Video communication method and system in instant communication

• US 9,881,359 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Shuyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US15/157,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20160260201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1408, 348 1413, 348 1401, 348 1402, 348 1407, 348 47, 34821199, 348239, 382118, 382173, 709231, 709204, 37524008, 711154, 726 28, 726 30, 345632, 4554141, 455566, 725 32
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• 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 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A video communication method and system implementing video communication between a first user and a second user in instant communication are disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request for video communication; determining whether to perform a blurred processing on a video image of the first user; and if affirmative, performing the blurred processing on the video image of the first user such that a blurred video image of the first user is displayed on a video dialog window of the second user. Using the present disclosure, convenient online interactions via video communication may be achieved while ensuring that respective privacies of users are not overly exposed.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving a request for video communication;

detecting a first operation on a video image of a first user for performing a blurring operation, the first operation including a selection of a first region of operation which area is less than an entire area of the video image;

determining the first region of operation corresponding to the detected first operation; and

performing the blurring operation on a portion of the video image of the first user that is outside the first region of operation, the blurring operation enabling a video dialog window of a second user to display a partially blurred video image of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information associated with the first region of operation of the video image of the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a new request for video communication between the first user and the second user; and

performing the blurred operation on the video image in accordance with the stored information associated with the first region of operation of the video image of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to perform the blurring operation on the video image of the first user based at least in part on one or more criteria, prior to performing the blurring operation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more criteria comprise:

whether the second user is included in a contact list of the first user;

whether the first user and the second user conduct the video communication with each other for a first time; and

whether the request for video communication includes an indicator that instructs the blurring operation to be performed for the video image of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification from a client of the second user, the notification indicating a second operation requested by the second user to be performed the video image of first user and the notification including information associated with a second region of operation;

receiving an approval from the first user with respect to the notification; and

performing the second operation on the video image of the first user based at least in part on the second region of operation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second operation comprises enabling a respective portion of the video image of the first user within the second region of operation to be display in the video dialog window of the second user.

8. One or more computer readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving a request for video communication;

detecting a first operation on a video image of a first user for performing a blurring operation;

determining a first region of operation corresponding to the detected first operation; and

performing the blurring operation on a portion of the video image of the first user that is outside the first region of operation, the blurring operation enabling a video dialog window of a second user to display a blurred video image of the first user.

9. The one or more computer readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising storing information associated with the first region of operation of the video image of the first user.

10. The one or more computer readable media of claim 9, the acts further comprising:

receiving a new request for video communication between the first user and the second user; and

performing the blurred operation on the video image in accordance with the stored information associated with the first region of operation of the video image of the first user.

11. The one or more computer readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising determining whether to perform the blurring operation on the video image of the first user based at least in part on one or more criteria, prior to performing the blurring operation.

12. The one or more computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the one or more criteria comprise:

whether the second user is included in a contact list of the first user;

whether the first user and the second user conduct the video communication with each other for a first time; and

whether the request for video communication includes an indicator that instructs the blurring operation to be performed for the video image of the first user.

13. The one or more computer readable media of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

receiving a notification from a client of the second user, the notification indicating a second operation requested by the second user to be on the video image of first user and the notification including information associated with a second region of operation;

receiving an approval from the first user with respect to the notification; and

performing the second operation on the video image of the first user based at least in part on the second region of operation.

14. The one or more computer readable media of claim 13, wherein the second operation comprises enabling a respective portion of the video image of the first user within the second region of operation to be display in the video dialog window of the second user.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

a request sending unit stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to send a request for video communication to a client of a first user;

a video image receiving unit stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to receive a video image of the first user, portions of the video image that are other than a portion corresponding to a first region of operation being blurred, wherein the first region of operation corresponds to a first operation that is detected on the video image of the first user; and

a display unit stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to provide the video image of the first user for display in a video dialog window of a second user.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a detection unit to determine a second region of operation in response to detecting a request from the second user to perform a second operation on the video image of first user.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a query unit to send a query message including information associated with the second region of operation to the client of the first user, the query message being used for querying the first user whether to allow the second operation to be performed on the video image.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a partial blurring unit to perform the second operation on the video image based on to the second region of operation.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the second operation comprises enabling a respective portion of the video image of the first user within the second region of operation to be display in the video dialog window of the second user.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a determination unit to determine whether to perform a blurring operation on the video image of the first user based at least in part on one or more criteria.