Remote video recording camera control through wireless handset

• US 8,953,929 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Venture Lending & Leasing Vi Inc (Westech Investment Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boland, Justin, Pereira, Romulus, Mohanran, Narayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Daquan
• Application Number:
  US13/653,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 386/209, 386/210, 386/223, 386/224, 386/227, 386/242, 386/239
• US Class Current: 386/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A video recording camera system provide remote control functionality through a wireless handset interface. In embodiments, a video recording camera includes an optical sensor, a processor coupled to the optical sensor to process an input image signal received from the optical sensor into an encoded video data stream, a non-volatile storage medium coupled to the processor to store, locally in the video recording camera, encoded video data stream as recorded video data, and a wireless transceiver. In embodiments, a cellular-enabled wireless communication handset communicatively couples to the video recording camera over a wireless personal area network (WPAN) supported by the camera'"'"'s wireless transceiver. The handset serves as a gateway to the camera providing access to recorded video data or functions of the camera, via the WPAN, as determined based on communications conducted by the handset over a cellular communication link.

Claims

1. A video recording camera system, comprising:

a video recording camera, comprising;

an optical sensor to receive an input image signal;

a processor coupled to the optical sensor, the processor configured to process the input image signal received from the optical sensor into an encoded video data stream;

a non-volatile storage medium, wherein the storage medium is coupled to the processor and is to store, locally in the video recording camera, the encoded video data stream as recorded video data; and

a wireless transceiver; and

a cellular-enabled wireless communication handset communicatively coupled to the video recording camera over a wireless personal area network (WPAN) supported by the wireless transceiver, wherein the handset is to access the recorded video data or functions of the camera, over the WPAN, based on communications conducted by the handset over a cellular communication link, wherein the handset is to forward, to the camera over the WPAN, a video recording control command received by the handset through the cellular communication link, wherein the handset is to relay, over the cellular communication link, the recorded video data received from the storage medium over the WPAN in response to the video recording control command, wherein the handset to relay the recorded video data includes the handset to upload a logical segment of the recorded video data across the WPAN and the cellular communication link to a remote data repository as a video clip file.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the handset is to send to the camera a control command associated with at least one of:

starting a video data recording capability of the camera;

stopping the video data recording capability;

downloading frames from a recorded video data buffer maintained on the storage medium;

creating the video clip file from the recorded video data;

listing video data clips stored on the storage medium;

or

initiating or halting a live video streaming from the camera.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the handset is to send a video control command, over the WPAN, to the camera initiating a video data recording capability of the camera in response to the cellular communications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the WPAN comports with IEEE 802.11x or IEEE 802.15x.

5. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a video recording data server to communicatively couple to the handset over the cellular communication link and to provide third party access to the camera.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein the video recording data server further comprises a video distribution database keyed to the video recording camera and to identify a third party wireless communication handset as a recorded video data subscriber, and wherein the video recording data server is to push the recorded video data received from the handset to the third party.

7. A method of recording video, comprising:

conducting cellular communications over a cellular communication link;

receiving an input image signal from an optical sensor disposed in a video recording camera;

recording an encoded video data stream as video data, based on the received input image signal, to a non-volatile storage medium disposed within the camera; and

accessing, over a wireless personal area network (WPAN), functions of the camera or the video data, based on the cellular communications, wherein the accessing further comprises forwarding, to the camera over the WPAN, a video recording control command received through the cellular communication link, further comprising relaying, over the cellular communication link, the recorded video data received from the storage medium over the WPAN in response to the video recording control command, wherein the relaying comprises uploading a logical segment of the recorded video data across the WPAN and the cellular communication link to a remote data repository as a video clip file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the accessing further comprises:

sending to the camera a control command associated with at least one of;

starting a video data recording capability of the camera;

stopping the video data recording capability;

downloading frames from a recorded video data buffer maintained on the storage medium;

creating the video clip file from the recorded video data;

listing video data clips stored on the storage medium;

or

initiating or halting a live video streaming from the camera.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the accessing further comprises sending a video control command, over the WPAN, to the camera initiating a video data recording capability of the camera in response to the cellular communications.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

relaying over the cellular communication link a video control command received from a third party.

11. A method of remotely controlling a camera, the method comprising:

conducting cellular communications over a cellular communication link; and

sending to the camera, over a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a video recording control command based on the cellular communications, the video recording control command associated with at least one of;

starting a video data recording capability of the camera;

stopping the video data recording capability;

downloading frames from a recorded video data buffer maintained on the storage medium;

creating a video clip file from the recorded video data;

listing video data clips stored on the storage medium;

or

initiating or halting a live video streaming from the camera;

the method further comprising;

relaying, over the cellular communication link, the recorded video data received from the storage medium over the WPAN in response to the video recording control command, wherein the relaying comprises uploading a logical segment of the recorded video data across the WPAN and the cellular communication link to a remote data repository as the video clip file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the video recording control command initiates a video data recording capability of the camera determined by the cellular communications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the video recording control command is received through the cellular communication link.