Videoconferencing bandwidth management for a handheld computer system and method

• US 20070081075A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ting, Albert, Canova, Francis
• Application Number:
  US11/478,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20070081075A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Methods of establishing communication sessions from multiple mobile devices as well as managing available conferencing bandwidths is disclosed. One of the methods disclosed includes establishing a communication session between mobile devices and a group of conferencing servers. The method also includes checking the load of each server. Further, the method includes determining whether the load of each server is above a predetermined threshold. Further still, the method includes routing subsequent mobile devices to communicate through specified conferencing servers selected from the group of conferencing servers if the load of particular servers is above a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1-46. -46. (canceled)

47. A method of utilizing a mobile computing device in a videoconferencing session between a user of a mobile computing device and a plurality of participants, the participants utilizing a plurality of computing devices, the method comprising:

establishing the videoconferencing session through a server;

receiving video images of the plurality of participants at the mobile computing device;

presenting a video display of the video images of the plurality of participants on a video display of the mobile computing device, wherein the video images of the plurality of participants are displayed simultaneously; and

displaying additional data simultaneously with the video images of the plurality of participants.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the server is selected from a plurality of available servers based upon the load of the selected server being below a predetermined threshold.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices and the mobile computing device is coupled to a camera for capturing and communicating video.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the additional data includes at least one of a word processing document and a presentation slide.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computing device.

52. The method of claim 47, further comprising displaying a video image of the user of the computing device on the video display with the video images of the plurality of participants.

53. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

monitoring the available bandwidth for the server during the communication session; and

selectively issuing camera shutdown signals to the computing devices during the communication session based upon the available bandwidth of the server and whether a participant using a computing device is currently speaking.

54. The method of claim 47, further comprising receiving a text message from at least one of the plurality of computing devices and displaying the text message with the video images of the plurality of participants on the mobile computing device.

55. A method of utilizing a mobile computing device in a wireless videoconferencing session between a mobile computing device and a plurality of computing devices, comprising:

establishing the wireless videoconferencing communication session;

receiving video at the mobile computing device;

presenting the video on a display in the mobile computing device; and

providing a text message with the video to be displayed on the mobile computing device.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the wireless videoconferencing session is established over a fixed communications network.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the mobile computing device and each of the plurality of communication devices are coupled to a camera for capturing and communicating video.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computing device.

59. The method of claim 55, further comprising communicating video from the mobile computing device to at least one of the computing devices.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising communicating a text message from the mobile computing device to the at least one computing device while communicating video to the at least one computing device.

61. A method for establishing a communication session using a mobile computing device, comprising:

identifying a first wireless network, the first wireless network utilizing a cellular telephone communications protocol;

identifying a second wireless network, the second wireless network utilizing an IEEE 802.11 communications protocol;

selecting one of the first and second wireless networks to initiate a wireless communication session, the selected wireless network being selected based upon at least one criteria; and

initiating the wireless communication session through the selected wireless network using the mobile computing device.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the at least one criteria is the available bandwidth of a server associated with at least one of the first and second wireless networks.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computing device.

64. The method of claim 61, wherein the wireless communications session is established with a plurality of computing devices.

65. The method of claim 61, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a camera.

66. The method of claims 61, further comprising:

receiving video signals at the mobile computing device during the wireless communication session.