ADJUSTING A MEDIA STREAM IN A VIDEO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20140365620A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lindberg, Jonas Erik, Uberti, Justin Russell, Bennett, David Scrymgeour
• Granted Patent: US 10,284,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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

An example method includes receiving, by the computing device, a video stream from a first client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein the computing device is communicatively coupled to each client device of the plurality of client devices. The method further includes detecting, by the computing device, one or more conditions associated with the first client device and adjusting, by the computing device, the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions. The method further includes sending, by the computing device, the adjusted video stream to at least a second client device of the plurality of client devices.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method performed by a computing device having at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a video stream from a first client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein the computing device is communicatively coupled to each client device of the plurality of client devices;

detecting, by the computing device, one or more conditions associated with the first client device, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of

     1) a participant count,

     2) a room size,

     3) an available bandwidth, and

     4) a distance between at least one participant and a video capture device of the first client device;

adjusting, by the computing device, the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions; and

sending, by the computing device, the adjusted video stream to at least a second client device of the plurality of client devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting the received video stream comprises adjusting a display size associated with the video stream.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting the received video stream comprises adjusting a resolution associated with the video stream.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

detecting a changed participant count associated with the first client device; and

readjusting the adjusted video stream based at least in part on the changed participant count.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting the one or more conditions includes performing at least one of 1) facial detection, and 2) motion detection.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting the one or more conditions comprises receiving one or more notifications from the first client device.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that a physical proximity between the first client device and the second client device is suited to a peer-to-peer connection; and

based on the determination, establishing, by the computing device, the peer-to-peer connection between the first client device and the second client device, wherein the peer-to-peer connection enables the first client device and the second client device to communicate directly with each other.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions further comprises:

sending, by the computing device, an instruction to the first client device to adjust the video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions; and

receiving, by the computing device from the first client device, the adjusted video stream.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting the video stream is based at least in part on a user request received from the second client device.

30. A method performed by a computing device having a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a video stream from a first client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein the computing device is communicatively coupled to each client device of the plurality of client devices;

detecting, by the computing device, one or more properties of a second client device of the plurality of client devices;

adjusting, by the computing device, the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more properties; and

sending, by the computing device, the adjusted video stream to at least the second client device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein detecting the one or more properties comprises detecting a display capability of the second client device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein detecting the one or more properties comprises identifying at least one of 1) an available bandwidth of the second client device, and 2) a network connection type associated with the second client device.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein detecting the one or more properties comprises receiving a receiving a request from the second client device, and wherein the request specifies at least one of 1) a desired resolution associated with the adjusted video stream, and 2) a desired display size associated with the adjusted video stream.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein adjusting the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more properties further comprises:

sending, by the computing device, an instruction to the first client device to adjust the video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions, wherein the instruction is based at least in part on the detected one or more properties of the second client device; and

receiving, by the computing device, the adjust video stream from the first client device.

35. A device comprising:

one or more processors;

a network interface operable to receive a video stream from a first client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein the computing device is communicatively coupled to each client device of the plurality of client devices and operable to send an adjusted stream to at least a second client device of the plurality of client devices; and

a video management module operable to detect one or more conditions associated with the first client device and operable to adjust the received video stream based at least in part on the detected one or more conditions to form the adjusted video stream.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the video management module is further operable to identify an active participant associated with the first client device;

and

zoom in on a video representation of the active participant, wherein the video representation is included in the received video stream.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein the video management module is operable to detect the one or more conditions associated with the first client device at least in part by detecting a physical movement of at least one participant associated with the first client device.

38. The device of claim 35, wherein the video management module is operable to detect the one or more conditions associated with the first client device based on at least one of 1) a lighting condition associated with the first client device, and 2) a textual content included in the received video stream.