Video conferencing over IP networks

• US 10,182,205 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Krush Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Krush Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Feng, Chang, Pesherov, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Application Number:
  US15/882,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20180152669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• 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 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0072 Speech codec negotiation H04L65/1069 takes precedence
• 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 method for communication includes establishing multiple communication links over a packet network between a server and plurality of client computers that are to participate in a video teleconference. The client computers may also create secondary communication links that function similarly to links between the server and client computers. The server receives from the client computers uplink audio packets and uplink video packets, which respectively contain audio and video data captured by each of the client computers. The server mixes the audio data from the uplink audio packets so as to create respective streams of mixed audio data for transmission to the client computers and transmits to the client computers downlink audio packets containing the respective streams of mixed audio data. The server relays the video data to the client computers in downlink video packets. The client computers receive and synchronize the video data with the mixed audio data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by at least one processor of a first computing device, a first communication link over a network between the first computing device and a communications server;

receiving, by the at least one processor and from the communications server, data associated with a video conference application associated with initiating a video conference between the first computing device and a second computing device;

establishing, by the at least one processor and using the video conference application, a second communication link, over the network or a second network, between the first computing device and the second computing device;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, audio and video packets via the second communication link, wherein the audio and video packets respectively comprise audio and video data; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor, synchronization packets via the second communication link, wherein the audio and video data are synchronized for output at the second computing device based on synchronization information comprised in the synchronization packets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, by the at least one processor, a third communication link, over the network or the second network, between the first computing device and a third computing device, wherein each of the first, second, and third computing devices are enabled to participate in the video conference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio and video packets comprise or are comprised in the synchronization packets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio and video packets are transmitted substantially simultaneously with the synchronization packets.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the at least one processor, a first codec for the second computing device, wherein the first codec is used by the second computing device to decode at least one of the audio and video data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device comprises a first mobile phone, and wherein the second computing device comprises a second mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the second communication link, second audio packets, second video packets, and second synchronization packets, wherein the second audio and the second video packets respectively comprise second audio and second video data, and wherein the second audio and the second video data are synchronized for output at the first computing device based on second synchronization information comprised in the second synchronization packets.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes at least one processor of a first computing device to perform the operations of:

establishing, by the at least one processor, a first communication link over a network between a first computing device and a communications device;

receiving, by the at least one processor, data associated with a video conference operation initiated or to be initiated between the first computing device and a second computing device;

establishing, by the at least one processor, a second communication link, over the network or a second network, between the first computing device and the second computing device;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, audio and video data; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor and to the second computing device via the second communication link, synchronization data, wherein output of the audio and video data at the second computing device is synchronized based on the synchronization data.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

establishing, by the at least one processor, a third communication link, over the network or the second network, between the first computing device and a third computing device, wherein each of the first, second, and third computing devices is enabled to participate in a three-way video conference.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the three-way video conference is initiated by at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the audio data is comprised in a first packet, wherein the video data is comprised in the first packet or a second packet, and wherein the synchronization data is comprised in the first packet, or the second packet, or a third packet.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

selecting, by the at least one processor, a first codec for the second computing device; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the first codec to the second computing device, wherein the first codec is used by the second computing device to decode at least one of the audio data or the video data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the video conference operation is part of a mobile application.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the audio and video data are transmitted either substantially simultaneously with or separately from the synchronization data.

15. A first computing device comprising:

at least one memory comprising instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein executing the instructions causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of;

establishing, by the at least one processor, a first communication link over a network between a first computing device and a communications system;

receiving, by the at least one processor and from the communications system, data associated with a video conference application associated with initiating a video conference between the first computing device and a second computing device;

establishing, by the at least one processor, a second communication link, over the network or a second network, between the first computing device and the second computing device;

transmitting, by the at least one processor and to the second computing device via the second communication link, audio and video data; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor and to the second computing device via the second communication link, synchronization packets, wherein the audio and video data are output at the second computing device based on synchronization information comprised in the synchronization packets.

16. The first computing device of claim 15, wherein executing the instructions further causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

establishing, by the at least one processor, a third communication link over the network between the first computing device and a third computing device, wherein each of the first, second, and third computing devices is enabled to participate in the video conference.

17. The first computing device of claim 16, wherein the third communication link is established using the video conference application.

18. The first computing device of claim 16, wherein executing the instructions further causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the audio and video data via the third communication link; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the synchronization packets via the third communication link, wherein the audio and video data are synchronized for output at the third computing device based on the synchronization information.

19. The first computing device of claim 15, wherein executing the instructions further causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

selecting, by the at least one processor, a first codec for the second computing device; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the first codec to the second computing device.

20. The first computing device of claim 15, wherein the communications system comprises, is, or is comprised in the second computing device, or wherein executing the instructions further causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

receiving, by the at least one processor via the second communication link, second audio and second video data, and second synchronization packets, and wherein the second audio and the second video data are output at the first computing device based on synchronization information comprised in the second synchronization packets.