US 6,583,806 B2 · Videoconferencing hardware

Abstract

A teleconferencing apparatus and system consisting of a unitary housing. The housing includes audio and video capture capabilities for capturing video images and spoken audio of a participant in a videoconference; a monitor for displaying visual images associated with at least one participant; audio and reproduction capabilities; and an adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of audio. A plurality of the apparatuses are distributed in the system and interconnected by a first network and a second network. The first network provides an AV path along which AV signals, representing video images and spoken audio of the participants can be carried while the second network provides a data path along which data can be shared among a plurality of participants. The system may also include two monitors, one for displaying the video images of the participants and the other for displaying data shared among the participants.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A teleconferencing apparatus comprising:

a unitary housing including
(a) audio and video capture devices
(i) for capturing video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color, and spoken audio
(1) of a participant in a videoconference;
(b) a monitor
(i) for displaying visual images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color
(1) associated with at least one participant;
(c) audio reproduction devices;
and
(d) an adaptive acoustic echo canceler,
wherein the audio capture and reproduction devices are integrated into the unitary housing in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to each other and cooperate with the adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of the audio.

8 more elements

A teleconferencing system for conducting a teleconference among a plurality of participants, comprising:

(a) a plurality of workstations each including
(i) a unitary housing having
(1) a first monitor for displaying participant video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color,
(2) audio and video capture devices for capturing video images at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color and spoken audio of the participants,
(3) audio reproduction devices,
(4) an adaptive acoustic echo canceler,
wherein the audio capture and reproduction devices are integrated into the unitary housing in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to each other and cooperate with the adaptive acoustic echo canceler to reduce echo during the reproduction of the audio, and
a second monitor;
(b) a data path
(i) along which data can be
(1) shared among a plurality of the participants and
(2) displayed interactively on at least two workstations' monitors;
and
(c) an audio and video path,
(i) for carrying audio and video signals at full motion video having TV quality frame rate, resolution, and color
(1) representing video images and spoken audio of the participants,
(2) among the workstations
(3) for reproduction on at least one monitor associated with the workstation of one of the participants.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Videoconferencing hardware

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Videoconferencing hardware

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Abstract

Claims21