Recording a videoconference using a recording server

• US 8,854,416 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Goyal, Ashish, Shanmukhadas, Binu Kaiparambil, Wamorkar, Vivek, King, Keith C., Slivinski, Stefan F., Anuar, Raphael, Pullamkottu, Boby S., George, Sunil
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/093,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20110261147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.08, 348/14.1, 370/260, 709/204, 709/205, 725/100, 725/115, 705/44, 705/313, 715/753
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831

Abstract

A videoconference may be initiated between a plurality of endpoints. At least one of the endpoints may be coupled to a recording server, which may be configured to record the videoconference. A configuration may be selected (e.g., automatically or manually) for performing the recording. The endpoint (e.g., acting as an MCU) may transmit information to endpoints and may transmit recording information to the recording server. The recording information may be different from the videoconference information. For example, it may be in a “streaming friendly” format, at a different bit rate, encoded differently, have different inputs, etc. The manner in which the videoconference is stored and/or recorded may be based on the selected configuration. Clients may be configured to receive and display the videoconference from the recording server and may be configured to change the provided layout to different layouts, e.g., based on user input.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions for recording a videoconference, wherein the videoconference is conducted among a plurality of videoconference endpoints, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

provide respective videoconference information to each of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

provide second videoconference information to a recording server, wherein the recording server does not join as a participant in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information corresponds to the videoconference, and wherein the second videoconference information comprises video that is different from video in the videoconference information provided to any of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

wherein the second videoconference information is configured for recording by the recording server, and provision to clients by the recording server without substantial modification, wherein the clients are not participants in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a composite image, wherein the second videoconference information further comprises boundary metadata that specifies the boundaries of the composite image, wherein the boundary metadata is usable by the clients to change the layout of the videoconference on playback.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective videoconference information is different for at least two of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective videoconference information is the same for all of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the second videoconference information comprises periodic iframes, wherein the respective videoconference information does not comprise periodic iframes.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the second videoconference information is in a streaming friendly format.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a set of sources that is different from each of the respective videoconference information.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective videoconference information comprises a recording indication, and wherein the second videoconference information does not comprise the recording indication.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

provide third videoconference information to the recording server, wherein the third videoconference information corresponds to the videoconference, and wherein the third videoconference information is in a different format than the second videoconference information;

wherein the third videoconference information is configured for recording by the recording server, and provision to clients by the recording server without substantial modification.

9. A method for recording a videoconference, wherein the videoconference is conducted among a plurality of videoconference endpoints, comprising:

providing respective videoconference information to each of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

providing second videoconference information to a recording server, wherein the recording server does not join as a participant in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information corresponds to the videoconference, and wherein the second videoconference information comprises video that is different from video in the videoconference information provided to any of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

wherein the second videoconference information is configured for recording by the recording server, and provision to clients by the recording server without substantial modification, wherein the clients are not participants in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a composite image, wherein the second videoconference information further comprises boundary metadata that specifies the boundaries of the composite image, wherein the boundary metadata is usable by the clients to change the layout of the videoconference on playback.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the respective videoconference information is different for at least two of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the respective videoconference information is the same for all of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second videoconference information comprises periodic iframes, wherein each of the respective videoconference information does not comprise periodic iframes.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the second videoconference information is in a streaming friendly format.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a set of sources that is different from at least one of the respective videoconference information.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the respective videoconference information comprises a recording indication, and wherein the second videoconference information does not comprise the recording indication.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions for recording a videoconference, wherein the videoconference is conducted among a plurality of videoconference endpoints, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement:

receiving videoconference information at a recording server, wherein the recording server does not join as a participant in the videoconference, wherein the videoconference information corresponds to the videoconference, and wherein the videoconference information comprises video that is different from video in the videoconference information provided to any of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

recording the received videoconference information, wherein the received videoconference information comprises a composite image, wherein the received videoconference information further comprises boundary metadata that specifies the boundaries of the composite image, wherein the boundary metadata is usable by clients of the recording server to change the layout of the videoconference on playback, and wherein the clients are not participants in the videoconference.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

stream the received videoconference information to one or more clients.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein said streaming is performed during the videoconference.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

generate a transcript of the videoconference.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

stream the received videoconference information to one or more clients; and

provide a transcript of the videoconference to at least one of the one or more clients.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, wherein the transcript of the videoconference is usable by the at least one client is to:

receive user input searching for one or more words of the transcript; and

display the videoconference at the portion of the videoconference that includes a participant speaking the one or more words based on the transcript.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 20, wherein the transcript is provided as a subscript on the recorded videoconference.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium comprising program instructions for streaming a videoconference, wherein the videoconference is conducted among a plurality of videoconference endpoints, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

provide respective videoconference information to each of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

provide second videoconference information to a streaming server, wherein the streaming server does not join as a participant in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information corresponds to the videoconference, and wherein the second videoconference information comprises video that is different from video in the videoconference information provided to any of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints;

wherein the second videoconference information is configured for streaming by the streaming server, and provision to clients by the streaming server without substantial modification, wherein the clients are not participants in the videoconference, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a composite image, wherein the second videoconference information further comprises boundary metadata that specifies the boundaries of the composite image, wherein the boundary metadata is usable by the clients to change the layout of the videoconference on playback.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 23, wherein the respective videoconference information is different for at least two of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 23, wherein the respective videoconference information is the same for all of the plurality of videoconferencing endpoints.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 23, wherein the second videoconference information comprises periodic iframes, wherein the respective videoconference information does not comprise periodic iframes.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 23, wherein the second videoconference information comprises a set of sources that is different from each of the respective videoconference information.