Server-Based Mute State Synchronization Across Heterogeneous Conference Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In teleconferencing, participants may not be aware of their mute state across different endpoint devices, leading to confusion and miscommunication due to the lack of synchronization between dissimilar devices used for web browser and telephone sessions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a server to receive and generate notifications of mute state changes, ensuring that the mute state is consistently indicated across multiple user devices, including those used for web and audio sessions, through a network that includes a mute notification module to facilitate inter-platform client state communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If participants use multiple dissimilar endpoint devices for web browser and telephone sessions, then communication flexibility and accessibility are improved, but synchronization of audio state information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that receives audio state information from one endpoint device and transmits it to other endpoint devices. This mediator resolves the synchronization problem by centralizing the information exchange, allowing dissimilar devices (web browser endpoints and telephone endpoints) to share mute state information without direct communication between them.
2Loss of information
If a server transmits mute state information between dissimilar endpoint devices, then audio state synchronization is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs multiple functions: it acts as a communication bridge for audio state information, maintains session management capabilities, and supports both web browser and telephone endpoint types. By making the server multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while achieving audio state synchronization.
3Reliability
If participants are notified of mute state changes across all devices, then communication reliability is improved, but information processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server transmits audio state information selectively to specific endpoint devices based on their relevance to the current communication context. Rather than broadcasting to all possible devices uniformly, the system applies local quality by tailoring information distribution to the specific needs of each endpoint, reducing unnecessary processing overhead while maintaining reliability where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a server in communication with a plurality of user devices, a notification of a mute state change at a first of the user devices, and generating an indication of mute state change for display at a second of the user devices. The server is used in a web session and one of the first and second user devices is used in an audio session of a conference. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.