Sharing of prerecorded motion video over an internetwork

• US 20040246951A1
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Parker, Benjamin J., Werner, Shane R., Frederick, Terry M., Yu, Terry T., Diaz, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,046,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• 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 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A data call between at least two internetworked computers is established using a central server. Once the data call is in place, prerecorded motion video is shared between the two computers by creating a streaming video server on one user'"'"'s computer for streaming the prerecorded motion video simultaneously to both users as clients of the streaming server. Either user can pause, rewind, or fast forward the streamed video as it is viewed by both users.

Claims

1. A method of privately sharing prerecorded motion video between first and second computers connected to an internetwork for exchanging network packets therebetween, wherein each of said computers has a respective private IP address within said internetwork, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a central server coupled to said internetwork and containing a database of IP addresses of registered computers;

running call clients in each of said first and second computers for establishing a data call between said first and second computers in response to said database of IP addresses;

uploading said prerecorded motion video into a video server application in said first computer, said video server application supporting streaming media;

generating within said first or second computer a request for sharing said served resources;

running media player applications in said first and second computers, said media player applications supporting said streaming media;

streaming said uploaded motion video from said video server application to said media player applications simultaneously; and

displaying said prerecorded motion video on said first and second computers.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

said media players sending control messages to said video server application to jointly control replay of said uploaded motion video.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said video server application compresses said prerecorded motion video prior to streaming and wherein said media player applications decompress said prerecorded motion video prior to displaying.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said video server application and said media player application running in said second computer exchange network packets in response to said IP addresses used by said call clients.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said call clients exchange live video signals between said first and second computers and wherein said call clients terminate operation during said streaming of said prerecorded motion video to said media player applications.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said prerecorded motion video includes video data and audio data from a portable video camera.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

originating a voice telephone call between users of said first and second computers in response to a target telephone number; and

transmitting said target telephone number to said central server for determining one of said IP addresses.

8. Computer apparatus for privately sharing prerecorded motion video residing in said computer apparatus with a remote computer via an internetwork for exchanging network packets, said computer apparatus and said remote computer having respective private IP addresses within said internetwork, said computer apparatus comprising:

a call client for transmitting information identifying said remote computer to a central server maintaining a database of IP addresses of registered computers, and for establishing a data call between said computer apparatus and said remote computer in response to said database of IP addresses;

a streaming video server application for hosting said prerecorded motion video; and

a media player application for receiving said streamed prerecorded motion video from said video server application;

wherein said video server application is configured to exchange network packets with a remote client application running on said remote computer in response to said database of IP addresses.

9. The computer apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a user interface responsive to a user for launching said video server application and said media player application in order to initiate sharing of said prerecorded motion video.

10. The computer apparatus of claim 9 wherein said user interface displays said streamed prerecorded motion video to said user.

11. A software product for privately sharing prerecorded motion video between a resident computer and a remote computer over a computer network, the software product comprising:

software configured to transmit information identifying said remote computer to a central server maintaining a database of IP addresses of registered computers, running a call client for establishing a data call between said resident computer and said remote computer in response to said database of IP addresses, generating a request for sharing said prerecorded motion video, running a streaming video server application in said resident computer for hosting said prerecorded motion video, running media player applications in said resident computer and said remote computer for receiving said streamed prerecorded motion video from said video server application simultaneously, and displaying said prerecorded motion video on said resident and remote computers, wherein said video server application and said media player application running in said remote computer exchange network packets in response to said IP addresses used by said call client; and

a storage system that stores said software product.

12. The software product of claim 11 wherein said software is further configured such that said media players send control messages to said video server application to jointly control replay of said uploaded motion video.

13. The software product of claim 11 wherein said software is further configured such that said video server application compresses said prerecorded motion video prior to streaming and wherein said media player applications decompress said prerecorded motion video prior to displaying.

14. The software product of claim 11 wherein said software is further configured such that said call clients exchange live video signals between said resident and remote computers and wherein said call clients terminate operation during said streaming of said prerecorded motion video to said media player applications.