SELECTIVELY FORMATTING MEDIA DURING A GROUP COMMUNICATION SESSION

• US 20120129543A1
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Biren R., Lindner, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,084,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

In an embodiment, during a group communication session, media is received from a first set of access terminals that belong to a communication group, wherein the received media corresponds to content for presentation to a second set of access terminals that belong to the communication group. In an example, the media can be received either at an application server arbitrating the group communication session, or alternatively at a target access terminal for the received media that belongs to the second set of access terminals. Location information associated with an access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals is determined, and the received media is selectively reformatted based on the determined location information.

Claims

1. A method of formatting media during a group communication session, comprising:

receiving, during the group communication session, media from a first set of access terminals that belong to a communication group, wherein the received media corresponds to content for presentation to a second set of access terminals that belong to the communication group;

determining location information associated with at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals; and

selectively reformatting the received media based on the determined location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining and selectively reformatting steps are performed by an application server arbitrating the group communication session.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the selectively reformatted media to the second set of access terminals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining and selectively reformatting steps are performed by a target access terminal for the received media that belongs to the second set of access terminals.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

presenting the selectively reformatted media to a user of the target access terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined location information corresponds to a physical or geographical location of the at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined location information corresponds to a virtual location of the at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the virtual location corresponds to a relative location of the at least one access terminal at a virtual poker table of an online poker game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the group communication session corresponds to a group audio communication session and the received media corresponds to audio media.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the received media corresponds to one-dimensional (1D) audio media and the selectively reformatting step converts the 1D audio media into three-dimensional (3D) audio media.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the selectively reformatting step includes:

selecting, for a given access terminal among the second set of access terminals, a virtual origination point or direction for at least one access terminal among the first set of access terminals; and

configuring, for the given access terminal among the second set of access terminals, at least one three-dimensional (3D) audio output frame to include the audio media of the at least one access terminal among the first set of access terminals being positioned at the selected virtual origination point or direction.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein the selectively reformatting step is performed by an application server arbitrating the group communication session,

and wherein the selectively reformatting step is performed independently for each access terminal among the second set of access terminals such that the application server configures a different 3D audio output frame for each access terminal among the second set of access terminals.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the group communication session corresponds to a group video communication session and the received media corresponds to video media.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selectively reformatting step includes:

selecting, for a given access terminal among the second set of access terminals, a visual arrangement for the video media received from at least one of the first set of access terminals; and

configuring, for the given access terminal among the second set of access terminals, at least one video output frame to include the video media of the at least one access terminal among the first set of access terminals in accordance with the selected visual arrangement.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein the selectively reformatting step is performed by an application server arbitrating the group communication session,

and wherein the selectively reformatting step is performed independently for each access terminal among the second set of access terminals such that the application server configures a different video output frame for each access terminal among the second set of access terminals.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selected media-reformatting protocol from at least one of the second set of access terminals,

wherein the selectively reformatting step is performed, for the at least one of the second set of access terminals, in accordance with the selected media-reformatting protocol.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selectively reformatting is performed, for any remaining access terminals among the second set of access terminals that do not provide the received indication, based a default media-reformatting protocol.

18. An apparatus configured to format media during a group communication session, comprising:

means for receiving, during the group communication session, media from a first set of access terminals that belong to a communication group, wherein the received media corresponds to content for presentation to a second set of access terminals that belong to the communication group;

means for determining location information associated with at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals; and

means for selectively reformatting the received media based on the determined location information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus corresponds to an application server arbitrating the group communication session.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus corresponds to a target access terminal for the received media that belongs to the second set of access terminals.

21. An apparatus configured to format media during a group communication session, comprising:

logic configured to receive, during the group communication session, media from a first set of access terminals that belong to a communication group, wherein the received media corresponds to content for presentation to a second set of access terminals that belong to the communication group;

logic configured to determine location information associated with at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals; and

logic configured to selectively reformat the received media based on the determined location information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus corresponds to an application server arbitrating the group communication session.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus corresponds to a target access terminal for the received media that belongs to the second set of access terminals.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon which, when executed by an apparatus configured to format media during a group communication session, cause the apparatus to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to receive, during the group communication session, media from a first set of access terminals that belong to a communication group, wherein the received media corresponds to content for presentation to a second set of access terminals that belong to the communication group;

program code to determine location information associated with at least one access terminal among the first or second sets of access terminals; and

program code to selectively reformat the received media based on the determined location information.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the apparatus corresponds to an application server arbitrating the group communication session.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the apparatus corresponds to a target access terminal for the received media that belongs to the second set of access terminals.