TRANSMISSION APPARATUS, INSTRUCTION APPARATUS, TRANSMISSION METHOD, INSTRUCTION METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140074977A1
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Niida, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234345 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45455 applied to a region of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

The present invention can determine whether to enable or disable a restriction function of viewing an image to be transmitted, for each video stream. There is provided a transmission apparatus configured to transmit a video stream including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image to a plurality of destinations, and performs a first setting about whether to ON or OFF a viewing restriction function of a first video stream. Further, the transmission apparatus performs a second setting, independently from the first setting, for setting ON or OFF the viewing restriction function for a second video stream different from the first video stream.

Claims

1. A transmission apparatus configured to transmit a plurality of video streams including a part of or a whole of a captured image, the transmission apparatus comprising:

a setting unit configured to perform a first setting for setting whether to restrict viewing a first video stream to be transmitted to a first destination, and to perform a second setting independently from the first setting for setting whether to restrict viewing a second video stream to be transmitted to a second destination; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the first video stream generated based on the first setting to the first destination, and to transmit the second video stream generated based on the second setting to the second destination.

2. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first video stream includes a first image, which is a part of or a whole of an image of a first captured image, and

wherein the second video stream includes a second image, which is an image of a part of or a whole of the first captured image and different from the first image in an encoding method or a position clipped from the first captured image.

3. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first setting is for setting to the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on a first image included in the first video stream, and

wherein the second setting is for setting to the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on a second image included in the second video stream.

4. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a reception unit receives from the destination a transmission request of a video stream including identification information of the destination, and

wherein the transmission unit transmits the video stream to a destination corresponding to the identification information included in the transmission request.

5. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a holding unit configured to hold area information indicating a restriction area which is restricted from viewing in a first captured image; and

a reception unit configured to receive a first command for causing the setting unit to perform the first setting, and a second command for causing the setting unit to perform the second setting,

wherein the first video stream includes a first image which is an image of a part of or a whole of the first captured image,

wherein the second video stream includes a second image which is an image of a part of or a whole of the first captured image, and

wherein the transmission unit transmits an error response, in a case where the transmission unit receives the first command or the second command and the holding unit does not hold the area information, to an apparatus that has sent the received first command or the second command.

6. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reception unit configured to receive from the destination an inquiry request for inquiring whether the first setting or the second setting can be performed on the transmission apparatus.

7. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reception unit configured to receive from the destination an inquiry request for inquiring whether the first setting or the second setting can be performed on the transmission apparatus,

wherein the transmission unit sends a response indicating whether the destination that has sent the inquiry request can perform the first setting or the second setting on the transmission apparatus, to the destination that has sent the inquiry request.

8. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission unit transmits to the destination the captured image captured by an image capture unit.

9. An instruction apparatus configured to instructs a transmission apparatus that transmits a video stream including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image, the instruction apparatus comprising:

a first instruction unit configured to perform an instruction to the transmission apparatus about an encoding method of a first image included in a first video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus, or a position for clipping the first image in a first captured image;

a second instruction unit configured to perform an instruction to the transmission apparatus about an encoding method of a second image included in a second video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus or a position for clipping the second image included in the first captured image;

a third instruction unit configured to instructs the transmission apparatus whether to restrict viewing the first video stream; and

a fourth instruction unit configured to instructs the transmission apparatus whether to restrict viewing the second video stream.

10. The instruction apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the third instruction unit instructs the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on the first image included in the first video stream, and

wherein the fourth instruction unit instructs the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on the second image included in the second video stream.

11. A transmission method for transmitting a plurality of video streams including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image, the method comprising:

performing a first setting for setting whether to restrict viewing a first video stream to be transmitted to a first destination;

performing a second setting for setting, independently from the first setting, whether to restrict viewing a second video stream to be transmitted to a second destination;

transmitting the first video stream generated based on the first setting to the first destination, and the second video stream generated based on the second setting to the second destination.

12. An instruction method for instructing a transmission apparatus to transmit a video stream including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image, the method comprising:

performing a first instruction to the transmission apparatus to instruct an encoding method of a first image included in a first video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus, or a position for clipping the first image in a first captured image;

performing a second instruction to the transmission apparatus for instructing an encoding method of a second image included in a second video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus or a position for clipping a second image in the first captured image;

performing a third instruction to the transmission apparatus for instructing whether to restrict viewing the first video stream; and

performing fourth instruction to the transmission apparatus whether to restrict viewing the second video stream.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to transmit a plurality of video streams including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image, the program comprising:

computer-executable instructions for performing a first setting procedure for performing a first setting about whether to restrict viewing a first video stream to be transmitted to a first destination;

computer-executable instructions for performing a second setting procedure for performing a second setting, independently from the first setting, about whether to restrict viewing a second video stream to be transmitted to a second destination;

computer-executable instructions for performing a transmission procedure for transmitting to the first destination the first video stream generated based on the first setting, and transmitting to the second destination the second video stream generated based on the second setting.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13,

wherein the first setting is performed to the transmission apparatus about whether to superimpose a mask image on a first image included in the first video stream, and

wherein the second setting is performed to the transmission apparatus about whether to superimpose a mask image on a second image included in the second video stream.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform an instruction to a transmission apparatus to transmit a video stream including an image of a part of or a whole of a captured image, the program comprising:

computer-executable instructions for performing an instruction procedure for instructing the transmission apparatus about an encoding method of a first image included in a first video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus or a position for clipping the first image in a first captured image;

computer-executable instructions for performing a second instruction procedure for instructing the transmission apparatus about an encoding method of a second image included in a second video stream to be transmitted by the transmission apparatus or a position for clipping the second image in the first captured image;

computer-executable instructions for performing a third instruction procedure for instructing the transmission apparatus whether to restrict viewing the first video stream; and

computer-executable instructions for performing a fourth instruction procedure for instructing the transmission apparatus whether to restrict viewing the second video stream.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15,

wherein the first setting is for setting to the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on the first image included in the first video stream, and

wherein the second setting is for setting to the transmission apparatus whether to superimpose a mask image on the second image included in the second video stream.