Audio telephone and video conferencing systems have a computerized server having a plurality of ports for terminating audio and video from participants, a connection to an Internet network, software providing switching and controls in conference management, and an interactive interface enabling an organizer to configure a conference, selecting time and participants, and a timer function timing participation by individual ones of participants. As each participant is enabled to speak, a preprogrammed time-to-speak is announced or displayed to at least the instant speaker, and the timer function begins to count down from the time-to-speak.

According to one embodiment, a signal processing apparatus correlates a plurality of communication terminals as a group and enables one-to-many communications in the group. The signal processing apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry assigns a transmission right to one of the communication terminals in the group. The processing circuitry generates text data based on voice data from said one of the communication terminals in possession of the transmission right. The processing circuitry gives a texting completion notice indicative of completion of texting processing to the communication terminals in the group. The processing circuitry transmits, after the texting completion notice is given, the generated text data to at least one of the communication terminals in the group.

An invisible intercom and access system and method. The invisible intercom and access system may include a visitor device configured to make a phone call to a specific phone number; one or more authorized point of contact (APoC) device configured to receive the phone call and having an input configured to receive a code that produces tones; one or more third party device configured to control access to one or more access point of a property or building; and an invisible intercom and access apparatus configured to receive the phone call from the visitor device and connect the phone call to the one or more APoC device, recognize the tones of the code input at the one or more APoC device, and control or send a control signal to the one or more third party device. The invisible intercom and access method may include receiving via an invisible intercom and access apparatus a phone call from a visitor device using a specific phone number provided to a visitor at one or more access point of a building or property; connecting via the invisible intercom and access apparatus the phone call to one or more APoC device; recognizing via the invisible intercom and access apparatus tones of a code input by the one or more APoC device; and controlling the one or more third party device in response to the recognizing of the tones.

Example embodiments relate to conference calls. In a method, there may be provided audio data and associated classification data from a plurality of user devices as part of a conference call, the plurality of user devices including at least a first user device and a second user device. The classification data may be indicative of one of a plurality of predetermined sound types represented by the associated audio data in a current time frame. The method may comprise determining that the audio data provided by the first user device is associated with a dominant speaker. The method may comprise controlling transmission of the audio data as part of the conference call, including preventing transmission of audio data provided by at least the second user device based on its associated classification data being indicative of a restricted sound type and the first user device being associated with a dominant speaker.

Systems and methods for video conference content auto-retrieval and focus based on learned relevance is provided. In accordance with the systems and methods, audio streams and video streams from client devices participating in a video conference are received. Based on the audio streams, a subject being discussed during the video conference at a point in time is determined. A video stream that is most relevant to the subject being discussed during the video conference at the point in time is determined from the video streams. The determined video stream is provided to the client devices for presentation on the client devices while the subject is being discussed during the video conference.

Proposed is a method of holding virtual meetings, a system for holding virtual meetings, and a virtual meeting participant interface, which provide for the interaction of a plurality of participant automated workstations, and of at least one automated workstation of an authorized speaker, in which control over the holding of a meeting is carried out from the automated workstation of the authorized speaker by means of striking keys on a keyboard, and wherein each participant is allocated a separate key. The proposed group of inventions provides for the simultaneous control of the transmission of audio content and of video content, and the automated workstation of the authorized speaker is used for controlling when which conference participant is granted the right to speak.

The present disclosure provides a method and system for managing mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) communication. The method includes receiving, by a floor control server, a first floor request message, from a primary floor participant, while a floor is granted to a secondary floor participant and a first media transmission is performed by the secondary floor participant; in response to receiving the first floor request message, transmitting, by the floor control server, to the secondary floor participant, a first floor revoke message for stopping the first media transmission of the secondary floor participant, and transmitting, by the floor control server, a first floor grant message to the primary floor participant; and transmitting, by the floor control server, a first floor taken message to the secondary floor participant, wherein the first floor taken message includes information of the primary floor participant granted the floor.

A device receives call data associated with a conference call between a plurality of users. The call data includes at least two of: data identifying each of the plurality of users, data identifying user activity associated with at least one user in the plurality of users, and conference call metadata associated with the conference call. The call muting platform receives voice data associated with the conference call. The voice data is associated with at least one vocal utterance associated with the plurality of users. The call muting platform provides the call data and the voice data to a second device, and receives mute data from the second device. The mute data indicates whether to mute or un-mute a particular user of the plurality of users.

Proposed is a method of holding virtual meetings, a system for holing virtual meetings, and a virtual meeting participant interface, which provide for the interaction of a plurality of participant automated workstations, and of at least one automated workstation of an authorized speaker, in which control over the holding of a meeting is carried out from the automated workstation of the authorized speaker by means of striking keys on a keyboard, and wherein each participant is allocated a separate key. The proposed group of inventions provides for the simultaneous control of the transmission of audio content and of video content, and the automated workstation of the authorized speaker is used for controlling when which conference participant is granted the right to speak.

In one embodiment, a computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer read-able medium that is programmed to manage a digital audio conference including a plurality of conference units and each conference unit including a microphone is provided. The computer-program product includes instructions to receive first information corresponding to a layout of a venue that facilitates an audio conference for users of the plurality of conference units. The computer-program product further includes instructions to store second information corresponding to an arrangement of a plurality of seats in the venue and to associate a first conference unit of the plurality of conference units to a first seat of the plurality of seats.