PROVISION OF INDICATORS CONVEYING VISUALLY DISCERNABLE SENTIMENTS IN A PARTICIPANT LIST

1 . A method for providing indicators in a participant list to convey visually discernable sentiments, the method comprising:

during a real-time communication session between endpoints of two or more participants, receiving an image captured of a participant of the participants by a first endpoint of the endpoints;

determining a current sentiment of the first participant from the image;

selecting an indicator representing the current sentiment;

transmitting the indicator to a second endpoint of the endpoints; and

displaying the indicator with an identifier of the first participant in a participant list for the real-time communication session.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the indicator comprises:

replacing a default image corresponding to the first participant in the participant list with indicator.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein transmitting the indicator comprises:

determining a character code corresponding to the indicator; and

transmitting the character code.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the indicator comprises:

identifying the current sentiment in a data structure of sentiments and corresponding indicators to the sentiments;

5 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

receiving additional images captured of other participants of the participants by respective endpoints of the other participants;

determining respective current sentiments for the other participants from the additional images;

aggregating the current sentiment and the respective current sentiments into aggregated sentiment information;

transmitting the aggregated sentiment information to the second endpoint; and

displaying the aggregated sentiment information in the participant list.

6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

highlighting the identifier when the current sentiment satisfies a highlighting criterion.

7 . The method of claim 6 , comprising:

receiving the highlighting criterion from a user at the second endpoint, wherein the highlighting criterion indicates when the user wishes to be alerted to the current sentiment.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a video image or a still image.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein indicator is an emoji.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the emoji is animated.

11 . A apparatus for or providing indicators in a participant list to convey visually discernable sentiments, the apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

one or more processing systems operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media that, when read and executed by the processing system, direct the apparatus to:

during a real-time communication session between endpoints of two or more participants, capture an image of a first participant of the participants;

determine a current sentiment of the first participant from the image;

select an indicator representing the current sentiment; and

transmit the indicator to a second endpoint of the endpoints, wherein the second endpoint displays the indicator with an identifier of the first participant in a participant list for the real-time communication session.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein to display the indicator, the second endpoint replaces a default image corresponding to the first participant in the participant list with indicator.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein to transmit the indicator, the program instructions direct the processing system to:

determine a character code corresponding to the indicator; and

transmit the character code.

14 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein to select the indicator, the program instructions direct the processing system to:

identifying the current sentiment in a data structure of sentiments and corresponding indicators to the sentiments;

15 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second endpoint highlights the identifier when the current sentiment satisfies a highlighting criterion.

16 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the image is a video image or a still image.

17 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein indicator is an emoji.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the emoji is animated.

19 . A apparatus for or providing indicators in a participant list to convey visually discernable sentiments, the apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

one or more processing systems operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media that, when read and executed by the processing system, direct the apparatus to:

during a real-time communication session between endpoints of two or more participants, receive an emoji indicating a current sentiment of a first participant of the participants, wherein an endpoint of the first participant captured an image from which the current sentiment was determined;

display the emoji with an identifier of the first participant in a participant list for the real-time communication session.

20 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the program instructions direct the processing system to:

receive aggregated sentiment information, wherein the aggregated sentiment information is created from respective current sentiments of other participants of the participants; and

display the aggregated sentiment information in the participant list.