Conference Call Feedback Using Unmuted Audio and Screen Thumbnails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Participants in conference calls often struggle to determine if their audio is being heard or their screen is being shared, leading to disruptive questions and delays, as existing solutions require manual intervention or delayed feedback.
Innovation Solution
A conference call service provides real-time audio feedback by sending unmuted microphone audio and screen sharing thumbnails to participants during a feedback period, automatically and without manual intervention, ensuring immediate confirmation of audio and video transmission to others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If participants ask questions to confirm audio/screen sharing status, then they can verify transmission status, but the conference call experience is disrupted and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automatic audio feedback by capturing the participant's microphone audio and playing it back to the participant in real-time. This feedback mechanism allows participants to verify their audio is being transmitted without asking questions, resolving the contradiction by providing reliable confirmation while preserving conference call time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables participants to self-verify their audio and screen sharing status through automated feedback mechanisms. Instead of relying on other participants to confirm transmission, the system provides self-service verification through real-time audio playback and screen content thumbnails, eliminating time loss from manual confirmation questions.
2Reliability
If manual verification methods are used, then participants can confirm audio/screen status, but the process requires manual intervention and delays the conference call
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically provides verification feedback without requiring manual intervention. When a participant unmutes their microphone or initiates screen sharing, the system automatically captures the audio/screen content, processes it, and provides feedback, making the verification process simple and automatic rather than requiring manual questions and responses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs verification actions automatically as soon as the participant unmutes or shares their screen. The feedback is provided immediately in real-time, eliminating the need for subsequent manual verification steps and making the entire process seamless and operationally simple.
3Reliability
If real-time audio feedback is provided to all participants continuously, then participants can monitor audio quality, but network bandwidth is consumed and other participants experience delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time audio feedback only to the specific participant whose microphone is active, rather than continuously to all participants. This localized feedback approach allows audio quality monitoring for the speaking participant while preserving network bandwidth efficiency and preventing delays for other participants in the conference call.
4Reliability
If screen content is sent back to the participant in real-time, then the participant can verify screen sharing, but network bandwidth is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a thumbnail copy of the screen content and sends this simplified representation back to the participant for verification, rather than transmitting the full-resolution screen content. This copying approach enables reliable screen sharing verification while significantly reducing network bandwidth consumption compared to sending the actual screen content.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques are described for providing real-time audio and/or video feedback during a conference call. Audio feedback can be provided during a conference call in response to a participant unmuting the participant's microphone. For example, a feedback period can be initiated upon receiving an unmute indication. During the feedback period, the participant's microphone audio can be sent, in real-time, back to the participant for playback in addition to sending to the other participants. After the feedback period is over, the participant can be removed from receiving their microphone audio. Video feedback can be provided during a conference call in response to screen sharing. For example, during a feedback period, the participant can receive, in real-time, a screen content thumbnail of their shared screen content. After the feedback period is over, the screen content thumbnail can stop being sent.