VIDEO CONFERENCING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080218583A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: GIRISH, Muthya K., HAMLIN, Jay Fredrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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

Abstract

A video conferencing system having video and/or audio capture device for video and audio communications is disclosed. The video and audio capture device may include one or more switches for securely activating and deactivating the device. Furthermore, an indicator may be hard-wired to the video and/or audio components so to provide a true indication of when these components are on and off. The video and audio capture device may also be integrated into a single unit.

Claims

1. A video conferencing system, comprising:

a host device capable of processing and outputting a live stream of audio data, said host device including a user-operable switch;

software of the host device arranged to send requests for the live stream of audio data to the microphone; and

a microphone operatively coupled to the host device configured to capture the live stream of audio data when enabled, wherein the microphone can only transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device when a user enables the user-operable switch and when the microphone is receiving the requests for the live stream of audio data from the software of the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data.

2. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein when the user closes the user-operable switch, the microphone stops data transmissions of said live stream of audio data from the microphone to the host device.

3. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein when the switch enables the microphone to transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device, the host device launches an audio conference software application resident therein.

4. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the host device includes an indicator that is hard-wired to data collecting components of the microphone, the indicator providing operational indication to the user of the microphone when said live stream of audio data is being collected by the microphone.

5. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a camera operatively coupled to the host device configured to capture a live stream of video data when enabled.

6. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 5 wherein the user-operable switch includes a user-operable iris mechanism of said camera, wherein the user enables the user-operable switch by opening the iris mechanism and disables the switch by closing the iris mechanism.

7. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1 wherein the microphone is connected to an audio circuit arranged to convert the captured audio data into an audio signal that is passed to the host device.

8. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 6 wherein the iris mechanism is connected to a user-rotatable collar that opens the iris mechanism when rotated in a first direction and closes the iris mechanism when rotated in a second direction.

9. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said switch is a cap, button, dial, or key of said host device.

10. The video conferencing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said switch is implemented using input from a user selection of a screen interface of said host device or from a speech recognition input of said host device.

11. A computer-operated host device that combines multiple data collecting components into a single unit, comprising:

an image capture device configured to collect video data;

an audio capture device configured to collect a live stream of audio data, said host device having a user-operable switch configured to capture the live stream of audio data when enabled, wherein the audio and image capture devices can only transmit data to said host device when a user enables the user-operable switch and the audio capture device is receiving requests for the live stream of audio data from software of the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data; and

an indicator unit operatively connected to the audio and image capture devices, the indicator unit being configured to indicate when said video data or said live stream of audio data is being collected by either the audio or image capture devices.

12. The host device as recited in claim 11 wherein the audio capture device, the image capture device and the indicator unit are hard-wired such that they operate as a single unitary system.

13. The host device as recited in claim 12 wherein when the single unitary system is activated, the audio capture device collects said live stream of audio data, the image capture device collects said video data and the indicator unit indicates that the audio and image capture device are collecting data, and wherein when the single unitary system is deactivated the audio capture device does not collect said audio data, the image capture device does not collect said video data and indicator unit indicates that the audio and image capture device are not collecting data.

14. The host device as recited in claim 11 wherein the audio capture device and the indicator un

15. The host device as recited in claim 11 wherein the audio capture device includes one or more microphones.

16. The host device as recited in claim 11 wherein the indicator unit includes at least one auditory indicator, visual indicator or touch indicator.

17. The host device as recited in claim 11, wherein said user-operable switch includes a cap, button, dial, key, screen input or speech recognition input of said host device.

18. An audio conferencing host device comprising:

a user-operable switch;

an audio capture device configured to capture a live stream of audio data, wherein the audio capture device can only transmit said live stream of audio data to said host device when the switch is enabled by a user and the audio capture device is receiving requests for said live stream of audio data from software of the host device, and wherein when the user disables the switch, the audio capture device stops data transmissions from the audio capture device to the host device; and

an on-air indicator that is hard-wired to the audio capture device, the on air indicator informing the user when the audio capture device is transmitting said live stream of audio data to the host device.

19. The host device as recited in claim 18 wherein the on-air indicator is an auditory indicator or a visual indicator.

20. The host device as recited in claim 18 wherein the on-air indicator is a touch indicator.

21. The host device as recited in claim 18, wherein said user-operable switch is a cap, button, dial, or key of said host device.

22. The host device as recited in claim 18, wherein said user-operable switch is implemented using input from a user selection of a screen interface of said host device or from a speech recognition input of said host device.

23. An audio conferencing apparatus, comprising:

a microphone configured to capture a live stream of audio data;

a base that internally encloses the microphone;

a cap movable relative to the base, the cap being configured to open and close, wherein the microphone can only capture said live stream of audio data and transmit said live stream of audio data to a host device when the cap is open and the microphone is receiving requests for said live stream of audio data from software of the host device, and wherein the microphone stops audio data capture and data transmissions to the host device when the cap is closed.

24. The audio conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 23 further comprising:

an on-air indicator providing visual, auditory or touch indication to a user when the microphone is capable of transmitting audio data.

25. The audio conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 23 further including a switch capable of detecting when the cap is in the first and second position, the switch being configured to generate a control signal based on the position of the cap.

26. The audio conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 25 wherein the control signal is used to turn the microphone on and off.

27. The audio conferencing apparatus as recited in claim 25 wherein the control signal is used to launch or close a program stored in the host device.

28. In a system having a host device capable of processing and outputting a live stream of audio data operatively coupled to a microphone configured to capture the live stream of audio data, said host device having a user-operable switch, a data capture method comprising:

enabling the user-operable switch to capture said live stream of audio data;

receiving at the microphone requests for said live stream of audio data from the host device;

enabling the microphone to transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device only when the user-operable switch is enabled and when the microphone is receiving the requests for the live stream of audio data from the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data;

producing visual indicia when the user-operable switch is enabled; and

transmitting the captured live stream of audio data to the host device.

29. A data capture method as recited in claim 28, wherein said user-operable switch includes a cap, button, dial, key, screen input or speech recognition input of said host device.

30. In a system having a host device capable of processing and outputting a live stream of audio data operatively coupled to a microphone configured to capture the live stream of audio data, said host device having a user-operable switch, an audio conferencing method comprising:

enabling the user-operable switch to capture said live stream of audio data;

receiving at the microphone requests for said live stream of audio data from the host device;

enabling the microphone to transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device only when the user-operable switch is enabled and the microphone is receiving the requests for the live stream of audio data from the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data;

producing a visual indication when the user-operable switch is enabled; and

performing an audio conferencing action in the host device.

31. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein when the user closes the user-operable switch, the microphone stops audio data transmissions from the microphone to the host device.

32. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein when the switch enables the microphone to transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device, the host device launches an audio conference software application resident therein.

33. The method as recited in claim 30 wherein the host device includes an optical sensor that generates a signal when a portion of the switch interrupts the optical signal of the optical sensor.

34. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said user-operable switch is a cap, button, dial, or key of said host device.

35. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said user-operable switch is implemented using input from a user selection of a screen interface of said host device or from a speech recognition input of said host device.

36. A computer program product executable by a processor included in a host device capable of processing and outputting a live stream of audio data operatively coupled to a microphone configured to capture the live stream of audio data, said host device having a user-operable switch for providing an audio conference, said computer program product comprising:

computer code for enabling the user-operable switch to capture said live stream of audio data;

computer code for receiving at the microphone requests for said live stream of audio data from the host device;

computer code for enabling the microphone to transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device only when the user-operable switch is enabled and the microphone is receiving the requests for the live stream of audio data from the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data;

computer code for producing a visual indication when the user-operable switch is enabled; and

computer code for performing an audio conferencing action in the host device.

37. An audio conferencing system comprising:

a host device capable of processing and outputting a live stream of audio data;

software of the host device arranged to send requests for the live stream of audio data to the microphone;

a user-operable switch; and

a microphone operatively coupled to the host device and being configured to capture the live stream of audio data when enabled and to stop audio data transmission to the host device when disabled, wherein the microphone can only transmit said live stream of audio data to the host device when a user enables the user-operable switch and the microphone is receiving the requests for the live stream of audio data from the software of the host device, thereby precluding an inadvertent transmission of said live stream of audio data.

38. The audio conferencing system as recited in claim 37 further comprising:

an indicator that is hard-wired to data collecting components of the microphone, the indicator providing an indication to the user of when audio data is being collected by the microphone and when the audio data transmissions from the microphone are stopped.

39. The audio conferencing system as recited in claim 37 wherein the user-operable switch includes a user-operable iris mechanism wherein the user enables the user-operable switch by opening the iris mechanism and disables the switch by closing the iris mechanism.

40. The audio conferencing system as recited in claim 37 further comprising:

an audio circuit connected to said microphone and being arranged to convert the captured audio data into an audio signal that is passed to the host device.

41. The audio conferencing system as recited in claim 39 wherein the iris mechanism is connected to a user-rotatable collar that opens the iris mechanism when rotated in a first direction and closes the iris mechanism when rotated in a second direction.

42. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein said user-operable switch is a cap, button, dial, or key of said host device.

43. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein said user-operable switch is implemented using input from a user selection of a screen interface of said host device or from a speech recognition input of said host device.