Routing for video in conferencing

• US 8,970,661 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Khan, Humayun M., Moore, Timothy M., Gunnalan, Rajesh, Sueda, Kensaku, Zheng, Jiannan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US13/656,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 864 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416
• US Class Current: 348/14.11
• 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: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Methods and systems for routing video in conferencing are disclosed. A device receives one or more data streams from a media source, where each data stream associated with a data stream identifier. A media source identifier is assigned to each data stream from the media source. The data stream identifiers are mapped to the media source identifiers. At least one of the data streams may be modified by replacing an associated data stream identifier with the media source identifier. The modified data streams are provided to a destination device. A request is received from a destination device for data streams associated with a media source identifier. One or more data stream identifiers are associated with the requested media source identifier. The one or more data streams may be associated with Application sharing/Desktop Sharing, a video quality, a video resolution, a video frame rate, or an audio quality.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving one or more data streams from a media source, each data stream associated with a data stream identifier;

assigning a media source identifier to each data stream from the media source; and

mapping the data stream identifiers to the media source identifiers.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying at least one of the data streams by replacing an associated data stream identifier with the media source identifier; and

providing the at least one modified data streams to a destination device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a destination device for data streams associated with a media source identifier; and

identifying one or more data stream identifiers associated with the requested media source identifier.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more data streams are associated with Application sharing/Desktop Sharing, a video quality, a video resolution, a video frame rate, or an audio quality.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the data streams is associated with a different layer of video data, the method further comprising:

determining a video capability of a destination device; and

providing a plurality of data streams to the destination device, the plurality of data streams selected based upon the video capability, and each of the plurality of data streams mapped to the media source identifier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the media source identifiers are assigned to each data stream by a media server to uniquely identify a plurality of media sources.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of media source identifiers to a destination device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the list of media source identifiers corresponds to a list of active participants.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the list of active participants comprises a list of dominant speakers.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

automatically providing one or more data streams associated with each of the media source identifiers as requested by a destination device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is not a signal, storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more data stream identifiers, each data stream identifier associated with a data stream available from a media source;

assigning a media source identifier to the media source; and

mapping the data stream identifiers available from the media source to the media source identifier assigned to the media source.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying one or more data stream identifiers associated with the requested media source identifier; and

selecting data streams associated with the data stream identifier that support a video capability of a destination device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

modifying at least one of the data streams by replacing an associated data stream identifier with the media source identifier; and

providing the at least one modified data streams to a destination device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a list of media source identifiers to a destination device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the list of media source identifiers corresponds to a list of active participants.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

automatically providing one or more data streams associated with each of the media source identifiers requested by a destination device.

17. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media, wherein the computer-readable storage media are not signals, having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving one or more data stream identifiers, each data stream identifier associated with a data stream available from a media source;

assigning a media source identifier to the media source; and

mapping the data stream identifiers available from the media source to the media source identifier assigned to the media source.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from a destination device for data streams associated with a media source identifier; and

identifying one or more data stream identifiers associated with the requested media source identifier.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying at least one data streams by replacing an associated data stream identifier with the media source identifier; and

providing the at least one modified data streams to a destination device.