Abstract: A system and method for improving quality of video communication includes a packets generator logical unit (PGU) coupled to a video source for receiving a compressed video stream and generating primary and secondary data chunks for transmittal to one or more destination nodes via a network. Each primary data chunk is associated with a secondary data chunk, and each secondary data chunk includes video data that covers a same portion of a video frame as video data included in each associated primary data chunk. The PGU encapsulates the primary and secondary data chunks in associated primary-secondary packet pairs composed of MB data fields, picture header fields, GOB and slice start header fields, and MB header fields, among others. The destination nodes process the secondary packets received via the network if the primary packets are damaged or lost in transmission.

Abstract: A LAN has a wireless portion which includes access points and wireless communications devices and a wired portion which includes such things as routers, servers, and a PBX. The LAN operates in a radio frequency band where certain channels (DFS channels) are shared with a signal that is of higher priority than the communications signals transmitted and received by the access point and the wireless communications devices. If a higher priority signal is sensed on a particular channel of the wireless medium by a master device, it is necessary for all of the slave devices communicating on this channel to stop transmitting on that channel within a short period of time. The wireless communications devices are mobile and can be easily transported around in space or roam during a communications session.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for providing continuous presence video layout in a cascading video conference, i.e., a video conference that is conducted over more than one MCU. A cascading continuous presence composition controller (CCCC) selects which endpoints from among all of the endpoints participating in the conference should be displayed in the layout, regardless of which MCU the endpoints are associated with. The CCCC can be resident on one of the MCUs, resident on a cascading conference server, or can be distributed among all of the MCUs involved in a cascading conference.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for mixed voice and spread spectrum data signaling with spread spectrum data hiding with CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) for three or more users. The disclosed systems, methods, and devices may be implemented in audio conferencing or video conferencing. Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data and voice mixer, which includes an improved spread spectrum data hiding transmitter. The transmitter may comprise a CDMA chip sequence generator and a spreading encoder. Different users may be accommodated by selecting different initializations for the registers of the CDMA chip sequence generator. Different spreading code may be used for different users which are near orthogonal to each other. In some embodiments, the CDMA chip sequence generator pseudo-randomly selects the chip sequence from one of a plurality of Gold chip sequence generators.

Abstract: A networked conferencing device includes at least one speaker, a display and a plurality of environmental sensors such as cameras, microphones, light level sensors, thermal sensors and motion sensors. The conferencing device receives environmental information from the sensors and processes this information to identify qualified events. The identified qualified events are then used to determine a next powered state for the conferencing device. If the next powered state is different than a current powered state, then the conferencing system transitions to the next powered state.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for composing a video layout having an aspect ratio of 16:9 from a plurality of video segments having an aspect ratio other than 16:9. For example, the plurality of video segments might have an aspect ratio of 4:3. To create a composite frame having an aspect ratio of about 16:9, the disclosed system scales each one of the segments and places each scaled segment in the layout in such a way that the composite layout has an aspect ratio of about 16:9.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various communication protocols. In other embodiments, the present invention provides for improved bridge architecture for controlling functions of conference endpoints including controlling functions of the bridge.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for computing a location of an acoustic source is disclosed. The method includes steps of processing a plurality of microphone signals in frequency space to search a plurality of candidate acoustic source locations for a maximum normalized signal energy. The method uses phase-delay look-up tables to efficiently determine phase delays for a given frequency bin number k based upon a candidate source location and a microphone location, thereby reducing system memory requirements. Furthermore, the method compares a maximum signal energy for each frequency bin number k with a threshold energy Et(k) to improve accuracy in locating the acoustic source.

Abstract: A system and method for adjusting a video bit rate (VBR) over a network includes reducing the VBR if the network incurs a packet loss (PL) that is greater than a PL threshold increasing the VBR if the PL is less than or equal to the PL threshold over a maximum integer number of time intervals and increasing the maximum integer number of time intervals if the PL is greater than the packet loss threshold at the increased VBR. In addition, the VBR is increased over consecutive time intervals until a maximum video bit rate is restored, if the PL over each consecutive time interval is less than or equal to the packet loss threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods for digitally linking multiple microphones and managing microphone signals are provided. Embodiments provide for digitally linking of multiple auto-mixer systems where a large number of microphones are required. In large auto-mixer systems, microphone input channels may be distributed among many devices. Rather than transmitting these signals individually to a central processing device for the auto-mixer, it is most efficient to distribute the audio signal processing functions of the automatic microphone mixer among multiple devices in an audio conferencing system. Subsequently, a smaller number of gated mixes of microphone signals may be transmitted between devices. Thus, embodiments of the present invention act to digitally link multiple microphone signals, arbitrating these signals, in order to enable distributed automatic microphone mixers to behave as a single mixer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein in one embodiment is an adaptive coding threshold algorithm for a videoconference system which alleviates problems due to the erroneous recoding of stationary areas of images caused by image noise. The algorithm, which is preferably implementable on a videoconference encoder, assesses the coding parameters for a current macroblock and the coding parameters for that same macroblock the last time it was coded. If for both macroblocks the coding was non-intra, with a [0,0] motion vector, and with a low quantization parameter, a determination is made that the current macroblock depicts a stationary image. Accordingly, the algorithm increases the coding threshold (T1) for the blocks within that macroblock, so that it becomes more difficult for those particular blocks to be recoded. This renders the block with stationary content less susceptible to erroneous recoding, while preserving system bandwidth and improving image quality.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for multipoint videoconferencing. A Media Relay MCU (MRM) receives compressed media (audio, video, and/or data) from a plurality of endpoints participating in a video conferencing session. For a given endpoint, the MRM selects which of other endpoints to display in a CP layout at the given endpoint. The MRM transmits the compressed media from the selected endpoints to the given endpoint to be presented in the CP layout. The MRM does not decode the compressed media.

Abstract: A wireless LAN can be used to support audio communication sessions between wireless communication devices and wired communication devices both configured to operate according to the Internet Protocol. Both the wired and wireless communication devices generate and transmit frames of voice information over the LAN to each other and in the process of generating these frames they place a timestamp in each frame that is used by a receiving communications device to determine when the frame should be played in relationship to all of the other frames of voice information it receives. At times these communication devices can place incorrect timestamp values in the frames of audio information which can affect the quality of the communication experience for a user. I propose to correct any incorrect timestamp values by first recognizing that a timestamp value is incorrect and then rounding the value to the nearest frame boundary.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for controlling presentations and videoconference using hand motions. A camera captures video of an area relative to content displayed on a display device from a content source. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the content source, the display device, and the camera. The control unit receives captured video from the camera. The control unit detects a hand motion by a presenter that occurs within the captured video and determines the location within the captured video of at least one control for controlling the presentation or videoconference. The control unit determines if the detected hand motion occurs within the determined location of the at least one control, and the control unit controls the content source based on the determined control.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a singing frequency in a signal processing system using two neural-networks is disclosed. The first one (a hit neural network) monitors the maximum spectral peak FFT bin as it changes with time. The second one (change neural network) monitors the monotonic increasing behavior. The inputs to the neural-networks are the maximum spectral magnitude bin and its rate of change in time. The output is an indication whether howling is likely to occur and the corresponding singing frequency. Once the singing frequency is identified, it can be suppressed using any one of many available techniques such as notch filters. Several improvements of the base method or apparatus are also disclosed, where additional neural networks are used to detect more than one singing frequency.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a singing frequency in a signal processing system using two neural-networks is disclosed. The first one (a hit neural network) monitors the maximum spectral peak FFT bin as it changes with time. The second one (change neural network) monitors the monotonic increasing behavior. The inputs to the neural-networks are the maximum spectral magnitude bin and its rate of change in time. The output is an indication whether howling is likely to occur and the corresponding singing frequency. Once the singing frequency is identified, it can be suppressed using any one of many available techniques such as notch filters. Several improvements of the base method or apparatus are also disclosed, where additional neural networks are used to detect more than one singing frequency.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various communication protocols. In other embodiments, the present invention provides for improved bridge architecture for controlling functions of conference endpoints including controlling functions of the bridge.

Abstract: Systems and methods of providing extended presence information for multi-user devices are described. Communication devices used in conference rooms represent a different nature than single user devices such as a personal computer. Conference rooms also have attributes that may be added to existing presence information and provide an enhanced experience for scheduling and dissemination of conference room capabilities. Information such as actual people in attendance may be added to the presence information maintained by a presence server to provide an overall enhancement to the meeting room whether it is physically a single conference room or a multitude of endpoints remotely connected to a conference.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for videoconferencing that allows video images from two or more cameras at the same site to be displayed as a single panoramic image. Accordingly, a conferencing endpoint having a single monitor can display the panoramic image of the two or more video images from an endpoint having multiple cameras, such as a telepresence endpoint. A sliding display area can be used to manually define a zoomed portion of the panoramic image to be displayed. Alternatively, the zoomed portion may be determined automatically. The zoomed portion may be changed during the course of the conference.

Abstract: A logical module, referred as Load Balancer Module (LBM), is disclosed which listens to one of certain common predefined port number. These well-known ports for receiving communication video conference signaling and control protocols is thereafter load balanced and multi-plexed to a number of instances of protocol stack applications. By balancing the multi-media data stream across a multitude of application instances multiple multi-media data streams may be serviced and processed by a single internet protocol host processor. A mutipoint control unit (MCU) may therefore process multiple input data streams containing multi-media video conferencing information.