Communication apparatus, communication system, video image display control method, storage medium and program

• US 20030001878A1
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/716
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A communication apparatus of the present invention has a function of displaying a plurality of video images on a same screen. The communication apparatus includes a first synthesizing unit with synthesizing video data transmitted from a remote communication terminal and video data on a local communication terminal so that a video image on the remote communication terminal and a video image on the local communication terminal are displayed on the same screen in accordance with display layout information common to the remote communication terminal to the local communication terminal that is determined based on a display video image number on the remote communication terminal and a display video image number on the local communication terminal, and a display unit which displays video images corresponding to the synthesized video data obtained by the first synthesizing unit.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus having a function of displaying a plurality of video images on the same screen, comprising:

first synthesizing means for synthesizing video data transmitted from a remote communication terminal and video data on a local communication terminal so that a video image on the side of said remote communication terminal and a video image on the side of said local communication terminal are displayed on a same screen in accordance with display layout information common to said remote communication terminal to said local communication terminal, that is determined based on a number of display video images of said remote communication terminal and a number of display video images on said local communication terminal; and

display means for displaying video images corresponding to the synthesized video data obtained by said first synthesizing means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

communication means for transmitting the number of display video images on said local communication terminal to said remote communication terminal, and receiving the display layout information transmitted from said remote communication terminal; and

second synthesizing means for synthesizing plural of video data on said local communication terminal on the basis of the display layout information received by said communication means,

wherein said communication means transmits, to said remote communication terminal, the synthesized video data on said local communication terminal that is obtained by said second synthesizing means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first synthesizing means synthesizes the synthesizes video data on said local communication terminal that is obtained by said second synthesizing means, with the video data transmitted from said remote communication terminal.

13. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of devices so connected as to be communicable with each other,

wherein at least one of said plurality of devices has a function of said communication apparatus defined in any one of claims 1 to 12.

23. A computer readable storage medium for recording a program to realize at least one of a function of said communication apparatus defined in any one of claims 1 through 12 and a function of said communication system defined in claim 13.

25. A program to realize with computer at least one of function of said communication apparatus defined in any one of claims 1 through 12 and a function of said communication system defined in claim 13.

4. A communication apparatus with a video image display function, for transmitting and receiving data to and from other communication apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

determining means for determining a display layout common to said other communication apparatus on the basis of a number of display video images on said other communication apparatus that is received from receiving means and a number of display video images on said communication apparatus so that a video image on said other communication apparatus and a video image on said communication apparatus are displayed on the same screen;

first synthesizing means synthesizing video data transmitted from said other communication apparatus with video data on said communication apparatus in accordance with the display layout determined by said determining means; and

display control means for effecting control so as to display a first synthesized video image obtained by said first synthesizing means on said display means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting information as to the display layout determined by said determining means to said other communication apparatus; and

second synthesizing means for synthesizing the video data on said communication apparatus in accordance with the display layout determined by said determining means,

wherein said communication means transmits second synthesized video data obtained by said second synthesizing means to said other communication apparatus.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said receiving means receives the video data on said other communication apparatus, and

said first synthesizing means synthesizes the second synthesized video data synthesized by said second synthesizing means with the video data on said other communication apparatus which is received by said receiving means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting arbitrary video image from the first synthesized video image displayed on said display means; and

control means for effecting control so as to perform a predetermined operation on the video image selected by said selecting means, and further control a video image corresponding to the selected video image displayed on said other communication apparatus.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control means effect control so as to perform a predetermined operation on a video image corresponding to the video image selected on said other communication apparatus, among the first synthesized video image displayed on said display means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said determining means displays a predetermined video image among the plurality of display video images on said other communication apparatus at a predetermined position on a screen on said communication apparatus, and determines the display layout so as to display the predetermined video image among the plurality of display video images on said communication apparatus, at the predetermined position on a screen on said other communication apparatus.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined video image on said communication apparatus is a video image obtained by a video camera associated with said communication apparatus, and the predetermined video image on said other communication apparatus is a video image obtained by a video camera associated with said other communication apparatus.

11. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said determining means re-determines the display layout in accordance with a change instruction of the number of display video images on said communication apparatus and/or the number of display video images on said other communication apparatus.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said first composing step includes a step of synthesizing the synthesized video image on said local communication terminal that is obtained in said second composing step with the video data transmitted from said remote communication terminal.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said first synthesizing step includes a step of synthesizing the synthesized video image on said local communication terminal that is obtained in said second synthesizing step with the video data transmitted from said remote communication terminal.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

a moving step of moving a cursor on a display screen in said display step on the basis of an operation by a user; and

a third transmitting step of transmitting information on the cursor movement in said moving step to said remote communication terminal.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising:

a control step of controlling the video images displayed in said display step on the basis of the information on the cursor movement in said moving step.

21. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

a moving step of moving the cursor on the display screen in said display step on the basis of at least the operation by the user; and

a third receiving step of receiving the information on the cursor movement from said remote communication terminal,

wherein said moving step includes a step of moving the cursor on the basis of the cursor movement information received in said third receiving step.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising a control step controlling the video images displayed in said display step on the basis of the information on the cursor movement in said moving step.

12. A communication apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of apparatuses each having a video image display function, said communication apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving from said plurality of apparatuses video image number information indicating the number of video images displayed on said plurality of apparatuses;

determining means for determining a display layout of the plurality of video images obtained from the plurality of apparatuses on the basis of the video image number information received by said receiving means; and

transmitting means for transmitting layout information indicating the display layout determined by said determining means to said plurality of apparatuses.

14. A video image display control method for controlling display of a plurality of video images obtained from at least a first video image processing system and a second video image processing system each having a communication function, said method comprising:

a determining step of determining a display layout of the plurality of video images on the basis of a number of display video images in said first video processing system and a number of display video images in said second video image processing system so that the plurality of video images obtained from said first video image processing system and said second video image processing system are displayed on a same screen,

wherein each of said first video image processing system and said second video image processing system includes;

a synthesizing step of synthesizing the plurality of video images obtained from said first video image processing system and said second video image processing system on the basis of the display layout determined in said determining step; and

a displaying step of displaying the synthesized video images obtained in said composing step.

24. A computer readable storage medium for recording a program to execute said processing steps of said video image display control method defined in any one of claims 14 to 22.

26. A program to execute with a computer said processing steps of said video image display control method defined in any one of claims 14 to 22.

15. A video image display control method used in a terminal having a function for communication with a remote communication terminal and capable of obtaining a plurality of video images and displaying the plurality of video images at one time, said method comprising:

a first transmitting step transmitting video image number information indicating the number of the plurality of video images to said remote communication terminal;

a first receiving step of receiving a display layout determined based on at least the video image number information from said remote communication terminal;

a first synthesizing step of synthesizing the plurality of video images on the basis of the display layout obtained in said first receiving step;

a second transmitting step of transmitting the synthesized video image obtained in said first composing step to said remote communication terminal;

a second receiving step of receiving a video image from said remote communication terminal;

a second synthesizing step of synthesizing the video image obtained in said second receiving step with the video images obtained in said first synthesizing step; and

a display step of displaying the synthesized video image obtained in said second synthesizing step.

17. A video image display control method used in a terminal having a function for communication with a remote communication terminal and capable of obtaining a plurality of video images and displaying the plurality of video images at one time, said method comprising:

a first receiving step of receiving display video image number information of said remote communication terminal;

a determining step of determining a display layout on the basis of the display video image number information obtained in said first receiving step and the number of the plurality of video images;

a first transmitting step of transmitting the display layout obtained in said determining step to said remote communication terminal;

a first synthesizing step of synthesizing the plurality of video images on the basis of the display layout obtained in said determining step;

a second transmitting step of transmitting the synthesized video image obtained in said first synthesizing step to said remote communication terminal;

a second receiving step of receiving a video image from said remote communication terminal;

a second synthesizing step of synthesizing the video image obtained in said second receiving step with the video image obtained in said first synthesizing step; and

a display step displaying the synthesized video image obtained in said second synthesizing step.