Video conference device and method for using the same

• US 8,593,500 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lin, Jin-Hue
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ndje, Theodore
• Application Number:
  US13/116,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• 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 video conference (VC) device for communicating with VC terminals includes a VC box and a set-top box (STB). The VC box includes a VC controller module, a media stream receiver module, and a decoder module. When a session is established between one of the VC terminals and the VC box, the VC controller detects if the decoder module is available. When the decoder module is available, the media stream receiver module receives a media stream sent from the VC terminal and transmits the media stream to the decoder module, and the decoder module processes the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session. When the decoder module is unavailable, the media stream receiver module transmits the media stream to the STB, and the STB processes the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session.

Claims

1. A video conference (VC) device for communicating with a plurality of VC terminals, comprising:

a VC box, the VC box including a VC controller module, a media stream receiver module, and a decoder module, the VC controller module including a remote user interface (RUI) client; and

a set-top box (STB) electrically connected to the VC box, the STB including a VC agent module connected to the VC controller module and a graphical user interface (GUI) management module connected to the VC agent module;

the VC agent module further including a RUI server and a VC-GUI agent;

wherein when a session is established between one of the VC terminals and the VC box, the VC controller detects if the decoder module is available;

when the decoder module is available, the VC controller controls the media stream receiver module to receive a media stream sent from the VC terminal and transmit the media stream to the decoder module, and the decoder module processes the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session; and

when the decoder module is unavailable, the VC controller module controls the media stream receiver module to receive the media stream sent from the VC terminal and transmit the media stream to the STB, and the STB processes the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session, the RUI client transmits a GUI data of the VC box to the GUI management module through the RUI server, the VC controller module registers windows of displaying the GUI data and images corresponding to the media stream processed by the STB in the GUI management module through the VC-GUI agent, the VC-GUI agent detects display positions of the windows on display devices through the GUI management module.

2. The VC device of claim 1, wherein the VC box further includes a discovery module for identifying type parameters and working parameters of the STB and thereby ensuring that the STB has at least one available decoder for processing the media stream sent from the VC terminal.

3. The VC device of claim 2, wherein the VC controller module generates a stream forward table corresponding to the media stream and sends the stream forward table to the media stream receiver module to inform the media stream receiver module if the decoder module is available.

4. The VC device of claim 3, wherein when the decoder module is available, the VC controller module sends the stream forward table unfilled with any information to the media stream receiver module, and the media stream receiver module identifies that the decoder module is available and transmits the media stream to the decoder module to be processed;

and when the decoder module is unavailable and the STB is available, the VC controller module fills transmission information corresponding to the media stream into the stream forward table and sends the stream forward table filled with the transmission information to the media stream receiver module, and the media stream receiver module identifies that the decoder module is unavailable and transmits the media stream to the STB to be processed.

5. The VC device of claim 4, wherein when a plurality of media streams are sent to the VC box from the VC terminals and both the decoder module and the STB are available, the VC controller module selects either the decoder module or the STB to process each of the media streams by means of maintaining the stream forward table of the media stream to be blank or filling the stream forward table of the media stream with corresponding transmission information, and thus controls the media stream receiver module to transmit some of the media streams to the decoder module and other of the media streams to the STB to be processed.

6. The VC device of claim 1, wherein the STB is electrically connected to a television (TV), and transmits the video and audio signals corresponding to the media streams sent from the VC terminals generated by both the decoder module and the STB to the TV for display, such that the VC using the VC device is monitored by a user of the TV.

7. The VC device of claim 6, wherein the STB further transmits the GUI data of the VC box to the TV for display.

8. A method for using a video conference (VC) device and communicating with a plurality of VC terminals to establish a VC, wherein the VC device comprises a VC box including a decoder module and a set-top box (STB) electrically connected to the VC box, the method comprising:

identifying type parameters and working parameters to ensure that the STB has at least one available decoder for processing media streams sent from the VC terminals;

when a session is established between one of the VC terminals and the VC box, detecting whether the decoder module is available or not;

when the decoder module is available, using the decoder module to process the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session; and

when the decoder module is unavailable, transmitting the media stream to the STB and using the STB to process the media stream to generate corresponding video and audio signals for the session, transmitting a graphical user interface (GUI) data of the VC box to the GUI management module, registering windows of displaying the GUI data and images corresponding to the media stream, and detecting display positions of the windows on display devices.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

using a VC controller module of the VC box to generate a stream forward table corresponding to the media stream, and send the stream forward table to a media stream receiver of the VC box to inform the media stream receiver module if the decoder module is available.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein when the decoder module is available, the VC controller module sends the stream forward table unfilled with any information to the media stream receiver module, and the media stream receiver module identifies that the decoder module is available and transmits the media stream to the decoder module to be processed;

when the decoder module is unavailable and the STB is available, the VC controller module fills transmission information corresponding to the media stream into the stream forward table and sends the stream forward table filled with the transmission information to the media stream receiver module, and the media stream receiver module identifies that the decoder module is unavailable and transmits the media stream to the STB to be processed.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when a plurality of media streams are sent to the VC box from the VC terminals and both the decoder module and the STB are available, using the VC controller module to select either the decoder module or the STB to process each of the media streams by means of maintaining the stream forward table of the media stream to be blank or filling the stream forward table of the media stream with corresponding transmission information, and thus control the media stream receiver module to transmit some of the media streams to the decoder module and other of the media streams to the STB to be processed.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

connecting the STB to a television (TV); and

transmitting the video and audio signals corresponding to the media streams sent from the VC terminals generated by both the decoder module and the STB to the TV for display, such that the VC using the VC device is monitored by a user of the TV.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the GUI data of the VC box to the TV to display.