Video Conference System and Method

• US 20120147127A1
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• 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: Satterlee, Michael, Cheikhali, Jamil, Gibbons, John F., Gosine, Jai Narayn
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A method includes receiving a registration message at a video control point (VCP) device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between endpoint devices. The video conference is set up to enable a first endpoint device to send media to a second endpoint device without the media passing through the VCP device en route. A communication profile associated with each endpoint device is determined. Configuration settings associated with at least one endpoint device is determined based on the communication profiles. The configuration settings are sent to at least one computing device that is adapted to modify the media based on the configuration settings to generate modified media.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and at least one second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the at least one second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the at least one second endpoint device and to enable the at least one second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determining a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device;

determining at least one second communication profile associated with the at least one second endpoint device;

determining configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and the at least one second communication profile; and

sending the configuration settings to at least one computing device that is adapted to modify the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, wherein the second media is received by the at least one computing device en route from the at least one second endpoint device to the first endpoint device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration message is received via a unicast transmission from the first endpoint device to the video control point device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining second configuration settings associated with the at least one second endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and the at least one second communication profile; and

sending the second configuration settings to at least one second computing device that is adapted to modify the first media based on the second configuration settings to generate modified first media, wherein the at least one second endpoint device is able to utilize the modified first media, wherein the first media is received by the at least one second computing device en route from the first endpoint device to the at least one second endpoint device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media is encoded into a plurality of layers by the at least one second endpoint device using scalable video coding and wherein the configuration settings include information indicating one or more layers of the plurality of layers that are to be removed by the at least one computing device to generate the modified second media.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a display frame rate associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the one or more layers reduces a frame rate of the second media to satisfy the display frame rate associated with the first endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a bandwidth capacity associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the one or more layers reduces a bandwidth used to transmit the second media to satisfy the bandwidth capacity associated with the first endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a display resolution associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the one or more layers reduces a resolution of the second media to satisfy the display resolution associated with the first endpoint device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication profile includes a conference restriction, wherein the method further comprises analyzing the conference restriction before sending the configuration settings.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, when the first endpoint device is not authorized to participate in the video conference based on the conference restriction, the configuration settings are not sent.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining preferred routing of the first media based on at least one of the first communication profile and the at least one second communication profile.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the preferred routing of the first media includes selecting one or more additional devices to which the first media is to be sent in addition to the at least one second endpoint device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more additional devices process the first media to provide supplemental services for the video conference, wherein the supplemental services include at least one of:

recording, translation, voice-to-text conversion, and overlaying content.

13. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and at least one second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the at least one second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the at least one second endpoint device and to enable the at least one second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determine a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device;

determine at least one second communication profile associated with the at least one second endpoint device;

determine configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and the at least one second communication profile; and

send the configuration settings to at least one computing device that is adapted to modify the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, wherein the second media is received by the at least one computing device en route from the at least one second endpoint device to the first endpoint device.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to send a first set up message from the video control point device to the first endpoint device via a unicast transmission, wherein the set up message includes information identifying a multicast control group, a send multicast group of the first endpoint device, and a default receive multicast group, wherein, in response to the set up message, the first endpoint device monitors the default receive multicast group.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to send at least one second set up message from the video control point device to the at least one second endpoint device, wherein the second set up message includes information identifying the multicast control group and a send multicast group of the at least one second endpoint device.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the default receive multicast group corresponds to a send multicast group of the at least one second endpoint device.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the at least one computing device comprises a routing device along a communication route between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the at least one computing device is the first endpoint device.

19. A non-transitory computing-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and at least one second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the at least one second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the at least one second endpoint device and to enable the at least one second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determine a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device;

determine at least one second communication profile associated with the at least one second endpoint device;

determine configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and the at least one second communication profile; and

send the configuration settings to at least one computing device that is adapted to modify the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, wherein the second media is received by the at least one computing device en route from the at least one second endpoint device to the first endpoint device.

20. The non-transitory computing-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause the processor to:

receive audio data from a particular endpoint device;

select the particular endpoint device as an active terminal based on the audio data; and

sending a control message to a multicast control group, the control message identifying a send multicast group of the active terminal, wherein, in response to the control message, one or more other endpoint devices monitor the send multicast group of the active terminal.