Videoconferencing systems with recognition ability

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

0001This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/065,090, filed Oct. 28, 2013, currently pending, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/425,729, filed Mar. 21, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,704,869, issued Apr. 22, 2014, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/190,264, filed Aug. 12, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,174,559, issued May 8, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/754,121, filed Jan. 9, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,980, issued Sep. 16, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/064,158, filed Jun. 14, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,663, issued Feb. 17, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

0002Videoconferencing systems allow users to communicate interactively, while seeing one another, even though they are not physically in the same place.

SUMMARY

0003This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

0004The present application teaches advancements for videoconferencing systems. One aspect of this system recognizes voices and converts the voice as recognized to another form. Another aspect considers compensation for time delays which may occur in the system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0005These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

0006<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> shows a basic embodiment of a videoconferencing system;

0007<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> shows a flowchart of operations including retranslation of language and time alignment;

0008<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> shows an exemplary screen on a videoconferencing system;

0009<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> shows a flowchart of operation of the exclusive access embodiment;

0010<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> shows a timing chart of the exclusive access system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

0011A block diagram of the videoconferencing system is shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. A first user <b>100</b> is shown with a video camera <b>105</b> and an audio microphone <b>110</b>. The video <b>106</b> and audio <b>111</b> are fed into respective inputs within the videoconferencing computer module <b>115</b>, with the video camera being input into a video input, and the microphone being input into an audio input. The module <b>115</b> prepares the information for sending over the channel. A transmission device, e.g. a coding module, may carry out the transmission over the channel. The videoconferencing module <b>115</b> also receives communication information from the channel, from other comparable modules on the channel.

0012In order to conserve bandwidth, the videoconferencing computer may digitize and compress the video <b>106</b> and audio <b>111</b>. The output signal is often a digital form signal <b>120</b>. The digital output <b>120</b> is sent over the channel, here a network <b>125</b>, to a corresponding videoconferencing computer <b>130</b> at a distant end. The videoconferencing computer <b>130</b> includes a display element <b>135</b> that displays the video and audio that have been sent over the network.

0013In the configuration shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the videoconferencing computer <b>115</b> may be thought of as the master, since it is sending the information to the videoconferencing computer <b>130</b>. The videoconferencing computer <b>130</b> may be thought of as the slave, receiving the information from computer <b>115</b>. Of course, in a usual system, the videoconferencing computer <b>130</b> will also include camera and microphone <b>136</b> to enable two-way communication. Correspondingly, the videoconferencing computer <b>115</b> will include a display <b>111</b>. That means that sometimes the videoconferencing computer <b>115</b> is acting as the master with the videoconferencing computer <b>130</b> acting as the slave. At other times, the functions are reversed.

0014<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> also shows some additional controls <b>145</b>. These controls include the exclusive access request, in which a master requests exclusive access for a time, and the “raise hand” request, in which one of the computers, when communicating as a slave, signals its desire to become the master.

0015According to an embodiment, the master operates according to the flowchart of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>. All of these operations may be carried out by a processor within the computer <b>154</b> and/or may be carried out for more dedicated hardware within the computer. It should also be understood that some operations specified by this flowchart may be carried out without carrying out the remaining operations.

0016It is conventional to compress the information being transmitted over videoconference, in order to make maximum use of the bandwidth available. At <b>200</b>, both the video and sound are compressed. However, there is often more information in the video, and hence it may take longer computational wise to compress and transmit the video than the sound. In the embodiment, both the video and sound are compressed along with a timestamp indicative of their time of creation. Here, the video and sound are stored along with the timestamp TS<b>1</b>, indicating the time when that batch was produced. The timestamps may be produced at any desired time interval, for example every one-third second, or at the beginning of any spoken phrase.

0017The sound is also recognized at <b>205</b>. For example, this may use a conventional speech to voice, speaker independent, voice recognition system. This produces text indicative of the spoken word. Again, this text is stored along with a timestamp indicative of the time of creation, again here TS<b>1</b>. The voice recognition may take even longer than the compression.

0018<b>200</b>, <b>205</b> show the timestamps (TS<b>1</b>) indicating the time when the video/sound/recognition was carried out. The actual time when the information is compressed is also shown, that is the video is compressed at time x<b>1</b>; the sound at time x<b>2</b> and the voice recognition at time x<b>3</b>. At <b>210</b> an optional step of retranslation may be carried out. For example, a language conversion program may be used on the voice-recognized text in order to retranslate that text into a desired language at <b>215</b>. This is also stored along with timestamp TS<b>1</b> and is carried out at x<b>4</b>. At <b>220</b>, all of the information, including the compressed video and sound, voice-recognized sound (which may be, for example, textual information), and translated information corresponding to the voice recognized sound, is aligned in time, so that it may be sent aligned in time. As an alternative, the information is sent as available, along with the timestamp information. The information is then time aligned at the remote end. Whether aligned at the transmitting end, or at the remote end, the time stamp information may be used to align the different parts of the message in time.

0019At <b>225</b>, this information may be sent to the slave.

0020<b>230</b> represents receiving an off-line access request from the slave. This is done, for example, during the time when the master has requested “exclusive access”. During the exclusive access, all the slaves are sent a message that instructs the slaves that another unit has exclusive access. The slaves, therefore, are prohibited from sending a message during this time. This prevents two different users from talking at the same time, and allows one speaker to “have the floor”. However, during the time that the one “master” has exclusive access, any of the “slaves” can send an off-line access request at <b>230</b>. The off-line access request allows any of the slaves to signal a desire to speak. This may cause a “raise hand” icon to be sent to the master, so that the user at the master recognizes that someone else wants to speak.

0021In one embodiment, questions may be recorded and sent from slave to master. For example, packets representing the audio, video, text, and other, may be sent, representing a question. At that time, a “question pending” icon may be received and displayed, so that the master recognizes that a question is waiting. If the packet includes text indicative of the question, the text may be displayed while the master is still maintaining exclusive access. An exemplary display is shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>. This figure shows how a panel <b>300</b> of the display is displayed side-by-side with the actual display itself <b>305</b>. This panel may include the text comments <b>310</b> that are sent and displayed at <b>235</b>. The panel may also include a raise hand icon <b>315</b>, a question pending icon <b>320</b>, and an icon <b>325</b> indicating that the current system has exclusive access. An inactive icon shown as <b>330</b> indicates that another has exclusive access, and during this time, only certain kinds of communications can be made. In addition, any recognized or translated information can be displayed as close captioning, for example, shown as <b>330</b>. This information may be transmitted as part of the transmitted video information, or can be transmitted using conventional closed captioning techniques.

0022<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> represents the routine which is being carried out in the “slave”. At <b>400</b>, the slave receives the transmission which may include video, voice and text. The text may be both same language text or translated text, and may be as part of the digital information, or in closed captioning parts of the signal. An optional operation at <b>405</b> may convert the same language text into another language. For example, any of a number of clients may convert the information to their own desired language.

0023At <b>410</b>, the received information is displayed. The time alignment markers may be used to maintain alignment, and/or the alignment can be taken from the way in which the information is transmitted. For example, since alignment is carried out at <b>220</b>, time-aligned signals can be received and immediately displayed.

0024At <b>415</b>, the system detects whether another unit has exclusive access. If not, the exclusive access request is enabled at <b>420</b>. However, if another unit has exclusive access, then at <b>425</b>, online communication is disabled, but off-line communication is enabled. The off-line communications that are enabled at <b>425</b> include the raise hand and question icons, which enable that sending/displaying the icon for either raising a hand or asking a question to the current “master”. Another operation at <b>435</b>, records packets of information (video and sound or just sound). The voice is voice recognized at <b>435</b>, and text only is sent. The text is displayed in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> at <b>310</b>. In this way, the exclusive-access user can see the text simultaneously with other operations. <b>440</b> shows the different action in which packets are recorded. These packets can be sent later, that is when the exclusive access ends. In both cases, the master unit is signaled that communication is pending. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> shows the icon <b>335</b> which signals that an incoming communication is still pending.

0025When the master has exclusive access, it prevents two people talking at once. However, multi-unit conversation is still possible, since other units can send questions which can be displayed to the master, and can send requests as icons which can also be displayed.

0026However, during times of nonexclusive access, it is also possible for two people to talk at once. This is because there is often a delay between the time when one person is talking, and the time when the other unit receives that talking. For example, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> shows how this can happen. The unit <b>1</b> is talking during the time T-<b>1</b>. During the time T-<b>2</b>, operations are carried out including alignment operations and compression operations as well as latency in the system. The information is sent during T<b>3</b>, and presumably received at T-<b>4</b>. However, during the times prior to T-<b>1</b>, another unit might not realize that the first unit is talking. Unit <b>505</b> is shown beginning to talk at the time T-<b>2</b>, which is between the end of the first unit talking and the reception. More generally, this may be happening any time between T-<b>1</b> and T-<b>4</b>.

0027In this embodiment, when the user begins talking at T-<b>1</b>, an exclusive flag is raised shown as <b>510</b>. This exclusive flag is sent to the slave at <b>515</b>, and lights a light on the slave indicating that the slave should not talk. Effectively, this indicates that a communication from another unit is pending. At <b>505</b>, the other unit become begins talking anyway. However, the communication sent to the unit prevents the other talking from being transmitted. At <b>530</b>, the information is recorded. <b>525</b> represents the end of the sending period, that is when all the information recorded during T-<b>1</b> is finished sending. At T-<b>5</b>, this information, recorded during the time T-<b>2</b>, is sent. In this way, the users are prevented from talking at the same time. Collisions are avoided, and every user gets to hear what the other user says.

0028Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other modifications are possible. For example, the text, and language converted text, can be played by a text to voice synthesizer, instead of being displayed as text. All such modifications are intended to be encompassed within the following claims.

0029While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.