U.S. patent application number 15/494963 was filed with the patent office on 2018-10-25 for audiovisual norms from shared communities.
The applicant listed for this patent is INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Paul R. Bastide, Jonathan Dunne, Liam Harpur, Asima Silva.
Application Number | 20180309803 15/494963 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63294924 |
Filed Date | 2018-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180309803 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bastide; Paul R. ; et
al. |
October 25, 2018 |
AUDIOVISUAL NORMS FROM SHARED COMMUNITIES
Abstract
A processor-implemented method, computer system, and computer
program product for managing a plurality of audio-visual
teleconference distractions, including the detection of a new
participant to a teleconference call; the monitoring of a stream of
the detected new participant for a plurality of distraction
markers; calculation of a level of distraction based on the
plurality of distraction markers; and alterations performed on the
monitored stream based on the calculated level of distraction
satisfying a threshold.
Inventors: |
Bastide; Paul R.; (Boxford,
MA) ; Dunne; Jonathan; (Dungarvan, IE) ;
Harpur; Liam; (Skerries, IE) ; Silva; Asima;
(Holden, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
63294924 |
Appl. No.: |
15/494963 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 65/1093 20130101;
H04L 65/403 20130101; H04L 65/605 20130101; H04L 65/1006 20130101;
H04M 2203/5081 20130101; H04L 65/1089 20130101; H04N 7/152
20130101; H04N 7/147 20130101; H04L 65/1069 20130101; H04L 65/1076
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06; H04N 7/14 20060101 H04N007/14 |
Claims
1. A processor-implemented method for managing a plurality of
audio-visual teleconference distractions, the method comprising:
detecting a new participant to a teleconference call; monitoring a
stream of the detected new participant for a plurality of
distraction markers; calculating a level of distraction based on
the plurality of distraction markers; altering the monitored stream
based on the calculated level of distraction satisfying a
threshold; and monitoring a plurality of communities of the
detected new participant for a plurality of additional distraction
marker parameters, wherein the plurality of monitored communities
are a plurality of groups of which the detected new participant is
a member.
2. (canceled)
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: notifying one or more
participants prior to altering the stream of the detected new
participant.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: assessing the
plurality of distraction markers prior to the new participant
joining the teleconference call; and preventing the participant
from joining the teleconference call.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the new participant is detected
based on an utterance from the new participant, a visual gesture
from the new participant, a haptic gesture from the new
participant, or a low level audio from the new participant.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alteration is selected from
the group consisting of muting an audio stream, dropping a call
stream, degrading a video quality, selectively blurring or
occluding one or more regions of a video associated with the new
participant, and resizing the video.
7. The method of claim 4, further comprising in response to the
calculated level of distraction not satisfying the threshold,
monitoring the teleconference call for a subsequent new
participant.
8. A computer system for managing a plurality of audio-visual
teleconference distractions, the computer system comprising: one or
more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or
more computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program
instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible
storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more
processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein
the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising:
detecting a new participant to a teleconference call; monitoring a
stream of the detected new participant for a plurality of
distraction markers; calculating a level of distraction based on
the plurality of distraction markers; altering the monitored stream
based on the calculated level of distraction satisfying a
threshold; and monitoring a plurality of communities of the
detected new participant for a plurality of additional distraction
marker parameters, wherein the plurality of monitored communities
are a plurality of groups of which the detected new participant is
a member.
9. (canceled)
10. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising: notifying
one or more participants prior to altering the stream of the
detected new participant.
11. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising: assessing
the plurality of distraction markers prior to the new participant
joining the teleconference call; and preventing the participant
from joining the teleconference call.
12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the new participant is
detected based on an utterance from the new participant, a visual
gesture from the new participant, a haptic gesture from the new
participant, or a low level audio from the new participant.
13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the alteration is
selected from the group consisting of muting an audio stream,
dropping a call stream, degrading a video quality, selectively
blurring or occluding one or more regions of a video associated
with the new participant, and resizing the video.
14. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising in response
to the calculated level of distraction not satisfying the
threshold, monitoring the teleconference call for a subsequent new
participant.
15. A computer program product for managing a plurality of
audio-visual teleconference distractions, the computer program
product comprising: one or more computer-readable tangible storage
medium and program instructions stored on at least one of the one
or more tangible storage medium, the program instructions
executable by a processor, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to detect a new participant to a
teleconference call; program instructions to monitor a stream of
the detected new participant for a plurality of distraction
markers; program instructions to calculate a level of distraction
based on the plurality of distraction markers; program instructions
to alter the monitored stream based on the calculated level of
distraction satisfying a threshold; and program instructions to
monitor a plurality of communities of the detected new participant
for a plurality of additional distraction marker parameters,
wherein the plurality of monitored communities are a plurality of
groups of which the detected new participant is a member.
16. (canceled)
17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
Program instructions to notify one or more participants prior to
altering the stream of the detected new participant.
18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
program instructions to assess the plurality of distraction markers
prior to the new participant joining the teleconference call; and
preventing the participant from joining the teleconference
call.
19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the new
participant is detected based on an utterance from the new
participant, a visual gesture from the new participant, a haptic
gesture from the new participant, or a low level audio from the new
participant.
20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the
alteration is selected from the group consisting of muting an audio
stream, dropping a call stream, degrading a video quality,
selectively blurring or occluding one or more regions of a video
associated with the new participant, and resizing the video.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates, generally, to the field of
computing, and more particularly to the field of
teleconferencing.
[0002] Teleconferencing involves a call, which may be audio or
visual, over a telecommunications network and allows multiple
participants to converse with each other simultaneously.
Teleconferencing is frequently used by businesses to allow group
interactions between employees, clients, and business partners who,
for reasons of convenience or cost, cannot meet together in the
same geographical location. Additionally, teleconferencing can be
used in conjunction with web services to allow participants on the
call to see video feeds of the other participants, or to display
websites, presentations or programs to all participants.
SUMMARY
[0003] A processor-implemented method, computer system, and
computer program product for managing a plurality of audio-visual
teleconference distractions, including the detection of a new
participant to a teleconference call; the monitoring of a stream of
the detected new participant for a plurality of distraction
markers; calculation of a level of distraction based on the
plurality of distraction markers; and alterations performed on the
monitored stream based on the calculated level of distraction
satisfying a threshold.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] These and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be
read in connection with the accompanying drawings. The various
features of the drawings are not to scale as the illustrations are
for clarity in facilitating one skilled in the art in understanding
the invention in conjunction with the detailed description. In the
drawings:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary networked computer
environment according to at least one embodiment;
[0006] FIG. 2 is an operational flowchart illustrating an
audio-visual meeting distraction management process according to at
least one embodiment;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates an alteration to the video stream by an
audio-visual meeting distraction management process according to at
least one embodiment;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of internal and external
components of computers and servers depicted in FIG. 1 according to
at least one embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 5 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0010] FIG. 6 depicts abstraction model layers according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods
are disclosed herein; however, it can be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed
structures and methods that may be embodied in various forms. This
invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set
forth herein. In the description, details of well-known features
and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the
presented embodiments.
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of
computing, and more particularly to teleconferencing. The following
described exemplary embodiments provide a system, method, and
program product to, among other things, reduce distraction caused
by undesirable audiovisual elements in a teleconference. Therefore,
the present embodiment has the capacity to improve the technical
field of teleconferencing by automatically identifying distractions
in a context-sensitive fashion, and eliminating or minimizing such
distractions to ensure that meetings remain as focused and
productive as possible.
[0013] As previously described, teleconferencing involves a call
over either a telecommunications network or the internet and allows
multiple participants to converse with each other simultaneously.
Teleconferencing is frequently used by businesses to allow group
interactions between employees, clients, and business partners who,
for reasons of convenience or cost, cannot meet together in the
same geographical location. Additionally, teleconferencing can be
used in conjunction with web services to allow participants on the
call to see video feeds of the other participants, or to display
websites, presentations or programs to all participants.
[0014] Meetings and conference calls may be a great way to do
business. Meeting owners setup meetings with audiovisual
capabilities to facilitate communication between participants,
understanding of important topics and the advancement of business
objectives. However, meeting participants often are impeded in
their efforts to pursue business-related goals over the course of a
teleconference where conflicts of attention arise; frequently,
callers may introduce distracting audio elements to the call, such
as coughing, whispering, drumming on the table, or other background
sounds. In audiovisual conference calls, meeting participants may
introduce distracting visual elements to the call, such as by
conducting a presentation with distracting symbols or browser
windows, or by calling from a location that is exotic, busy, and/or
contains distractions, such as animals, symbols, or other people in
the background. As such, it may be advantageous to, among other
things, implement a system that can eliminate or minimize these
audio and visual distractions to maximize focus in meetings and
thereby facilitate the achievement of the business objective.
[0015] According to one embodiment, a system for managing
audio-visual meeting distractions by detecting new participants to
a video call, and monitoring the communities and shared communities
of detected participants for behaviors and attributes may be
introduced. The video call may be monitored for associated
behaviors and attributes, including likely distraction markers, and
calculating the level of distraction based on these distraction
markers. Furthermore, the video stream of the participant may be
altered based on the determined distraction markers and a
threshold.
[0016] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0017] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0018] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0019] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of embodiments of the present invention may be assembler
instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions,
machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode,
firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for
integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written
in any combination of one or more programming languages, including
an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or
the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instructions by utilizing state information of the computer
readable program instructions to personalize the electronic
circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present
invention.
[0020] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0021] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0022] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0023] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0024] The following described exemplary embodiments provide a
system, method, and program product to minimize audiovisual
distraction elements in conference calls, which is capable of
detecting participants to a call, monitoring their call stream for
distraction elements, and automatically modifying the call stream
to minimize or remove distraction elements.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary networked computer
environment 100 is depicted, according to at least one embodiment.
The networked computer environment 100 may include client computing
device 102 and a server 112 interconnected via a communication
network 114. According to at least one implementation, the
networked computer environment 100 may include a plurality of
client computing devices 102 and servers 112, of which only one of
each is shown for illustrative brevity.
[0026] The communication network 114 may include various types of
communication networks, such as a wide area network (WAN), local
area network (LAN), a telecommunication network, a wireless
network, a public switched network and/or a satellite network. The
communication network 114 may include connections, such as wire,
wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables. It may be
appreciated that FIG. 1 provides only an illustration of one
implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to
the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented.
Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made based
on design and implementation requirements.
[0027] Client computing device 102 may include a processor 104 and
a data storage device 106 that is enabled to host and run a
software program 108 and a meeting distraction management program
110A and communicate with the server 112 via the communication
network 114, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
Client computing device 102 may be, for example, a mobile device, a
teleconferencing set, a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a
netbook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer,
or any type of computing device capable of running a program and
accessing a network. As will be discussed with reference to FIG. 3,
the client computing device 102 may include internal components
402a and external components 404a, respectively.
[0028] The server computer 112 may be a laptop computer,
teleconferencing set, netbook computer, personal computer (PC), a
desktop computer, or any programmable electronic device or any
network of programmable electronic devices capable of hosting and
running meeting distraction management program 110B and a database
116 and communicating with the client computing device 102 via the
communication network 114, in accordance with embodiments of the
invention. As will be discussed with reference to FIG. 3, the
server computer 112 may include internal components 402b and
external components 404b, respectively. The server 112 may also
operate in a cloud computing service model, such as Software as a
Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure as
a Service (IaaS). The server 112 may also be located in a cloud
computing deployment model, such as a private cloud, community
cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud.
[0029] According to the present embodiment, software program 108
may be a teleconferencing program capable of allowing multiple
users to interact with each other through a visual or auditory
medium, or a combination of both. Software program 108 may allow
multiple users to interact through such means as file, program or
presentation sharing, audio streams, or video feed of each user.
Software program 108 may be configured to accept data from a
sensor, such as a camera or microphone, which is in communication
with client computing device 102 or stores data in a repository,
such as database 116 or data storage device 106, which is
accessible to client computing device 102. In an alternate
embodiment, software program 108 may be hosted and run on server
112.
[0030] The meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may be
a program capable of interfacing with software program 108,
monitoring the call stream of the user for distraction markers,
calculating distraction markers or altering the call stream of the
user. Meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may be
further capable of accessing data stored in repositories either on
the client computing device 102, such as data storage device 106,
on server 112, such as database 116, or over network 114. This data
may include stored information about the user, including groups the
user is a part of, distraction preferences for such groups, and the
individual preferences of the user with regard to distraction
management. Additionally, meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B may be hosted on client computing device 102, server
112, or on some combination of devices. The meeting distraction
management method is explained in further detail below with respect
to FIG. 2.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 2, an operational flowchart
illustrating an audiovisual meeting distraction management process
200 is depicted according to at least one embodiment. At 202, the
meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B detects a new
participant to a conference call. Meeting distraction management
program 110A, 110B detects a new participant to a conference call
by establishing a connection with the session initiation protocol
of the teleconferencing program, such as software program 108.
Meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may also
establish a connection with the menu system or the invite system of
the teleconferencing program to determine when a new participant is
added to the call. In an alternate embodiment, meeting distraction
management program 110A, 110B may detect a new user based on
utterances, visual gestures (such as waving), haptic gestures (such
as pinch-zoom), or low level audio that is associated with a video
call.
[0032] Next, at 204, the meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B monitors the communities and shared communities of the
detected participant for distraction preferences. Communities may
be any online group from which distraction preferences may be
extracted or inferred. Such communities may be extant groups on
online resources such as LinkedIn.RTM. (LinkedIn.RTM. and all
LinkedIn.RTM. based trademarks and logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of LinkedIn Corporation and/or its
affiliates), Facebook.RTM. (Facebook.RTM. and all Facebook.RTM.
based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Facebook and/or its affiliates), or Slack.RTM. (Slack.RTM. and
all Slack.RTM. based trademarks and logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Slack Technologies and/or its affiliates),
or may be files where distraction preferences are saved, or may be
groups created for the purposes of a specific call. The distraction
preferences of the community may consist of such elements as
changing the context of what is considered a distraction marker;
for instance, if the community is a developer group, and the call
stream contains a poster containing the logo of a programming
language which would otherwise be considered to be a distraction
marker, the meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may
not flag the poster as a distraction marker in light of the fact
that the call participants are all part of a development group to
which the poster is contextually relevant. In another example, if
developers are in a video call and one developer has a beach scene
in the background, and through analysis of the shared community a
beach scene is not seen to be evident in the studied communities,
then that object may be marked as a distraction. Meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B may apply the distraction
preferences of each community of which a call participant is a
member, or apply the distraction preferences of those communities
that the call participant shares with some or all of the other call
participants. Distraction preferences may be applied uniformly to
the entire call or may be applied to each call stream based on that
individual call participant's distraction preferences.
[0033] Then, at 206, the meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B monitors the conference call for likely distraction
markers. Distraction markers may include such elements as multiple
people not looking at the camera or screen, multiple colors in the
background, abnormal objects for a given user (such as beach,
trees, or sunglasses in a business meeting) or actions in the
background that are not related to a meeting. These distraction
markers may be negotiated based on a consensus algorithm; for
instance, if two-thirds of attendees define a factor as
distracting, then the meeting distraction management program 110A,
110B applies a rule to that factor. The distraction markers may
also be determined by a system, a company or a group, or may be
further set by hierarchy or based on ownership of the meeting or
the current agenda item. The meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B may conduct monitoring based on keyframes, frames audio
transition from speaker to speaker, or every frame. To reduce
processing overhead, heuristics may be employed to optimize the
amount of frames or audio that need to be monitored. Meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B may also monitor the
audio for indicators of distraction markers; for example, if a call
participant mentions a cool poster in another call participant's
video stream, meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may
recognize the poster as a distraction marker and react
accordingly.
[0034] Next, at 208, the meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B calculates the level of distraction based on the
distraction markers. The level of distraction may be calculated
based on the sum of the weight assigned to each distraction marker.
The weight assigned to each distraction marker may vary in
magnitude based on the relative severity of the distraction caused.
This weight may be calculated based on a standard deviation or an
interpolation of the deviation. For video calls, the distraction
markers may be weighted in proportion to the area of the video feed
that is taken up by the distracting content. For instance, if the
video call contains four callers, with the screen divided into four
quarters each containing the video stream of a user, and one
caller's video stream contains distracting content, the meeting
distraction management program may calculate the level of
distraction to be 25%. The meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B may also apply a weight to the distractions in
accordance with the impact and eye-sight of other participants, and
whether participants are dwelling on the distractions.
[0035] Then, at 210, the meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B determines if alteration is necessary. Meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B determines if an
alteration is necessary by checking to see if the distraction level
exceeds a threshold. This threshold may be determined by a system,
a company or a group, or may be further set by hierarchy or based
on ownership of the meeting or the current agenda item. The
threshold may also be a dynamic value that takes information into
account in real time. For instance, the meeting distraction
management program 110A, 110B may take into account the trajectory
of the distraction level; in the event that the distraction level
is rising, the program may decrease the threshold to increase the
importance of action being taken. According to one implementation,
the audio-visual meeting distraction management process 200 may
continue along the operational flowchart, if the distraction level
exceeds the threshold. If the meeting distraction management
program 110A, 110B determines that the distraction level does not
exceed the threshold (step 210, "NO" branch), the meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B may terminate. If the
meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B determines that
the distraction level does exceed the threshold (step 210, "YES"
branch), the meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may
advance to step 212 to alter the call stream of the detected
participant. In an alternate embodiment, if meeting distraction
management program 110A, 110B determines that the distraction level
does not exceed the threshold (step 210, "NO" branch), the meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B may proceed back to step
202 to resume detection of new participants to the conference
call.
[0036] Next, at 212, the meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B alters, based on the distraction level of the
distraction markers, the call stream of the participant.
Alterations to audio may include muting audio altogether for
callers that are judged to be distracting. For instance, if meeting
distraction management program 110A, 110B detects a loud and
persistent hammering sound in the call stream of a participant, the
program may remove this distraction by muting that call
participant's audio. Alterations to video may include dropping the
call signal for the distracting person during the distraction
period, degrading video quality such that the distraction element
is no longer easily discernable, selectively blurring or occluding
regions of the video containing distracting elements, resizing the
sharing/screen size based on the level of distraction, or degrading
the video call to audio only. An example of occluding a distracting
video element is shown in FIG. 3.
[0037] It may be appreciated that FIG. 2 provides only an
illustration of one implementation and does not imply any
limitations with regard to how different embodiments may be
implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environments may be
made based on design and implementation requirements. For instance,
in an alternate embodiment, meeting distraction management program
110A, 110B may notify a user of the presence of distraction
elements prior to altering the call stream and may highlight the
distractions in the video stream, or may highlight audio, such as
whispering, coughing, or drumming on the table. In a further
embodiment, the meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B
may assess distraction elements in the call stream prior to the
caller appearing in the call, notify the call host of distraction
elements prior to the participant joining the call, and may even
prevent the participant from joining the call.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates an alteration to the video stream by an
audio-visual meeting distraction management process according to at
least one embodiment. At 300, a video call is depicted where the
top right call participant has included in his video feed a second
person who is engaged in activity ancillary to the business purpose
of the call and who is not participating in the call. This may be
considered by meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B to
be a distraction element. At 302, the top right call participant's
video feed has been altered to occlude the offending distraction
element. Meeting distraction management program 110A, 110B may also
have dropped the call signal for the top right call participant
until the second person left, degraded the video quality to
obfuscate the second person, or resizing the top right
participants' window to reduce the prominence and thereby the
distractive potential of the second person in the screen.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 of internal and external
components of the client computing device 102 and the server 112
depicted in FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 4 provides only an
illustration of one implementation and does not imply any
limitations with regard to the environments in which different
embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted
environments may be made based on design and implementation
requirements.
[0040] The data processing system 402, 404 is representative of any
electronic device capable of executing machine-readable program
instructions. The data processing system 402, 404 may be
representative of a smart phone, a computer system, PDA, or other
electronic devices. Examples of computing systems, environments,
and/or configurations that may represented by the data processing
system 402, 404 include, but are not limited to, personal computer
systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,
hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputer systems,
and distributed cloud computing environments that include any of
the above systems or devices.
[0041] The client computing device 102 and the server 112 may
include respective sets of internal components 402 a,b and external
components 404 a,b illustrated in FIG. 3. Each of the sets of
internal components 402 include one or more processors 420, one or
more computer-readable RAMs 422, and one or more computer-readable
ROMs 424 on one or more buses 426, and one or more operating
systems 428 and one or more computer-readable tangible storage
devices 430. The one or more operating systems 428, the software
program 108 and the meeting distraction management program 110A in
the client computing device 102, and the meeting distraction
management program 110B in the server 112 are stored on one or more
of the respective computer-readable tangible storage devices 430
for execution by one or more of the respective processors 420 via
one or more of the respective RAMs 422 (which typically include
cache memory). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the
computer-readable tangible storage devices 430 is a magnetic disk
storage device of an internal hard drive. Alternatively, each of
the computer-readable tangible storage devices 430 is a
semiconductor storage device such as ROM 424, EPROM, flash memory
or any other computer-readable tangible storage device that can
store a computer program and digital information.
[0042] Each set of internal components 402 a,b also includes a R/W
drive or interface 432 to read from and write to one or more
portable computer-readable tangible storage devices 438 such as a
CD-ROM, DVD, memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical
disk or semiconductor storage device. A software program, such as
the cognitive screen protection program 110A, 110B, can be stored
on one or more of the respective portable computer-readable
tangible storage devices 438, read via the respective R/W drive or
interface 432, and loaded into the respective hard drive 430.
[0043] Each set of internal components 402 a,b also includes
network adapters or interfaces 436 such as a TCP/IP adapter cards,
wireless Wi-Fi interface cards, or 3G or 4G wireless interface
cards or other wired or wireless communication links. The software
program 108 and the meeting distraction management program 110A in
the client computing device 102 and the meeting distraction
management program 110B in the server 112 can be downloaded to the
client computing device 102 and the server 112 from an external
computer via a network (for example, the Internet, a local area
network or other, wide area network) and respective network
adapters or interfaces 436. From the network adapters or interfaces
436, the software program 108 and the meeting distraction
management program 110A in the client computing device 102 and the
meeting distraction management program 110B in the server 112 are
loaded into the respective hard drive 430. The network may comprise
copper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers,
firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers.
[0044] Each of the sets of external components 404 a,b can include
a computer display monitor 444, a keyboard 442, and a computer
mouse 434. External components 404 a,b can also include touch
screens, virtual keyboards, touch pads, pointing devices, and other
human interface devices. Each of the sets of internal components
402 a,b also includes device drivers 440 to interface to computer
display monitor 444, keyboard 442, and computer mouse 434. The
device drivers 440, R/W drive or interface 432, and network adapter
or interface 436 comprise hardware and software (stored in storage
device 430 and/or ROM 424).
[0045] It is understood in advance that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0046] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0047] Characteristics are as follows:
[0048] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0049] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0050] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0051] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0052] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0053] Service Models are as follows:
[0054] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0055] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0056] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0057] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0058] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0059] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0060] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0061] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0062] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
[0063] Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 100 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 100 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 100 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 6, a set of functional abstraction
layers 600 provided by cloud computing environment 50 is shown. It
should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and
functions shown in FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only and
embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted,
the following layers and corresponding functions are provided:
[0065] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include:
mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65;
and networks and networking components 66. In some embodiments,
software components include network application server software 67
and database software 68.
[0066] Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73,
including virtual private networks; virtual applications and
operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
[0067] In one example, management layer 80 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides
dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that
are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing
environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as
resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and
billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one
example, these resources may comprise application software
licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud
consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other
resources. User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing
environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level
management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and
management such that required service levels are met. Service Level
Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement
for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a
future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
[0068] Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and
lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93;
data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and
audio-visual meeting distraction management 96. Audio-visual
meeting distraction management 96 may relate to analyzing both the
audio and video of the call streams of participants in a
teleconference for sources of distraction, and altering the call
streams to eliminate or minimize distractions that exceed
pre-established thresholds.
[0069] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was
chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the
practical application or technical improvement over technologies
found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in
the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
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