Method and system for processing a video instant message

• US 8,059,170 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Hii, Toh Onn Desmond, Png, Willie
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US11/512,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,905 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• 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 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• 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

There is provided a method and system for processing a video instant message. The method and system may include receiving at least one image; generating the at least one image into a composite image; and communicating the composite image to a receiver as the instant message. Preferably, the at least one image from the sender may be obtained from, for example, a screen capture of a display at the sender, or an image capture device at the sender. It may be advantageous to generate a graphical user interface for a video instant messaging application to allow either the sender or receiver to select the at least one image making up the composite image. The graphical user interface may be either online or locally installed.

Claims

1. A method for processing a video instant message, the method including:

receiving at least one image;

selecting portions of the received image;

generating a composite image based on the selected portions of the received image; and

communicating the composite image to a receiver as the instant message,

wherein the at least one image from the sender is obtained from the group consisting of;

a screen capture of a display at the sender, and an image capture device at the sender.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture device captures both still images and a stream of images.

3. The method of claim 1, further including generating a graphical user interface for a video instant messaging application to allow either the sender or receiver to select the at least one image making up the composite image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface is either online or locally installed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in an imaging device driver to interface the image capture device to a video instant messaging application associated with the device driver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the imaging device driver is configured to communicate with a video instant messaging application selected from one of:

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Instant Messenger, Skype Messenger, and Yahoo Instant Messenger.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the screen capture is of the type selected from the group consisting of:

partial and full.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the image obtained from the image capture device is either at least one portion of the image or an entire image.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the method of claim 1.

10. An image processing system to process a video instant message, the system including:

an interface module to receive at least one image from an image source, the interface module being configurable to select portions of the received image; and

a processing module to generate a composite image based on the selected portions of the received image, the composite image being for communication to a receiver as the video instant message,

wherein the at least one image is obtained using the interface module from the group consisting of;

a screen capture of a display, and an image capture device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the image capture device captures both still images and a stream of images.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing module generates a graphical user interface to allow selection of the at least one image making up the composite image.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface is either online or locally installed.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface module is provided to interface an image source to the processing module.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing module includes a video instant messaging application selected from one of:

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Instant Messenger, Skype Messenger, and Yahoo Instant Messenger.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the screen capture is of the type selected from the group consisting of:

partial and full.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the image obtained from the image source is either at least one portion of the image or an entire image.