the first data stream from the first participant comprises ceasing to send the first data stream to the client device.