Virtual Presence Via Mobile

• US 20120056971A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Saurabh, Saxena, Sorabh, Singh, Anand K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for connecting a plurality of mobile devices in a videoconference over a cellular network via a videoconferencing server. At least one of the mobile devices includes a camera to capture a video of a participant in the videoconference. The video is transmitted to the videoconferencing server on the cellular network. The videoconferencing server edits the video and sends the edited video to receiving mobile devices in real-time. The receiving mobile devices output the video as a projection by using an internal mobile projector or transmit the video to an external display device. A sending mobile device may also act as a receiving mobile device, such that each of the participants may view video of other participants in his/her own background/environment while communicating with the other participants. In some variations, the videoconferencing server removes the background from the video and may replace the background such that the images of participants are placed in front of a new background or in each other'"'"'s background.

Claims

1. A mobile device for videoconferencing, the mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a camera in communication with the processor;

a cellular transceiver in communication with the processor to enable communication with a cellular network;

a memory in communication with the processor; and

a videoconferencing logic on the memory, the videoconferencing logic to instruct the mobile device to record a captured video using the camera and stream the captured video to a videoconferencing server on the cellular network via the cellular transceiver,

wherein the videoconferencing server receives the captured video, extracts a foreground of the captured video to create an output video including the foreground, and streams the output video to a plurality of projector capable mobile devices which project the output video in real-time.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the videoconferencing logic removes a captured background from the captured video and replaces the captured background with a selected background.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, further comprising a GPS transceiver, wherein the GPS transceiver provides a location of the mobile device, and wherein the location is used to determine the selected background of the output video.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the selected background is selected by one or more of the mobile device, a default setting, and the videoconferencing server.

5. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the output video is different for each of the plurality of mobile devices.

6. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the memory contains a plurality of user preferences and settings for the selected background.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver coupled to the processor to enable communication with an external display device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the videoconferencing logic further instructs the mobile device to receive the output video from the videoconferencing server and display the output video using a projector of the mobile device, wherein the output video further includes a remote foreground captured by one or more of the plurality of projector capable mobile devices.

9. A system for mobile videoconferencing, the system comprising:

a cellular network;

a first mobile device in communication with the cellular network, the first mobile device recording a first captured video;

a videoconferencing server on the cellular network; and

a second mobile device in communication with the cellular network,

wherein the first mobile device transmits the first captured video to the videoconferencing server through the cellular network, the videoconferencing server receives the first captured video and edits the first captured video to create an output video, the videoconferencing server transmits the output video to the second mobile device, and the second mobile device displays the output video in real-time.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an external display device in communication with the second mobile device to display the output video.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the external display device communicates with the second mobile device over a local area network.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the external display device is one or more of a projector, a television with a set-top box, and an IPTV user channel on a set-top box dedicated to each user mobile number.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second mobile device projects the output video using an internal projector, the internal projector capable of projecting the output video in one or more of a two dimensions and three dimensions.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the videoconferencing server edits the first captured video by removing a captured background from the first captured video and replacing the captured background with a selected background.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the videoconferencing server receives a second captured video from the second mobile device, edits the second captured video, and combines the edited second captured video in the output video.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the videoconferencing server transmits the output video to the first mobile device.

17. A method of videoconferencing on mobile devices, the method comprising:

connecting a first mobile device and a second mobile device in a videoconference over a cellular network;

receiving a captured video from the first mobile device;

editing the captured video to create an output video of an extracted foreground; and

transmitting the output video to the second mobile device,

wherein the second mobile device displays the output video in real-time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the editing further comprises removing a captured background from the captured video and replacing the captured background with a selected background.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the output video is transmitted to the first mobile device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a second captured video from the second mobile device, editing the second captured video, and combining the edited second captured video into the output video.