# US 12,216,961 B2 · Teleconference system, communication terminal, and teleconference method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,961 B2 - Document ID: US12216961B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/266,022 - Filed: 2021-11-18 - Published: 2024-02-15 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-11 - Assignees: NEC Platforms, Ltd. - Applicants: NEC Platforms, Ltd. - Inventors: Mayuko Terata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216961B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - H04N 7/15: Conference systems - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 65/765: {intermediate} - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04M 3/568: {audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants (echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30)} - H04M 3/569: {using the instant speaker's algorithm (speech detection per se G10L25/78)} - H04M 2201/12: Counting circuits - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A teleconference system (1) capable of smoothly progressing a teleconference is provided. A speech determination unit (2) determines whether a voice of each of a plurality of participants in a teleconference indicates speech or back-channel. A voice output control unit (4) performs control so that the voice of each of a plurality of the participants is output by a communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants. The voice output control unit (4) performs control, when, while one of a plurality of the participants makes speech, another participant makes speech, so as to suppress an output of the speech of the another participant. A count unit (6) counts the number of collision speeches, for each participant. A number display control unit (8) performs control so that a display related to the number of times is made at the communication terminals of a plurality of the participants. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A teleconference system comprising: hardware, including at least one processor and at least one memory; speech determination unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to determine whether a voice of each of a plurality of participants in a teleconference indicates speech or back-channel; voice output control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that the voice of each of a plurality of the participants is output by a communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants, and perform control, when, while one of a plurality of the participants makes speech, another participant makes speech, so as to suppress an output of the speech of the another participant; count unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to count a number of first speeches in which their outputs are suppressed, for each participant, the number of the first speeches being a number of times that the first speeches have occurred for each of the participants; and number display control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that a display related to the number of the first speeches is made at the communication terminals of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The teleconference system according to claim 1, wherein the number display control unit performs control so that the number of the first speeches for each of a plurality of the participants is displayed on the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The teleconference system according to claim 2, wherein the number display control unit causes the communication terminal to display the number of the first speeches greater than a predetermined threshold in a display form that is more conspicuous than a display of the number of the first speeches equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The teleconference system according to claim 2, wherein the number display control unit causes the communication terminal to display the greatest number of the first speeches among the number of the first speeches of a plurality of the participants in a display form that is more conspicuous than a display of other number of the first speeches. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The teleconference system according to claim 1, wherein the voice output control unit performs control so that, when the participant makes back-channel, the back-channel is output at the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The teleconference system according to claim 1, further comprising icon display control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that a face icon corresponding to each of a plurality of the participants is displayed on the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants, wherein the icon display control unit displays the face icon so that the face icon corresponding to the another participant who has made each of the first speeches is not moved, and displays the face icon so that the face icon corresponding to the participant who has made speech other than each of the first speeches is moved. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The teleconference system according to claim 6, wherein the icon display control unit displays the face icon so that, when the participant has made back-channel, the face icon corresponding to the participant is moved. ### Claim 8 A communication terminal comprising: hardware, including at least one processor and at least one memory; speech determination unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to determine whether a voice of a user of the communication terminal indicates speech or back-channel in a teleconference in which the user participates; voice output control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that a voice of each of a plurality of participants in the teleconference is output by the communication terminal and the voice of the user is output by a first communication terminal which is a communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants, and perform control, when, while one of a plurality of the participants makes speech, the user makes speech, so as to suppress an output of the speech of the user at the first communication terminal; count unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to count a number of first speeches in which their outputs are suppressed, for the user of the communication terminal, the number of the first speeches being a number of times that the first speeches have occurred for each of the participants; and number display control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that a display related to the number of the first speeches is made at the first communication terminal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein the number display control unit performs control so that the number of the first speeches of the user of the communication terminal is displayed on the first communication terminal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein the voice output control unit performs control so that, when the user of the communication terminal makes back-channel, the back-channel is output at the first communication terminal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The communication terminal according to claim 8, further comprising icon display control unit implemented at least by the hardware and configured to perform control so that a face icon corresponding to the user of the communication terminal is displayed on the first communication terminal, wherein the icon display control unit displays the face icon so that the face icon is not moved when the user of the communication terminal has made the first speech, and displays the face icon so that the face icon is moved when the user of the communication terminal has made speech other than the first speech. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein the icon display control unit displays the face icon so that the face icon is moved when the user of the communication terminal has made back-channel. ### Claim 13 A teleconference method comprising: determining whether a voice of each of a plurality of participants in a teleconference indicates speech or back-channel; performing control so that the voice of each of a plurality of the participants is output by a communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants; performing control, when, while one of a plurality of the participants makes speech, another participant makes speech, so as to suppress an output of the speech of the another participant; counting a number of first speeches in which their outputs are suppressed, for each participant, the number of the first speeches being a number of times that the first speeches have occurred for each of the participants; and performing control so that a display related to the number of the first speeches is made at the communication terminals of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The teleconference method according to claim 13, comprising performing control so that the number of the first speeches for each of a plurality of the participants is displayed on the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The teleconference method according to claim 14, comprising causing the communication terminal to display the number of the first speeches greater than a predetermined threshold in a display form that is more conspicuous than a display of the number of the first speeches equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The teleconference method according to claim 14, comprising causing the communication terminal to display the greatest number of the first speeches among the number of the first speeches of a plurality of the participants in a display form that is more conspicuous than a display of other number of the first speeches. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The teleconference method according to claim 13, comprising performing control so that, when the participant makes back-channel, the back-channel is output at the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The teleconference method according to claim 13, comprising: performing control so that a face icon corresponding to each of a plurality of the participants is displayed on the communication terminal of each of a plurality of the participants; displaying the face icon so that the face icon corresponding to the another participant who has made each of the first speeches is not moved; and displaying the face icon so that the face icon corresponding to the participant who has made speech other than each of the first speeches is moved. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The teleconference method according to claim 18, comprising displaying the face icon so that, when the participant has made back-channel, the face icon corresponding to the participant is moved.