VIDEO RECORDING CAMERA HEADSET

• US 20100118158A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Looxcie Incorporated
• Inventors: Pereira, Romulus, Boland, Justin, Mohanran, Narayan
• Granted Patent: US 8,593,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A wireless video recording camera headset providing hands-free video recording and a two-way audio relay to a wireless handset. A recorded video stream is saved to a non-volatile buffer in the headset and may be viewed, edited and manipulated via the wireless handset.

Claims

1. A wireless video recording headset, comprising:

an earpiece through which the headset is to provide an output audio signal;

a microphone through which the headset is to receive an input audio signal;

an optical sensor through which the headset is to receive an input image signal;

a processor coupled to the optical sensor, the processor configured to process the input image signal received from the optical sensor into an encoded video data stream;

a non-volatile storage medium, wherein the storage medium is coupled to the processor and is to store, locally in the headset, the encoded video data stream as recorded video data; and

a wireless transceiver operable to relay the input and output audio signals between the headset and a wireless communication handset during a telecommunication event conducted by the wireless communication handset.

2. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the processor is to write the encoded video data stream to the storage medium, and wherein the processor is configured to manage at least a portion of the storage medium as a circular buffer and overwrite the recorded video data stored in a subset of memory addresses corresponding to an older recorded video frame with the encoded video data corresponding to a newer video frame.

3. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the processor is to switch the input audio signal to the wireless transceiver such that the input audio signal is not recorded during the telecommunications event;

and

wherein the processor is to switch the input audio signal to the storage medium to be recorded when no telecommunications event is occurring.

4. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the processor is to process video control commands received via the wireless transceiver over a same communication channel of a first wireless communication link over which the input and output audio signals are relayed.

5. The headset as in claim 4, wherein the processor, in response to receiving a first video control command, is to designate a logical segment of the circular recorded video data buffer as a video clip file, the video clip file logically partitioned from the circular recorded video data buffer such that recorded video data associated with the designated the video clip is protected from being overwritten by video data subsequently recorded to the circular buffer.

6. The headset as in claim 5, wherein in response to receiving the first recorded video control command, the processor is to designate as the video clip file, all recorded video data within the logical segment corresponding to a predetermined time interval backward in time from a reference time.

7. The headset as in claim 6, wherein further in response to receiving the first recorded video control command, the processor is to append to the video clip file, video data recorded during the predetermined time interval forward in time from the reference time.

8. The headset as in claim 7, wherein the reference time is based on a time of receipt of the first video control command, and wherein the predetermined video data recording time interval is approximately 30 seconds to store approximately one minute of recorded video as the video clip file, the video clip file time shifted to include approximately 30 seconds of video data recorded prior to the reference time and extended to include approximately 30 seconds video data not yet recorded as of the reference time.

9. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to communicate, via the wireless transceiver, at least a subset of the recorded video data to the wireless communication handset.

10. The headset as in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to communicate, via the wireless transceiver, a plurality of I-frames accessed from the circular recorded video data buffer as the processor traverses the buffer in response to receiving a second recorded video control command from the wireless communication handset.

11. The headset as in claim 10, wherein the processor, in response to receiving the first recorded video control command from the wireless communication handset, is to designate as the video clip file all recorded video data within a logical segment of the circular recorded video data buffer beginning with a first and ending with a second of the I-frames communicated to the mobile wireless device during the buffer traversal and identified as video clip endpoints by recorded video control commands received from the wireless communication handset.

12. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the encoded video data stream is Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG)-4 compliant;

wherein the processor is further configured to process the input audio signal into an encoded audio data stream to be recorded with the recorded video data;

wherein the storage media comprises non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), wherein the wireless transceiver is Bluetooth compliant.

13. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is to operate, and the processor is to continuously output the encoded video data stream to the storage medium, in response to either actuation of a physical record switch disposed on the headset or in response to receiving, via the wireless transceiver, a record command from the wireless communication handset.

14. The headset as in claim 1, wherein the processor is to discontinue the storing of the encoded video data stream as recorded video data in response a determination of a low charge level in a battery disposed within the wireless headset;

and wherein the wireless transceiver is to remain operable to relay the input and output audio signals between the headset and a wireless communication handset subsequent to the processor discontinuing the storing of the encoded video data stream.

15. A system comprising:

the wireless video recording headset of claim 1, and

a wireless device paired with the wireless video recording headset, the wireless device configured to control operation of the wireless video recording headset.

16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the wireless device is the wireless communication handset and is configured to control the headset via a same communication channel of a first wireless communication link over which the input and output audio signals are relayed.

17. The system as in claim 15, wherein the wireless device is a computer platform distinct from the wireless communication handset and configured to execute an application through which a video control command is to be issued to the wireless video recording headset.

18. The system as in claim 17, wherein the wireless device is to issue a video control command to the headset in response to either a local user'"'"'s selection of the video control command or in response to receiving the video control command from a remote source via a second communication link.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the wireless device is to access, via the first wireless communication link, video data recorded on the video recording headset and wherein the wireless device is to display, on a display screen of the device, one or more frames of the accessed video data.

20. The system as in claim 15, wherein the wireless device is a cellular-enabled wireless communication handset and is configured to send, via a wireless communication link between the wireless communication handset and a wireless telephone base station, one or more frames of the accessed video data.

21. A method of recording video, comprising:

receiving an input audio signal from a microphone disposed in a wireless headset;

sending the input audio signal to a wireless communication handset for transmission by the wireless communication handset in support of a telecommunication event conducted by the wireless communication handset;

receiving an input image signal from an optical sensor disposed in the wireless headset; and

recording video data, based on the received input image signal, to a non-volatile storage medium disposed within the wireless headset.

22. The method as in claim 21, further comprising:

wirelessly sending at least a portion of the recorded video data to the wireless communication handset, the portion sufficient to construct at least a single video frame, wherein the recorded video data is sent over a same communication channel of the wireless headset used to relay the input audio signal.

23. The method as in claim 21, wherein the relaying of the input audio signal is performed at substantially the same time the input image signal is recorded as the video data to the storage medium;

and the method further comprising;

switching the input audio signal such that the input audio signal is not recorded during the telecommunications event.

24. The method as in claim 21, wherein recording the video data further comprises:

providing, with the non-volatile storage medium, a circular recorded video data buffer; and

replacing the oldest recorded video data with newly recorded video data upon reaching a storage capacity of the buffer.

25. The method as in claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a video control command from the wireless communication handset;

designating a logical segment of the circular recorded video data buffer as a video clip file;

logically partitioning the video clip file from the circular recorded video data buffer; and

preventing the video clip file from being overwritten by video subsequently recorded to the circular buffer.

26. The method as in claim 25, further comprising:

designating as the video clip file, all recorded video data within the logical segment corresponding to a predetermined time interval backward in time from a time of receipt of the video control command.

27. The method as in claim 26, further comprising:

appending the video clip file with video data recorded during a predetermined time interval forward in time from the time of receipt of the video control command.

28. The method as in claim 22, wherein sending at least the portion of the recorded video data further comprises sending a plurality of I-frames accessed from the circular recorded video data buffer as the buffer is traversed in response to receiving a recorded video control command from the wireless communication handset.

29. The method as in claim 28, further comprising:

designating, as a video clip file, all recorded video data within a logical segment of the circular recorded video data buffer beginning with a first and ending with a second of the I-frames identified as video clip endpoints by received video control commands.

30. A computer readable medium with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform the method of claim 21.