Method and apparatus for interactively sharing video content

• US 20090249225A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Beswick, Antony, Ridout, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/756
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Teachings presented herein provide a method of sharing video content over one or more communication networks. In particular, a first user can initiate a “video push,” wherein specified video content is delivered to a second user via a video call. Return video content from the second user is received over the video call. Sending the return video content to the first user allows the first user to observe the second user'"'"'s reaction to the pushed video content, thereby enhancing the experience of sharing video content for both users. The return video content can be streamed back to the first user in real-time or near real-time, or can be buffered for non real-time return. Thus the outgoing leg of a video call pushes specified video content to a targeted user, and, advantageously, the incoming leg of the video call receives return video capturing the targeted user'"'"'s reaction to the pushed video.

Claims

1. A method of sharing video content over one or more communication networks comprising:

receiving a push request initiated by a first user device requesting delivery of specified video content to a second user device that is configured to support video calls;

initiating a video call to the second user device responsive to said push request;

delivering the specified video content to the second user device over the video call, if the second user device accepts the video call; and

receiving return video content from the second user device over the video call that is captured by the second user device during playback of specified video content; and

sending the return video content to the first user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the video call to the second user device comprises initiating a circuit-switched video call to the second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the video call to the second user device comprises initiating a packet-switched video call to the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the specified video content to the second user device includes sending video call flow information to the second user device providing for selection of the specified video content by a user of the second user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transcoding the specified video content into a circuit-switched video format for delivery to the second user device over the circuit-switched video call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a push request initiated by a first user device comprises receiving the push request from a web server communicatively coupled to the first user device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the return video content to the first user device comprises streaming the return video content to the first user device in conjunction with receiving the return video content from the second user device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein streaming the return video content to the first user device comprises sending the return video content via a real-time or near real-time packet data connection established with the first user device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the video call with the second user device is considered a first video call and further comprising establishing a second video call concurrent with the first video call, said second video call established with the first user device, streaming the return video content to the first user device via the second video call, receiving audio content from the first user device via the second video call, and sending the audio content to the second user device via the first video call.

10. A method of sharing video content over one or more communication networks comprising:

receiving a push request initiated by a first user device targeting delivery of specified video content to a second user device;

establishing a video call to the second user device;

delivering the specified video content to the second user device and receiving return video from the second user device over the video call; and

sending the return video content to the first user device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the return video content to the first user device comprises sending the return video content to the first user device via a packet data connection established with the first user device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the push request from the first user device comprises receiving the push request from a web server communicatively coupled to the first user device.

13. A video interactive voice response (IVR) system configured to support the sharing of video content over one or more communication networks, said video IVR system comprising one or more processing circuits configured to:

receive a push request initiated by a first user device requesting delivery of specified video content to a second user device that is configured to support video calls;

initiate a video call to the second user device responsive to said push request;

deliver the specified video content to the second user device over the video call, if the second user device accepts the video call; and

receive return video content from the second user device over the video call that is captured by the second user device during playback of specified video content; and

send the return video content to the first user device.

14. The video IVR system of claim 13, wherein the video IVR system is configured to initiate the video call to the second user device as a circuit-switched video call.

15. The video IVR system of claim 13, wherein the video IVR system is configured to initiate the video call to the second user device as a packet-switched video call.

16. The video IVR system of claim 13, wherein the video IVR system is configured to send video call flow information to the second user device, if the video call is accepted by the second user device, that provides for selection of the specified video content by a user of the second user device.

17. The video IVR system of claim 13, wherein the video IVR system or an associated web server is configured to transcode the specified video content into a circuit-switched video format for delivery to the second user device over the circuit-switched video call.

18. The video IVR system of claim 13, wherein the video IVR system is configured to communicate with a web server that is in turn communicatively coupled to the first user device, and wherein the video IVR system is configured to receive the push request from the web server.

19. The video IVR system of claim 18, wherein the video IVR system is configured to send the return video content to the first user device by streaming the return video content to the first user device in conjunction with receiving the return video content from the second user device.

20. The video IVR system of claim 19, wherein the video IVR system is configured to stream the return video content to the first user device by sending the return video content via a real-time or near real-time packet data connection established with the first user device.

21. The video IVR system of claim 19, wherein the video call with the second user device is considered a first video call and wherein the video IVR system is further configured to establish a second video call concurrent with the first video call, said second video call established with the first user device, stream the return video content to the first user device via the second video call, receive audio content from the first user device via the second video call, and send the audio content to the second user device via the first video call.

22. A video interactive voice recorder (IVR) system for sharing video content over one or more communication networks, said video IVR comprising one or more processing circuits configured to:

receive a push request initiated by a first user device indicating that specified video content is desired to be delivered to a second user device;

establish a video call between the video IVR system and the second user device;

deliver the specified video content to the second user device over the video call and receive return video content from the second user device over the video call; and

send the return video content to the first user device.

23. The video IVR system of claim 22, wherein the video IVR system is configured to send the return video content to the first user device via a packet data connection established with the first user device.

24. The video IVR system of claim 22, wherein the video IVR system includes a web server interface for receiving the push request from a web server that is communicatively coupled to the first user device.