# US 2014/0156254 A1 · Multi-lingual conference bridge with cues and method of use > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156254 A1 - Document ID: US20140156254A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/691,100 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: ZipDX, LLC - Applicants: Zipdx LLC - Inventors: David Paul Frankel; Barry Slaughter Olsen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156254A1 ## CPC - G06F 40/40: Processing or translation of natural language (natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30) - G10L 15/005: {Language recognition} - 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 2201/41: using speaker recognition - H04M 2242/12: Language recognition, selection or translation arrangements - H04M 2250/58: including a multilanguage function - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract The present invention relates to a new method and system for use of a multi-protocol conference bridge, and more specifically a new multi-language conference bridge system and method of use where different cues, such as an attenuated voice of an original non-interpreted speaker, is used to improve the flow of information over the system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A teleconferencing system for simultaneous interpretation in a plurality of languages, comprising: an audio connection for each of a plurality of delegates, each delegate having a particular listening language; a two-way audio connection for each of one or more interpreters, each interpreter being identified as having a listening language and a speaking language, the two languages being different; a plurality of audio bridges for carrying out the following steps, each bridge capable of accepting inputs from one or more connections, mixing said inputs with specified levels of attenuation, and providing the resulting output to one or more connections without echoing the audio received from a particular connection back to that same connection; means to configure the audio bridges such that each interpreter separately: receives audio from all delegates; transmits audio to those delegates with a listening language matching the interpreter's spoken language for mixing without attenuation; and transmits audio to those delegates with a listening language matching the interpreter's listening language for mixing with attenuation, such that the voice of the interpreter is heard softly and delegate voice(s) dominate; means for each delegate to transmit audio to all bridges; and means to separately detect when each interpreter is speaking, and, when said speech is detected, to cause any bridge receiving that interpreter's speaking language to attenuate audio inputs from delegates such that delegates are heard softly and the interpreter's voice dominates, where the audio connections are made over one or more wide-area networks capable of connecting physically distinct locations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein one of the interpreters can change the listening and/or speaking language and/or one of the delegates can change the listening language. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein one of the delegates can be identified as listening without interpretation, and will receive audio from all delegates without attenuation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein an interpreter can be assigned to receive audio either from delegates or directly from another interpreter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the change in language is made using either keys on a telephone keypad or keys on a computer workstation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, where at least one audio connection is selected from a group consisting of a conventional telephone network and a voice-over-Internet protocol. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein either the degree of attenuation of the voice of an interpreter and/or delegate is adjustable. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one delegate is a group of individuals all with the same listening language. ### Claim 9 A method of holding a multi-language conference using a conference bridge, the method consisting of the steps of: requesting and receiving from each of a plurality of users a language preference for holding a conference; setting up on a conference server a plurality of audio bridges each for one of the language preferences of the plurality of users; selecting a plurality of interpreters each capable of understanding at least two of the languages of the audio bridges on the conference server; connecting each of the plurality of users each using one of a plurality of first devices to the conference server on a server connected to a network by matching the language preference of each user with the language in each of the audio bridges; connecting each of the plurality of interpreters to at least two of the audio bridges based on the languages understood by the interpreter; allowing one of the users to speak into the connected audio bridge of the user's language preference; and relaying by the conference server the speech of the user in the user's language preference into another of the audio bridges. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the step of relaying the speech into another audio bridge is first attenuated in audio level by the conference server. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein one of the plurality of interpreters is connected only to one of the audio bridges and to another of the plurality of interpreters based on the languages understood by the interpreter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the step of connecting each of the plurality of interpreters to at least two of the audio bridges based on the languages understood by the interpreter includes the step of allowing the interpreter to receive audio from a first audio bridge and send audio to a second audio bridge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the voice of the interpreter is sent to both the first and the second audio bridges. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the audio sent to the first audio bridge is attenuated. ### Claim 15 A multi-protocol conference bridge system comprising: a plurality of a first device where each of the first devices is used by one of a plurality of users for connection of each of the first devices over a network to a server, wherein each of the first devices includes a two-way connection for exchanging data between the users and the server in one of many protocols of communication, the protocol used being understood by the user; a plurality of a second device where each of the second devices is used by one of a plurality of interpreters for connection to the server, wherein the second device includes a two-way connection for exchanging data between each of the interpreters and the server in more than one protocol of communication; and a conference server on the server comprising a plurality of bridges each for holding and sharing data in one of the plurality of protocols of communication, wherein each first device is connected to at least one of the plurality of audio bridges for exchanging data in the protocol of communication of the bridge, and wherein each of the second devices is connected between two different bridges of the plurality of bridges to allow the interpreter using the second device to receive data in a first protocol of communication from a first bridge and send data to the second bridge in a second protocol of communication, wherein the conference server further generates at least one cue within at least one of the bridges to inform of the data transfer between one of the first device and a different bridge. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The multi-protocol conference bridge system of claim 15, wherein the protocols of communication are different languages, the bridges are audio bridges each in a different language, the users are conference attendees each in need of understanding the conference in their own preferred language, and each interpreter is capable of simultaneous interpretation between two languages. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The multi-protocol conference bridge system of claim 16, wherein the cue is an attenuated audio communication in a first language sent into a bridge to overlap with a different language. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The multi-protocol conference bridge system of claim 17, wherein the first and second devices are phones, and the network is a phone network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The multi-protocol conference bridge system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the second devices, instead of being connected between two different bridges, is connected between a second interpreter and a bridge.