Video conference choreographer

• US 7,499,075 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miceli, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US10/952,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20060066717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 348/14.16, 370/260, 370/261, 715/753, 715/755, 715/751
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A videoconference system is provided. The videoconference system includes a plurality of clients. A server component configured to distribute media to the plurality of clients is included. The server component includes a media mixer enabling distribution of a composite audio/video data stream to the client component and a videoconference choreographer configured to assist the media mixer in mixing input streams to the server component based upon event data. A conference channel communication connection over which video and audio data streams are carried between the plurality of clients and the server component is provided. A back-channel communication connection over which the event data is communicated between the plurality of clients and the server component is also included. A method for controlling mixing of data streams for a videoconference session is also provided. A scheme for converting documents to be shared during a videoconference session to a common format is also provided.

Claims

1. A videoconference system, comprising:

a server component configured to distribute media to a plurality of clients, the server component including,

a media mixer enabling distribution of composite audio/video data streams to the clients; and

a video conference choreographer including an event based scripting system and a video object system;

a conference channel communication connection over which video and audio data streams are carried between the plurality of clients and the server component; and

a back-channel communication connection over which event data is communicated between the plurality of clients and the sewer component, wherein the scripting system controls the mixing by the media mixer of audio/video data streams based on the event data received from clients through the back-channel connection, and wherein the video object system stores video objects that are manipulated by the scripting system.

2. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of clients includes an editing engine enabling each of the plurality of clients to individually and dynamically customize display.

3. The videoconference system of claim 2, wherein the scripting system defines positions for objects within the composite audio/video data streams to the clients.

4. The videoconference system of claim 3, wherein the scripting system obtains the positions for the objects from the video object system control.

5. The videoconference system of claim 2, wherein the editing engine communicates the display layout to the server component through the back channel communication connection.

6. The videoconference system of claim 2 wherein the video object system is a database.

7. The videoconference system of claim 2, wherein the editing engine generates scripts based on the event data and communicates the generated scripts through the back channel to the scripting system.

8. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the event data originates from one of the plurality of clients and the event data is selected from the group consisting of a mouse click, a size change signal, a participant joining a conference session, and a participant leaving the conference session.

9. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer determines an appropriate scaling technique to be applied to video data transmitted to the plurality of clients.

10. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer limits motion between frames of video data transmitted to the plurality of clients in order to enhance video encoding.

11. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer is configured to designate a portion of a frame of the video data to be encoded according to a first quality level encoding scheme and a remainder of the frame of video data to be encoded according to a second quality level encoding scheme.

12. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the scripting system determines actions executed by the video conference choreographer and actions executed in native code by the media mixer to improve resource utilization.

13. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein a foreign function interface in the video conference choreographer allows the media mixer to add internal media mixer structures to the scripting system, wherein the scripting system manipulates the internal media mixer structures.

14. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer switches scaling algorithms when motion is detected.

15. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer considers an outgoing bandwidth of a network connection to determine compression.

16. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference choreographer changes a collaboration model of the videoconference allowing a presenter to control client displays.