Local video loopback method for a multi-participant conference system using a back-channel video interface

• US 20050264648A1
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ivashin, Victor, Miceli, Sean, Boskovic, Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,176,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.90
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A multi-participant videoconference system incorporating a back-channel connection and a client video mixer is disclosed. The multi-participant videoconference system includes a client component and a server component. The server component provides a composite conference video signal to the client component. A region is defined in the composite conference video signal and the size and coordinates of the region are communicated to the client component by the server component over the back-channel. The client component captures local video and mixes local video into the composite conference video signal using the size and coordinates received from the server component for display.

Claims

1. A multi-participant videoconference system, comprising:

a client component, the client component including,

a conference client enabled to execute peer-to-peer videoconferencing software, the conference client communicating video and audio data across a conference channel;

a client monitor configured to monitor the conference client;

a back-channel connection, the back-channel connection being a parallel communication link to the conference channel between the client component and a server component; and

a client video mixer, and

a server component, the server component providing a client configurable audio/video stream to each of a plurality of participants in the multi-participant video conference system.

2. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the server component includes a media mixer, the media mixer configured to receive up to a plurality of video signals from one or more of the plurality of participants, and further configured to provide a composite conference video signal including one or more of the received up to a plurality of video signals.

3. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 1, further comprising a video capture device configured to the client component.

4. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the client video mixer receives a local video signal from a local video capture device configured to the client component and a composite conference video signal from the server component and integrates the local video signal into the composite conference video signal.

5. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 4, wherein the server component is configured to define a region of the composite conference video signal for the local video signal.

6. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 4, wherein the server component is configured to define a region of the composite conference video signal for the local video signal and to communicate the defined region to the client component over the back-channel connection.

7. A method for defining a region for local video within a composite video layout of a multi-participant videoconference system, comprising:

defining a composite conference video layout, the composite conference video layout having up to a plurality of regions;

identifying a region in the defined composite conference video layout for a local video display;

communicating a size and a location of the identified region to a client component of the multi-participant videoconference system; and

transmitting a composite conference video signal to the client component, the composite conference video signal including the identified region for the local video display.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating a size and a location of any up to the plurality of regions which at least partially obscures the identified region to a client component of the multi-participant videoconference system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the communicating of the size and the location of the identified region is over a back-channel connection of the multi-participant videoconference system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting of the composite conference video signal is over a conference channel of the multi-participant videoconference system.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified region for the local video in the composite conference video signal is painted all black.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified region for the local video in the composite conference video signal is painted all gray.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified region for the local video in the composite conference video signal is painted with a static video image.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified region for the local video in the composite conference video signal is identified according to a conferencing protocol of the multi-participant videoconference system.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the region in the defined composite conference video layout for a local video display is according to a selection of the client component of the multi-participant videoconference system.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the region in the defined composite conference video layout for a local video display is performed by a server component of the multi-participant videoconference system.

17. A multi-participant videoconference system, comprising:

a server component having a media mixer; and

a client component having a client video mixer,

wherein the client video mixer is capable of inserting real-time video content into a conference composite video signal within a specified region defined by the server component.

18. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17, further comprising:

a conference channel to provide a primary conference communication channel between the client component and the server component; and

a back-channel to provide a parallel conference communication channel to the conference channel,

wherein the server component is configured to transmit the conference composite video signal to the client component across the conference channel, and the server component is further configured to transmit a size and location of the specified region to the client component across the back-channel.

19. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 18, wherein the client component is configured to transmit a configuration status to the server component across the back-channel.

20. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17 wherein the server component is configured to define the conference composite video signal to include up to a plurality of video signals from up to a plurality of participants in the multi-participant videoconference system, the server component further configured to define the specified region for local video among the up to a plurality of video signals.

21. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17, wherein the specified region of the conference composite video signal is painted all black.

22. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17, wherein the specified region of the conference composite video signal is painted all gray.

23. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17, wherein the specified region of the conference composite video signal is painted with a single static video image.

24. The multi-participant videoconference system of claim 17, wherein the specified region of the conference composite video signal is specified according to a codec protocol of the multi-participant videoconference system.

25. A method for improving an image quality of a composite conference video in a multi-participant videoconference system, comprising:

defining a layout for up to a plurality of video images, the layout defining a composite of the up to a plurality of video images;

identifying a region of the layout, the identified region to be replaced by another video signal;

composing a composite conference video signal, the composite conference video signal being configured to communicate the composite conference video in the defined layout and including the identified region; and

transmitting the composite conference video signal from a server component to a client component of the multi-participant videoconference system,

wherein the identified region of the composite conference video minimizes processing of one of the up to a plurality of video images in the composite conference video signal.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the identified region of the composite conference video is painted all black.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the identified region of the composite conference video is painted all gray.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the identified region of the composite conference video is painted with a static video image.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the identified region of the composite conference video contains null data.