VIDEO CONFERENCE SYSTEM AND METHOD IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20070200925A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae-Seong
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

Image concealment video conference allows the user to conceal their image with an overlay image that will be shown in real-time to a peer during video conference. The real-time video concealment processes an image in a video stream, where the video stream is communicated from one video conference unit to a second video conference unit over a communication network. The real-time concealment is performed by first determining the prominent biometric features of the users image to recognize nodal points on a human face. The system then modifies the users image using a second image, so that at least one of the nodal points in the users image is covered by the second image. This modified image is then transmitted in real time to a peer in a video conference session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing a first image in a video stream, wherein the video stream is communicated between at least a first unit and a second unit over a communication network;

determining prominent biometric features in the first image to recognize nodal points of a human face captured in the first image; and

modifying the first image using a second image, so that at least one of the nodal points in the first image is covered by the second image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying is performed for purpose of disguising identity of human face captured in the first image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the nodal points are associated with at least one of eyes, nose and lips displayed in the first image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the prominent biometric features are determined based on at least one of brightness and color of portions of the image.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing consecutive images to the first image in the video stream to determine prominent biometric features in the consecutive images; and

modifying the consecutive images using the second image, so that one or more the nodal points in the consecutive images are covered by the second image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the nodal points in the consecutive images are traced based on a geometric shape.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the geometric shape connects one or more nodal points.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geometric shape comprises a line connecting a first nodal point to a second nodal point in the first image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first nodal point is associated with a first eye displayed in the first image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second nodal point is associated with a second eye displayed in the first image.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the geometric shape comprises a cross connecting first, second, third and fourth nodal points in the first image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first nodal point is associated with a first eye, the second nodal point is associated with a second eye, the third nodal point is associated with a nose;

and the fourth nodal point is associated with a mouth displayed in the first image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second image is in shape of a cross to cover the first, second, third and fourth nodal points, when the first image is modified using the second image.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second image is in shape of a line to cover the first and second nodal points.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising modifying the first image using a third image, wherein the third image covers at least a third nodal point in the first image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the video stream is captured by a first unit and is communicated from the first unit to the second unit over a video conference feature, so that the second person can see a moving picture of a user of the first unit during a communication connection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the communication connection comprises a voice communication session.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the communication connection comprises a data communication session.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second image is provided from the first unit to the second unit.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein information about the second image is provided from the first unit to the second unit.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the second unit stores the second image in a local memory available to the second unit.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the second unit requests to receive the second image from the first unit, when the second image is not stored in the local memory.

23. A system comprising:

a communication logic unit for processing a first image in a video stream, wherein the video stream is communicated between at least a first unit and a second unit over a communication network;

a biometric logic unit for determining prominent biometric features in the first image to recognize nodal points of a human face captured in the first image; and

an image logic unit for modifying the first image using a second image, so that at least one of the nodal points in the first image is covered by the second image, the image logic unit sends the modified image to the communication logic unit; and

an audio logic unit for processing sound in a audio stream, wherein the audio stream is communicated between at least the first unit and the second unit over the mobile communication network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein a the first unit comprises an image capture unit that captures a image of the human face and sends the image to the communication logic unit, the biometric logic unit and the image logic unit.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first unit comprises a second image selection device that allows a user to select the second image that will cover at least one of the nodal points in the first image.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first unit comprises a microphone that captures the users voice and other audio which is provided to the audio logic unit.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first unit comprises a device to transmit the video stream and the audio stream to the second unit.

28. A system comprising:

a logic unit for processing a first image in a video stream, wherein the video stream is communicated between at least a first unit and a second unit over a communication network;

a logic unit for determining prominent biometric features in the first image to recognize nodal points of a human face captured in the first image; and

a logic unit for modifying the first image using a second image, so that at least one of the nodal points in the first image is covered by the second image.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the modifying is performed for purpose of disguising identity of human face captured in the first image.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the nodal points are associated with at least one of eyes, nose and lips displayed in the first image.