EP0580397A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conferencing apparatus
Assignee: WORKSPACE TECHNOLOGIES Ltd
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Filing: 1993-07-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-07-20
Abstract
Abstract Conferencing apparatus (1) comprises a display (7) to display conference parameters to conference participants and discrete input means (8) operable by respect of conference participants to modify variable conference parameters displayed on the display (8). Input means (8) includes means to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter which is indicative of a reaction of the respective conference participant to a conference event and/or the displayed conference parameters. The conferencing apparatus (1) is preferably used where conference participants are located remotely and connected together by at least one analogue telephone channel (6). In this arrangement modem means (2) is provided for each remote conference participant to provide data over voice modulation for the transmission and reception of data between conference participants.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeremy Peter Merion Thomas
- 👤 Ray Sanders
- 👤 Kenneth Robert Krechmer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 00:59
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/56; H04M3/567; H04M11/00; H04M11/06; H04M11/062; H04M2203/00; H04M2203/20; H04M2203/2061; H04M2203/50; H04M2203/5036; H04M3/563; H04M3/564; H04M3/566
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 65
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
Conferencing apparatus comprising display means visible to at least one conference participant, display driving means adapted to display conference parameters on said display means, and discrete input means operable by respective conference participants to modify variable said conference parameters displayed on said display means, said input means including reaction input means to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter which is indicative of a reaction of the respective conference participant to a conference event and/or the displayed conference parameters.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
18 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said display means comprises discrete displays for respective conference participants.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
119 words
Conferencing apparatus wherein at least one conference participant is located remotely and connected to the or each other conference participant by at least one analogue telephone channel, comprising display means including a discrete display for the or each remote conference participant; an associated respective display driver adapted to display conference parameters on a said display, discrete input means operable by respective conference participants to modify variable said conference parameters displayed on each said discrete display; modem means for the or each remote conference participant to provide data over voice modulation for the transmission and reception of data between the or each remote conference participant and other conference participants, said data defining at least modifications of said variable conference parameters.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said input means includes reaction input means to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter which is indicative of a reaction of the respective conference participant to a conference event and/or the displayed conference parameters.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
74 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 4, wherein said reaction input means includes approval input means operative to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter indicative of the level of approval of the respective conference participant to a conference event, and comprehension input means operable to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter indicative of the level of understanding of the respective conference participant during a conference.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said input means includes identification means to input a signal to identify the respective conference participant for display as a conference parameter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said input means includes speaker identification means to input a signal to control a displayed conference parameter to identify the conference participant speaking.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including automatic identification means to identify conference participants automatically and control said display driving means to indicate said identities as conference parameters on said display means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said input means includes attendance input means to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter to indicate that the respective conference participant is temporarily absent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including a respective voice detector for each conference participant, and automatic speaker identification means responsive to said voice detector to identify the conference participant speaking automatically and control said display driving means to identify said conference participant on said display means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said input means includes a request to speak input means to input a signal which controls a displayed conference parameter to identify that the respective conference participant wishes to speak.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
50 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each discrete input means includes voting input means operative by respective conference participants to input a voting decision; said display driving means being operative in response to said voting input means to display results of the ballot on said display means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the or each modem means includes band pass filter means operative to filter out a spectral portion of the voice signal to enable data transmission in said spectral portion, and to filter out received data in said spectral portion to enable clear voice reception at a receiving loudspeaker.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
130 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said band pass filter means comprises low pass filter means operative to filter out a high frequency band of the voice signal before transmission, the or each said modem means including modulator means to modulate the data for transmission in said high frequency band and adder means to add the low pass filtered voice signal and the modulated data for transmission, to form a data over voice modulation signal for transmission; said band pass filter means further comprising high pass filter means and second low pass filter means operative in combination to separate modulated received data and a voice signal from a received data over voice modulation signal, the or each said modem means further including demodulator means to demodulate received data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 14 including band pass control means selectively operable to control the low and high pass filter means and said modulator and demodulator means to disable the transmission of speech and allow for the transmission of said data over substantially the whole bandwidth of a said analogue telephone channel.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
107 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 or 13 to 15 wherein telephone apparatus is provided at a plurality of remote locations, including at each remote location modem control means, one said modem control means operating as conference controller and being operable by a conference participant designated as chairman; said conference controller being operative to assign positions within a poll sequence to modem control means at each remote location, each modem control means being operative to control a respective modem to transmit data in its assigned position in said poll sequence, and to receive data from each of the other modems at other times.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
98 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 16 wherein said conference controller is operative to determine if one or more modems are quiescent and have not transmitted data within a predetermined time, and if so said conference controller is operative to control a respective modem to transmit surrogate data during the period in said poll sequence assigned to the or each quiescent modem, and to instruct the modem control means associated with the modem next in said poll sequence to transmit data in the next cycle during the position in said poll sequence assigned to the preceding quiescent modem.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
115 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 16 or Claim 17 wherein each said modem control means is assigned an identification code by said conference controller, said conference controller being operative to periodically transmit a new station signal in response to which modem control means already assigned a position in said poll sequence become quiescent for a predetermined period of time, and in response to which modem control means not assigned a position in said poll sequence transmit a randomly selected identification code, said conference controller being operative in response to said randomly selected identification code to transmit an assigned identification code to the unassigned modem control means to assign a position in said poll sequence.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
70 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 18 wherein said conference controller is operative if more than one unassigned modem control means transmit different randomly selected identification code at the same time or the same identification code, to ignore the response and transmit a new station with delay signal in response to which each said unassigned modem control means transmit a randomly selected identification code after a randomly selected time delay.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
51 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 or 13 to 19, including discrete voice circuitry for the or each remote conference participant including a microphone; and dialogue control means operable by a predetermined conference participant designated as a chairman, to selectively disconnect the microphones of the conference participants.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 20, including signaling means for the or each remote conference participant responsive to a conference participant to generate a request to speak signal to be transmitted to said chairman.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
74 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 17, including control circuitry provided at said chairman's location which is operative to generate an acknowledgment signal for transmission to a conference participant from whom said request to speak signal is received, a respective display driver at said chairman's location being operative in response to reception of said request to speak signal to display the identity of the conference participant from whom the request to speak signal originated.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
47 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 22, wherein said control circuitry at each remote location is operative to generate a present signal for transmission in a time slot of a poll sequence, said poll sequence corresponding to the sequence of said identification codes transmitted by said chairman.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
100 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 22 including display means and display driving means at each remote location; said store means at each remote location being adapted to store the identification codes and respective identities of all conference participants; each said control circuitry being operative in response to a received present signal from a conference participant to look-up the identity of said conference participant by comparing the identification code corresponding to the position of the time slot in said poll sequence with the stored identification codes, said display driving means being operative to display said identify on said display means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
78 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 16 wherein each said discrete input means is operable by a conference participant to generate a request to speak signal for transmission to the or each other conference participant, the conference controller being responsive to said request to speak signal to add the identification of the conference participant requesting to speak automatically to a queue, the or each said discrete display being operative to display the identity of the queued conference participants.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
95 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 or 13 to 25, wherein the or each remote conference participant is further connected by a second telephone voice channel for the transmission and reception of video images, said apparatus further including at each remote location video means to provide a video image of at least a speaking conference participant and video modem means to transmit and receive a video image to and from the or each remote conference participant; respective said display drivers being adapted to display said video image on associated said displays.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
62 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 or 13 to 26, including clock means associated with said display means such that each discrete display has an associated discrete clock; said clock means being operative to count down from a preset conference time length; and said display driving means being operative to display said count down on said display means.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
34 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 27, including warning means operative in response to said clock means to cause said display driving means to display a warning, when said count reaches a preset value.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
40 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including text generating means operative to generate a text message in response to inputs from said input means, said display driving means being operative to display said text on said display means.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
78 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 28 including text generating means operative to generate a text message in response to inputs from a respective discrete input means operated by a conference participant, said text message being displayed by a respective display driver on an associated display, and message transmission means operative to transmit said text message to a selected conference participant for display by a respective display driver on an associated display only.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
110 words
Conferencing apparatus for use where at least one conference participant is located remotely and is connected to the or each other conference participant by a single analog telephone voice channel, the apparatus comprising, at each remote conference participant's location, modem means arranged to provide data over voice modulation on said voice channel for transmitting or receiving data to or from other conference participants; a display; input means operative to generate data for display; processing means to control said modem means to transmit said generated data and to receive data for display generated remotely; and a display driver arranged to display said generated data and/or said received data on said display.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
110 words
Conferencing apparatus for use where at least one conference participant is located remotely and is connected to the or each other conference participant by a single analogue telephone voice channel, the apparatus comprising, at each remote conference participant's location, modem means arranged to provide data over voice modulation on said voice channel for transmitting or receiving data to or from other conference participants; a display; input means operative to generate data for display; processing means to control said modem means to transmit said generated data and to receive data for display generated remotely; and a display driver arranged to display said generated data and/or said received data on said display.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 32, wherein said processing means is responsive to control data received via said modem means to enable said input means to generate said data for display.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
33 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 32, wherein said processing means is responsive to a disabling signal received via said modem means to disable said input means from generating said data for display.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
55 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 34, wherein said processing means is operative in response to an access demand signal from said input means to generate and transmit via said modem means a said disabling signal to the or each other conference participant and to enable said input means to generate said data for display.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
25 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 35, wherein said input means is operative to generate data for display as text.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
44 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 36, wherein said processing means and said display driver are operative to continue displaying the most recently displayed data as further said generated data and/or said received data is added to the display.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
70 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 37, including cursor generating means operable by a conference participant to generate and move a cursor to indicate a position in the displayed data to the or each other conference participant; said cursor generating means being further operable to move said cursor in response to control data received via said modem means from one of the other conference participants.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
114 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 38, including at another location, modem means to provide data over voice modulation on said voice channel for transmitting or receiving data to or from the conference participants; a display; input means to input a translation from one language to another of any text in the received data; translator processing means to control said modem means to transmit said translation, and to receive data for display generated remotely; and a display driver arranged to display said received data and its associated input translation on said display; said translator processing means being operative to transmit said translation to selected ones of said conference participants.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
37 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 39, wherein said translator processing means is operative to transmit said translation to a conference participant in response to control data received from said modem means at said conference participant's location.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
60 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 32 to 40, including data storage means, wherein said discrete input means is operable by a conference participant to generate a save data signal, and said processing means is operative in response to said save data signal to store the data displayed on said display means in said data storage means.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
74 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 32 wherein said processing means is operative to run the same application program which provides a display on a respective display, and to synchronise the running of the program at each remote location such that a conference participant can interact with the program at a remote location whereupon said interaction is communicated to each other remote location and the running of the program at each location is synchronised.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
55 words
Conferencing apparatus comprising telephone apparatus for use where a plurality of telephone apparatuses are connected to each other by a single analogue telephone voice channel, said telephone apparatus comprising a microphone and remote mute means operable by a conference participant to selectively mute microphones of the other telephone apparatuses being operated by other conference participants.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
44 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 43, wherein said remote mute means comprises control circuitry operable by a conference participant designated as controller to generate a disabling signal to be transmitted to at least one of said other conference participants to disable respective microphones.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
42 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 43, wherein each conference participant has a unique identification code, said control circuitry being operable to generate a disabling signal which is acted upon by only the telephone apparatus of a conference participant to be muted.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
30 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 44 or Claim 45, including input means operable a participant to enable said conference participant to activate said control circuitry and become said controller.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
155 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 44, or Claim 45, wherein telephone apparatus is provided at a plurality of remote locations; including input means at each remote location operable by respective conference participants to input respective identification codes; store means at the location of the controller adapted to store the identification codes of all conference participants; and store means at each remote location adapted to store a respective identification code; said control circuitry at the location of said controller being operative to retrieve the identification codes of the conference participants from respective said store means for transmission to the conference participants in a sequence, said control circuitry at each remote location being operative to compare the stored identification code with the received identification codes and, if a match is found, generate a present signal for transmission to the other conference participants to identify that said conference participant is connected to said single telephone voice channel.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
47 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 47, wherein said control circuitry at each remote location is operative to generate a present signal for transmission in a time slot of a poll sequence, said poll sequence corresponding to the sequence of said identification codes transmitted by said controller.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
101 words
Remote conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 48 including display means and display driving means at each remote location; said store means at each remote location being adapted to store the identification codes and respective identities of all conference participants; each said control circuitry being operative in response to a received present signal from a conference participant to look-up the identity of said conference participant by comparing the identification code corresponding to the position of the time slot in said poll sequence with the stored identification codes, said display driving means being operative to display said identify on said display means.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
59 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 47 to 49, wherein said input means is operable by a conference participant whom has finished speaking to generate a finished speaking signal for transmission to said controller; the respective control circuitry being operative in response to said finished speaking signal to generate a disabling signal to disable the microphone.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
48 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 43, wherein telephone apparatus is provided at a plurality of remote locations; including input means at each remote location, said input means being operable by a respective conference participant to generate a request to speak signal to be transmitted to said controller.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
133 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 49, wherein said control circuitry is operative to identify the conference participant from whom the request to speak signal originated; said apparatus including display means and display driving means at each remote location; said display driving means at the location of said controller being operative in response to said request to speak signal to display the identity of the conference participant requesting to speak on said display means; said input means being operative by said controller to generate said acknowledgment signal for transmission to the remote location from which said request to speak signal is received; and said display driving means at the location of the conference participant requesting to speak being operative in response to said acknowledgment signal to display an acknowledgment on said display means.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
122 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 52, wherein said control circuitry includes store means and is operative in response to the generation of said acknowledgment signal to add the identity of the conference participant requesting to speak to a queue in said store means and to modify said acknowledgment signal to include information on the position in said queue; said display driving means at the location of said controller being operative to display the identity of the conference participants in said queue on the respective display means; said display driving means at the location of the conference participant requesting to speak being operative in response to said modified acknowledgment signal to display the position in said queue on the respective display means.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
126 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 51 wherein said control circuitry is operative to identify the conference participant from whom the request to speak signal originated; said apparatus including display means and display driving means at each remote location; said control circuitry including store means and is operative in response to said request to speak signal to add the identity of the conference participant requesting to speak automatically to a queue in said store means, and to transmit a queue signal which identifies the conference participant requesting to speak and the position in the queue, the display means at each remote location being operative in response to said queue signal to display the position in the queue and identity of the conference participants requesting to speak.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
97 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 47, said input means is operative by a conference participant identified in said queue to generate a cancel signal for transmission to said controller after receipt of an acknowledgment signal; wherein said control circuitry is operative to remove the identity of the conference participant from said queue in said store means, and to modify the acknowledgment signal with updated position information for transmission to the conference participant, said input means being further operative by a conference participant to cancel said request to speak signal prior to receipt of said acknowledgment signal.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
22 words
Conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 43 to 55, wherein the telephone apparatus is provided within a telephone handset.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
186 words
Remote conferencing apparatus for use during the organizing of a conference between prospective conference participants at remote locations connected together by a telephone channel; said apparatus comprising at each remote location a modem; memory means containing a diary for a prospective conference participant; input means for inputting information into said diary in said memory means and modem control means responsive to said input means; modem control means at a location being operative in response to a respective input means operable by a conference organizer to dial each prospective conference participant in turn to access respective diaries to determine a common date and time available for each prospective conference participant, and to make an entry temporarily in respective diaries if a common date and time is available; said input means at a prospective conference participant's location being operative by a prospective conference participant to generate an acceptance signal for transmission to the conference organizer; said modem control means at the location of the conference organizer being operative to make a permanent entry in respective diaries if an acceptance signal is received from all said prospective conference participants.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
48 words
Remote conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 57, wherein the modem control means at the conference organizer's location is operative in response to respective input means to transmit an agenda for the proposed conference to each prospective conference participant when a temporary entry is made in each diary.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
72 words
Remote conferencing apparatus as claimed in Claim 57 or Claim 58, wherein the input means at the conference organizer's location is operable to generate an abandon signal when a conference is to be abandoned, and the respective modem control means is operative in response to said abandon signal to dial each prospective conference participant in turn to access respective diaries, and to delete the common entries made therein for the abandoned conference.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
38 words
Remote conferencing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 57 to 59 including warning means at each remote location operative to warn respective prospective conference participants at a preset time prior to the time of the conference.
Claim 61
Independent Claim
121 words
A method of improving communication between conference participants during a conference where at least one conference participant is at a remote location and is in audio or audio and video communication with the other conference participants using at least one common analogue telephone channel; said method comprising the repeated steps of, for the or each conference participant at a remote location, generating data representing conference parameters, said data being modifiable by a respective conference participant, transmitting said data to the or each other conference participant, using an analogue telephone channel which is also being used for speech transmission and receiving said data from the or each other conference participant, the transmitted and received conference parameters being displayed during transmission and reception.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
68 words
A method as claimed in Claim 61, wherein said data represents at least one of a group comprising, reactions of a conference participant to a conference event and displayed conference parameters, the identity of said conference participant, an indication of a request to speak, identification of a conference participant speaking, a voting decision, statistical analysis data on conference parameters, text data, translated text data, and microphone disconnection commands.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in Claim 61 or Claim 62, wherein each said conference participant transmits said data during an assigned time slot in a poll sequence, and receives data at other times.
Claim 64
Independent Claim
40 words
A method as claimed in any one of Claims 61 to 63, wherein said conference participants are in audio communication using a single analogue telephone voice channel and said data is transmitted and received over said single telephone voice channel.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as claimed in Claim 64, wherein a spectral portion of the voice signal is filtered out to enable data transmission in said spectral portion, and during reception the received data in said spectral portion is filtered out to enable clear voice reception at a receiving loudspeaker.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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