Polycom, Inc.

Octave Communications, Inc.

Voyant Technologies, Inc.

William O'Malley

Arthur P Leondires

Charles M Grandgent

The present invention comprises a method for audio/video conferencing. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises using a dynamic threshold value to determine whether there is speech on a line. One aspect, the method comprises determining a dynamic threshold value based on one or more characteristics of signals received on a port, associating that dynamic threshold value with the port; and comparing one or more characteristics of signals subsequently received on the port to the dynamic threshold value. Signals received over a plurality of ports are summed, but for ports whose signal characteristics have a specified relationship to the dynamic threshold value associated with that port, signals are not contained in the sum.

Audio conference platform with dynamic speech detection threshold

An audio conferencing apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a data bus, such as a TDM bus, a controller, and an interface circuit that receives audio signals from a plurality of conference participants and provides digitized audio signals in assigned time slots over the TDM bus. The audio conferencing platform also includes a plurality of digital signal processors (DSPs) adapted to communicate on the TDM bus with the interface circuit. At least one of the DSPs sums a plurality of the digitized audio signals associated with conference participants who are speaking, to provide a summed conference signal. This DSP provides the summed conference signal to at least one of the other DSPs, which removes the digitized audio signal associated with a speaker whose voice is included in the summed conference signal, to provide a customized conference audio signal to each of the speakers.

Audio conferencing method using scalable architecture

A conferencing method that conducts an audio conference over the Internet. The method includes receiving digitized audio signals, summing a plurality of received audio signals that contain speech, providing a summed conference signal from the summed plurality of audio signals with an audio conference mixer, transcoding the summed conference signal, and streaming the transcoded summed signal onto the Internet.

Audio conferencing method

An audio conferencing system comprises an audio conference mixer that receives digitized audio signals and sums a plurality of the digitized audio signals containing speech to provide a summed conference signal. A transcoder receives and transcodes the summed conference signal to provide a transcoded summed signal that is streamed onto the Internet.

Audio conference platform system and method for broadcasting a real-time audio conference over the internet

An audio conferencing platform includes data bus (e.g., a time division multiplex (TDM) bus), a controller, and an interface circuit that receives audio signals from a plurality of conference participants and provides digitized audio signals in assigned time slots over the TDM bus. The audio conferencing platform also includes a plurality of digital signal processors (DSPs) adapted to communicate on the TDM bus with the interface circuit. At least one of the DSPs sums a plurality of the digitized audio signals associated with conference participants who are speaking, to provide a summed conference signal. This DSP provides the summed conference signal to at least one of the other plurality of DSPs, which removes the digitized audio signal associated with a speaker whose voice is included in the summed conference signal, to provide a customized conference audio signal to each of the speakers.

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Georgetown, MA, United States of America

William O'Malley