METHOD, DEVICE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR PROCESSING IMAGES DURING VIDEO CONFERENCING

• US 20100091086A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tandberg Telecom AS (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: HAGEN, Einar Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,379,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A method, device, and computer-readable-medium are disclosed for processing images during a conference between a plurality of video conferencing terminals. The method uses a processor to input a first image from a first camera at a first video conferencing terminal, a second image from a second camera at a second video conferencing terminal, and a third image from a third camera at a third video conferencing terminal. The processor then generates a first composite image that has the third image inserted at a first position into the second image, and a second composite image that has the third image inserted at a second position into the first image. The first position and the second position are located in horizontally opposite portions of the first composite image and the second composite image, respectively. Further, the first and second composite images are sent to the first and second video conferencing terminals, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for processing images during a conference between a plurality of video conferencing terminals, the method comprising:

inputting to a processor a first image from a first camera at a first video conferencing terminal;

inputting to the processor a second image from a second camera at a second video conferencing terminal;

inputting to the processor a third image from a third camera at a third video conferencing terminal;

generating, with the processor, a first composite image that has the third image inserted at a first position into the second image;

generating, with the processor, a second composite image that has the third image inserted at a second position into the first image,

wherein the first position and the second position are located in horizontally opposite portions of the first composite image and the second composite image, respectively;

sending the first composite image to the first video conferencing terminal; and

sending the second composite image to the second video conferencing terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating, with the processor, a first composite image includes generating the first composite image with a multipoint control unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the processor is part of a telepresence endpoint.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first composite image on a display of the first video conferencing terminal; and

displaying the second composite image on a display of the second video conferencing terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating, with the processor, the first composite image and the generating, with the processor, the second composite image includes resizing the third image.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the resizing includes at least one of downsizing to a predefined size or format and downsizing using a predefined ratio.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inputting to the processor the first image, the inputting to the processor the second image, and the inputting to the processor the third image are performed at the first video conferencing terminal.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inputting to the processor the first image, the inputting to the processor the second image, and the inputting to the processor the third image are performed at a multipoint control unit.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating, with the processor, the first composite image and the generating, with the processor, the second composite image are performed at the first video conferencing terminal.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first video conferencing terminal and the second video conferencing terminal is a telepresence terminal.

11. The method according claim 1, wherein the third video conferencing terminal is a regular video conferencing terminal operating on H.164 protocol, H.323 protocol, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP), Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE), or a standard video conferencing protocol.

12. The method according claim 1, wherein the first image, the second image, and the third image are included in video signals.

13. The method according claim 1, further comprising inputting to the processor additional images from additional video conferencing terminals.

14. A video conferencing device for processing images during a conference between a plurality of video conferencing terminals, the device comprising:

an interface that receives

a first image from a first camera at a first video conferencing terminal,

a second image from a second camera at a second video conferencing terminal, and

a third image from a third camera at a third video conferencing terminal;

a processor configured to generate

a first composite image that has the third image inserted at a first position into the second image, and

a second composite image that has the third image inserted at a second position into the first image, wherein the first position and the second position are located in horizontally opposite portions of the first composite image and the second composite image, respectively; and

a sending unit that sends the first composite image to the first video conferencing terminal and the second composite image to the second video conferencing terminal.

15. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to generate the first composite image and the second composite image and generates at least one of the first composite image and the second composite image with a multipoint control unit.

16. The video conferencing device according to claim 15, wherein the processor is part of a telepresence endpoint.

17. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a first video conferencing terminal displaying unit configured to display the first composite image; and

a second video conferencing terminal displaying unit configured to display the second composite image.

18. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, wherein the processor resizes the third image to generate the first composite image and the second composite image.

19. The video conferencing device according to claim 18, wherein the processor resizes the third image by at least one of downsizing to a predefined size or format and downsizing using a predefined ratio.

20. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, wherein the first image, the second image, and the third image are captured at the first video conferencing terminal.

21. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, wherein the first composite image and the second composite image are processed at a multipoint control unit.

22. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the first video conferencing terminal and the second video conferencing terminal is a telepresence terminal.

23. The video conferencing device according claim 14, wherein the third video conferencing terminal is a regular video conferencing terminal operating on H.164 protocol, H.323 protocol, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP), Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE), or a standard video conferencing protocol.

24. The video conferencing device according claim 14, wherein the first image, the second image, and the third image are included in video signals.

25. The video conferencing device according claim 14, wherein the interface receives additional images from additional video conferencing terminals.

26. The video conferencing device according to claim 14, including at least one of a telepresence terminal and a multipoint control unit.

27. A computer-readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

inputting to a processor a first image from a first camera at a first video conferencing terminal;

inputting to the processor a second image from a second camera at a second video conferencing terminal;

inputting to the processor a third image from a third camera at a third video conferencing terminal;

generating, with the processor, a first composite image that has the third image inserted at a first position into the second image;

generating, with the processor, a second composite image that has the third image inserted at a second position into the first image,

wherein the first position and the second position are located in horizontally opposite portions of the first composite image and the second composite image, respectively;

sending the first composite image to the first video conferencing terminal; and

sending the second composite image to the second video conferencing terminal.