Audio/video transceiver provided with a device for reconfiguration of incompatibly received or transmitted video and audio information

• US 5,611,038 A
• Filed: 08/29/1994
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steven M Shaw, Venson M. Shaw
• Original Assignee: Steven M Shaw, Venson M. Shaw
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson M., Shaw, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Richard L.
• Application Number:
  US08/297,409
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 395/153, 395/154, 395/500, 395/800, 395/200.13, 379/93, 379/96, 348/384, 348/387, 348/390, 348/423
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 : Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 : Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 : Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A general purpose architecture and process for multimedia communications in which a number of video and audio information production devices are connected to a telecommunications network. Each of these video and audio information production devices is provided with an input/output device for receiving and transmitting information from the telecommunications network on a real time basis. The input/output device continuously monitors the run-time status and condition changes of the telecommunications network and would dynamically control and adjust, on a real time basis, the corresponding network bandwidth prior to immediately transmitting all of the video and audio information to the telecommunications network.

Claims

1. A controller for operating a plurality of video and audio information production devices, based upon video and audio information supplied to, or received from a telecommunications network provided with a plurality of network equipment, comprising:

an input/output device for receiving and transmitting video and audio information to and from the telecommunications network on a real time basis, said input/output device continuously monitoring run-time status and condition changes of said telecommunications network and dynamically controlling and adjusting on a real time basis corresponding network bandwidth utilization by said video and audio information prior to immediately transmitting all of said video and audio information to said telecommunications network;

processor means connected to said input/output device for processing video and audio information supplied to, or received from said input/output device, said processor means including means for recognizing and processing a plurality of mutually incompatible video and audio coding algorithms for information received from, or supplied to said telecommunications network;

reconfiguration means connected to said processor means for standardizing and reconfiguring the video and audio information according to a selective internal file format which is universally compatible with any coding algorithms received from, or supplied to the telecommunication network, said reconfiguration means further performing scalable internal data reformatting among incompatibly received or transmitted video and audio information; and

interface devices for direct communication between said controller and the video and audio information production devices, said interface devices receiving information transmitted by the video and audio information production devices and transmitting information from said controller to the video and audio information production devices, including the encoded video and audio information which are universally compatible with the video coding algorithms produced by said reconfiguration means.

2. The controller in accordance with claim 1, further including a source controller for choosing the bandwidth of the video information supplied to the telecommunications network and the audio quality of the audio information supplied to the telecommunications network.

3. The controller in accordance with claim 2, wherein said source controller automatically chooses the bandwidth of the video information and the quality of the audio information supplied to the telecommunications network based upon the status and/or condition of the telecommunications network.

4. The controller in accordance with claim 2, further including a video display, microphone and at least one speaker associated with one of said video and audio information production devices whereby a video conference can be held.

5. The controller in accordance with claim 1, further including a memory device for storing video and audio information received from or supplied to the telecommunications network and the information production devices according to said internal file format.

6. The controller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor further includes a decoder and an encoder.

7. The controller in accordance with claim 1, further including, a means for producing a graphics overlay, a means for producing a text overlay, a means for producing a motion object overlay, a means for producing a still background underlay and a means for producing an audio overlay, said various overlays and underlay being transmitted to various video and audio information production devices through said processor means and said interface devices.

8. The controller in accordance with claim 1, further including a motion compensation and frame differentiator connected to said processor.

9. The controller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor means includes a means for simulating and annealing randomly distributed audio and video information to improve the transmission quality of the telecommunication network.

10. A multimedia communications system, comprising:

a plurality of independent video and audio information production devices;

a telecommunications network provided with a plurality of network equipment;

a selective one or plurality of controllers connected between said telecommunications network and said video and audio production devices, each of said controllers provided with control means for operating a single or plurality of selective video and audio information production devices, based upon video and audio information supplied to, or received from said telecommunications network, comprising;

an input/output device for connecting to one or more of said network equipment receiving and transmitting video and audio information to and from said telecommunications network on real time basis, and input/output device continuously monitoring run-time status and condition changes of said telecommunications network and dynamically controlling and adjusting on a real time basis corresponding network bandwidth utilization by said video and audio information prior to immediately transmitting all of said video and audio information to said telecommunications network;

processor means connected to said input/output device for processing video and audio information supplied to or received from said input/output device, said processor means including means for recognizing and processing a plurality of mutually incompatible video and audio coding algorithms for information received from or supplied to said telecommunications network;

reconfiguration means connected to said processor means for standardizing and reconfiguring the video and audio information according to a selective internal file format which is universally compatible with any coding algorithms received from or supplied to said telecommunications network, said reconfiguration means further performing scalable internal data reformatting among incompatibly received or transmitted video and audio information; and

interface devices for direct communication between said controller and the video and audio information production devices, said interface devices receiving information transmitted by the video and audio information production devices and transmitting information said controller to the video and audio information production devices, including the encoded video and audio information which are universally compatible with video coding algorithms produced by said reconfiguration means.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, further including a source controller for choosing the bandwidth of the video information supplied to the telecommunications network and the audio quality of the audio information supplied to the telecommunications network.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said source controller automatically chooses the bandwidth of the video information and the quality of the audio information supplied to the telecommunications network based upon the status and/or condition of the telecommunications network.

13. The system in accordance with claim 11, further including a video display, microphone and at least one speaker associated with one of said video and audio information production devices allowing a video conference to be held.

14. The system in accordance with claim 10, further including a memory device for storing video and audio information received from or supplied to the telecommunications network and the information production devices according to said internal file format.

15. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said processor further includes a decoder and an encoder.

16. The system in accordance with claim 10, further including a means for producing a graphics overlay, a means for producing a text overlay, a means for producing a motion object overlay, a means for producing a still background underlay and a means for producing an audio overlay, said various overlays and underlay being transmitted to various video and audio information production devices through said processor means and said interface devices.

17. The system in accordance with claim 10, further including a motion compensation and frame differentiator connected to said processor.

18. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said processor means includes a means for simulating and annealing randomly distributed audio and video information to improve the transmission quality of said transmission network of said telecommunications network.