Internet Video Conferencing On A Home Television

• US 20090046138A1
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jaff, Kosar, AbiEzzi, Salim S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,250,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• 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 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A home network integrates a television to enable a user to use the television to conduct an Internet video conference by leveraging the Internet video conferencing functionality provided by a home computer connected to the Internet. The television is connected to the home network via a TV client module, and a video camera co-located with the television is also connected to the TV client. The TV client presents on the television an Internet conferencing option selectable by a user to invoke the video conferencing functionality of the personal computer. During the video conference, video and audio data captured by the video camera are transmitted by the TV client over the home network to the personal computer fro forwarding onto the conferencing parties on the Internet, and user interface data representing video/audio streams received from the Internet are transmitted by the personal computer to the TV client for display on the television.

Claims

1. In a home networking environment with a television client, a method for a computing device with connectivity to the Internet to provide video conferencing, the method comprising:

receiving from the television client on the home network a request to conduct an Internet video conference, the television client being connected to a television and controlling display of images on the television;

setting up an Internet video conference according to the request with a conferencing party on the Internet;

receiving incoming video conferencing data from the conferencing party on the Internet;

transmitting conferencing user interface data representing the incoming video conferencing data over the home network to the television client for display on the television;

receiving outgoing video conferencing data from the television client; and

forwarding the outgoing video conferencing data to the video conferencing party on the Internet.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying on the television interactive user interface screens for setting up an Internet video conference; and

receiving user inputs for parameters for the Internet video conference through the television client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises converting the incoming video conferencing data into the user interface data for display on the television by the television client.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the television client transmits the outgoing video conferencing data as USB data contained in IP packets;

and

wherein receiving outgoing video conferencing data comprises extracting USB data from IP packets received from the television client.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving an incoming call for Internet video conferencing; and

transmitting an alert regarding the incoming call to the television client.

6. In a home networking environment with a computing device with connectivity to the Internet, a method for a television client to provide video conferencing, the method comprising:

displaying a user-selectable option to conduct an Internet video conference on a television connected to the television client;

receiving an input signal selecting to conduct an Internet video conference;

transmitting a request for Internet video conferencing to the computing device connected to the home network, the computing device providing Internet video conferencing functionality;

receiving from the computing device over the home network conferencing user interface data representing incoming video conferencing data received by the computing device from the Internet;

displaying the conferencing user interface data on the television;

receiving outgoing video conferencing data from a video camera connected to the television client; and

sending the outgoing video conferencing data to the computing device for forwarding to a conferencing party on the Internet.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the video camera is a USB device that sends the outgoing video conferencing data to the television client via a USB link;

and

wherein sending comprises generating IP packets that contain the outgoing video conferencing data and transmitting the IP packets to the computing device via the home network.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

discovering the computing device on the home network as providing Internet video conferencing functionality.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving a call alert from the computing device regarding an incoming call for Internet video conferencing; and

displaying an alert on the television regarding the incoming call.