Method and apparatus for video conferencing system with 360 degree view

• US 20040001091A1
• Filed: 05/23/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kressin, Mark Scott
• Application Number:
  US10/154,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001091A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A video conference application supports the use of both conventional and 360 degree cameras in virtual video conferences so that a complete 360 degree image may be transmitted to some or all of the conference participants, with the ability to view all or a part of the 360 degree image and to scroll through the image, as desired. At the recipient system, the video conference application senses whether an image is from a conventional or a 360 degree camera and adjusts the size of the viewing portal on the user interface accordingly. Viewers of 360 degree images are further provided with the option of viewing and scrolling the entire 360 degree image or only a portion thereof.

Claims

1. In a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application having a user interface, a method comprising:

(A) receiving a sequence of video data packets representing a 360 degree image;

(B) assembling the video data packets in memory to recreate the 360 degree image;

(C) receiving selection indicia through the user interface indicating a portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed; and

(D) displaying the selected portion of the 360 degree image through the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (D) further comprises:

(D1) displaying the selected portion of the 360 degree image through a viewing portal of predetermined size on the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (C) further comprises:

(C1) receiving directional indicia through the user interface indicating a different portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed;

and wherein (D) further comprises;

(D1) displaying substantially continuous portions of the 360 degree image through a viewing portal of predetermined size in a scrolling manner.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(E) displaying the entire 360 degree image video through the user interface.

5. A computer program product for use with a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application with a user interface, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

A) program code for receiving a sequence of video data packets representing a 360 degree image;

B) program code for assembling the video data packets in memory to recreate the 360 degree image;

C) program code for receiving selection indicia through the user interface indicating a portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed; and

D) program code for displaying the selected portion of the 360 degree image through the user interface.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein (D) further comprises:

(D1) program code for displaying the selected portion of the 360 degree image through a viewing portal of predetermined size on the user interface.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein (C) further comprises:

(C1) program code for receiving directional indicia through the user interface indicating a different portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed;

and wherein (D) further comprises;

(D1) program code for displaying substantially continuous portions of the 360 degree image through a viewing portal of predetermined size in a scrolling manner.

8. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising:

(E) program code for displaying the entire 360 degree image video through the user interface.

9. In a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application with a user interface, a method comprising:

(A) receiving a sequence of video data packets representing a 360 degree image;

(B) assembling the video data packets in a video buffer to recreate the 360 degree image;

(C) receiving selection indicia through the user interface indicating one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image to be displayed; and

(D) displaying one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image through the user interface in accordance with the selection indicia.

10. In a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application with a user interface, a method comprising:

(A) receiving a video data packet sequence representing a corresponding video image from one of a plurality of sources, selected of the a plurality of sources generating video images of different sizes;

(B) determining from the received video data packet sequence the size of the corresponding video image from the source;

(C) presenting the video image through a window on the user interface, the size of the window corresponding with the size of the video image from the source.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the video data packet sequence corresponds to a 360 degree video image from the source and wherein (C) further comprises:

(C1) displaying one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image video through a window on the user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein (C) further comprises:

(C2) receiving directional indicia through the user interface indicating a different portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed; and

(C3) displaying substantially continuous portions of the 360 degree image through the window on the user interface in a scrolling manner.

13. A computer program product for use with a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application with a user interface, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

A) program code for receiving a video data packet sequence representing a corresponding video image from one of a plurality of sources, selected of the a plurality of sources generating video images of different sizes;

B) program code for determining from the received video data packet sequence the size of the corresponding video image from the source; and

C) program code for presenting the video image through a window on the user interface, the size of the window corresponding with the size of the video image from the source.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the video data packet sequence corresponds to a 360 degree video image from the source and wherein (C) further comprises:

(C1) program code for displaying one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image video through a window on the user interface.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein (C) further comprises:

(C2) program code for receiving directional indicia through the user interface indicating a different portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed; and

(C3) program code for displaying substantially continuous portions of the 360 degree image through the window on the user interface in a scrolling manner.

16. An apparatus for use with a computer system having a processor, a device for generating a stream of video data and a mechanism for compression of captured video data, the apparatus for controlling processor utilization during video conferencing comprising:

(A) program logic for receiving a video data packet sequence representing a corresponding video image from one of a plurality of sources, selected of the a plurality of sources generating video images of different sizes;

(B) program logic for determining from the received video data packet sequence the size of the corresponding video image from the source; and

(C) program logic for presenting the video image through a window on the user interface, the size of the window corresponding with the size of the video image from the source.

17. In a computer system capable of executing a video conferencing application with a user interface, a method comprising:

(A) receiving a sequence of video data packets representing a 360 degree image;

(B) assembling the video data packets in a video buffer to recreate the 360 degree image;

(C) displaying one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image video through the user interface; and

(D) receiving a sequence of video data packets representing a non 360 degree image; and

(F) displaying the non 360 degree image video through the user interface.

18. A system for displaying 360 degree images in a video conference comprising:

(A) a source process executing on a computer system for generating sequence of video data packets representing a 360 degree image;

(B) a server process executing on a computer system for receiving the sequence of video data packets from the source process and for transmitting the sequence of video data packets to a plurality of receiving processes; and

(C) a plurality of receiving processes, each receiving process executing on a computer system, selected of the receiving processes capable of displaying one of all or a portion of the 360 degree image through a user interface.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the source process, server process, and receiving processes are operatively coupled over a computer network.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein (C) further comprises:

(C2) program logic for receiving directional indicia through the user interface indicating a different portion of the 360 degree image to be viewed; and

(C3) program logic for displaying substantially continuous portions of the 360 degree image through the window on the user interface in a scrolling manner.