IP Library Granted Patent US 11,621,863
Granted Patent B1
US 11,621,863 · App. 17/517,219 · Granted Apr 4, 2023

Audio protection in virtual meeting

Inventors: Russell Speight VanBlon (Raleigh, NC); Robert J Kapinos (Durham, NC); Scott Li (Cary, NC); Robert James Norton, Jr. (Raleigh, NC)
Assignee: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD
H04L12/1831H04L12/1818H04L65/4038
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,621,863
App. No.
17/517,219
Filed
Nov 2, 2021
Granted
Apr 4, 2023
Kind
B1
Art Unit
2454
USPC
709/204
Abstract

One embodiment provides a method, including: identifying, at an information handling device, a point within a virtual meeting requiring a user to wear a headset; determining, using a processor, whether the user is wearing the headset after a predetermined time period from identification of the point; and preventing, responsive to determining that the user is not wearing the headset after the predetermined time period, the user from continuing with the virtual meeting. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (37)

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, at an information handling device, a point within a virtual meeting requiring a user to wear a headset by identifying that a predetermined event associated with the virtual meeting has been detected;

determining, using a processor and at least one sensor coupled to the information handling device, whether the user is wearing the headset after a predetermined time period from identification of the point by identifying, via at least the at least one sensor, whether the headset is connected to the information handling device within the predetermined time period; and

preventing, responsive to determining that the user is not wearing the headset after the predetermined time period and using the processor, the user from continuing with the virtual meeting by dynamically adjusting a volume level of the meeting responsive to identifying at least one unknown audio capturing device is proximate to the information handling device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the point comprises identifying an action initiated by an administrator of the virtual meeting.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the action is a headset requirement selection toggled by the administrator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined event is selected from the group consisting of: at least one predetermined word provided by a participant in the virtual meeting, a predetermined designation associated with presented content in the virtual meeting, and a predetermined location of the information handling device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preventing comprises blocking content of the virtual meeting from being transmitted to the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preventing comprises automatically disconnecting the user from the virtual meeting.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preventing comprises notifying an administrator of the virtual meeting that the user is prevented from continuing with the virtual meeting.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

enabling, responsive to determining that the user is wearing the headset after the predetermined time period, the user to continue with the virtual meeting;

identifying, using a processor, that at least a portion of content presented within the virtual meeting after the predetermined time period has a sensitivity greater than a predetermined threshold sensitivity; and

disabling at least one non-audio output aspect of the virtual meeting during presentation of the portion of the content.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the disabling comprises performing an action selected from the group consisting of: a disabling of a closed caption setting, a blurring of a presenter's mouth, and an activation of a digital privacy filter for a display screen associated with the information handling device.

10. An information handling device, comprising:

a processor;

at least one sensor coupled to the information handling device

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

identify a point within a virtual meeting requiring a user to wear a headset by identifying that a predetermined event associated with the virtual meeting has been detected;

determine whether the user is wearing the headset after a predetermined time period from identification of the point by identifying, via at least the at least one sensor, whether the headset is connected to the information handling device within the predetermined time period; and

prevent, responsive to determining that the user is not wearing the headset after the predetermined time period, the user from continuing with the virtual meeting by dynamically adjusting a volume level of the meeting responsive to identifying at least one unknown audio capturing device is proximate to the information handling device.

11. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to identify the point comprise instructions executable by the processor to identify an action initiated by an administrator of the virtual meeting.

12. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the action is a headset requirement selection toggled by the administrator.

13. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined event is selected from the group consisting of: at least one predetermined word provided by a participant in the virtual meeting, a predetermined designation associated with presented content in the virtual meeting, and a predetermined location of the information handling device.

14. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to prevent comprise instructions executable by the processor to block content of the virtual meeting from being transmitted to the user.

15. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to prevent comprise instructions executable by the processor to automatically disconnect the user from the virtual meeting.

16. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to prevent comprise instructions executable by the processor to notify an administrator of the virtual meeting that the user is prevented from continuing with the virtual meeting.

17. The information handling device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

enable, responsive to determining that the user is wearing the headset after the predetermined time period, the user to continue with the virtual meeting;

identify that at least a portion of content presented within the virtual meeting after the predetermined time period has a sensitivity greater than a predetermined threshold sensitivity; and

disable at least one non-audio output aspect of the virtual meeting during presentation of the portion of the content, wherein the disabling comprises performing an action selected from the group consisting of: a disabling of a closed caption setting, a blurring of a presenter's mouth, and an activation of a digital privacy filter for a display screen associated with the information handling device.

18. A product, comprising:

a storage device that stores code, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:

code that identifies a point within a virtual meeting requiring a user to wear a headset by identifying that a predetermined event associated with the virtual meeting has been detected;

code that determines, utilizing at least one sensor coupled to the information handling device, whether the user is wearing the headset after a predetermined time period from identification of the point by identifying, via at least the at least one sensor, whether the headset is connected to the information handling device within the predetermined time period; and

code that prevents, responsive to determining that the user is not wearing the headset after the predetermined time period, the user from continuing with the virtual meeting by dynamically adjusting a volume level of the meeting responsive to identifying at least one unknown audio capturing device is proximate to the information handling device.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 070269/0092 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2025
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD.
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 070266/0918 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2022
From: LENOVO (UNITED STATES) INC.
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD
Reel/Frame 059730/0212 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: VANBLON, RUSSELL SPEIGHT; KAPINOS, ROBERT J; LI, SCOTT; NORTON, ROBERT JAMES, JR.
To: LENOVO (UNITED STATES) INC.
Reel/Frame 057996/0791 →