Method and system for controlling audio signals in multiple concurrent conference calls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736312-B2
Application number	US-94814010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2010
Priority date	Nov 17, 2010
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences. A user interface is displayed that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area. The first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference. A first plurality of participant identifiers is displayed in association with the first defined area, and each of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference. Aural position identifiers are determined for each participant associated with the first conference, and an aural position identifier is selected for the second conference. Audio signals are provided at aural positions identified by the aural position identifiers, enabling the user to correlate the voices of different participants with corresponding locations on the user interface, and to listen to multiple conferences simultaneously.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences, comprising:
displaying, by a processing device, a user interface that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference;
displaying a first plurality of participant identifiers in association with the first defined area, wherein each of the first plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;
determining a plurality of first aural position identifiers based on a position of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each first aural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier is different from the others;
determining at least one second aural position identifier associated with the second defined area, wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is different from each of the plurality of first aural position identifiers; and
providing, concurrently to an audio output port, an audio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at an aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference, and an audio signal of at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the first conference is a selected conference;
receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the user interface; and
in response to the first conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the first conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the second conference.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, via user input, a selection indicating that the second conference is the selected conference;
receiving the audio signal associated with the user of the user interface; and
in response to the second conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the second conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sent to the first conference.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the first defined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second plurality of participants corresponding to a second plurality of participant identifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the first conference and the second conference.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signal of the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at the aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at the aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, further comprises:
providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signals of at least two participants in the second conference at a same aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is based on a position of a participant identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants with respect to the reference position, and wherein providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, further comprises:
providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participants in the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference at a first aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier, and the audio signal of a second participant of the second conference at an aural position based on a position of a participant identifier corresponding to the second participant and the reference position.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, via user input, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined area from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is farther from the reference position than the first position; and
in response thereto, decreasing a volume associated with the audio signal of the at least one participant in the second conference.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first defined area comprises an image of a first light beam, and the second defined area comprises an image of a second light beam.

9. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed on a processor to implement a method for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences, the method comprising:
displaying, by a processing device, a user interface that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference;
displaying a plurality of participant identifiers in the first defined area, wherein each of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;
determining a first plurality of first aural position identifiers based on a position of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each first aural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier is different from the others;
determining at least one second aural position identifier associated with the second defined area wherein the at least one second aural position identifier is different from each of the plurality of first aural position identifiers; and
providing, concurrently to an audio output port, an audio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference at an aural position based on the first aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants in the first conference, and an audio signal of at least one participant in the second conference at an aural position based on the at least one second aural position identifier.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that the first conference is a selected conference;
receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the user interface; and
in response to the first conference being the selected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to the first conf

Assignees

• Yoakum John H
• Avaya Inc

Inventors

• Yoakum John H

Classifications

• H04M2250/62

  user interface aspects of conference calls · CPC title

• H04M3/568 Primary

  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 title

• H04M3/564

  whereby the feature is a sub-conference · CPC title

• H04L12/1822

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title

• H04R5/02

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers · CPC title