Access to video streams on mobile communication devices

• US 8,994,830 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STA Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Khan, Zeeshan Rahman
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSU, AMY R
• Application Number:
  US12/188,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,426 Days
• Field of Search: 348/192, 455/416, 455/518, 455/521
• US Class Current: 348/192
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• 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 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless

Abstract

A method and apparatus to provide access to video streams associated with communication channels in a communication network are described. The method may comprise monitoring selection of a communication channel by a user of a mobile communication device, identifying at least one video feed associated with the selected channel, and providing access to the mobile communication device to the selected at least one video feed. Providing access may comprise associating the selected video stream with the mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a selection of a communication channel by a user of a mobile communication device;

providing a plurality of radio frequencies on a display of the mobile communication device, each radio frequency being associated with a geographical zone from which a plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone are sourced;

monitoring a selection of a radio frequency of the plurality of radio frequencies by the user.

identifying at least one video feed by selecting the at least one video feed from the plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone, wherein the at least one video feed is associated with the selected communication channel based on a user policy that identifies one or more video feeds that are relevant to the user when the user accesses the selected communication channel, the one or more video feeds being independent of the selected communication channel; and

providing access to the identified at least one video feed to the mobile communication device based on the user policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access comprises associating the identified at least one video feed with the mobile communication device in a database that is used to manage access to independent video feeds in a network based on audio communication channels that are selected by communication devices in the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a database to identify a plurality of members of an emergency response team that includes the user of the mobile communication device; and

presenting a plurality of available video feeds on the display of the mobile communication device, the plurality of available video feeds including video streams associated with the plurality of members of the emergency response team.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the available video feeds are sourced from a group of surveillance cameras.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is a Push-To-Talk (PTT) channel in a PTT communication network and the mobile communication device is a PTT radio.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a database to identify a group of video feeds associated with the user; and

when the user selects the communication channel, providing access to the group of video feeds associated with the user to one or more other users of the communication channel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring an audio signal generated in proximity to a video camera providing a first video feed included in the identified at least one video feed;

processing the audio signal to identify an audio event; and

based on the identified audio event, providing access to the first video feed to a plurality of mobile communication devices in a group of mobile communication devices, the group of mobile communication devices including the mobile communication device of the user corresponding to the selection of the communication channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is associated with a Virtual Talk Group (VTG).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to the video feeds depends on a video association policy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the video association policy includes a role of the user defined in a policy database.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a geographical location of the user'"'"'s mobile communication device using a Global Positioning System;

identifying that the at least one video feed is associated with the geographical location;

associating the at least one video feed with other mobile communication devices set to the same channel as the user'"'"'s mobile communication device; and

automatically rendering access to the at least one video feed to the other mobile communication devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected communication channel is a selected audio communication channel that is selected from a plurality of audio communication channels, the at least one video feed being associated with the selected audio communication channel, and the user policy identifying the one or more video feeds that are relevant to the user when the user accesses the selected audio communication channel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user policy associates the at least one video feed with the selected communication channel based on the geographic zone from which the at least one video feed is sourced and a device group that includes the user'"'"'s communication device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user policy associates the at least one video feed with the selected communication channel by comparing a first geographic zone from which the at least one video feed is sourced with a second geographic zone corresponding to a location of the user'"'"'s communication device.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory in communication with the at least one processor, the memory being configured to store a video stream association module executable by the at least one processor, and the video stream association module being executed by the at least one processor to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;

monitoring a selection of a communication channel by a user of a mobile communication device;

providing a plurality of radio frequencies on a display of the mobile communication device, each radio frequency being associated with a geographical zone from which a plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone are sourced;

monitoring a selection of a radio frequency of the plurality of radio frequencies by the user;

identifying at least one video feed by selecting the at least one video feed from the plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone, wherein the at least one video feed is associated with the selected communication channel based on a user policy that identifies one or more video feeds that are relevant to the user when the user accesses the selected communication channel, the one or more video feeds being independent of the selected communication channel; and

providing access to the identified at least one video feed to the mobile communication device based on the user policy.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein providing access comprises associating the identified at least one video feed with the mobile communication device in a database that is used to manage access to independent video feeds in a network based on audio communication channels that are selected by communication devices in the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing a database to identify a plurality of members of an emergency response team that includes the user of the mobile communication device; and

presenting a plurality of available video feeds on the display of the mobile communication device, the plurality of available video feeds including video streams associated with the plurality of members of the emergency response team.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the available video feeds are sourced from a group of surveillance cameras.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel is a Push-To-Talk (PTT) channel in a PTT communication network and the mobile communication device is a PTT radio.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing a database to identify a group of video feeds associated with the user; and

when the user selects the communication channel, providing access to the group of video feeds associated with the user to one or more other users of the communication channel.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring an audio signal generated in proximity to a video camera providing a first video feed included in the identified at least one video feed;

processing the audio signal to identify an audio event; and

based on the identified audio event, providing access to the first video feed to a plurality of mobile communication devices in a group of mobile communication devices, the group of mobile communication devices including the mobile communication device of the user corresponding to the selection of the communication channel.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication channel is associated with a Virtual Talk Group (VTG).

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein providing access to the video feed depends on a video association policy, the video association policy including a role of the user defined in a policy database.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a geographical location of the user'"'"'s mobile communication device using a Global Positioning System;

identifying that the at least one video feed is associated with the geographical location;

associating the at least one video feed with other mobile communication devices set to the same channel as the user'"'"'s mobile communication device; and

automatically rendering access to the at least one video feed to the other mobile communication devices.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a monitor module to monitor a selection of an audio communication channel by a user of a mobile communication device and to monitor selection of a radio frequency of a plurality of radio frequencies by the user;

a graphical user interface to display the plurality of radio frequencies on a display of the mobile communication device, each radio frequency being associated with a geographical zone from which a plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone are sourced, and

a channel identifier module to identify at least one video feed by selecting the at least one video feed from the plurality of video feeds associated with the geographic zone, wherein the at least one video feed is associated with the selected audio communication channel based on a user policy that identifies one or more video feeds that are relevant to the user when the user accesses the selected audio communication channel, the one or more video feeds being independent of the selected communication channel; and

means for providing access to the identified at least one video feed to the mobile communication device based on the user policy.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for providing access associates the identified at least one video feed with the mobile communication device in a database that is used to manage access to independent video feeds in a network based on audio communication channels that are selected by communication devices in the network.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for accessing a database to identify a plurality of members of an emergency response team including the user of the mobile communication device, and wherein the graphical user interface displays a plurality of available video feeds on the display of the mobile communication device, the plurality of available video feeds including video streams associated with the plurality of members of the emergency response team.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for monitoring an audio signal generated in proximity to a video camera providing a first video feed included in the identified at least one video feed;

means for processing the audio signal to identify an audio event; and

based on the identified audio event, the means for providing access provides access to the first video feed to a plurality of mobile communication devices in a group of mobile communication devices, the group of mobile communication devices including the mobile communication device of the user corresponding to the selection of the communication channel.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a policy module to associate the user policy with the at least one video feed with the selected communication channel based on the geographic zone from which the at least one video feed is sourced and a device group that includes the user'"'"'s communication device.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a policy module to associate the user policy with the at least one video feed with the selected communication channel by comparing a first geographic zone from which the at least one video feed is sourced with a second geographic zone corresponding to a location of the user'"'"'s communication device.