METHOD AND CONFERENCE SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING A VOTE - Patent application

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for conducting voting using a conference system including at least a first conference unit with a camera and a screen (10) and a second conference unit with a screen, the method comprising the following steps: receiving a vote (6b) using inputs (6a-6c) to the first conference unit, recording the vote (6b) by the first conference unit and capturing an image (1c) by a camera, transmitting the vote (6b) and the image (1c) to the second conference unit, verifying the content of the image (1c) on the second conference unit using a reference, tallying the votes (6b) if the image (1c) matches the reference, and discarding the votes (6b) if the image does not match the reference.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for conducting a vote using a conference system, as well as a conference system and a computer program for carrying out said method. [Background technology]

[0002] Background of the Invention An electronic conference system typically includes multiple delegate units, each of which provides a speaking location for attendees of a conference. Such delegate units also enable voting, for example, via push buttons or touch buttons. For example, International Publication No. 2011 / 009483 discloses a conference system including delegate units. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 009483 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] Disclosure of the Invention According to the present invention, a method for conducting a vote using a conference system is disclosed herein, as well as a conference system and a computer program for performing the method according to the independent claims. Further preferred developments are the subject of the dependent claims and the following description. The method comprises, in particular, the steps of verifying the content of the image on the second conference unit with the reference by providing a user interface for verifying the content of the image on the second conference unit with the reference and counting the votes if the image matches the reference and discarding the votes if the image does not match the reference, counting the votes if the image matches the reference and discarding the votes if the image does not match the reference.

[0005] The conference system includes at least a first conference unit having a camera and a screen, and a second conference unit having a screen.

[0006] In one embodiment, the conference unit, especially the second conference unit, is a so-called head unit of the conference system. This head unit can provide a speaking location for attendees attending the meeting / conference face-to-face. In addition to a screen, each head unit may include a microphone and a speaker. The microphone may be used to capture the head unit's user's comments or contributions to the discussion. The speaker may be provided to output contributions of other users of the conference system. Activation and deactivation of the microphone can be controlled in a management operation mode of multiple microphones, for example, by pushing a button provided on the head unit and / or by releasing the head unit from its assigned role as the meeting / conference chairperson. Typically, multiple head units of a conference system are located in the same room.

[0007] In one embodiment, the first conference unit is a videoconferencing device. For example, the videoconferencing device may be a mobile device such as a mobile phone (smartphone), tablet, or laptop. The videoconferencing device may also be a head unit specifically designed for online (remote) conferences by providing means to enable the head unit to connect to the conference system via a network such as the Internet. Typically, the videoconferencing device is not located in the same room as the head unit of the conference system.

[0008] The present invention allows for participants attending a conference remotely, i.e., instead of using a regular delegate unit, to use a videoconferencing device such as a smartphone or personal computer as a first conference unit and to vote in a secure way via this first conference unit, i.e., the first conference unit is not usually located in the same room as the second conference unit.

[0009] The present invention allows for the documentation of votes submitted online, along with visual identification of participants who cast their votes via video conferencing devices, which allows for identification of whether the person who cast the vote is actually a participant entitled to vote. This visual identification is performed at the moment of casting the vote and for each individual vote of an online participant. An online participant should be understood to mean a participant who joins a meeting / conference from a remote location via a network such as the Internet.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, the votes of the online participants are received by input to the first conference unit. The camera may be, for example, a webcam or any type of camera suitable for capturing and transmitting digital images.

[0011] The votes are recorded by the first conference unit, and images (photos) of the online participants are captured by a camera pointed at the online participants. The votes and images of the online participants are then transmitted to a second conference unit. In one embodiment, the second conference unit may be, for example, a representative unit assigned to the chairperson of the meeting / conference.

[0012] On the second conference unit, the image of the online participant is verified with the reference. In this regard, the image of the online participant received by the second conference unit can be displayed, for example, on the screen of the second conference unit. Based on this displayed image, the chairperson can verify the image, for example, by comparing it with the reference.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the reference may be a reference image of the online participants taken before the meeting and stored in a database. The database may be connected to the conferencing system via a network or may be included in the conferencing system. For example, the reference image may be submitted as part of registration for the meeting / conference and stored in the database. Depending on the online participants' consent, the image may be deleted from the database at the end of the meeting / conference, or the image may be permanently stored in the database. In the latter case, if meetings are held regularly with the same participants, the need to provide reference images of the online participants before each meeting is avoided. For smaller meetings, the chairperson may know the registered participants personally and be able to identify online participants without the need for reference images.

[0014] Alternatively or additionally, the comparison of the image of the online participant received by the second conference unit with the reference image can be performed automatically by the conference system, for example, by using a suitable image processing algorithm. For example, the comparison of the captured image with the reference image can be performed using artificial intelligence (AI). In this regard, for example, machine learning by using a state vector machine or a neural network for deep learning can be used. Each AI model can be trained using reference images of the online participants stored in a database.

[0015] If the image of the online participant received by the second conference unit matches the reference, the online participant's vote is tallied. However, if the received image does not match the reference, the online participant's vote is discarded. This ensures that only those who are authorized to vote have their votes considered during an online or hybrid meeting.

[0016] According to one embodiment, a trigger signal may be sent from the second conference unit to the first conference unit. When the trigger signal is received, the camera pointed at the online participants may be automatically enabled (activated) by the first conference unit. This ensures that the camera is ready for operation when the online participants cast their votes. Images of the online participants can then be captured by the camera when the first conference unit receives the online participants' votes.

[0017] Additionally or alternatively, the camera may be automatically enabled in the manner described above when the presence of an online conference participant is verified. This allows the camera to be used for two items on the conference agenda: specifically, to verify the presence of online participants and to verify their votes. The camera may also be capable of being manually enabled by online participants when votes are opened or when the participant's presence is verified.

[0018] In one embodiment, if the camera is enabled, a live camera image of the online participants is transferred to the second conference unit. In other words, at least before the images of the online participants are captured, the live camera image of the online participants is provided to, for example, the meeting / conference chair, so that the chair can additionally match the captured image with the live camera image provided before voting. In one embodiment, this transfer can end when the images of the online participants are captured. After the images are captured, the camera can also remain active, for example, during the entire meeting / conference.

[0019] In one embodiment, images of online participants are captured at the moment the vote is received by the first conference unit and / or at a predetermined time after the vote is received by the first conference unit, which allows the participant image capture to be synchronized with the voting process.

[0020] In one embodiment, the images and votes of the online participants may both be displayed on the screen of the first conference unit, allowing the participants to view and verify the data being transferred to the second conference unit.

[0021] In one embodiment, the images and votes of the online participants may be combined into a single electronic file. In this way, the votes and images of the online participants can be combined into one electronic file and transmitted together to a second conference unit and / or other device.

[0022] In one embodiment, the electronic file may be a report of the meeting / conference in which the vote was taken, and the images and votes of the online participants may be stored in a separate electronic file from the meeting report, or they may be deleted after the votes are verified.

[0023] In one embodiment, a new image of an online participant may be captured if a vote already received by the first conference unit changes due to new input from the online participant. In other words, if an online participant changes their vote, a new image of the online participant is captured to verify that the changed vote was actually cast by that online participant. This ensures that each vote cast by an online participant can be verified by the participant's associated image.

[0024] It is also advantageous to implement the method according to the invention in the form of a computer program or computer program product with program code for performing all method steps, since this leads to lower costs, especially if the execution control unit is still used for further tasks and is therefore present anyway. Finally, a machine-readable storage medium is provided with the computer program stored thereon. Suitable storage media or data carriers for providing the computer program are, in particular, hard disks, flash memories, EEPROMs, magnetic memories such as DVDs, optical memories, and electrical memories. It is also possible to download the program via a computer network (Internet, intranet, etc.). Such downloading can be performed wired or wirelessly (e.g., via a WLAN network, a 3G, 4G, 5G, or 6G connection, etc.).

[0025] Further advantages and embodiments of the present invention are shown in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, in which the invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the drawings and will be described below with reference to these drawings, in which identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals so that repeated description will be avoided where unnecessary. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method according to the present invention. [Figure 2a] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a screen of an exemplary video conferencing device that may be part of a conferencing system according to the present invention during voting by online participants. [Figure 2b] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a screen of an exemplary video conferencing device that may be part of a conferencing system according to the present invention during voting by online participants. [Figure 2c] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a screen of an exemplary video conferencing device that may be part of a conferencing system according to the present invention during voting by online participants. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Embodiments of the invention 1 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of a method according to the present invention. In particular, the flowchart describes an example of how votes of online participants attending a meeting / conference are verified to ensure that only those who are eligible to vote are considered in the vote. Participants are attending remotely, i.e., they do not use a conferencing system with their representative unit, but rather use a first conferencing unit in the form of a video conferencing device such as a smartphone or personal computer.

[0028] After the process begins in step S10, the online participant intending to vote through the first conference unit must decide in optional step S90 whether to consent to image capture to verify the online vote. If the online participant does not consent (0), the process ends. If the online participant consents (1), then in step S100, the camera of the first conference unit pointed at the online participant is enabled. This camera may be enabled at the start of voting, or may already be enabled at the start of the meeting when the presence of each participant has been verified.

[0029] After the camera is enabled, the method proceeds to step S110, where the online participants submit their votes by inputting them into the first conference unit. The first conference unit may allow vote input via respective physical or virtual (touchscreen) buttons.

[0030] At the moment the online participant casts their vote, and / or at a predetermined time thereafter, an image of the online participant is captured by a camera in step S120, which may be, for example, an internal camera or a webcam connected to the online participant's video conferencing device.

[0031] This image and the recorded votes are then transferred to a central conference system (step S130).

[0032] In the next step S140, the image of the online participant is verified on the second conference unit using the reference. For example, the image of the online participant received by the second conference unit can be displayed on the screen of the second conference unit together with the reference image. Based on the displayed image, the chairperson can verify the image, for example, by comparing it with the reference image. The reference image may be taken before the conference and stored in a database. For example, the reference image may be submitted as part of registration for the meeting / conference and stored in a database. For smaller meetings, the chairperson may know the registered participants personally and be able to identify online participants without the need for a reference image.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, the comparison of the image of the online participant with the reference image can be performed automatically by the conferencing system, for example by using suitable image processing algorithms, in which case only the comparison result may be displayed on the second conference unit.

[0034] If the received image of the online participant matches the reference (path 1 in step S150), then the votes of the online participant are tallied in step S170. In this regard, the second conference unit can issue a release to tallie the received votes, for example, based on the match between the received image and the reference image. This release can occur automatically or in response to input from the chairperson. Once the second conference unit releases the vote, it may be processed and tallied in the conference system.

[0035] However, if the received image does not match the reference (path 0 in step S150), the online participant's vote is discarded in step 160. In this case, the second conference unit may issue a warning on its screen to notify the chairperson of the failure to match the received image with the reference image. The online participant's vote may then be discarded automatically or in response to input from the chairperson.

[0036] In one embodiment, the matching of images to references is performed automatically by the conferencing system, for example by so-called machine learning. However, it may still be advantageous to allow the matching results to be verified by a human (e.g., a chairperson) rather than continuing to automatically count or discard votes, to ensure that valid votes are not erroneously discarded or invalid votes are not erroneously counted.

[0037] The procedure then ends in step S20.

[0038] 2a to 2c show diagrammatically the screen of an exemplary videoconferencing device that may be part of the conference system according to the present invention during voting by online participants.

[0039] The image shown on screen 10 in Figure 2a may be displayed immediately after a camera (not shown) pointed at the online participants has been authorized. The screen image on the right includes a live camera image 1a of the online participants and an information panel 2 below the camera image 1a showing the status of the voting process. In Figure 2a, for example, the information field 2 may include information encouraging the online participants to cast their votes.

[0040] Furthermore, on the right side of the screen there is a list of votes to be carried out during the meeting 3 and a button for requesting to speak 4. In this list of votes, the topic of each vote can be displayed in short form and the topic of the current vote can be highlighted.

[0041] To the left of Vote List 3, Time Period 8 (0:25) is displayed to inform online participants about the time remaining for the current vote.

[0042] In the center of the screen 10 is displayed the current voting topic 5. This topic 5 may be taken from the voting list 3 and shown in more detail in the center of the screen 10.

[0043] Below topic 5 are three voting buttons 6a-6c for entering votes into the videoconferencing device. Button 6a includes a "+" that can be used to cast a yes vote, button 6b includes a "-" that can be used to cast a no vote, and button 6c includes an "x" that can be used to abstain from voting.

[0044] The current voting status is shown above the displayed topic 5. The left bar 7a shows the number of yes votes, the bar 7b shows the number of no votes, and the right bar 7c shows the number of abstentions.

[0045] Figure 2b shows the image on screen 10 when an online participant casts their vote. In the example shown, the online participant has voted "no," indicated by a small check mark on button 6b. When the vote is cast, an image or photo of the online participant may be taken and the camera may be de-authorized again, so that area 1b, where in Figure 2a the live camera image of the online participant was displayed, becomes blank. Additionally, information field 2 may contain a message that a vote has been cast.

[0046] Figure 2c shows the image on screen 10 when voting has finished. At this point, after time period 8 has elapsed (0:00), captured images 1c of online participants are displayed on screen 10 with their votes displayed by clicking on button 6b. Additionally, field 2a below captured image 1c may display information about the vote, along with the time of voting. Furthermore, information field 2a may contain a message that the current vote is complete, and the result of the vote can be inferred from the height of bars 7a-7c.

[0047] To verify the votes of the online participants, the captured image 1c, along with the information provided in field 2a, may be combined into an electronic file and sent to the second conference unit in the form of a representative unit of the meeting chairperson. In one embodiment, a reference image is displayed on the display of the second conference unit along with the participant's image. The chairperson can, for example, compare the captured image of the online participant with the reference image to ensure that the person casting the vote is the same as the registered participant of the meeting. If so, the votes cast by the online participant are tallied; if not, they are rejected.

[0048] Providing the captured image 1c together with the information provided in field 2a for verification allows for documentation of the vote submitted online along with the visual identification of the participant who cast the vote via the video conferencing device, which allows for identification of whether the person who cast the vote is actually a participant entitled to vote.

Claims

1. 1. A method for conducting voting using a conference system including at least a first conference unit having a camera and a screen (10) and a second conference unit having a screen, the method comprising: The method comprises the following steps: receiving votes (6b) using inputs (6a-6c) to the first conference unit; recording said vote (6b) by said first conference unit and capturing an image (1c) by said camera; transmitting said vote (6b) and said image (1c) to said second conference unit; - verifying the content of the image (1c) on the second conference unit using a reference; if said image (1c) matches said reference, counting said votes (6b); If the image does not match the reference, discarding the vote (6b); A method comprising:

2. The method comprises the following steps: sending a trigger signal from the second conference unit to the first conference unit; enabling the camera by the first conference unit when the trigger signal is received; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

3. The method comprises the following steps: If the camera is enabled, transferring a live camera image to the second conference unit until the image is captured. The method of claim 2 , comprising:

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image (1c) is captured at the moment the vote is received by the first conference unit and / or at a predetermined time after the vote is received by the first conference unit.

5. 5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the references are reference images of online participants taken before the meeting and stored in a database.

6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the images (1c) and the votes (6b) are both stored in an electronic file.

7. A conference system for conducting voting, comprising at least a first conference unit having a camera and a screen, and a second conference unit having a screen (10), The conferencing system is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. 10. A computer program comprising instructions for causing a conferencing system according to claim 7 to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when the computer program is executed by the conferencing system according to claim 7.

9. 9. A computer readable data carrier on which a computer program according to claim 8 is stored.

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