COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR PROCESSING PERSON ASSOCIATED PICTURES AND VIDEO STREAMS

• US 20100149303A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Thorne, Nick, Kinghorn, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,633,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A communication device (1, 1′, 1″) with at least one wireless communication channel is configured to receive digital pictures and/or video streams from at least one remote source. The communication device (1, 1′, 1″) is configured to test whether at least one person who is/are associated with said communication device by pre-stored person identification data is identifiable in the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source, and to process the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source only if the result of the person identification test is positive.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A communication device being configured to receive digital pictures and/or video streams from at least one remote source via at least one wireless communication channel, wherein the communication device is configured to test whether at least one person who is/are associated with said communication device by pre-stored person identification data is identifiable in the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source, and to process the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source only if the result of the person identification test is positive.

23. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, being configured to receive person identification data from the remote source and to carry out the person identification test by comparing the received person identification data with pre-stored person identification data of the person(s) associated with said communication device.

24. A communication device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the person identification data comprise face recognition coefficients (FRC).

25. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, being configured to carry out the person identification test by generating person identification data from digital pictures and/or video streams received from the remote source and comparing the generated person identification data with pre-stored person identification data of the person(s) associated with said communication device.

26. A communication device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the person identification data comprise face recognition coefficients (FRC) and wherein the communication device comprises a face recognition algorithm processor for generating the face recognition coefficients (FRC).

27. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the wireless communication channel comprises a local wireless network interface and/or an infra red (IR) transceiver.

28. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, comprising a camera to generate digital pictures and/or video streams and to broadcast them via the wireless communication channel.

29. A communication device as claimed in claim 28, comprising a face recognition algorithm processor for generating face recognition coefficients (FRC) from the digital pictures and/or video streams taken by the camera.

30. A communication device as claimed in claim 29, being configured to broadcast the face recognition coefficients (FRC) via the wireless communication channel.

31. A communication device as claimed in claim 29, being switchable into a training mode in which the generated face recognition coefficients (FRC) are assigned to a person associated with the communication device and are stored in the communication device.

32. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, comprising a headset with a camera and optionally a microphone.

33. A communication device as claimed in claim 29, being configured to establish or participate in video conference calls with other communication devices.

34. A communication device as claimed in claim 33, being configured to splice video streams from another communication device into the video conference call.

35. A communication device as claimed in claim 33, comprising a “

speaker'"'"'s token”

manager for setting up and managing a “

speaker'"'"'s token”

among the communication devices participating in the video conference call.

36. A communication device as claimed in claim 35, comprising a microphone wherein the “

speaker'"'"'s token”

manager is configured to decide assignment of the “

speaker'"'"'s token”

to one of the communication devices according to the highest voice level received by the microphone of one of the communication devices.

37. A communication device as claimed in claim 35, wherein the communication device having the “

speaker'"'"'s token”

tags the video stream of one of the other communication devices and splices it into the video conference call.

38. A communication device as claimed in claim 22, wherein processing the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source comprises storing them in the communication device.

39. A communication device as claimed in claim 29, wherein a focused infrared beam is emitted along the line of site of the camera conveying face recognition coefficients (FRC) of a person associated with the communication device.

40. A communication device as claimed in claim 29, comprising camera position controller configured to steer the camera or the camera of a headset such that a person that has been identified in the video stream taken by the camera is kept in the center of view.

41. A communication device as claimed in claim 40, comprising a processor configured to extract face recognition coefficients (FRC) being conveyed in a focused infrared beam that is emitted by a remote communication device along the line of site of its camera, wherein the face recognition coefficients (FRC) are assigned to a person associated with the remote communication device and wherein the camera position controller) is configured to steer the camera or the camera of a headset such that the person associated to the face recognition coefficients when identified in the video stream taken by the camera is kept in the center of view.

42. A communication device as claimed in claim 41, wherein the camera position controller is configured to steer the camera upon the focused infrared beam emitted by the remote communication device.

46. The communication method of claim 22, further comprising carrying out the person identification test by generating person identification data from digital pictures and/or video streams received from the remote source and comparing the generated person identification data with pre-stored person identification data of the person(s) associated with said communication device.

47. The communication method of claim 46, wherein the person identification data comprise face recognition coefficients (FRC) and wherein the communication device comprises a face recognition algorithm processor for generating the face recognition coefficients (FRC).

43. A communication method comprising:

receiving digital pictures and/or video streams from at least one remote source via at least one wireless communication channel on a communication device; and

testing whether at least one person which is/are associated with said communication device by pre-stored person identification data is identifiable in the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source and process the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remost source only if the result of the person identification test is positive.

44. The communication method of claim 43, further comprising receiving person identification data from the remote source and carrying out the person identification test by comparing the received person identification data with pre-stored person identification data of the person(s) associated with said communication device.

45. The communication method of claim 44, wherein the person identification data comprise face recognition coefficients (FRC).

48. The communication method of claim 43, wherein the wireless communication channel comprises a local wireless network interface and/or an infra red (IR) transceiver.

49. The communication method of claim 43, further comprising generating digital pictures and/or video streams from a camera and broadcasting them via the wireless communication channel.

50. The communication method of claim 49, further comprising generating face recognition coefficients (FRC) in a face recognition processor, from the digital pictures and/or video streams taken by the camera.

51. The communication method of claim 50, further comprising broadcasting the face recognition coefficients (FRC) via the wireless communication channel.

52. The communication method of claim 50, further comprising being switchable into a training mode in which the generated face recognition coefficients (FRC) are assigned to a person associated with the communication device and are stored in the communication device.

53. The communication method of claim 43, wherein the communication device comprises a headset with a camera and optionally a microphone.

54. The communication method of claim 49, further comprising establishing or participating in video conference calls with other communication devices.

55. The communication method of claim 43, further comprising splicing video streams from another communication device into the video conference call.

56. The communication method of claim 54, further comprising setting up a “

speaker'"'"'s token”

manager and managing a “

speaker'"'"'s token”

among the communication devices participating in the video conference call.

57. The communication method of claim 56, wherein the communication device comprises a microphone, the method further comprising:

configuring the “

speaker'"'"'s token”

manager to decide assignment of the“

speaker'"'"'s token”

to one of the communication devices according to the highest voice level received by the microphone of one of the communication devices.

58. The communication method of claim 56, further comprising tagging the video stream of one of the other communication device by communication device having the “

speaker'"'"'s token” and

splicing it into the video conference call.

59. The communication method of claim 43, wherein processing the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source comprises storing them in the communication device.

60. The communication method of claim 50, further comprising emitting a focused infrared beam along the line of site of the camera conveying face recognition coefficients (FRC) of a person associated with the communication device.

61. The communication method of claim 51, further comprising steering the camera or the camera of a headset camera position such that a person that has been identified in the video stream taken by the camera is kept in the center of view.

62. The communication method of claim 61, further comprising:

extracting face recognition coefficients (FRC) being conveyed in a focused infrared beam that is emitted by a remote communication device along the line of site of its camera, wherein the face recognition coefficients (FRC) are assigned to a person associated with the remote communication device; and

steering the camera or the camera of a headset such that the person associated to the face recognition coefficients when identified in the video stream taken by the camera is kept in the center of view.

63. The communication method of claim 62, further comprising steering the camera upon the focused infrared beam emitted by the remote communication device.

64. A computer program product configured to perform a communication method comprising:

receiving digital pictures and/or video streams from at least one remote source via at least one wireless communication channel on a communication device; and

testing whether at least one person which is/are associated with said communication device by pre-stored person identification data is identifiable in the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source and process the digital pictures and/or video streams of the remote source only if the result of the person identification test is positive.