Active talker activated conference pointers
AssigneeAvaya Inc.
InventorGordon R. Brunson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
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.”
Claims17
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.
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.