Video conference system and method

• US 20090040288A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Larson, Arnold W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

Various embodiments of a video conference system and method are disclosed.

Claims

1. A video conference system, comprising:

first and second remote presence video conference environments, each including a plurality of cameras oriented to view a plurality of participant positions, and a plurality of displays, all but one display and one camera interconnected to send and receive video images from the opposite remote presence environment; and

a third video conference environment, interconnected to provide a video image to one of the displays in each of the first and second environments.

2. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the third environment comprises a remote presence video conference environment.

3. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a fourth video conference environment, interconnected to provide a video image to the display on which the video image from the third video conference environment appears in each of the first and second environments.

4. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the third video conference environment includes a display that receives an image taken from a camera in each of the first and second remote presence video conference environments.

5. A video conference system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the third video conference environment includes a display that provides a composite of images from all operating cameras in the first and second remote presence video conference environments.

6. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cameras in the first and second remote presence video conference environments are adjusted to view less than all of the participant positions.

7. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, wherein less than all of the cameras in the first and second remote presence video conference environments are adjusted to view all of the participant positions.

8. A video conference system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras comprise three cameras and the plurality of displays comprise three displays, two of the cameras and two of the displays being interconnected to send and receive video images from the opposite remote presence environment.

9. A video conference system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the three displays are located at right, left and center positions, the center display being configured to receive the video image from the third video conference environment.

10. A video conference system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the three displays are located at right, left and center positions, one of the right and left displays being configured to receive the video image from the third video conference environment.

11. A video conference method, comprising the steps of:

interconnecting first and second remote presence video conference environments, each environment including a plurality of participant positions, cameras, and displays;

adjusting the cameras and displays to view and display the opposing participant positions except on an unused display in each environment; and

providing video from a third video conference environment to the unused video displays.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the step of providing images to a display in the third environment from an unused camera in at least one of the first and second remote presence video conference environments.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the step of providing images to the display in the third environment comprises providing a composite of images from all operating cameras in the first and second remote presence video conference environments

14. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of adjusting the cameras and displays in the first and second remote presence video conference environments comprises adjusting the cameras to view less than all of the participant positions.

15. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of adjusting the cameras and displays in the first and second remote presence video conference environments comprises adjusting less than all of cameras to view all of the participant positions.

16. A computer program comprising machine readable program code, for causing remote presence video conference environments having a plurality of participant positions, cameras, and displays, to perform the steps of:

adjusting the cameras and displays in first and second remote presence video conference environments to view and display opposing participant positions except on an unused display in each environment; and

providing video from a third video conference environment to the unused video displays.

17. A computer program in accordance with claim 16, further comprising program code for causing the video conference environments to perform the step of providing images to a display in the third environment from an unused camera in at least one of the first and second remote presence video conference environments.

18. A computer program in accordance with claim 17, further comprising program code for causing the video conference environments to perform the step of providing images to the display in the third environment comprises providing a composite of images from all operating cameras in the first and second remote presence video conference environments

19. A computer program in accordance with claim 16, further comprising program code for causing the video conference environments to perform the step of adjusting the cameras and displays in the first and second remote presence video conference environments comprises adjusting the cameras to view less than all of the participant positions.

20. A computer program in accordance with claim 16, further comprising program code for causing the video conference environments to perform the step of adjusting the cameras and displays in the first and second remote presence video conference environments comprises adjusting less than all of cameras to view all of the participant positions.