Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Ruchir Astavans

Jason Thomas Faulkner

Kevin D Morrison

Chad A Voss

Timur Aleshin

Amey Parandekar

Michael Howard Hill

Ranveer Chandra

Thomas W Kuehnel

Humayun Mukhtar Khan

John Mark Miller

Gursharan Singh Sidhu

Ewin Davis Kannuthottiyil

Vishal Soni

Anish Desai

Mansoor Jafry

Rao Salapaka

Riley Frambes

Casey Baker

Mark Robert Swift

Arney Parandekar

Kevin Daniel Morrison

The techniques disclosed herein enable participants of a teleconference session to access the functionality of a number of task-related program modules while maintaining engagement with aspects of a teleconference session within a single user interface. For example, a session participant can access files, various chat discussions, various channels, calendars, emails, an operating system desktop, and other functionality of a computing device while viewing one or more video streams of a teleconference session within a unified graphical user interface. The session participant can maintain engagement with both audio and video capabilities while performing tasks, including but not limited to, selecting, viewing, and modifying content data. In some configurations, a specialized graphical user interface allows a user to view one or more video streams of the teleconference session in predetermined positions while also providing optimal access to tools for interacting with different types of content managed by a variety of modules.

Integrated multitasking interface for communication sessions

The disclosed techniques improve user engagement and promote efficient use of computing resources by providing dynamically controlled aspect ratios for communication session renderings based on a physical orientation of a device. In some configurations, a system can select a first aspect ratio for individual video streams of a communication session when a device is in a first orientation, e.g., a portrait orientation. In addition, the system can select a second aspect ratio for the individual video streams when the device is in a second orientation, e.g., a landscape orientation. In some configurations, the first aspect ratio can be greater than the second aspect ratio, or the aspect ratios can be selected based on a target aspect ratio, which can be adjusted over time. By dynamically selecting an aspect ratio for individual stream renderings, screen space of a device can be optimized while the device is held in various physical orientations.

Dynamically controlled aspect ratios for communication session video streams

The techniques disclosed herein improve user engagement and more efficient use of computing resources by providing dynamically controlled view states for communication sessions based on a number of people depicted in shared video streams. In some configurations, a system can control the size and position of a video rendering based on the number of individuals depicted in a video stream. In some configurations, a stream depicting a threshold number of people can be rendered in the primary display area and other streams can be rendered in a secondary section. The primary area can be sized to scale a video depicting multiple people video to equalize the size of the people with renderings of single-person video streams. This helps a system provide a more granular level of control to equalize the representation of each person displayed within different video streams.

Dynamically controlled view states for improved engagement during communication sessions

The disclosed techniques improve user engagement and more efficient use of computing resources by providing dynamically controlled aspect ratios for communication session renderings based on a number of people depicted in shared video streams. A system can identify select streams depicting at least a threshold number of individuals. A first aspect ratio can be selected from a number of preset aspect ratios for the display of select streams depicting at least the threshold number of individuals. A second aspect ratio can be selected for the display of other individual streams having video components depicting less than the threshold number of individuals. In some embodiments, the first aspect ratio is greater than the second aspect ratio. By switching between aspect ratios depending on a number of individuals depicted in each video stream, a system can improve user engagement by equalizing the display each person participating in a communication session.

Dynamically controlled aspect ratios based on a number of participants depicted in communication video streams

Systems and methods for hosting a teleconference session are presented. One or more streams are received from a plurality of client computing devices at a server. The streams are combined to generate teleconference data. The teleconference data may be configured to display a first user interface arrangement in which a primary stream display area dominates a display with a secondary stream display area overlaid on the primary stream display area. The secondary stream display area may disappear after a period of time. The teleconference data may also be configured to display a second user interface arrangement in which the primary stream display area and secondary stream display area are displayed concurrently. A view control switch may be triggered to switch between the first and second user interface arrangement views.

Switch view functions for teleconference sessions

Systems and methods for hosting a teleconference session. Media data is received from a plurality of client computing devices at a server. The media data is combined into a teleconference stream configured to display a selected teleconference session view. The teleconference stream is transmitted to a client computing device having a display. The teleconference stream is displayed according to the teleconference session view, which includes a primary section displaying a first graphic element and at least one secondary section each including a user interface element having a toggle view function. The teleconference session view changes the display in the primary section to a second graphic element when a toggle actuation is detected at the user interface element of one of the secondary sections.

Toggle view functions for teleconferencing sessions

A continual learning process is applied to a class of risk estimate-based algorithms and associated risk thresholds used for deciding when to initiate a handoff between different types of network connections that are available to a mobile device having telephony functionality. The process is implemented as a virtuous loop providing ongoing tuning and adjustment to improve call handoff algorithms and risk thresholds so that handoffs can be performed with the goals of minimizing dropped calls and unacceptable degradation in call quality as well as avoiding premature handoffs. Device characteristics, environmental context, connection measurements, and outcomes of call handoff decisions are crowd-sourced from a population of mobile devices into a cloud-based handoff decision enabling service. The service evaluates potentially usable handoff decision algorithms and risk thresholds against archived crowd-sourced data to determine how they would have performed in real world situations and delivers improved algorithms and risk thresholds to the mobile devices.

Call handoff initiation in hybrid networks

Display screen with animated graphical user interface

Embodiments obtain a content item representing graphic content suitable for display as part of a shared media event, determine an activity metric for said content item, determine an activity metric for a participant of said shared media event, comparing the activity metric of the content item and the activity metric the participant, cause a display to render the graphic content associated with said content item, and render a representation of said participant. In at least some implementations, the relative displayed positions of said graphic content and said representation of the participant are based on the result of the comparison of the activity metric of the content item and the activity metric the participant.

Media communication

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Ruchir Astavans