Patent ID: 8345082
Filing Date: 2013-01-01
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method to cause a video conferencing system to display a plurality of participants, comprising: receiving, at a multipoint control unit, video data including sound and image data from a plurality of endpoints connected to the multipoint control unit, the video data corresponding to participants located at each of the plurality of endpoints, at least one of the endpoints capturing video data corresponding to more than one participant; extracting, at the multipoint control unit, participant image data from the sound and image data included in the video data; processing, at the multipoint control unit, the extracted participant image data to have a same appearance; combining, at the multipoint control unit, the processed participant image data to generate a merged image data of participants from other endpoints, the merged image data excluding surrounding background image data corresponding to each of the participants, images of the participants overlapping in the merged image data; transmitting the merged image data from the multipoint control unit to a respective endpoint; and displaying, at a monitor of the respective endpoint, the merged image data received from the multipoint control unit, the monitor displaying participants from other endpoints as being located in a same room.