Visual communications system and method of controlling the same

• US 7,536,707 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yuichi, Mori, Shigeki, Yamamoto, Takashi, Kutsuna, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malangone; Carmine
• Application Number:
  US11/004,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.21, 37920201-20601, 348 1408- 141
• US Class Current: 725/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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

A visual communications system and a method of controlling the same for pausing the screens of two terminals at quite the same image. Video communications terminals receive the same channel in their respective broadcast program receiving units. A first video communications terminal temporarily stores the video of the received channel in the temporary storage memory. When a user pauses operation of the first terminal, it temporarily stores a screen pause time obtained by adding a predetermined time to the current time, and transmits a screen pause command and the screen pause time to a second video communications terminal. The second terminal pauses the video at the screen pause time if possible in time. Otherwise, it pauses the video immediately, and transmits a response with its own image pause time to the first terminal. The first terminal displays an image corresponding to the image pause time of the second terminal memory.

Claims

1. A controlling method of a communication terminal capable of displaying a video data and being communicably connected with another communication terminal capable of displaying a video data, said method comprising the steps of:

accepting a user'"'"'s operation to pause video display of the video data being displayed by the communication terminal and the another communication terminal;

generating first screen pause time information after the operation to pause is accepted;

controlling displaying a static image in which the video display is paused at a time based on the first screen pause time information;

sending the first screen pause time information to the another communication terminal, wherein the first screen pause time information is sent from the communication terminal to the another communication terminal such that the another communication terminal and the communication terminal display the same static image; and

receiving second screen pause time information to indicate the time when the video display of the video data being displayed by the another communication terminal is paused based on the first screen pause time information,

wherein said controlling step displays a static image corresponding to either one of times based on the first screen pause time information and the second screen pause time information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said controlling step displays a static image corresponding to the time of the second screen pause time information when the time of the second screen pause time information is later than the time of the first screen pause time information.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal comprises a memory unit for storing video data, and

wherein said controlling step controls stores the video data into the memory unit from a time corresponding to the first screen pause time information.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said controlling step does not store the video data into the memory unit when the second screen pause time information is received by the time corresponding to the first screen pause time information.

5. A communication terminal capable of displaying video data and being communicably connected with another communication terminal capable of displaying a video data, comprising:

an accepting unit for accepting a user'"'"'s operation to pause video display of the video data being displayed by said communication terminal and the another communication terminal;

a generating unit for generating first screen pause time information after the operation to pause is accepted;

a control unit for controlling displaying of a static image in which the video display is paused at a time based on the first screen pause time information;

a sending unit for sending the first screen pause time information to the another communication terminal, wherein the first screen pause time information is sent from said communication terminal to the another communication terminal such that the another communication terminal and said communication terminal display the same static image; and

a receiving unit for receiving second screen pause time information to indicate a time when the video display of the video data being displayed by the another communication terminal is paused based on the first screen pause time information,

wherein said control unit displays a static image corresponding to either one of times based on the first screen pause time information and the second screen pause time information.

6. A communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said control unit displays the static image corresponding to the time of said second screen pause time information when the time of the second screen pause time information is later than the time of the first screen pause time information.

7. A communication terminal according to claim 5, further comprising a memory unit for storing video data,

wherein said control unit controls storing the video data into said memory unit from a time corresponding to the first screen pause time information.

8. A communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein said control unit does not store the video data into said memory unit when the second screen pause time information is received by the time corresponding to the first screen pause time information.