Apparatus and method for flexible delivery of multiple digital video streams

• US 8,595,377 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Apgar, Brian Arthur, Graham, Matthew Thomas, Hastings, Lawrence Charles, Robinson, Jeffrey Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRENTE, RICHARD T
• Application Number:
  US11/318,067
• Time in Patent Office: 2,895 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 709/233
• US Class Current: 709/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video control server includes a central processing unit and a memory storing executable instructions to receive control station commands, update state information specifying how network video sources are to be assessed and displayed by a client, and send the state information to the client.

Claims

1. A video control server, comprising:

a central processing unit; and

a memory storing a state update application program interface and executable instructions to

receive control station commands indicating a change in how network video sources are to be accessed and displayed by a second client different than a first client, the control station commands created by the first client, wherein the first client comprises a control client workstation to generate the control station commands,

update state information at the video control server specifying how network video sources are to be accessed and displayed by the second client based on the control station commands, wherein the second client comprises a display client to access a video source specified in the state information, and

send the state information to the second client, the second client to directly access a video server to receive a video source specified in the state information, the video server located on a hardware device distinct from both the first and second clients; and

the video control server in communication with the control client workstation and a web server host.

2. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the video control server is configured as an HTTP server.

3. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the state update application program interface is responsive to a dump command.

4. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the state update application program interface is responsive to a get command.

5. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the state update application program interface is responsive to a set command.

6. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the state update application program interface is responsive to a multi-set command.

7. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the state update application program interface is responsive to a remove command.

8. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the video control server, the web server host and the control client workstation are operative with a second video control server, a second web server host and a second control client workstation for high availability operation.

9. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the memory storing the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a video source.

10. The video control server of claim 9 wherein the memory storing the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a size and position for the display of information from the video source.

11. The video control server of claim 1 wherein the memory storing the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a sequence of video sources to be accessed.

12. The video control server of claim 1, wherein the second client is a user-less display client having no keyboard or mouse.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions to:

define, at a video control server, an application program interface to process configuration commands indicating a change in how network video sources are to be accessed and displayed by a second client different than a first client, the configuration commands created by the first client, wherein the first client comprises a control client workstation to generate the control station commands;

update, based upon the configuration commands, state information specifying how network video sources are to be accessed and displayed by a second client in response to the configuration commands, wherein the second client is different than the first client; and

send the state information to the second client, the second client to directly access a video server to receive a video source specified in the state information, the video server located on a hardware device distinct from both the first and second clients, wherein the second client comprises a display client to access a video source specified in the state information and the video control server is in communication with the client control workstation and a web server host.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a video source.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a size and position for the display of information from the video source.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the executable instructions to update state information include executable instructions to update state information to specify a sequence of video sources to be accessed.