Active talker activated conference pointers
Provided herein are system and methods whereby a speaker in a webconference may take control of a pointer that is visible to other participants of the webconference. Speaker detection identifies the speaker, or “active talker,” and then provides, or offers, pointer control to the detected speaker. The speaker may then be able to utilize their client device's input device, such as a mouse, touchpad, or other pointer control mechanism to control a common pointer visible to the other participants of the webconference. The a host of the webconference maintains control of the other aspects of the webconference, as well, administrative control of the pointer and may, for example, rescind pointer assignment given to a particular “active talker.”
1. A method, comprising:
establishing, by a server connected to a network, a collaboration session between a first device connected to the network and a second device connected to the network, the collaboration session having an audio portion and a visual portion, and wherein the visual portion comprises a visual content of the collaboration session and a pointer;
monitoring, by the server, activity on the audio portion;
determining, by the server, that the second device is active on the audio portion;
in response to determining that the second device is active on the audio portion, transferring, by the server, pointer control of the pointer, from the first device to the second device, thereby enabling the second device to affect the pointer of the visual portion while the first device maintains control of the visual content of the visual portion; and
wherein transferring pointer control to the second device is conditional upon determining, by the server, that a second user associated with the second device has been speaking for a length of time beyond a threshold amount of time.
2. The method of claim 1 , the first device is a host of the collaboration session and the second device is a non-host participant of the collaboration session even while the second device has pointer control.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining that the second device is active on the audio portion, providing, by the server, an indication to the second device that pointer control is transferred to the second device.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein transferring pointer control to the second device is conditional upon the second device indicating an intention to have pointer control.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, displaying, by the server, an indicia of control in the visual portion in accord with the one of the first and second device having pointer control.
6. A system, comprising:
a server, connected to a network and comprising at least one processor and a memory, operable to present via the network an audio portion of a collaboration session on an audio channel and a visual portion of the collaboration session on a video channel, the visual portion comprising a visual content of the collaboration session and a pointer;
a speaker detection module operable to determine that an active device from a number of devices is active on the audio portion;
a pointer control assignment module of the server operable to assign control of the pointer to the active device and not operable to assign the visual content in the visual portion; and
an administrative module, of the server, operable to modify the pointer control assignment module to perform at least one of revoke pointer control assigned to the active device, prevent at least one of the number of devices from being assigned control of the pointer, and determine a speaking threshold amount of time that must be met by an active user associated with the active device prior to the active device being assigned control of the pointer.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the speaker detection module is a component of the server.
8. The system of claim 6 , further comprising, a pointer acceptance module, of the server, operable to notify the active device of an availability to have pointer control assigned thereto and signal the pointer control assignment module upon receiving an indicia of the active device's intent to be assigned pointer control.
9. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the network comprises a first network and a second network; and
the audio portion is provided via the first network using a first communication protocol whereas the visual portion is provided via the second network using a second communication protocol.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the audio channel and the video channel are provided within a same delivery channel.
11. A system, comprising:
means to establish a collaboration session with a first and second device, the collaboration session having an audio portion delivered via an audio channel and a visual portion, wherein the visual portion comprises a visual content of the collaboration session and a pointer, delivered via a video channel, and the visual portion being controlled by the first device;
means to monitor the audio portion;
means to determine that the second device is active on the monitored audio portion;
upon the second device being active on the audio portion, means to transfer control of the pointer of the video portion to the second device while the first device maintains control of the visual content of the visual portion; and
wherein the means to transfer control of the pointer to the second device is conditional upon determining that a second user associated with the second device has been speaking for a length of time beyond a previously determined threshold.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first device is a host of the collaboration session and the second device is a non-host participant of the collaboration session even while the second device has pointer control.
13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising, means to, upon determining the second device is active on the audio portion indicate that the second device has pointer control available thereto.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein means to transfer control of the pointer to the second device is conditional upon the second device indicating an intention to have control of the pointer.
15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising, means to display an indicia of control in the visual portion in accord with the one of the first and second device having pointer control.
16. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, in response to determining that the second device is active on the audio portion, providing offering pointer control to the second device.
17. The system of claim 11 , further comprising, means to offer pointer control to the second device in response to determining that the second device is active on the audio portion.