Video conference system and method

• US 8,582,474 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Satterlee, Michael, Cheikhali, Jamil, Gibbons, John F., Gosine, Jai Narayn
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US12/964,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357, 379 671- 8828, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 709201-207, 709217-248
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A method includes receiving a registration message at a video control point (VCP) device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between endpoint devices. The video conference is set up to enable a first endpoint device to send media to a second endpoint device without the media passing through the VCP device en route. A communication profile associated with each endpoint device is determined. Configuration settings associated with at least one endpoint device is determined based on the communication profiles. The configuration settings are sent to at least one computing device that is adapted to modify the media based on the configuration settings to generate modified media.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and a second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the second endpoint device and to enable the second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determining, at the video control point, a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device and a second communication profile associated with the second endpoint device;

determining, at the video control point, configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and based at least partially on the second communication profile;

determining a routing of the second media to the first endpoint device based on the first communication profile, the second communication profile, or a combination thereof, wherein the routing includes a computing device to which the second media is to be sent in addition to the first endpoint device; and

sending the configuration settings from the video control point to the computing device when the first endpoint device is authorized to participate in the video conference, wherein the computing device modifies the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media sent to the first endpoint device by the computing device, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, and wherein the second media is received by the computing device en route from the second endpoint device to the first endpoint device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration message is received via a unicast transmission from the first endpoint device to the video control point device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining second configuration settings associated with the second endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and the second communication profile;

determining a second routing of the first media to second endpoint device based on the second communication profile, the first communication profile, or a combination thereof, wherein the second routing includes a second computing device to which the first media is to be sent in addition to the second endpoint device; and

sending the second configuration settings to the second computing device, wherein the second computing device modifies the first media based on the second configuration settings to generate modified first media sent to the second endpoint device by the second computing device, wherein the second endpoint device is able to utilize the modified first media, and wherein the first media is received by the second computing device en route from the first endpoint device to the second endpoint device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media is encoded into a plurality of layers by the second endpoint device using scalable video coding and wherein the configuration settings include information indicating a layer of the plurality of layers that is to be removed by the computing device to generate the modified second media.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a display frame rate associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the layer reduces a frame rate of the second media to at least partially satisfy the display frame rate associated with the first endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a bandwidth capacity associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the layer reduces a bandwidth used to transmit the second media to satisfy the bandwidth capacity associated with the first endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first communication profile includes determining a display resolution associated with the first endpoint device, and wherein removing the layer reduces a resolution of the second media to satisfy the display resolution associated with the first endpoint device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication profile includes a conference restriction, wherein the method further comprises analyzing the conference restriction before sending the configuration settings.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, when the first endpoint device is not authorized to participate in the video conference based on the conference restriction, the configuration settings are not sent.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second registration message at the video control point device from a third endpoint device, wherein the second registration message is a request to join the video conference.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a second routing of the first media to the third endpoint device based on the first communication profile, the second communication profile, a third communication profile associated with the third endpoint device, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device processes the first media to provide supplemental services for the video conference, wherein the supplemental services include recording, translation, voice-to-text conversion, overlaying content, or combinations thereof.

13. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and a second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the second endpoint device and to enable the second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determining a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device and a second communication profile associated with the second endpoint device;

determining configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and based at least partially on the second communication profile;

sending a first set up message to the first endpoint device via a unicast transmission, wherein the set up message includes information identifying a multicast control group, a send multicast group of the first endpoint device, and a default receive multicast group to be monitored by the first endpoint device; and

sending the configuration settings to a computing device that modifies the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, and wherein the second media is received by the computing device en route from the second endpoint device to the first endpoint device.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the operations further include receiving a second registration message from a third endpoint device, wherein the second registration message is a request to join the video conference.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the operations further include causing the processor to send a second set up message from the video control point device to the second endpoint device, wherein the second set up message includes information identifying the multicast control group and a send multicast group of the second endpoint device.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the default receive multicast group corresponds to a send multicast group of the second endpoint device.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device comprises a routing device along a communication route between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device is the first endpoint device.

19. A computing-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

receiving a registration message at a video control point device from a first endpoint device, the registration message requesting set up of a video conference between the first endpoint device and a second endpoint device, wherein, in response to the registration message, the video conference is set up to enable the first endpoint device to send first media to the second endpoint device without the first media passing through the video control point device en route to the second endpoint device and to enable the second endpoint device to send second media to the first endpoint device without the second media passing through the video control point device en route to the first endpoint device;

determining a first communication profile associated with the first endpoint device and a second communication profile associated with the second endpoint device;

determining configuration settings associated with the first endpoint device based at least partially on the first communication profile and based at least partially on the second communication profile;

sending the configuration settings to a computing device that modifies the second media based on the configuration settings to generate modified second media, wherein the first endpoint device is able to utilize the modified second media, and wherein the second media is received by the computing device en route from the second endpoint device to the first endpoint device;

receiving audio data from the first endpoint device;

setting the first endpoint device as an active terminal based on the audio data; and

sending a control message to a multicast control group, wherein the control message identifies a send multicast group of the active terminal to be monitored by the second endpoint device.

20. The computing-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further include:

receiving second audio data from the second endpoint device;

setting the second endpoint device as the active terminal based on the second audio data; and

sending a control message to the multicast control group, wherein the control message identifies the send multicast group of the active terminal to be monitored by the first endpoint device.