Graphical transitions of displayed content based on a change of state in a teleconference session

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10237496-B2
Application number	US-201715811535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A system configured to host a teleconference session is disclosed. The system hosts a teleconference session between a plurality of client computing devices. The system provides transitions of displayed content between various positions of a user interface that displays a teleconference stream. The transitions can occur in response to an event that changes a state of the teleconference session, where the state of the teleconference session can be associated with a total number of users participating in the teleconference session. Accordingly, in various examples described herein, a change in state of the teleconference session can be attributed to an event in which a user joins the teleconference session or an event in which a user leaves the teleconference session.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more processing units; and
a computer-readable medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the one or more processing units to:
display a communication stream in a user interface of a display screen associated with a client computing device;
populate cells of the user interface with instances of content of the communication stream as participants join a communication session, wherein a number of the cells that are displayed at a given time corresponds to a number of remote participants that have joined the communication session, the number of remote participants is at least three; and
for each time a new participant joins the communication session, populate the user interface with an incoming cell by reducing a size of only one cell of the number of the cells to make room for the incoming cell for the new participant while maintaining a size and a position of displayed cells other than the only cell subject to reducing size.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of remote participants is up to a maximum threshold number of remote participants that a primary section of the user interface is configured to accommodate, wherein the user interface is configured to present a primary section that includes the number of the cells and a secondary section, the computer-executable instructions further causing the one or more processing units to:
determine that the primary section is full and is unable to accommodate additional individual instances of content of the communication stream; and
based on the determining that the primary section is full, populate the secondary section of the user interface with the additional individual instances of content as additional participants join the communication session.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
monitor activity in the instances of content and the additional instances of content;
determine that a first amount of monitored activity for a first additional instance of content displayed in the secondary section is greater than a second amount of monitored activity for a second instance of content displayed in the primary section; and
switch, in the user interface, the first additional instance of content with the second instance of content based at least in part on the determining that the first amount of monitored activity for the first additional instance of content displayed in the secondary section is greater than the second amount of monitored activity for the second instance of content displayed in the primary section.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the activity being monitored comprises movements or sounds that relate to speaking.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein an additional instance of content in the secondary section comprises an avatar and the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
determine that an event that changes a state of the communication session occurs, the event associated with the additional instance of the content in the secondary section; and
based on determining that the event that changes the state of the communication session occurs, alter a visual appearance of the avatar.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the event comprises speaking.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
determine that the secondary section is full;
generate an overflow representation indicating a number of off-screen participants that are not individually represented in either one of the primary section or the secondary section;
display the overflow representation in the secondary section; and
increment or decrement the number of off-screen participants based at least in part on an added off-screen participant or a departed off-screen participant.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the overflow representation is configured to temporarily display an avatar of a participant based on activity of the participant, the activity comprising one of joining the communication session, leaving the communication session, or speaking during the communication session.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reducing the size of the only one cell currently displayed to make room for the incoming cell comprises a sliding, edge to edge, movement in the user interface.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
determine that one of a document, an image, a spreadsheet, or a slide is to be shared in the communication session; and
based on the determination that the one of the document, the image, the spreadsheet, or the slide is to be shared in the communication session, transition the number of cells to an edge of the user interface.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein reducing the size of the only one cell currently displayed to make room for the incoming cell comprises transitioning the only one cell from one predefined position in the user interface to another predefined position in the user interface.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of remote participants is up to a maximum threshold number of remote participants that a primary section of the user interface is configured to accommodate.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
displaying, at a computing device, a communication stream in a user interface of a display screen in communication with the; and
at the computing device, automatically populating cells of the user interface with instances of content of the communication stream as participants join a communication session, wherein a number of the cells that are displayed at a given time corresponds to a number of remote participants that have joined the communication session up to a maximum threshold number of remote participants, the maximum threshold number of remote participants is at least three; and
for each time a new participant joins the communication session, at the computing device, automatically populating the user interface with an incoming cell by reducing a size of only one cell of the number of the cells to make room for the incoming cell for the new participant while maintaining a size and a position of displayed cells other than the only cell subject to reducing size.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the user interface is configured to present a primary section that includes the number of the cells and a secondary section, the method further comprising:
determining that the primary section is full and is unable to accommodate additional individual instances of content of the communication stream; and
based on the determining that the primary section is full, populating the secondary section of the user interface with the additional individual instances of content as additional participants join the communication session.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
monitoring activity in the instances of content and the additional instances of content;
determining that a first amount of monitored activity for a first additional instance of content displayed in the secondary section is greater than a second amount of monitored activity for a second instance of content displayed in the primary section; and
switching, in the user interface, the first additional instance of content with the second instance of content based at least in part on the determining that the first amount of monitored activity for the first additional instance of cont

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Faulkner Jason Thomas
• Baker Casey

Classifications

• H04N7/157

  defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents (computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827) · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  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 title

• H04N5/2628 Primary

  Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation · CPC title

• H04L65/1093

  by adding participants; by removing participants · CPC title

• H04N5/44591

  Electricity · mapped topic