Multimedia conference broadcast system

• US 9,001,178 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmelcher, Tristan, Milligan, Timothy S., Leske, Matthew J., Groves, Loren
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US13/623,755
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1408- 1409, 348/14.01, 348/14.12, 709/204, 709/226, 370/261, 370/263
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• 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 multimedia conference broadcast system may include one or more processors and a memory. The one or more processors may receive video streams and audio streams from participant devices. The one or more processors may transmit, to each of the participant devices, the video streams and the audio streams corresponding to the other devices. The one or more processors may receive a request to broadcast the video streams and the audio streams from one of the participant devices. The one or more processors may generate a composite multimedia stream based on the video streams and the audio streams received from the participant devices. The one or more processors may broadcast the composite multimedia stream to viewer devices that are separate from the participant devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for broadcasting a multimedia conference, the method comprising:

providing, using one or more computing devices, a hosted multimedia conference to a plurality of participant devices;

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a request to broadcast the multimedia conference from one of the plurality of participant devices, wherein the request includes an indication that each of the plurality of participant devices should transmit a video stream at a high quality level relative to a capability of the participant device;

generating, using the one or more computing devices, a composite multimedia stream based on a plurality of video streams and a plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices; and

broadcasting the composite multimedia stream to a plurality of viewer devices that are separate from the plurality of participant devices, wherein the broadcasting is based on a determination that the composite video stream is associated with a participant who is currently communicating in the multimedia conference, and wherein the broadcasting is for third-party viewers not participating in the multimedia conference.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, using the one or more computing devices, a connection to the hosted multimedia conference as a non-participant device; and

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams from the plurality of participant devices through the connection established to the hosted multimedia conference as the non-participant device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the composite multimedia stream further comprises generating, using the one or more computing devices, a layout of the composite multimedia stream that indicates a number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to each of the plurality of video streams, a position of each of the plurality of video streams in the composite multimedia stream, and a volume level of each of the plurality of audio streams in the composite multimedia stream.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

adaptively modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the layout of the composite multimedia stream based on at least one characteristic of at least one of the plurality of viewer devices.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

adaptively modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the layout of the composite multimedia stream based on the plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the adaptively modifying further comprises:

determining, using the one or more computing devices, that a user associated with a video stream of the plurality of video streams has started communicating based on an audio stream of the plurality of audio streams associated with the user or based on the video stream of the plurality of video streams associated with the user;

increasing, using the one or more computing devices, the number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to the video stream of the plurality of video streams associated with the user; and

increasing, using the one or more computing devices, the volume level of the audio stream of the plurality of audio streams associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing, using the one or more computing devices, composite multimedia stream layout controls to the one of the plurality of participant devices that requested the broadcast of the multimedia conference.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the composite multimedia stream layout controls comprise at least one of controls for modifying the number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to any of the plurality of video streams, controls for modifying a position of any of the plurality of video streams in the composite multimedia stream, or controls for modifying a volume level of any of the plurality of audio streams in the composite multimedia stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a request to modify the layout of the composite multimedia stream from the one of the plurality of participant devices that requested the broadcast of the multimedia conference, wherein the request is initiated by an interaction with the composite multimedia stream layout controls; and

modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the layout of the composite multimedia stream based on the request.

10. A computer-implemented method for requesting broadcast of a multimedia conference, the method comprising:

participating, using one or more computing devices, in a multimedia conference with a plurality of participant devices;

requesting, using the one or more computing devices, a broadcast of the multimedia conference; and

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, an indication that the multimedia conference is being broadcast to a plurality of viewer devices that are separate from the plurality of participant devices and that each of the plurality of participant devices should transmit a video stream at a high quality level relative to a capability of the participant device,

wherein a composite multimedia stream is generated based on a plurality of video streams and a plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices,

wherein the composite multimedia stream is broadcasted to a plurality of viewer devices that are separate from the plurality of participant devices,

wherein the broadcast is based on a determination that the composite video stream is associated with a participant who is currently communicating in the multimedia conference, and

wherein the broadcast is for third-party viewers not participating in the multimedia conference.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, controls for modifying a layout of the broadcast of the multimedia conference.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the controls comprise at least one of controls for modifying a number of pixels of the broadcast allocated to a video stream of any of the plurality of participant devices, controls for modifying a position of the video stream of any of the plurality of participant devices in the broadcast, or controls for modifying a volume level of an audio stream corresponding to any of the plurality of participant devices in the broadcast.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising

requesting, using the one or more computing devices, a modification of the layout of the broadcast based on an interaction with the controls for modifying the layout.

14. A computer-implemented method for broadcasting a multimedia conference, the method comprising:

receiving, using one or more computing devices, a request to broadcast a multimedia conference of a plurality of participant devices, wherein the request includes an indication that each of the plurality of participant devices should transmit a video stream at a high quality level relative to a capability of the participant device;

establishing, using the one or more computing devices, a connection to the multimedia conference as a non-participant device;

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a plurality of video streams and a plurality of audio streams from the plurality of participant devices through the connection established to the multimedia conference as the non-participant device;

generating, using the one or more computing devices, a composite multimedia stream based on the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices; and

broadcasting, using the one or more computing devices, the composite multimedia stream to a plurality of viewer devices that are separate from the plurality of participant devices, wherein the broadcasting is based on a determination that the composite video stream is associated with a participant who is currently communicating in the multimedia conference, and wherein the broadcasting is for third-party viewers not participating in the multimedia conference.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, a request to modify the layout of the composite multimedia stream; and

modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the layout of the composite multimedia stream based on the request.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the composite multimedia stream further comprises generating, using the one or more computing devices, a layout of the composite multimedia stream that indicates a number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to each of the plurality of video streams, a position of each of the plurality of video streams in the composite multimedia stream, and a volume level of each of the plurality of audio streams in the composite multimedia stream.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

adaptively modifying, using the one or more computing devices, the layout of the composite multimedia stream based on the plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the adaptively modifying further comprises:

determining, using the one or more computing devices, that a user associated with a video stream of the plurality of video streams has started communicating based on an audio stream of the plurality of audio streams associated with the user or based on the video stream of the plurality of video streams associated with the user;

increasing, using the one or more computing devices, the number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to the video stream of the plurality of video streams associated with the user; and

increasing, using the one or more computing devices, the volume level of the audio stream of the plurality of audio streams associated with the user.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a plurality of video streams and a plurality of audio streams from a plurality of participant devices;

transmit, to each of the plurality of participant devices, the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams corresponding to the other of the plurality of devices;

receive a request to broadcast the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams from one of the plurality of participant devices, wherein the request includes an indication that each of the plurality of participant devices should transmit a video stream at a high quality level relative to a capability of the participant device;

generate a composite multimedia stream based on the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices; and

broadcast the composite multimedia stream to a plurality of viewer devices that are separate from the plurality of participant device, wherein the broadcast is based on a determination that the composite video stream is associated with a participant who is currently communicating in the multimedia conference, and wherein the broadcast is for third-party viewers not participating in the multimedia conference.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to generate a layout of the composite multimedia stream that indicates a number of pixels of the composite multimedia stream allocated to each of the plurality of video streams, a position of each of the plurality of video streams in the composite multimedia stream, and a volume level associated with each of the plurality of audio streams in the composite multimedia stream.

21. A non-transitory machine readable medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, allow the machine to perform a method for broadcasting a multimedia conference, the method comprising:

receiving a request to broadcast a multimedia conference including a plurality of participant devices, wherein the request includes an indication that each of the plurality of participant devices should transmit a video stream at a high quality level relative to a capability of the participant device;

establishing a connection to the multimedia conference as a non-participant device;

receiving a plurality of video streams and a plurality of audio streams from the plurality of participant devices through the connection established to the multimedia conference as the non-participant device;

generating a composite multimedia stream based on the plurality of video streams and the plurality of audio streams received from the plurality of participant devices; and

broadcasting the composite multimedia stream to at least one viewer device that is separate from the at least one participant device, wherein the broadcasting is based on a determination that the composite video stream is associated with a participant who is currently communicating in the multimedia conference, and wherein the broadcasting is for third-party viewers not participating in the multimedia conference.