Patent ID: 8515039
Filing Date: 2013-08-20
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A method of carrying out a voice conference comprising: establishing a conference call between a plurality of voice terminals, the voice terminals comprising a first voice terminal, a second voice terminal, a third voice terminal, a fourth voice terminal and a fifth voice terminal; a voice conference system analyzing incoming voice data from each of the voice terminals for transmitting to the other voice terminals; the voice conference system determining that at least the first voice terminal and the second voice terminal are inactive over a predetermined time period during the conference call and grouping the first and second voice terminals in a first group of terminals; the voice conference system determining that at least the third voice terminal and the fourth voice terminal are active over the predetermined time period and grouping the third and fourth voice terminals in a second group of terminals; the voice conference system receiving incoming voice data from the third and fourth voice terminals and superimposing the voice data from the third voice terminal with the voice data from the fourth voice terminal to form a first aggregate voice signal; the voice conference system sending a second aggregate voice signal comprising the voice data of the fourth voice terminal to the third voice terminal; the voice conference system sending a third aggregate voice signal comprising the voice data of the third voice terminal to the fourth voice terminal; and the voice conference system sending the first aggregate voice signal to the first and second voice terminals; the voice conference system determining that the fifth voice terminal is active over the predetermined time period and grouping the fifth voice terminal in the second group of terminals; the voice conference system receiving incoming voice data from the fifth voice terminal and superimposing the voice data from the fifth voice terminal with the voice data from the third voice terminal and the voice data from the fourth voice terminal to form the first aggregate voice signal; the voice conference system superimposing the voice data from the fifth voice terminal with the voice data from the fourth voice terminal to form the second aggregate voice signal; the voice conference system superimposing the voice data from the third voice terminal with the voice data from the fifth voice terminal to form the third aggregate voice signal; the voice conference system superimposing the voice data from the third and fourth voice terminals to form a fourth aggregate voice data; the voice conference system sending the fourth aggregate voice signal to the fifth voice terminal; and wherein the voice conference system comprises a plurality of decoders, an activation identification unit, a plurality of coders, a coding control unit, and a signal mixing unit; the decoders decoding data from the voice terminals to transmit the voice data from the voice terminals to the activation identification unit and the signal mixing unit, the activation identification unit determining that at least the first voice terminal and the second voice terminal are inactive over the predetermined time period during the conference call and determining that at least the third, fourth and fifth voice terminals are active over the predetermined time period; the coding control unit grouping the third, fourth and fifth voice terminals in the second group of terminals based upon the determination that at least the third, fourth and fifth voice terminals were active made by the activation identification unit and grouping the first and second voice terminals in the first group of terminals based upon the determination that at least the first and second voice terminals are inactive over the predetermined time period made by the activation unit; the coding control unit assigning a first coder of the coders to the voice terminals of the first group; the coding control unit assigning a second coder of the coders to the third voice terminal; the coding control unit assigning a third coder of the coders to the fourth voice terminal; the coding control unit assigning a fourth coder of the coders to the fifth voice terminal; the signal mixing control unit receiving the decoded data from the decoders and forming the first, second, third and fourth aggregate voice signals for sending to the voice terminals based upon the active and inactive determinations made by the activation identification unit, the first coder of the coders encoding the first aggregate voice signal for transmitting to the first and second voice terminals; the second coder of the coders encoding the second aggregate voice signal for transmitting to the third voice terminal; the third coder of the coders encoding the third aggregate voice signal for transmitting to the fourth voice terminal; and the fourth coder of the coders encoding the fourth aggregate voice signal for transmitting to the fifth voice terminal.