Viewing Apparatus

• US 20110261143A1
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ponsford, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• 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 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A mobile device and corresponding method and program. The mobile device comprises: a transceiver for accessing a packet-based network; a screen; communication processing apparatus coupled to the transceiver and screen, for conducting a packet-based video call with a remote device via a channel established over the packet-based network; and a sensor for sensing a spatial state of the mobile device. The communication processing apparatus is coupled to the sensor and configured so as to detect, during the video call, whether the mobile device is in a first spatial state or a second spatial state, and to suppress a video function of the call when in the second spatial state but not in the first spatial state.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a transceiver for accessing a packet-based network;

a screen;

communication processing apparatus coupled to the transceiver and screen, for conducting a packet-based video call with a remote device via a channel established over the packet-based network; and

a sensor for sensing a spatial state of the mobile device;

wherein the communication processing apparatus is coupled to said sensor and configured so as to detect, during the video call, whether said mobile device is in a first spatial state or a second spatial state, and to suppress a video function of the call when in the second spatial state but not in the first spatial state.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises at least one of an incoming and outgoing video signal and at least one of an incoming and outgoing audio signal, and the communication processing apparatus is configured so as to suppress use of at least one of the video signals when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state, and to use the audio signals when in the first state.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises an outgoing video signal transmitted to the remote device, and the communication processing apparatus is configured to suspend transmission of the outgoing video to the remote device when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device, and the communication processing apparatus is configured to suspend output of the incoming video signal to the screen when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device;

and the communication processing apparatus is configured to perform a decoding operation on the incoming video signal for output to the screen, and to suspend said decoding operation when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises an outgoing video signal transmitted to the remote device;

and the communication processing apparatus is configured to perform an encoding operation on data captured from a camera to generate the outgoing video signal for transmission, and to suspend said encoding operation when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device, and the communication processing apparatus is configured to send a message controlling the remote device to suspend transmission of the incoming video signal when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second spatial state comprises said mobile device being held to a user'"'"'s ear.

9. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the mobile device comprises a rear-facing camera arranged to generate data for said outgoing video signal, and the first spatial state comprises said mobile device being held in a video capture position.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the screen of said mobile device is operable to display locally captured video from said rear-facing camera when held in the video capture position.

11. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the mobile device comprises a front-facing camera arranged to generate data for said outgoing video signal, and the first spatial state comprises said mobile device being held in a video capture position.

12. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

13. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.

14. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the communication processing apparatus is configured to send a message notifying a user of the remote device when said function of the video call is suppressed.

15. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the communication processing apparatus comprises a user-setting, arranged such that enabling the video function in said first spatial state is dependent on the user-setting.

16. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein said packet-based network is the Internet, and said processing apparatus is arranged such that said video call is an IP-based video call.

17. A method of operating a mobile device comprising a transceiver, a screen, and communication processing apparatus, the method comprising:

using the processing apparatus and transceiver to establish a packet-based video call with a remote device via a channel established over a packet-based network;

using a sensor to sense a spatial state of the mobile device; and

based on the sensor, using the communication processing apparatus to detect, during the video call, whether said mobile device is in a first spatial state or a second spatial state, and to suppress a video function of the call when in the second spatial state but not in the first spatial state.

18. A program product for operating a mobile device comprising a transceiver, a screen, and communication processing apparatus, the program product comprising code embodied on a computer-readable medium and configured so as when executed on the processing apparatus to:

use the transceiver to establish a packet-based video call with a remote device via a channel established over a packet-based network;

use a sensor to sense a spatial state of the mobile device;

detect based on the sensor, during the video call, whether said mobile device is in a first spatial state or a second spatial state; and

suppress a video function of the call when in the second spatial state but not in the first spatial state.

19. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises at least one of an incoming and outgoing video signal and at least one of an incoming and outgoing audio signal, and the code is configured so as to suppress use of at least one of the video signals when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state, and to use the audio signals when in the first state.

20. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises an outgoing video signal transmitted to the remote device, and the code is configured to suspend transmission of the outgoing video to the remote device when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

21. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device, and the code is configured to suspend output of the incoming video signal to the screen when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

22. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device;

and the code is configured to perform a decoding operation on the incoming video signal for output to the screen, and to suspend said decoding operation when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

23. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises an outgoing video signal transmitted to the remote device;

and the code is configured to perform an encoding operation on data captured from a camera to generate the outgoing video signal for transmission, and to suspend said encoding operation when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

24. The program product of claim 18, wherein the video call comprises an incoming video signal received from the remote device, and the code is configured to send a message controlling the remote device to suspend transmission of the incoming video signal when said mobile device is in the second spatial state but not the first spatial state.

25. The program product of claim 18, wherein the code is configured to detect said second spatial state when the mobile device is held to the user'"'"'s ear.

26. The program product of claim 20, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of a rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera arranged to generate data for said outgoing video signal, and the code is configured to detect said first spatial state when the mobile device is held in a video capture position.

27. The program of claim 26, wherein the code is configured to display locally captured video from said rear-facing camera on said screen when held in the video capture position.