Granted Patent B2

US 8,994,781 · App. 13/781,976 · Granted Mar 31, 2015

Abstract

Claims (78)

1. In an electronic device, a method of managing an electronic conference, the method comprising:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

analyzing the set of audio signals to determine whether at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound, wherein categorizing the set of audio signals is performed by the electronic device only in response to a determination that at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

identifying a set of contextual factors of a particular audio signal from a particular participant, and

providing a categorization result for the particular audio signal based on the set of contextual factors.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein identifying the set of contextual factors of the particular audio signal from the particular participant includes:

outputting, as a contextual factor, an active speaker result indicating whether the particular participant is actively speaking, the categorization result for the particular audio signal being based, at least in part, on the active speaker result.

4. In an electronic device, a method of managing an electronic conference, the method comprising:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals;

wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

identifying a set of contextual factors of a particular audio signal from a particular participant, and

providing a categorization result for the particular audio signal based on the set of contextual factors; and

wherein identifying the set of contextual factors of the particular audio signal from the particular participant includes:

outputting, as a contextual factor, a multi-microphone result indicating whether the particular participant is using multiple microphones, the categorization result for the particular audio signal being based, at least in part, on the multi-microphone result.

5. A method as in claim 2 wherein identifying the set of contextual factors of the particular audio signal from the particular participant includes:

outputting, as a contextual factor, a speech recognition result indicating whether the particular audio signal includes particular human speech, the categorization result for the particular audio signal being based, at least in part, on the speech recognition result.

6. A method as in claim 2 , further comprising:

receiving non-audio data from the particular participant, and wherein the categorization result for the particular audio signal from the particular participant is based on (i) the set of contextual factors and (ii) a set of non-audio factors identified by the non-audio data received from the particular participant.

7. In an electronic device, a method of managing an electronic conference, the method comprising:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals;

wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

providing a categorization result for a particular audio signal from a particular participant based on a geographical location of the particular participant.

8. In an electronic device, a method of managing an electronic conference, the method comprising:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals;

wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

providing a categorization result for a particular audio signal from a particular participant based on a video image from the particular participant.

9. In an electronic device, a method of managing an electronic conference, the method comprising:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals;

wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

identifying a set of contextual factors of a particular audio signal from a particular participant, and

providing a categorization result for the particular audio signal based on the set of contextual factors; and

wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

providing a categorization result for a particular audio signal from a particular participant based on a location history of the particular participant, the part, on the location history of the particular participant.

10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is constructed and arranged to mix the set of audio signals to produce an aggregate audio signal; and wherein controlling the operation of the electronic conference includes:

based on the categorized set of audio signals, adjusting a set of volume levels of the set of audio signals as the set of audio signals are mixed to produce the aggregate audio signal.

11. A method as in claim 10 wherein adjusting the set of volume levels includes:

reducing individual volume levels of audio signals categorized as currently representing unintentional sound, and

maintaining an individual volume level of at least one audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein maintaining the individual volume level of at least one audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound includes:

maintaining the individual volume levels of all of the audio signals categorized as currently representing intentional sound.

13. A method as in claim 11 wherein maintaining the individual volume level of at least one audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound includes:

reducing the individual volume level of a first audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound, and concurrently maintaining the individual volume level of a second audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound.

14. A method as in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is constructed and arranged to output a video conference signal to the set of participants; and wherein controlling the operation of the electronic conference includes:

based on the categorized set of audio signals, adjusting a video image of the video conference signal.

15. A method as in claim 14 wherein adjusting the video image of the video conference signal includes:

modifying an initial video image to form a modified video image, the modified video image containing an alert indicating that a source of unintentional sound exists, and the initial video image not containing the alert indicating that the source of unintentional sound exists.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein controlling the operation of the electronic conference further includes:

transmitting the modified video image to all of the participants of the electronic conference.

17. A method as in claim 15 wherein controlling the operation of the electronic conference further includes:

transmitting the modified video signal to participants providing audio signals categorized as currently representing unintentional sound, and

transmitting the initial video signal to at least one participant providing an audio signal categorized as currently representing intentional sound.

18. An electronic apparatus to manage an electronic conference, comprising:

a network interface;

memory; and

control circuitry coupled to the network interface and the memory, the memory storing instructions which, when carried out by the control circuitry, cause the control circuitry to:

receive a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference through the network interface, each audio signal being received from a respective participant,

analyze the set of audio signals to determine whether at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity,

categorize the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound, wherein the control circuitry categorizes the set of audio signals only in response to a determination that at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity, and

control operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals.

19. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to manage an electronic conference, the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of:

receiving a set of audio signals from a set of participants of the electronic conference, each audio signal being received from a respective participant;

analyzing the set of audio signals to determine whether at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity;

categorizing the set of audio signals received from the set of participants, each audio signal being individually categorized as currently representing (i) intentional participant sound or (ii) unintentional participant sound, wherein categorizing the set of audio signals is performed by the computerized circuitry only in response to a determination that at least two audio signals simultaneously represent audio activity; and

controlling operation of the electronic conference based on the categorized set of audio signals.

20. An electronic apparatus as in claim 18 wherein the control circuitry, when categorizing the set of audio signals, is constructed and arrange to provide a categorization result for a particular audio signal from a particular participant based on at least one of: (i) a geographical location of the particular participant, (ii) a video image from the particular participant, and (iii) a location history of the particular participant.

21. A computer program product as in claim 19 wherein categorizing the set of audio signals includes:

providing a categorization result for a particular audio signal from a particular participant based on at least one of: (i) a geographical location of the particular participant, (ii) a video image from the particular participant, and (iii) a location history of the particular participant.

Assignments (14)