US 11,153,442 B1Granted

Systems and methods for facilitating side-channel communications during shared communication session

AssigneeBande Fitness LLC

InventorsRebecca Balyasny, Dmitry Rakovitsky, Amaya Weddle, Sergei Selin

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Abstract

Systems and methods for providing side-channel communications to supplement a shared communication channel are provided. Participant devices within a side-channel communication group are configured to receive a first audio stream associated with the shared communication channel and a second audio stream associated with the side-channel communication group. A host platform or a participant device may mix the first and second audio streams to produce a composite output audio stream that enables users to listen to both audio shared to shared communication channel and audio generated by other members of the side-channel communication group.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for providing side-channel communications to supplement a shared communication channel, the system comprising:

one or more processors;
one or more transceivers configured to receive a plurality of audio streams from a plurality of audio sources, wherein the plurality of audio sources include a host audio source and a plurality of participant audio sources corresponding to a plurality of participant devices;
and
one or more non-transitory memories configured to store (i) an indication that two or more participant devices of the plurality of participant devices are members of a side-channel communication group, and (ii) computer executable instructions that, when executed via the one or more processors, cause the system to:
for each participant device that is a member of the side-channel communication group:
generate a side-channel audio stream by combining the audio streams received from other members of the side-channel communication group,
generate an output audio stream by combining the side-channel audio stream with the audio stream from the host audio source, and
transmit, to the participant device of the member of the side-channel communication group and via the one or more transceivers, the output audio stream;
for participant devices that are not members of the side-channel communication group, transmit, to the participant device and via the one or more transceivers, the host audio stream;
determine that a magnitude of the audio stream from the host audio source is below a first threshold magnitude;
and
in response to the determination, increase the volume level of the side-channel audio stream within the output audio stream.

9 more elements

A method for participating in side-channel communications to supplement a shared communication channel, the method comprising:

joining, by one or more processors, the shared communication channel;
forming, by the one or more processors, a side-channel communication group with at least one other participant device of the shared communication channel;
receiving, from a server, a host audio stream generated by a host device of the shared communication channel;
receiving, from the server, a side-channel audio stream that includes audio data generated by the at least one other participant device included in the formed side-channel communication group;
outputting, by the one or more processors, a composite audio stream formed from the host audio stream and the side-channel audio stream;
mixing, by the one or more processors, the host audio stream and the side-channel audio stream to produce the composite audio stream;
determining, by the one or more processors, that a magnitude of the host audio stream is below a first threshold magnitude;
and
in response to the determination, increasing, by the one or more processors, the volume level of the side-channel audio stream within the output audio stream.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/160,695Filed 28 Jan 2021
Granted: 19 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04M 3/564
User guidance or feature selection: whereby the feature is a sub-conference
H04L 65/1089
In-session procedures: by adding media; by removing media
H04L 65/401
Support for services or applications: wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time…
H04L 65/4015
Wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board…:…