VIDEO BASED INTERFACES FOR VIDEO MESSAGE SYSTEMS AND SERVICES

• US 20070058647A1
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Moraes, Ian, Plotky, Jon, Spencer, James, Lowman, Philip, Bettis, Sonny
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0039 where the data service is provided by a stream of packets which are rendered in real time by the receiving terminal network streaming of media packets H04L65/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The user interface to a video based telecommunications system is enriched by the provision of multi-media user interfaces. The user interface may include active video portions along with instructional audio or may be icons or thumbnails representing available video information. Menu structures can be animated by changing the color or characteristics of the menu items in synchronization with the audio information and responsive to actions taken by the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing a multi-media user interface to subscriber equipment over a digital wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an access request at a communications platform, the access request being received from a video capable device and associated with a video based service;

identifying multi-media content associated with the access request, the multi-media content including video content and audio content;

providing at least a portion of the multi-media content to the requesting device;

rendering the at least a portion of the multi-media content on the requesting device;

receiving an actuation from the requesting device; and

augmenting the provision of the multi-media content based on the actuation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing at least a portion of the multi-media content further comprises:

creating a thumbnail screen representing the video content; and

transmitting the thumbnail screen to the requesting device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein further comprising the steps of:

associating a hyperlink with the thumbnail screen, the hyperlink being operative to direct the accessing device to a file containing the multi-media content;

traversing the hyperlink; and

receiving the multi-media content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content of the multi-media content comprises a plurality of video frames and further comprising the steps of:

determining that the video content of the plurality of video frames includes some active video portions;

separating the active video portions from static video portions; and

providing at least a portion of the multi-media content to the requesting device further comprises;

initially providing and entire first frame that includes the active and static video portions; and

providing only the active portions of subsequent video frames.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the video content is a series of menu screens with menu items, the active portions of the video frames include serially augmenting each menu item in the menu screen, and the audio content is associated with the menu items of the series of menu screens, and the steps of providing the multi-media content to the requesting device further comprises synchronizing the provision of the audio content with the video content such that as each menu item in the menu screen is augmented, the audio content associated with the augmented menu item is provided.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the actuation received from the requesting device is a selection of a menu item and the step of augmenting the provision of the multi-media content based on the actuation comprises providing separate multi-media content associated with the menu item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of providing separate multi-media content comprises providing a video feed associated with a monitoring system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of providing separate multi-media content comprises providing a video feed associated with a particular camera of a monitoring system.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the access request is a subscriber calling in to a video mail system to retrieve any video messages that may have been received and the step of providing separate multi-media content comprises providing a video feed of a video message previously received and stored for the calling party.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the access request is a subscriber calling in to a video service system to access one of a plurality of video services available to the subscriber and the step of providing at least a portion of the multi-media content to the requesting device further comprises:

providing a thumbnail screen for at least one of the plurality of video services;

associating each thumbnail screen with a hyperlink; and

providing multi-media content when the hyperlink associated with a thumbnail screen is activated.

11. A telecommunications system that provides a multi-media user interface to user devices over a digital wireless telecommunications network, the telecommunications system comprising:

a transcoding gateway interfacing to the digital wireless network for receiving control, video and audio content and for providing response, video and audio content to the user devices on the digital wireless network;

a message store for storing video and audio content;

a video media server interfacing to the transcoding gateway and the message store, and in response to being accessed by a user device, being operable to;

identify the type of access;

identify video and audio content associated with the type of access in the message store;

provide at least a portion of the video content and audio content to the user device;

receive actuation signals from the user device; and

modify further provision of video and audio content based on the receive actuation signal.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein the video media server is operable to:

process the video content through a compression technique by determining that the video content is a still image; and

provide the processed video and audio content to the destination device in a synchronized manner by providing the still image to the destination device a single time, independent of the manner for providing the audio content, and providing the audio content in a loop while the still image is being displayed on the destination device.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein the video content comprises a plurality of video frames and the video media server is operable to provide the video content through a compression technique by:

determining that the video content of the plurality of video frames includes some active video portions;

separating the active video portions from static video portions; and

the video media server is operable to provide processed video and audio content to the destination device by;

initially providing and entire first frame that includes the active and static video portions; and

providing only the active portions of subsequent video frames.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 13, wherein the video content is a series of menu screens with menu items, the active portions of the video frames includes serially augmenting each menu item in the menu screen, and the audio content is associated with the menu items of the series of menu screens, and the video media server is operable to provide the audio content to the destination device by:

synchronizing the provision of the audio content with the video content such that as each menu item in the menu screen is augmented, the audio content associated with the augmented menu item is provided.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein the video content comprises a plurality of video frames and the video media server is operable to process the video content through a compression technique by identifying a first frame group of contiguous frames of the plurality of video frames in which the video content is substantially static;

and

the video media server is operable to provide the processed video and audio content to the destination device by providing only a single frame of the first frame group.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 15, wherein the video media server is further operable to:

identify a second frame group of contiguous frames of the plurality of video frames in which the video content is substantially static; and

provide the processed video content to the destination by providing only a single frame of the second frame group.

17. The telecommunications system of claim 16, wherein the video media server provides a next frame to the destination device after the single frame of the first frame group and the next frame may be a single frame of the second frame group or a single independent frame.

18. The telecommunications system of claim 17, wherein the audio content is synchronized with the plurality of video frames, and the video media server provides the processed video and audio in a synchronized manner such that as the single frame of the first frame group is displayed, the audio content associated with the entire frame group is provided to the destination device and, when the next frame is provided to the destination group, the audio content associated with that next frame is provided.

19. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein the type of access is a video mail retrieval access and, the video media server is operable to identify the video and audio content by identifying video mail messages previously received and associated with the user device and is operable to provide at least a portion of the video content and audio content by providing at least a portion of the video mail messages.

20. The telecommunications system of claim 19, wherein the video media server is operable to provide at least a portion of the video mail messages by being further operable to:

create a thumbnail screen for each video message;

provide the thumbnail screen to the user device;

associating a hyperlink with the thumbnail screen associating the thumbnail screen with a file containing the video message;

receive an access of the hyperlink; and

provide the video message associated with the accessed hyperlink.

21. The telecommunications system of claim 11, wherein the type of access is a video services access and, the video media server is operable to identify the video and audio content by identifying the video services available to the user device and identifying the video and audio content available for each such video service, and is operable to provide at least a portion of the video content and audio content by providing at least a portion of the video and audio content associated with the video services.

22. The telecommunications system of claim 21, wherein the video media server is operable to provide at least a portion of the video and audio content by being further operable to:

create a thumbnail screen for the video and audio content available for each video service;

provide the thumbnail screen to the user device;

associating a hyperlink with the thumbnail screen associating the thumbnail screen with a file containing the video and audio content;

receive an access of the hyperlink; and

provide the video and audio associated with the accessed hyperlink.