Method and apparatus for identifying and eliminating source of background noise in multi-party teleconference
9 claims: 2 independent, 7 dependent
- 1カンファレンス・コール・ノイズ識別および低減システムであって、 1人または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者からの音声をブロックするように適応されたブロック・モジュールを備え、前記ブロックすること は 近 端お よびカンファレンス・ブリッジのうちの1つまたは複数において生じ、カンファレンス・コール参加者がノイズ源を識別することができるようにし、さらに、 前記カンファレンス・ブリッジに、前記ブロックすることによって識別される 前記カンファレンス・コール参加者のうちの1人または複数に関連する前記ノイズ源を低減する ため に、 前記ブロックすることによって識別される各カンファレンス・コール参加者に対して 選択的に動作可能なチューン・モジュール、フィルタ・モジュールおよびミュート・モジュールのうちの1つまたは複数を備 え、 第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者が前記チューン・モジュール、フィルタ・モジュールおよびミュート・モジュールのうちの1つまたは複数のうちの、1つまた複数を選択的に操作する場合、該選択的な操作は、他のカンファレンス・コール参加者への音声には変更を加えないまま、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者への音声にのみ作用し、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者が第2のカンファレンス・コール参加者にとっては容認できるように聞こえるが、第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者にとっては容認できないように聞こえる場合、前記第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者は、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者から前記第2のカンファレンス・コール参加者への送信に影響を与えることなく、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者から前記第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者への送信パラメータを調整することができる、 システム。
- 2前記カンファレンス・コール参加者のうちの1人または複数に関連するノイズ低減情報を表示するステータス・ディスプレイをさらに備え、ここで前記ブロックすること、チューンすること、フィルタすることおよびミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数がカンファレンス・コール中に生じる、請求項1に記載のシステム。
- 31つまたは複数のエンドポイントおよびカンファレンス・ブリッジのうちの1つまたは複数を制御するために使用される命令をさらに備え、前記命令が、帯域内シグナリングおよび帯域外シグナリングのうちの1つまたは複数を介して送信され、前記命令に関連するパラメータをさらに備える、請求項1に記載のシステム。
- 4前記1人または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者のそれぞれが、その他のカンファレンス・コール参加者のうちの1人または複数をブロックすること、チューンすること、フィルタすること、およびミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数をすることができ、第1の参加者が第2の参加者にとっては容認できるように聞こえるが、第3の参加者にとっては容認できないように聞こえる場合は、前記第3の参加者は、 他の 参加者 から 参加者 への送信 に影響を与えることなく、前記 第1の 参加者 から前記第3の 参加 者へ の送信パラメータ を 調整することができる、請求項1に記載のシステム。
- 5前記システムが、電気通信ネットワーク・シグナリング・プロトコル、オーディオ・エンコーディングおよび伝送方式、ならびにビデオ・エンコーディングおよび伝送方式のうちの1つまたは複数を使用し、前記1人または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者についての情報を記憶する1つまたは複数のプロフィールをさらに備える、請求項1に記載のシステム。
- 6カンファレンス・コール・ノイズ識別および低減方法であって、 1人または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者からの音声をブロックすることを備え、前記ブロックすること は 近 端お よびカンファレンス・ブリッジのうちの1つまたは複数において生じ、カンファレンス・コール参加者がノイズ源を識別することができるようにし、さらに、 前記カンファレンス・ブリッジにおいて、前記ブロックすることによって識別される 前記カンファレンス・コール参加 者に 関連する前記ノイズ源を低減するために、 前記ブロックすることによって識別される各カンファレンス・コール参加者を 選択的にチューンすること、フィルタすること、およびミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数を備え 、 第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者が前記チューンすること、フィルタすること及びミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数のうちの、1つまた複数を選択的に操作する場合、該選択的な操作は、他のカンファレンス・コール参加者への音声に変更を加えないまま、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者への音声にのみ作用し、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者が第2のカンファレンス・コール参加者にとっては容認できるように聞こえるが、第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者にとっては容認できないように聞こえる場合、前記第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者は、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者から前記第2のカンファレンス・コール参加者への送信に影響を与えることなく、前記第1のカンファレンス・コール参加者から前記第3のカンファレンス・コール参加者への送信パラメータを調整することができる、 方法。
- 7前記カンファレンス・コール参加者のうちの1人または複数に関連するノイズ低減情報を表示することと、 1つまたは複数のエンドポイントおよび前記カンファレンス・ブリッジのうちの1つまたは複数を制御することとをさらに備え、帯域内シグナリングおよび帯域外シグナリングのうちの1つまたは複数を介して命令が送信され、さらに、 パラメータを前記命令に関連付けることをさらに備える、請求項6に記載の方法。
- 8前記1人または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者のそれぞれが、その他のカンファレンス・コール参加者のうちの1人または複数をブロックすること、チューンすること、フィルタすること、およびミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数をすることができ、第1の参加者が第2の参加者にとっては容認できるように聞こえるが、第3の参加者にとっては容認できないように聞こえる場合は、前記第3の参加者は、 他の 参加者 から 参加者 への送信 に影響を与えることなく、前記 第1の 参加 者か ら 前記第3の 参加 者へ の送信パラメータを調整することができ、前記ブロックすること、チューンすること、フィルタすること、およびミュートすることのうちの1つまたは複数がカンファレンス・コール中に生じ、前記システムが電気通信ネットワーク・シグナリング・プロトコル、オーディオ・エンコーディングおよび伝送方式、ならびにビデオ・エンコーディングおよび伝送方式のうちの1つまたは複数を使用し、 前記1 人 または複数のカンファレンス・コール参加者について1つまたは複数のプロフィールに情報を記憶することをさらに備える、請求項6に記載の方法。
- 9実行された場合請求項6に記載のステップを実施する命令を記憶しているコンピュータ可読媒体。
Independent claims9
50 paragraphs, as filed
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a communication device, a communication protocol and a communication method. More specifically, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to teleconference, as well as noise identification and reduction in teleconference.
Traditionally, when an unacceptable background noise level is experienced during a voice call, the person experiencing the noise only lowers the volume setting, which lowers the background noise level, but at the cost of the user It becomes difficult to hear the voice on the side. Alternatively, in a manned conference bridge environment, the conference bridge operator can manually check the various lines of the conference call and reduce the volume on the noisy lines.
Solutions such as local mute and far-end mute are known in situations where background noise is caused by a party in a noisy location. The obvious disadvantage of these methods is that they do not distinguish between noise and voice.
Solutions such as directional handset microphones and speakerphones can do the good job of filtering and removing background noise, but these solutions require the user to be placed accurately, otherwise. And users are also filtered.
Prior to the development of electret microphones, telephone handsets used carbon microphones. In essence, a carbon microphone is a small canister filled with powdered carbon. The top surface of the canister was covered with a thin, highly flexible diaphragm. When the sound waves pushed the diaphragm, the carbon powder was compressed, resulting in a reduction in the electrical resistance of the canister. An interesting artifact of this design is that if the sound is not loud enough to push carbon, the sound will not be transmitted by the microphone. This allows carbon microphones to very well filter and remove background noise in the user's location.
Electret microphones do not have this non-linear behavior. For about 20 years, it has been necessary to supplement the microphone with an expander circuit because of its unique function of picking up low-amplitude sounds in addition to the user's voice. The expander circuit measures the signal strength of the microphone, and if the signal strength is below a predetermined threshold level, the transmitted signal is electronically attenuated by an additional amount, for example only 10db. It was.
The expander actually worked well when the background noise was below the attenuator threshold. Needless to say, the expander was useless when the background noise was above the threshold, but the most troublesome condition was when the background noise was close to the threshold level, resulting in the attenuator activating and stopping. Met. To the recipient, this result often sounded like a violent breath.
<p> This problem of improper operation and stop of the attenuator does not seem to occur in today's handsets, probably because the microphone position is better than in previous generation handsets. Nevertheless, this problem can still be heard if someone is using the speakerphone at the far end, especially if the background noise level is close to the voice switch threshold. Moreover, there is still the problem of unwanted background noise being transmitted when the noise is high, regardless of whether the sender is using a speakerphone handset.</p>
<p> According to the first embodiment of the present invention, noise is introduced regardless of whether the noise is caused by transmission degradation or by the participants (s) being in a noisy place. A mechanism is provided that allows the participants (s) to be identified. For example, an individual user can press a "test" button that blocks each of all participants, one at a time. This allows the noise source to be identified. The "test button" can be one or more and can be located on the endpoint (s) and can be located on the endpoint (s) or through the web interface, eg, on the endpoint (s) or It can be enabled through a dedicated conference call interface on the conference bridge. Blocking of each participant can occur, for example, through interaction with the main PBX using in-band signaling to the PBX. As an alternative or in addition, in-band or out-of-band signaling may be used in the IP telephony environment.</p><p> The ability to block each participant one at a time allows the noise source to be identified. This is especially true if the noise is due to transmission degradation, where, for example, participant number 1 sounds noiseless to participant number 2, but very noisy to participant number 3. Sounds like a lot. By allowing one selected person to be blocked at a time, it becomes easier to identify the noise source (s).</p><p> A second exemplary embodiment provides a mechanism that allows individual users to be inquired about how to handle the presence of conference participants introducing noise. After identifying the participant (s) causing the problem, several options can be offered. As an example, one option that can be offered is selective far-end mute, which allows each participant to selectively mute any other conference participant. (For example, in the scenario described in the previous paragraph, Participant 3 may mute the transmission from Participant 1 to Participant 3 without affecting the transmission from Participant 1 to Participant 2. Yes.) If multiple parties are introducing noise, individual far-end mute / unmute keys or buttons can be assigned on the recipient's phone. In one exemplary embodiment, if audio is detected on a muted line, the light may flash or other indicators may be utilized, such as a message transmitted as a whisper page. it can. This information can also be incorporated into a report-based format as a result of inquiring various users about conference participants who are introducing noise.</p><p> Other correction measures may also be implemented on the node or other node of the user (s) of the "bad" line, or on an intermediate node such as a conference call mixer. For example, background noise on "bad" lines can be identified and characterized, so that the use of appropriate filters can improve the signal-to-noise ratio. An alternative or additional automatic mute can be done, in which case the line will be automatically unmuted when audio is detected. The line can be automatically muted again after the audio ends. The remote mute feature may be implemented for each channel from each person's perspective perception that noise for one conference call participant may not be present for another conference call participant. it can.</p><p> According to other embodiments, control over the transmitted signal is provided to address why the handset expander and voice switch and speakerphone are prone to failure. In particular, the threshold level at which the attenuator and / or audio switch is triggered cannot be adjusted by the recipient and cannot be adjusted differently for each individual recipient. According to this exemplary embodiment, each recipient can adjust the sender's expander and / or voice switch. This is commonly referred to as "squelch" in that it gives the receiver control over the sender, rather than allowing the receiver to perform an amplitude-based filter on the received signal. Is different. This feature can be provided within one or more of PBXs, endpoints, conference call mixers, or communication servers.</p><p> In some of the embodiments discussed above, the adjustments made by Participant 1 to the signal received from Participant Number 2 can be global, i.e. heard by all other participants. Or adjustments can only affect the transmission path from that particular individual to the individual.</p><p> In the prior art, if noise comes from a source that conference attendees can identify, the operator must manually test each line. One exemplary advantage of the present invention is that participants can check the line even while the conference is in progress, even if there is a bad line, without disturbing the operator trying to determine the line in question. , Is to be able to continue. Another exemplary advantage associated with the invention is that the receiver can exercise control over the sender rather than filtering the amplitude of the received signal.</p><p> Therefore, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to communication management. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to noise reduction. Another aspect of the invention relates to noise reduction in a conference call environment.</p><p> Another exemplary aspect of the invention is which transmission, combined with the ability of the recipient to adjust the noisy sender in such a way that it is audible to all recipients or only to the person making the adjustment. Concerning providing individual conference call recipients with the ability to identify if a person (s) sounds noisy to the recipient.</p><p> Another aspect of the invention relates to blocking one or more participants in a conference call.</p><p> Another aspect of the invention relates to providing a selective far-end mute function that can be performed manually and / or automatically.</p><p> Another aspect of the invention relates to providing an appropriate filter for removing noise associated with conference call participants.</p><p> Another aspect of the invention relates to providing the ability for each receiver to adjust each sender's expander (background noise filter) and / or audio switch.</p><p> The present invention can provide several advantages depending on the particular configuration. These and other advantages will become apparent from the disclosure of the invention (s) contained herein.</p><p> The terms "at least one", "one or more", and "and / or" are open-ended expressions that are both associative and separable in action. For example, "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "one or more of A, B, and C", "A, B" , Or one or more of C'and the expressions'A, B, and / or C'are A only, B only, C only, with A and B, with A and C, with B, respectively. Means with C, or with A, B, and C.</p><p> The term "a" or "an" entity represents one or more of its entities. Thus, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more" and "at least one" can be used interchangeably herein. It should also be noted that the terms "comprising", "including", and "having" can be used interchangeably.</p><p> As used herein, the term "automatic" and its variations refer to any process or action that occurs without material human input when the process or action takes place. However, a process or action is automatic, even if the execution of the process or action is material or immaterial, received prior to the execution of the process or action, or using human input. Can be the target. Human input is considered material if such input affects how a process or action is performed. Human input that consents to the execution of a process or action is not considered "material".</p><p> As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" refers to any tangible storage and / or transmission medium involved in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such media include, but are not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media, and take many forms. Non-volatile media include, for example, NVRAM, magnetic disks or optical disks. Volatile media include dynamic memory such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, floppy (registered trademark) disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, optical magnetic medium, CD-ROM, or any other optical medium. , Punched cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with a hole pattern, RAM, PROM, and EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, solid media such as memory cards, any other memory chip or cartridge, described below. There is a carrier, or any other medium that can be read by a computer. Digital file attachments to e-mail or other built-in information archives or sets of archives are considered delivery media equivalent to tangible storage media. When a computer-readable medium is configured as a database, it should be understood that the database can be any type of database, including relational, hierarchical, and / or object-oriented.</p><p> Circuit-switched or packet-switched communications can be used in the present invention, but the concepts and methods disclosed herein include network-multimedia conferences and telephones, multimedia conferences, It is also applicable to other protocols such as session initiation protocol or SIP, which is a simple signaling / application layer protocol for audio and video switching and the like. For example, video noise can be a significant problem in video phones that cause significant degradation in image quality.</p><p> Accordingly, the invention is considered to include tangible storage or distribution media in which the software embodiments of the invention are stored, as well as equivalents and successors recognized by the prior art.</p><p> The terms "determine," "calculate," and "calculate," as used herein, and variations thereof are used interchangeably and include any type of method, process, mathematical operation or method.</p><p> As used herein, the term "module" is any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or capable of performing functions related to that element. Also represents a combination of hardware and software. Also, although the invention is described with respect to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the individual aspects of the invention can be claimed separately.</p><p> The above is a simplified overview of the invention to provide an understanding of some aspects of the invention. This overview is neither an extensive overview nor an exhaustive overview of the present invention and the various embodiments of the invention. This overview is not intended to identify the major or essential elements of the invention, nor is it intended to outline the scope of the invention, and presents selected concepts of the invention below. It is intended to be presented in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed explanations given. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention utilize one or more of the features described above or in detail below, either alone or in combination. Can be done.</p>
<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows the exemplary conference call environment by this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a figure which shows the exemplary endpoint by this invention.</figref><figref num="3">FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary interface associated with an endpoint according to the invention.</figref><figref num="4">FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for identifying and reducing noise from noisy conference call participants.</figref>
The present invention will be described below in the context of a conference call environment. Although the present invention is well suited for use in circuit-switched or packet-switched networks, the invention is not limited to use in any particular type of communication system or system element configuration, and the disclosed schemes. Will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that can be used in any form of use in which it is desirable to provide noise reduction in conference calls. For example, these systems and methods of the invention work well with SIP-based communication systems and endpoints. In addition, the various endpoints described herein transmit and / or receive telephones, speakerphones, mobile phones, SIP-enabled endpoints, softphones, PDAs, wired or wireless communication devices, or generally voice communications. It may be any communication device, such as any communication device that can be used.
Illustrative systems and methods of the invention are also described in the context of software, modules, and related hardware, as well as networks (s). However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention, the following description may be presented in block diagram format or otherwise summarized. Structures, components and devices are omitted.
For illustration purposes, a number of detailed descriptions are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention may be practiced in a variety of ways other than the specific detailed description set forth herein.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary communication system according to the present invention. Communication system 1 includes one or more endpoints (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) interconnected via one or more networks 2 and link 5. Network 2 can include one or more PBXs, communication servers, or manned or unmanned conference call mixers, as well as traditional telecommunications architecture components. The link 5 may be a wired or wireless link, or any combination thereof, capable of exchanging information between various endpoints.
As shown in Communication System 1, each of the five users (call participants) is presented on a display, such as a graphical user interface, that shows the status of other users participating in the conference call. Can be done. For example, interface 10 for user 1 has user 2 blocked or "tested", user 3 muted, user 4 tuned, and user 5 filtered. Indicates that
For user 1, the user has blocked user 2, for example, in an attempt to identify a noise source in the conference. As mentioned earlier, users can, for example, select a button on their endpoint that corresponds to each user they want to block, thereby testing whether other conference call participants are a source of noise. it can. Users can systematically test conference call participants with each other, and then mute, tune, or filter participants associated with the noise source, as discussed. You can do one or more of them.
As shown in Figure 1 and as the various interfaces for different users discussed below, each user allows the first user to experience the noise of another conference call participant. This feature can be provided to recognize that the second user may not experience the same noise.
For example, user 3 at endpoint 30 is fine with conference call participant 1 or 2, but has blocked users at 4 and 5 in an attempt to locate the noise source on the call. User 4 at endpoint 40 has no problem with user 1, has filtered for user 2, has manually muted user 3, and has auto-muted for user 5. You have set up the initial configuration for a conference call that indicates that you have made a call.
FIG. 2 shows in more detail an exemplary endpoint 10 for user 1. Endpoint 10 includes a status display 12, as well as modules that provide the various features discussed above. More specifically, block module 14 allows conference call participants to test or block this particular endpoint 10 with each other, as well as other conference call users associated with endpoint 10. Allow one or more of the call participants to be selectively blocked. When a conference participant is blocked, the audio information from that user's communication channel is inaudible. This blocking may be user-centric or may be applied to the entire conference for all conference attendees. Blocking can be accomplished by muting all information from the blocked channel (s).
In a similar manner, Tune Module 16, Mute Module 18, and Auto Mute Module 19 have tune, mute, and auto mute features, respectively, at other conferences by users associated with this particular endpoint. Allows call participants to be implemented, as well as other conference call participants manipulating this particular endpoint, thereby adjusting the conference call signal received by them, for example. Provide the function to do.
As shown in the status display 12 of endpoint 10 in Figure 2, the status of various users can be optionally displayed, as well as other conference participants for this particular endpoint. A display of the actions taken by can be provided to the user associated with endpoint 10. In this exemplary embodiment, user 1 is provided with a notification that the endpoint has been muted by user 5. The status display 12 can also be extended to include all or part of this type of information associated with one or more of the other conference call participants.
The tune / filter module 16 allows the user to adjust one or more of the sender's expanders and voice switches. If the user chooses to tune another conference call participant in a manner similar to block module 14, the other conference call participant will be identified and the user will, for example, (eg, slider bar). Etc.) are provided with an interface that allows you to adjust the expander or voice switch either automatically or manually. Settings for one or more other "tuned" conference call participants can be shown on status display 12, and in a similar manner, users associated with endpoint 10 will be on endpoint 10. Tune settings used by other conference call participants can be provided. In this way, information can be shared between conference call participants (or in a manned conference call bridge) to help reduce noise in a conference call environment.
In filtering, the tune / filter module allows the user to filter one or more other conference call participants, either near-end or call mixer, for example to reduce noise. To. In addition to the adjustments that can be made to the expander mechanism (such as the threshold level at which the expander operates and the degree of attenuation applied to the signal transmitted when the user is not speaking), many others. A type of filtering may be used in conjunction with the present invention. Examples include spectral filtering, amplitude normalization, adjustments to the "comfort noise" provided in response to packet loss, and automatic removal of clicks, pops, and other types of temporary non-voice events. and so on.
Mute module 18 allows the user associated with endpoint 10 to manually selectively mute one or more other conference call participants. As discussed, if voice communication is detected on one or more of the other muted endpoints, an indicator is provided, such as status display 12 or other equivalent audio queue or It can be provided to users associated with endpoint 10 via a visual queue.
The auto-mute module 19 allows a user associated with endpoint 10 to selectively mute one or more other conference call participants. Like the other modules discussed above, the auto-mute module 19 also provides the ability to mute endpoint 10 in one or more requested conference call participants. When a user is auto-muted, no signal from that user is sent to one or more of the other conference call participants unless audio is detected.
Figure 3 shows an exemplary interface associated with the endpoint. Interface 7 includes one or more buttons 22-28, as well as a status display 12. In this particular exemplary embodiment, the block button 22, the tune button, which allows the performance of the functions discussed above related to the block module, the tune module, the mute module, and the automatic mute module, respectively. 24, mute button 26, and auto mute button 28 are provided.
In this particular exemplary embodiment, the user reflects the state of the other user and provides the ability for the user to select one or more of the other conference call participants to be blocked. , Status display 12 has selected block button 22 (highlighted in bold text) that updates at that point. According to this particular exemplary embodiment, user 3 has been muted, user 4 has been tuned, user 5 has been filtered, and certain actions have been taken for user 2. Has not been taken. User 1 can then choose to block User 2 in an attempt to identify the source of the noisy conference call participants.
In a similar manner, allowing the user associated with the endpoint to select other conference call participants (s) for which the feature should be performed, and / or the selected feature. Various other buttons can be selected on the status display 12, which is updated to do one or more of adjusting the parameters related to. For example, when selecting the tune button 24, the status, if any, to indicate which other user was tuned by whom, and to optionally indicate the parameters associated with each of the tuned users. Display 12 can be updated.
The various buttons may be one or more of the physical and soft buttons associated with the endpoint, such as those found in the user interface.
Figure 4 shows an exemplary method for reducing noise in a conference call environment. Specifically, control begins at step S400 and continues through step S410. In step S410, one or more conference call participants are selected. Then, in step S420, one or more participants can be selected and blocked to assist in determining the source of the problem, such as noise. Then, in step S430, it is determined whether one or more blocked participants are the source of the problem. If one or more blocked participants are the source of the problem, control continues until step S440. Otherwise, control jumps to step S450.
In step S440, one or more of the near / far end mute, filtering and / or tuning to one or more of the conference call participants to help mitigate problems such as noise. It is selectively applied. In addition to the application of each of these features, features such as filters and tunes can have parameters for those features that are tuned to assist in fine-tuning the features.
At step S450 , a determination is made as to whether another participant should be selected. If another conference call participant should be selected, control jumps back to step S410. If not, control continues until step S460, where the conference continues. Control then continues until step S470, where the control sequence ends.
According to additional embodiments, one or more of the endpoints may include a processor and memory (not shown), which stores the profile. Profiles can be used to store preference information about some conference call participants, such as tuning preferences and filtering preferences that can be used for future conference calls. it can. In addition, one or more of the profile and memory can store instructions used to coordinate one or more of the far-end devices and functions in the conference call bridge.
As an example, at some point during a conference call between the three parties (Pat, Sam, and Chris), Pat is experiencing noise from Sam. Pat determines this by using the block function. This involves instructing Pat's endpoint to mute all communications on Sam's communication channel to one or more of Sam's endpoints and conference call bridges. Can be carried out. The instruction includes information about which of the bridges and endpoints should perform the blocking function, as well as instructions on which party should be blocked. For example, in a SIP environment, this information may be included in the header associated with the instruction.
After determining that one or more of the communication channels associated with Sam, the endpoints of Sam, or the environment in which Sam is located are sources of noise, Pat uses the tune and filter features described herein. , Mute function, and one or more of the auto mute function can be used. In a similar manner, each of these features can have associated instructions that can control the requested functionality at another endpoint, bridge, and one or more of the endpoints. These instructions can be provided as in-band or out-of-band signals. Out-of-band signaling may be via a bridge, in which case the bridge may act as a proxy, or directly to one or more of the other endpoints. In addition, voice XML can be used to perform this function.
According to other exemplary embodiments, the system (a) Telecommunication network signaling protocols, including traditional analog mechanisms, non-IP digital signaling, wireless protocols such as GSM, and VoIP methods such as H.323 and SIP. (b) Mu-Law pulse code modulation and A-Law pulse code modulation, MPEG scheme, linear predictive coding, code excitation linear prediction, global mobile communications (including but not limited to GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and 3GSM). Approved by the Systems Association-approved audio encoding standards and the International Telecommunication Union (including but not limited to G.711, G.722, G.723, G.726, G.728 and G.729). Audio encoding and transmission methods, including but not limited to audio standards, as well as (c) Video encoding and transmission methods including, but not limited to, MPEG, AVI, WMA, ITU H.263, and ITU H.264 formats. Use one or more of them.
Several variants and modifications of the invention can be used. It would be possible to provide or claim some features of the invention without providing or claiming other features.
Illustrative systems and methods of the present invention have been described in the context of conference call noise reduction. However, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention, the description omits some known structures and devices. This omission should not be construed as a limitation of the claimed scope of the invention. Specific detailed description is provided to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention may be practiced in a variety of ways other than the specific detailed description set forth herein.
Further, the exemplary embodiments presented herein show various components of a co-located system, some of which are LANs, cable networks, and / or the Internet. It may be located far away, in a remote part of a distributed network, or in a dedicated system. Thus, the components of the system may be coupled to one or more devices, such as a messaging system, or distributed, such as analog and / or digital communication networks, packet-switched networks, circuit-switched networks, or cable networks. It should be understood that they may be co-located on specific nodes of the network.
It is understood from the above description and for computational efficiency that the components of the system may be arranged anywhere in the distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system. There will be. For example, various components can be exchanges such as PBXs, and media servers, gateways, cable providers, enterprise systems, one or more communication devices on the premises of one or more users, or any combination thereof. It may be arranged. Similarly, one or more functional parts of the system may be distributed across communications equipment (s) such as PDAs, and associated computing equipment.
In addition, various links, such as link 5 connecting the components, may be wired links, wireless links, or any combination thereof, or supply and / or transmit data to or from the connected elements. It should be understood that any other known or later developed element (s) may be possible. These wired or wireless links may be secure links and may be capable of transmitting encrypted information. The transmission medium used as the link may be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including, for example, coaxial cables, copper wires, and optical fibers, such as those produced during radio and infrared data communications. , Sound waves or light waves may be used.
Further, although flow diagrams have been discussed and shown in connection with a particular sequence of events, changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence may occur without substantially affecting the practice of the present invention. I want you to understand.
In other embodiments, the systems and methods of the invention include special purpose computers, programmed microprocessors or microcontrollers and peripheral integrated circuits (s), ASICs or other integrated circuits, digital signal processors, discrete elements. It can be implemented in conjunction with hard-wired electronic or logic circuits such as circuits, programmable logic devices or gate arrays such as PLDs, PLAs, FPGAs, PALs, special purpose computers, or any equivalent. In general, any device (s) or means capable of carrying out the methods exemplified herein can be used to carry out various aspects of the invention.
Illustrative hardware that can be used for the present invention includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (eg, mobile phones, internet-enabled phones, digital phones, analog phones, hybrid phones, etc.), and in the art. There are other known hardware and so on. Some of these devices include processors (eg, a single microprocessor or multiple microprocessors), memory, non-volatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Further, alternative software embodiments including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component / object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be configured to implement the methods described herein. ..
In other embodiments, the disclosed method facilitates an object or software that uses an object-oriented software development environment that provides portable source code that can be used on various computer or workstation platforms. Can be implemented. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be partially implemented or fully implemented using standard logic circuits or VLSI designs. Whether software or hardware is used to implement a system according to the invention determines the speed and / or efficiency requirements of the system, specific features, and specific software system or hardware utilized. Depends on the system, or the microprocessor or microcomputer system.
In other embodiments, the disclosed method is part of software that is stored on a storage medium and can be run on a programmed general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or microprocessor with the cooperation of a controller and memory. May be implemented. In these cases, the systems and methods of the invention can be as programs embedded on a personal computer, such as applets, JAVA®, or CGI scripts, as resources on a server or computer workstation, or as resources. It can be implemented as a dedicated measurement system or a routine built into a system component. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and / or method into a software system and / or a hardware system.
Although the present invention describes components and functions implemented in embodiments relating to a particular standard and protocol, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are also considered to be included in the present invention. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are cyclically provided by faster or more effective equivalents that have essentially the same function. Will be replaced. Such substitution standards and protocols with the same function are considered equivalents contained in the present invention.
The present invention includes, in various embodiments, configurations, and embodiments, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof, components, methods, processes, substantially as illustrated and described herein. Includes systems and / or equipment. Those skilled in the art will understand how to make and use the invention after understanding the disclosure. The present invention provides devices and processes in various embodiments, configurations, and embodiments that lack the items illustrated and / or described herein or in various embodiments, configurations, or aspects of the invention. This includes, for example, the absence of items that may have been used in the above equipment or processes to improve performance, facilitate implementation, and / or reduce implementation costs. ..
The aforementioned discussion of the present invention has been presented for illustration and illustration. The above is not intended to limit the invention to one or more forms disclosed herein. For example, in the aforementioned "Detailed Description", the various features of the invention are grouped together into one or more embodiments, configurations or embodiments to simplify the disclosure. It has been transformed. The features of embodiments, configurations, or embodiments of the present invention may be combined with alternative embodiments, configurations, or embodiments other than those discussed above. The methods of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting the intent that the claimed invention requires more features than those expressly stated in each claim. Instead, as the claims set forth in the appended claims reflect, the aspects of the invention are a range of all features of a single previously disclosed embodiment, configuration, or embodiment. Is inside. Therefore, the claims described in the appended claims are incorporated herein by this "mode for carrying out the invention", and each claim is independent as a separate preferred embodiment of the present invention. ..
Further, the description of the present invention includes a description of one or more embodiments, configurations, or embodiments, as well as some variants and modifications, while other modifications, combinations, and modifications include. For example, it is within the scope of the present invention as it may be within the skill and knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art after understanding the present disclosure. Such alternative, compatible and / or equivalent configurations, features, including alternative, compatible and / or equivalent configurations, features, scopes or steps, for the alleged ones. Alternative embodiments, configurations, to the extent permitted, with or without scope or steps disclosed herein and without intending to provide any patentable subject matter to the public. Or it is intended to acquire the right including the aspect.
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| JP2006340376A | Cites | Japan |
| US06349136B1 | Cites | United States of America |
| US06453022B1 | Cites | United States of America |
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Priority claims5
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| 24011908 | United States of America | A | |
| 24011908 | United States of America | A | |
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| US20080240119 | – | – | – |
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| US2010080374A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| DE102008062981A1 | Germany | A1 | |
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| CN101715013A | China | A | |
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| GB2463739B | United Kingdom | B | |
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| DE102008062981B4 | Germany | B4 |
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Numbers
- Publication
- 5155140
- Publication, DOCDB
- 5155140
- Publication, EPODOC
- JP5155140B
- Application
- 331668
- Application, DOCDB
- 2008331668
- Application, EPODOC
- JP20080331668
Titles2
- Japanese
- マルチパーティ・テレカンファレンスにおける背景ノイズ源を識別し除去するための方法および機器
- English
- Methods and equipment for identifying and eliminating background noise sources in multi-party teleconferences
Classification
- CPC, 11
- H04M3/42365
- H04M3/56
- H04M3/42042
- H04M3/563
- H04M3/568
- H04M2201/38
- H04M2203/2088
- H04M2203/352
- H04M2203/5027
- H04M2203/5081
- H04N7/15
- IPC, 1
- H04M3 56
