Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates enhancing incoming data communication connectivity within a network. An analyzer component can evaluate a portion of an incoming data communication targeted for a network to identify a context associated with the data communication. A transfer component can direct the incoming data communication to a cluster within the network based at least in part upon the identified context, wherein the cluster includes a physical entity with pre-existing knowledge of the identified context.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates enhancing connectivity associated with data communications. An interface can receive a portion of communication state data, wherein the communication state data is related to at least one of a data communication mode and a user context state. A routing component can evaluate the portion of communication state data to identify an optimized data communication mode, wherein the optimized data communication mode is dynamically linked to a virtual contact identifier. Moreover, the routing component can automatically and seamlessly employ an optimized communication session utilizing the dynamically identified optimized data communication mode based upon an activation of the virtual contact identifier.

Abstract: A system and process for discovery between endpoint component devices and computing devices residing in the same delimited space, such as conference room, in cases where the devices are connected to a common local network, is presented. The present invention allows a device in the space to discover the presence and network address of another device in the space, which then allows the first device to negotiate with the discovered device to facilitate the transfer of data and other communications over the common network. However, this discovery is accomplished without the use of the common network, and is limited to discovering devices residing in the same delimited space also containing the discoverable devices.

Abstract: A system and method for teleconferencing and recording of meetings. The system uses a variety of capture devices (a novel 360° camera, a whiteboard camera, a presenter view camera, a remote view camera, and a microphone array) to provide a rich experience for people who want to participate in a meeting from a distance. The system is also combined with speaker clustering, spatial indexing, and time compression to provide a rich experience for people who miss a meeting and want to watch it afterward.

Abstract: A whiteboard view camera, which in one embodiment is mounted on a boom, which is fixed above the whiteboard. However, the whiteboard view camera can also be wall or table mounted. The whiteboard view camera differs from an ordinary camera by allowing the lens to tilt with respect to the sensor plane, and shift with respect to the central ray. When the tilt angle ? is zero, then the resolution of whiteboard is uniform (e.g., the top and bottom of the whiteboard have the same resolution). In addition, the focus plane is equal to the whiteboard plane, so depth of field issues are not a problem (e.g., a large aperture can be used). Hence, no image noise is introduced. A key contribution of the whiteboard view camera configuration according to the invention is the use of a view camera to capture whiteboard images at uniform resolutions. One embodiment of the whiteboard view camera employs a microphone array of the invention and uses a computer to optimize the image data and audio signals.

Abstract: A system and process for highlighting the current speaker on an on-going basis in each frame of a low frame-rate video of an event having multiple people in attendance, such as a video teleconference, is presented. In general, this is accomplished by periodically identifying an attendee that is currently speaking at a rate substantially faster than the video frame rate, and for each frame of the video updating the frame to highlight the attendee currently speaking. More particularly, an audio/visual (A/V) source provides separate video, audio, and current speaker data streams to a client computing device. The client device then uses these data streams to render and display the video and to periodically update the frame being displayed to highlight the current speaker depicted therein.

Abstract: A system and process for highlighting the current speaker on an on-going basis in each frame of a low frame-rate video of an event having multiple people in attendance, such as a video teleconference, is presented. In general, this is accomplished by periodically identifying an attendee that is currently speaking at a rate substantially faster than the video frame rate, and for each frame of the video updating the frame to highlight the attendee currently speaking. More particularly, an A/V source provides video and audio data streams to the client computing device, with current speaker data embedded into the audio stream via audio watermarking techniques. The client device extracts the current speaker data from the audio stream, and then renders and displays the video while using the current speaker data to periodically update the frame being displayed to highlight the current speaker.

Abstract: A system and process for highlighting the current speaker on an on-going basis in each frame of a low frame-rate video of an event having multiple people in attendance is presented. In general, this is accomplished by periodically identifying an attendee that is currently speaking at a rate substantially faster than the video frame rate, and updating each frame of the video to highlight the current speaker. More particularly, an A/V source provides a video stream to a client computing device that includes delta frames interspersed between the frames of the low frame-rate video. The full video frames act as keyframes, and the delta frames provide the changes needed to modify the last displayed version of the last keyframe to highlight just the region associated with the location of a current speaker. This allows the client device to operate as a standard A/V rendering and display unit.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting speech utilizing audio and video inputs. In one aspect, the invention collects audio data generated from a microphone device. In another aspect, the invention collects video data and processes the data to determine a mouth location for a given speaker. The audio and video are inputted into a time-delay neural network that processes the data to determine which target is speaking. The neural network processing is based upon a correlation to detected mouth movement from the video data and audio sounds detected by the microphone.

Abstract: A real-time approximately 360 degree image correction system and a method for alleviating distortion and perception problems in images captured by omni-directional cameras. In general, the real-time panoramic image correction method generates a warp table from pixel coordinates of a panoramic image and applies the warp table to the panoramic image to create a corrected panoramic image. The corrections are performed using a parametric class of warping functions that include Spatially Varying Uniform (SVU) scaling functions. The SVU scaling functions and scaling factors are used to perform vertical scaling and horizontal scaling on the panoramic image pixel coordinates. A horizontal distortion correction is performed using the SVU scaling functions at at least two different scaling factors. This processing generates a warp table that can be applied to the panoramic image to yield the corrected panoramic image.

Abstract: A system that captures both whiteboard content and audio signals of a meeting using a digital camera and a microphone. The system can be retrofit to any existing whiteboard. It computes the time stamps of pen strokes on the whiteboard by analyzing the sequence of captured snapshots. It also automatically produces a set of key frames representing all the written content on the whiteboard before each erasure. The whiteboard content serves as a visual index to efficiently browse the audio meeting. The system not only captures the whiteboard content, but also helps the users to view and manage the captured meeting content efficiently and securely.

Abstract: An omni-directional camera array that is very small and unobtrusive and allows for higher pixel resolution for the face of meeting participants sitting or standing around a conference room table, as would be typical in a video conferencing situation. The camera system of the invention uses N cameras and an N sided mirror to capture images of the surrounding scene. The cameras are arranged to have a small distance between their virtual centers of projection. The images from the N cameras are stitched together to create a 360-degree panorama using a calibration surface. To stitch the images together in real-time, a static image stitcher is used, which stitches images together perfectly for objects on a calibration surface. The calibration surface is typically defined by the boundary of the table the camera is sitting on.

Abstract: A real-time approximately 360 degree image correction system and a method for alleviating distortion and perception problems in images captured by omni-directional cameras. In general, the real-time panoramic image correction method generates a warp table from pixel coordinates of a panoramic image and applies the warp table to the panoramic image to create a corrected panoramic image. The corrections are performed using a parametric class of warping functions that include Spatially Varying Uniform (SVU) scaling functions. The SVU scaling functions and scaling factors are used to perform vertical scaling and horizontal scaling on the panoramic image pixel coordinates. A horizontal distortion correction is performed using the SVU scaling functions at at least two different scaling factors. This processing generates a warp table that can be applied to the panoramic image to yield the corrected panoramic image.

Abstract: A system that captures both whiteboard content and audio signals of a meeting using a digital camera and a microphone. The system can be retrofit to any existing whiteboard. It computes the time stamps of pen strokes on the whiteboard by analyzing the sequence of captured snapshots. It also automatically produces a set of key frames representing all the written content on the whiteboard before each erasure. The whiteboard content serves as a visual index to efficiently browse the audio meeting. The system not only captures the whiteboard content, but also helps the users to view and manage the captured meeting content efficiently and securely.

Abstract: A practical, real-time calibration of digital omnidirectional cameras in the areas of de-vignetting, brightness, contrast, and white balance control. Novel solutions for the color calibration of an omnidirectional camera rig, and an efficient method for devignetting images are presented. Additionally, a context-specific method of stitching images together into a panorama or a mosaic is provided.

Abstract: A system that captures both whiteboard content and audio signals of a meeting using a digital camera and a microphone. The system can be retrofit to any existing whiteboard. It computes the time stamps of pen strokes on the whiteboard by analyzing the sequence of captured snapshots. It also automatically produces a set of key frames representing all the written content on the whiteboard before each erasure. The whiteboard content serves as a visual index to efficiently browse the audio meeting. The system not only captures the whiteboard content, but also helps the users to view and manage the captured meeting content efficiently and securely.

Abstract: A panoramic camera is configured to automatically determine parameters of a table upon which the camera is situated as well as positional information of the camera relative to the table. In an initialization stage, table edges are detected to create an edge map. A Hough transformation-like symmetry voting operation is performed to clean up the edge map and to determine camera offset, camera orientation and camera tilt. The table is then fit to a table model to determine table parameters. In an operational stage, table edges are detected to create an edge map and the table model is fit to the edge map. The output can then be used for further panoramic image processing such as head size normalization, zooming, compensation for camera movement, etc.

Abstract: A real-time approximately 360 degree image correction system and a method for alleviating distortion and perception problems in images captured by omni-directional cameras. In general, the real-time panoramic image correction method generates a warp table from pixel coordinates of a panoramic image and applies the warp table to the panoramic image to create a corrected panoramic image. The corrections are performed using a parametric class of warping functions that include Spatially Varying Uniform (SVU) scaling functions. The SVU scaling functions and scaling factors are used to perform vertical scaling and horizontal scaling on the panoramic image pixel coordinates. A horizontal distortion correction is performed using the SVU scaling functions at at least two different scaling factors. This processing generates a warp table that can be applied to the panoramic image to yield the corrected panoramic image.

Abstract: A method and system for producing normalized images of conference participants so that the participants appear to be approximately the same size when the images are displayed is provided. The normalizing system normalizes the size of images based on constraints relating to the distance of participants from the location of the camera. To normalize the image of a participant, the system zooms the camera to account for the distance of the participant from the camera.

Abstract: Audio and video frames are synchronized by hashing an audio frame at a sender and combining the resultant hash value with the video frame. The audio frame is transmitted over an audio network, such as a telephone network, and the video frame is transmitted over a digital network, such as an intranet. The audio frame may be combined with additional audio signals from an audio bridge. The receiver receives the audio signal from the audio bridge and performs the same hash function on the mixed signal as was performed on the original signal. The receiver correlates the hash value on the mixed signal with the hash value included with the video frame (wherein the video frame is one of several video frames buffered by the receiver). The receiver can thus identify the video frame that corresponds to the audio frame and render them simultaneously.