System and method for recording a digital video image

• US 7,389,526 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chanyu Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, E-Lee, Silver, Edward Michael, Gaylord, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/003,557
• Time in Patent Office: 2,419 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19673 Addition of time stamp, i.e. time metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method and system for recording a digital video image is described. An embodiment of the present invention includes a video-capture device, connected to a wireless-communication device. The wireless-communication device transmits images captured by the real-time video-capture device to a receiving facility via a communications network. The receiving facility may comprise, for example, a security office. The receiving facility processes the images, monitoring, storing, forwarding and deleting the images as necessary.

Claims

1. A method for recording a digital video image comprising:

capturing a video image on a video-capture device;

compressing the digital video image to create a compressed image file;

transmitting the compressed image file over a wireless transmission channel using a real-time control protocol;

retransmitting the compressed image file over a packet network to a security office, wherein the security office uses the digital video image to determine if assistance should be sent to a location of the capturing of the video image; and

transmitting a deactivation code and a passcode with the compressed image file, wherein the deactivation code comprises an instruction to the security office receiving the digital video image to end a current recording of the digital video image, wherein, in response to receiving the deactivation code, the passcode instructs the security office to delete the recorded digital video image if the passcode is determined to be valid, and wherein if the passcode is determined to be invalid, the digital video image is retained by the security office.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-capture device comprises a cellphone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-capture device comprises a personal digital assistant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-capture device comprises:

a video camera; and

a wireless modem.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission channel comprises a long-range transmission channel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an origin of the digital video image; and

transmitting the origin with the compressed image file.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises determining the origin using a GPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises determining the origin using a cell identifier in a cellular network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises determining the origin using an E-911 service.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the compressed image file in a secure remote location.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising billing for provision of the service.

11. A method for recording a digital video image comprising:

capturing a video image on a video-capture device;

integrating the captured video with audio and data;

compressing the integrated video image using a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4 compression format to create a compressed image file;

transmitting the compressed image file over a wireless transmission channel;

retransmitting the compressed image file over a packet network to a security office, wherein the compressed image file is received in the security office, wherein the security office uses the digital video image to determine if assistance should be sent to a location of the capturing of the video image; and

transmitting a deactivation code and a passcode with the compressed image file, wherein the deactivation code comprises an instruction to the security office receiving the digital video image to end a current recording of the digital video image, wherein, in response to receiving the deactivation code, the passcode instructs the security office to delete the recorded digital video image if the passcode is determined to be valid, and wherein if the passcode is determined to be invalid the digital video image is retained by the security office.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising viewing the compressed image file.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the compressed image file.

14. The method of claim 11, further forwarding the compressed image file.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising notifying a governmental agency.

22. The method of claim 11 further comprising decompressing the compressed image using an MPEG-4 coder/decoder (CODEC).

16. A method for recording a digital video image comprising:

capturing a video image on a video-capture device;

integrating the captured video with audio and data;

compressing the integrated video image using a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4 compression format to create a compressed image file;

transmitting the compressed image file over a wireless transmission channel using a real-time control protocol;

retransmitting the compressed image file over a packet network to a security office, wherein the security office uses the digital video image to determine if assistance should be sent to a location of the capturing of the video image by determining an identity of a user associated with the digital video image;

transmitting the identity with the compressed image file; and

transmitting a deactivation code and a passcode with the compressed image file, wherein the deactivation code comprises an instruction to the security office receiving the digital video image to end a current recording of the digital video image, wherein, in response to receiving the deactivation code, the passcode instructs the security office to delete the recorded digital video image if the passcode is determined to be valid, and wherein if the passcode is determined to be invalid, the digital video image is retained by the security office.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the determining comprises receiving a user identification number.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining comprises using authentication.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the associating comprises searching a user-profile database.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user-profile database comprises a telephone service provider'"'"'s subscriber database.