Systems and methods for improved interactive content sharing in video communication systems

• US 9,280,761 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vidyo Incorporated (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Vidyo Incorporated (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Sharon, Ran, Eleftheriadis, Alexandros, Sharpiro, Ofer
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/492,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• 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: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Systems and methods for interactively sharing and annotating visual information over a communication network between at least a first and a second endpoint are disclosed. The system includes a display coupled to the first endpoint and a user interaction device coupled to the first endpoint and associated with the display, wherein the first endpoint is configured to: receive visual information from, and transmit visual information to, at least the second endpoint over the communication network; show visual information received from at least the second endpoint on the display; obtain a copy of the visual information shown on the display when instructed by the user interaction device; add an annotation, if any, as indicated by the user interaction device; and transmit the annotated copy to the second endpoint.

Claims

1. A system for interactively sharing and annotating visual information over a communication network between at least a first and a second endpoint, the system comprising:

a display coupled to the first endpoint; and

a user interaction device coupled to the first endpoint and associated with the display;

wherein the first endpoint is configured to;

receive visual information from, and transmit visual information to, at least the second endpoint over the communication network;

show visual information received from at least the second endpoint on the display;

obtain a picture copy of the visual information received from at least the second endpoint as shown on the display when instructed by the user interaction device;

add an annotation as indicated by the user interaction device to the picture copy of the visual information to form an annotated picture copy of the visual information; and

transmit the annotated picture copy of the visual information to at least the second endpoint.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interaction device comprises a human location detection device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual information is encoded in a compressed digital video format.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server coupled to the communications network through which the first endpoint and second endpoint communicate with each other.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first endpoint is further configured to send a message to the second endpoint to display the transmitted annotated copy of the visual information.

6. A method for interactively sharing and annotating visual information over a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

at a first endpoint, receiving visual information from, or transmitting visual information to, a second endpoint over the communication network;

at the first endpoint, displaying visual information received from the second endpoint;

after receiving an instruction by a user interaction device coupled with the first endpoint,

obtaining a picture copy of the visual information received from at least the second endpoint as displayed,

adding an annotation as indicated by the user interaction device to the picture copy of the visual information to form an annotated picture copy of the visual information, and

transmitting the annotated picture copy of the visual information to the second endpoint.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising detecting the location of a human by the user interaction device.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising compressing the visual information in a digital video coding format.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the visual information received from, or transmitted to, the second endpoint passes through a server.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions to direct a processor to perform the methods of one of claims 6 to 9.