Video conferencing apparatus and method

• US 20040257431A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Girish, Muthya K., Hamlin, Jay Fredrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,397,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• 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 video conferencing system having video and/or audio capture device for video and audio communications is disclosed. The video and audio capture device may include one or more switches for securely activating and deactivating the device. Furthermore, an indicator may be hard-wired to the video and/or audio components so to provide a true indication of when these components are on and off. The video and audio capture device may also be integrated into a single unit.

Claims

1. A video conferencing system, comprising:

a host device capable of processing and outputting data;

a data capture device operatively coupled to the host device, the data capture device being configured to collect data and to supply the data to the host device, the data capture device including a switch mechanism for performing at least one action in the host device.

2. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch mechanism activates a mute feature in the data capture device that pauses data transmissions from the data capture device.

3. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the action activates a video conferencing feature in the host device that helps process and output the data.

4. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the data capture device includes an indicator that is hard-wired to data collecting components of the data capture device, the indicator providing operational indication to the user of the data capture device when data is being collected by the data capture device.

5. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 4 wherein the data collecting components include at least a camera for capturing image data or video data.

6. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 4 wherein the data collecting components include at least a microphone for capturing audio data.

7. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 4 wherein the data collecting components include at least a camera for capturing image data or video data, and a microphone for capturing audio data.

8. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch mechanism is manually activated by a user.

9. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch mechanism is activated through software running on the host device.

10. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch mechanism is an iris cap associated with a camera.

30. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the video conferencing action includes launching a video conferencing program in the computer workstation.

31. The method as recited in claim 2 further including receiving video conferencing data from the video conferencing peripheral device after the video conferencing program is launched.

32. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the video conferencing action includes closing a video conferencing program in the computer workstation.

33. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the video conferencing peripheral device is at least a video capture device, wherein the status of the switch is changed by a rotating iris cap capable of opening and closing an iris of the video capture device.

34. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the signal indicates the position of the rotating iris cap, and wherein the video conferencing action is based on the position of the rotating iris cap.

35. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the switch corresponds to an optical sensor that generates a signal when a tab of the rotating iris cap interrupts the optical signal of the optical sensor.

11. A computer operated data capture device that combines multiple data collecting components into a single unit, comprising:

an audio capture device configured to collect audio data;

an image capture device configured to collect image data; and

an indicator unit operatively connected to the audio and image capture devices, the indicator unit being configured to indicate when audio or image data is being collected by the audio and image capture devices.

12. The device as recited in claim 11 wherein the audio capture device, the image capture device and the indicator unit are hard-wired such that they operate as a single unitary system.

13. The device as recited in claim 12 further including a switch mechanism for activating and deactivating the single unitary system, wherein when the single unitary system is activated via the switch mechanism the audio capture device collects audio data, the image capture device collects image data and the indicator unit indicates that the audio and image capture device are collecting data, and wherein when the single unitary system is deactivated via the switch mechanism the audio capture device does not collect audio data, the image capture device does not collect image data and indicator unit indicates that the audio and image capture device are not collecting data.

14. The device as recited in claim 11 wherein the image capture device and the indicator unit are hard-wired together.

15. The device as recited in claim 11 wherein the audio capture device includes one or more microphones.

16. The device as recited in claim 11 wherein the image capture device includes a camera.

17. The device as recited in claim 11 wherein the indicator unit includes at least one auditory indicator, visual indicator and touch indicator.

18. A video conferencing apparatus, comprising:

a video capture device configured to capture images;

a switch mechanism configured to activate and deactivate the video capture device; and

an on-air indicator that is hard-wired to the video capture device, the on air indicator informing a user when the video capture device is activated and deactivated.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein the on-air indicator is an auditory indicator.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein the on-air indicator is a visual indicator.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein the visual indicator is a light emitting diode.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein the on-air indicator is a touch indicator.

23. A video conferencing apparatus, comprising:

a camera configured to capture images;

a base that internally encloses the camera;

an iris cap movable relative to the base, the iris cap being configured to open and close an iris associated with the camera, the iris preventing image capture when closed and allowing image capture when opened, the iris also providing visual indication to a user when the camera is capable of capturing images and when the camera is no longer capable of capturing images.

24. The video conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 23 wherein the iris cap is rotatable relative to the base, the iris cap rotating between a first and a second position in order to open and close the iris.

25. The video conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 24 further including a switch capable of detecting when the iris cap is in the first and second position, the switch being configured to generate control signals based on the position of the iris cap.

26. The video conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 25 wherein the control signal is used to turn the camera on and off.

27. The video conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 25 wherein the control signal is used to launch or close a program stored in a host device.

28. A computer based data capture method, comprising:

providing a data capture device for collecting data, the data capture device having a switch mechanism;

monitoring the status of the switch mechanism;

activating the data capture device when the switch is in a first condition such that the data capture device collects data;

deactivating the data capture device when the switch is in a second condition such that the data capture device stops collecting data;

producing visual indicia on the outer periphery of the data capture device only when the data capture device is activated; and

transmitting the collected data to a computer when the data capture device is activated.

29. A video conferencing method implemented on a computer workstation, comprising:

receiving a signal from a video conferencing peripheral device operatively coupled to the computer workstation when the status of a switch of the video conferencing peripheral device has changed; and

performing a video conferencing action in the computer workstation based on the status of the switch of the video conferencing peripheral device.

36. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for videoconferencing, said computer readable medium comprising:

receiving a status signal from a video conferencing peripheral device;

launching a video conferencing program based on the status of the status signal from the video conferencing peripheral device.