Scalable high-performance interactive real-time media architectures for virtual desktop environments

• US 8,601,056 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Original Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Inventors: Lauwers, Jozef Paul C., Vohra, Sumeet, Vysotsky, Vladimir, Viswanathan, Vijayalakshmi, Richter, Alexander, Ludwig, Lester, Zabluda, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US12/828,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 370/260, 725/37
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

System for providing interactive two-way real-time media in a desktop virtualization environment including a desktop virtualization server computer and a desktop virtualization endpoint device with video camera. System incorporates: instance of server software running on desktop virtualization server and providing interactive user interface functions to desktop virtualization endpoint device, instance of software accessing network; instance of endpoint software running on desktop virtualization endpoint device, instance of software accessing network; first network connection between instance of server software and instance of endpoint software, first network connection implemented using access to network comprised by instance of server software and access to network comprised by instance of endpoint software; and second network connection between instance of server software and instance of endpoint software, second network connection distinct from first network connection and implemented using access to network comprised by instance of server software and access to network comprised by instance of endpoint software.

Claims

1. A method for providing interactive two-way real-time media in a desktop virtualization environment, the desktop virtualization environment comprising at least one desktop virtualization server computer and at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint device with an associated video camera, the method comprising:

a. providing, using at least one instance of server software running on the desktop virtualization server, at least interactive user interface functions to an associated desktop virtualization client endpoint device, the instance of software further configured to access a network;

b. accessing, using at least one instance of endpoint software running on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device, the network and

i. accepting real-time media input from a video camera associated with the desktop virtualization client endpoint;

ii. providing an outgoing real-time compressed media stream to the network, the outgoing real-time compressed media stream responsive to at least the real-time video input from the video camera;

iii. receiving an incoming real-time compressed media stream from the network; and

iv. providing at least real-time and display functions on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device;

c. establishing a first terminal-server/terminal-client network connection between the instance of server software and the instance of endpoint software, the first terminal-server/terminal-client network connection implemented using the access to the network comprised by the instance of server software and the access to the network comprised by the instance of endpoint software;

d. establishing a second terminal-server/terminal-client network connection between the instance of server software and instance of endpoint software, the second terminal-server/terminal-client network connection distinct from the first terminal-server/terminal-client network connection and implemented using the access to the network comprised by the instance of server software and the access to the network comprised by the instance of endpoint software;

e. exchanging desktop virtualization information between the instance of server software and the instance of endpoint software, the desktop virtualization information pertaining to the desktop virtualization environment though the first terminal-server/terminal-client network connection; and

f. transmitting, by the at least one instance of endpoint software, at least one real-time compressed media stream through the second terminal-server/terminal-client network connection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one real-time compressed media stream is the incoming real-time compressed media stream from the network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one real-time compressed media stream is the outgoing real-time compressed media stream to the network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the incoming real-time media stream is provided by a different instance of endpoint software running on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the outgoing real-time media stream is provided to a different instance of endpoint software running on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the real-time media input from the video camera is a compressed media stream.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the real-time media input from the video camera is an uncompressed media stream.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising executing a media compression algorithm, which performs video compression used to produce the outgoing real-time compressed media stream.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein should the desktop virtualization client endpoint device comprise a multicore processor, the media compression algorithms are executed on a specific core of the multicore processor.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one video compression function by the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device, and wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging media streams with the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the instance of endpoint software comprises a media compression algorithm.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the instance of endpoint software comprises a media decompression algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one media decompression function is provided by the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device, and wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging media streams with the hardware of desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the media stream comprises a video stream.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the media stream comprises an audio stream.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising transcoding media streams into different formats to provide for a different set of capabilities than those provided by the terminal-server or the terminal-client.