Media stream mixing

• US 20060149399A1
• Filed: 06/09/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lindquist, Tobias, Norhammar, Bjorn
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45455 applied to a region of the image
• 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 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a method and a portable communication device (200) for forming a real time output media stream by mixing a first real time media stream with a second media stream. Provision of mixing of media streams provides a number of attractive functions, for instance. This invention concerns how to increase the usage of a mobile VT application and how to be able to handle integrity issues when used in a portable communication device.

Claims

1. Method for forming an output media stream to be transmitted during a communication session from a portable communication device, wherein said media stream comprises signals of a first type, comprising the steps of:

generating in real time a first media stream in the portable communication device,

combining in real time the first media stream with a second media stream, for forming the output media stream.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said output media stream comprises signals of a second type.

3. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting said output media stream.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a connection with another device.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein said connection is a circuit-switched connection.

6. Method according to claim 1, in which at least one of the steps is dependent on input data from a user of said portable communication device.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of combining comprises combining signals of a first type from the first media stream with signals of a second type from the second media stream.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of combining comprises combining signals of a first type from the first media stream with signals of the first type from the second media stream.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the step of combining further comprises combining signals of a second type from the first media stream with the signals from the second media stream.

10. Method according to claim 8, wherein the step of combining further comprises combining signals from the first media stream with signals of the second type from the second media stream.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the step of combining further comprises combining signals of the second type from the first media stream with signals from the second media stream.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the step of combining further comprises the step of:

delaying, prior to combining, signals of one type of the second media stream, in relation to the other type of signals of the same stream, for providing synchronized signals from the second media stream within the output media stream.

13. Method according to claim 10, wherein the step of combining further comprises independently combining signals of the first type and signals of the second type.

14. Method according to claim 9, wherein the step of combining further comprises delaying signals of one type within the output media stream, in relation to the other type of signals of the same stream, for providing synchronized signals from the first media stream within the output media stream.

15. Method according to claim 9, wherein the step of combining signals, where the signals of the first type are audio signals, further comprises the step of superposing the signals of said first type.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the step of superposing comprises weighting properties of the audio signals from the first media stream and the second media stream.

17. Method according to claim 9, wherein the step of combining signals, where the signals of the first type are image signals, further comprises the step of blending the signals of the first type.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the step of blending comprises weighting properties of the image signals from the first media stream and the second media stream.

19. Method according to claim 16, wherein weighting properties includes varying the proportion of signals from the first media stream in relation to the proportion of signals from the second media stream.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein the weighting properties is dependent on input data of a user of said portable communication device.

21. Method according to claim 19, wherein the varying said proportions comprises varying of each proportion within the range between 0 and 100%.

22. Portable communication device for forming an output media stream to be transmitted during a communication session from said portable communication device, wherein said output media stream comprises signals of a first type, said portable communication device comprising:

at least one generating unit provided for generating a first media stream,

a first combining unit, connected to said generating unit, provided for combining in real time the first media stream with a second media stream, and

a control unit controlling the generating unit and the combining unit, in dependence of user input.

23. Portable communication device according to claim 22, for forming an output media stream to be transmitted during a communication session from said portable communication device, wherein the first combining unit is provided for combining signals of the first type of both the first and the second media streams, wherein the output media stream comprises signals of the first type and a second type, wherein the portable device further comprises:

a second combining unit, for combining signals of the second type of the first media stream and signals of the second type of the second media stream by using the second combining unit.

24. Portable communication device according to claim 22, further comprising:

a memory unit for providing storage for the second media stream.

25. Portable communication device according to claim 22, further comprising:

a user input interface for providing user input.

26. Portable communication device according to claim 23, wherein said device further comprises:

a multiplexing unit for providing synchronization of signals of one type from the first media stream in relation to signals of the other type from the same first media stream, within the output media stream.

27. Portable communication device according to claim 23, further comprising:

a delaying unit for providing synchronized signals within the output media stream.

28. Portable communication device according to claim 27, where the delaying unit provides synchronization of signals from the second media stream, prior to combining with the first stream.

29. Portable communication device according to claim 28, where the delaying unit provides synchronization of signals of one type in relation to signals of the other type from the same second media stream.