Systems and methods for generating video e-mail

• US 20030177193A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alvin Pivowar, Daniel C. Budge, David Glass, Mike Wells, Robert Scheussler
• Original Assignee: Alvin Pivowar, Daniel C. Budge, David Glass, Mike Wells, Robert Scheussler
• Inventors: Wells, Mike, Pivowar, Alvin, Glass, David, Budge, Daniel C., Scheussler, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/388,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177193A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

Video messages are created in a manner that allows transparent delivery over any electronic mail (e-mail) system. The audio and video components of the message are recorded, encoded, and synchronously combined into a video message file. A player is selectively attached to the video message file to create an executable file which can be delivered as a standard binary file over conventional communications networks. To view the received video e-mail, the recipient executes the received file and the attached player automatically plays the video and audio message or the recipient executes the previously installed player which plays the video message.

Claims

1. A method of generating a file attached to a video e-mail ready for addressing and sending to a recipient, the method comprising:

activating video e-mail software to provide a graphical user interface which governs the preparation of a video clip;

providing within the graphical user interface of the video e-mail software a replay function allowing a user of the video e-mail software to replay at least a portion of audio and video data received from at least one of video capture electronics or audio processing electronics;

providing within the graphical user interface of the video e-mail software a save function allowing the user of the video e-mail software to save at least a portion of the audio and video data; and

providing within the graphical user interface of the video e-mail software a mail function allowing the user of the video e-mail software to generate a video e-mail in an e-mail client, wherein the video e-mail includes a video clip comprising at least a portion of the audio and video data and wherein the e-mail client is separate from the video e-mail software.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a virtual video cassette recorder.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual video cassette recorder further includes at least a play function, a record function, and a stop function.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing within the graphical user interface of the video e-mail software a load function allowing the user of the video e-mail software to load previously saved portions of audio and video data received from at least one of the video capture electronics or the audio processing electronics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the save function saves the at least a portion of the audio and video data along with an executable player configured to play the saved audio and video data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the video clip comprises a self-contained executable file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the self-contained executable file includes an executable player configured to play the audio and video data of the video clip.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising compressing the audio and video data received from at least one of the video capture electronics or the audio processing electronics into a substantially reduced file to avoid the need for storing comparatively large intermediate files.

9. A method of generating a video e-mail within an e-mail client with software other than the e-mail client, the method comprising:

executing software which accesses stored multimedia data;

executing software which optionally appends a multimedia player to at least a portion of the stored multimedia data, wherein the multimedia player allows a recipient of a video e-mail to review at least the portion of the stored multimedia data; and

executing software which passes at least a portion of the stored multimedia data and when appended, the multimedia player, to the e-mail client, thereby generating the video e-mail within the e-mail client with software other than the e-mail client.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the software which optionally appends the multimedia player to the stored multimedia data actually appends the multimedia player to at least the portion of the stored multimedia data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the software passing the stored multimedia data and optionally the multimedia player, passes an embedded object to the email client.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the multimedia player comprises a graphical user interface controlling player functions.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the player functions include play.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the player functions include stop.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the player functions include pause.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the stored multimedia data is generated by compressing audio and video data received from at least one of the video capture electronics or the audio processing electronics.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio and video data is compressed before it is stored to avoid the need for storing comparatively large intermediate files.

18. A computer processing system for generating a video e-mail data to be attached to a video e-mail, the computer processing system comprising:

software which accesses multimedia data;

software other than an e-mail client which passes at least a portion of the multimedia data to the e-mail client instructing the e-mail client to generate a video e-mail including an attached file including the multimedia data.

19. The computer processing system of claim 18, further comprising a processor which executes the software.

20. The computer processing system of claim 18, further comprising hardware for communicating with video capture and audio processing electronics.