Conferencing System Catch-Up Mode and Playback Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conferencing systems do not effectively allow participants to review recorded conference information, join live, or manage catch-up modes, lacking real-time status indicators for participants and options to skip non-essential content, leading to inefficiencies in catching up with missed portions.

Innovation Solution

The system provides graphical user interfaces to indicate live and catch-up modes for participants, allows configurable playback speeds, and enables skipping of non-essential content using voice analysis and topic identification, with options for conference leaders to request or force participants to join live, and marks important sections for review.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If participants review recorded conference information at accelerated playback speeds, then the time to catch up is reduced, but the ability to review important content is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecatch-up timeVSAvoidimportant content review
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The recorded conference is segmented into multiple sections based on topic, speaker, or importance. Participants can selectively review only the sections they need, rather than listening to the entire recorded conference at accelerated speed. This segmentation allows efficient catch-up while ensuring important content is not missed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Participants perform partial review action by selecting only the necessary portions of the recorded conference to review. The system enables reviewing specific sections at normal or accelerated speed based on participant needs, rather than requiring complete review of all content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Ease of operation

If the system provides real-time status indicators for all participants, then participant coordination is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticipant coordinationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and displays only the essential status information that participants need to coordinate effectively. Rather than showing all possible system data, it focuses on key indicators such as catch-up mode status and section review progress, reducing visual complexity while maintaining coordination benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If participants can skip non-essential content during catch-up, then the catch-up efficiency is improved, but the ability to review complete information is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecatch-up efficiencyVSAvoidcomplete information review
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Different portions of the recorded conference are assigned different qualities or priorities. Important sections are marked for mandatory review, while non-essential content can be skipped. This local quality differentiation allows participants to efficiently catch up on critical information while optionally reviewing other sections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the recorded conference to identify and mark important sections, speakers, and topics before the participant begins reviewing. This preliminary action enables participants to make informed decisions about what to review and what to skip, improving catch-up efficiency without losing essential information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Adaptability or versatility

If the system allows configurable playback speeds based on catch-up time required, then the flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplayback flexibilityVSAvoidcontrol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The playback speed is made dynamic rather than static. The system automatically adjusts playback speed based on the amount of catch-up time required and the importance of the content being reviewed. More critical sections may play at normal speed while less critical sections play at higher speeds, providing adaptability without requiring complex user controls.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2797316B1Conferencing system with catch-up features and method of using same
Publication Date: 2020.05.06 MITEL CORP
  • EP2797316B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2797316B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2797316B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A conferencing system and method that allows participants to review recorded conference information and to join the conference live are disclosed. Exemplary systems and methods continuously record or buffer at least a portion of a conference, such that participants joining late or that otherwise miss a portion of the conference can review a recording of the portion of the conference and catch up to the live portion of the conference.