Wireless video monitoring on a mobile device

• US 8,897,375 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pluto Technologies International (Avid Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pluto Technologies International (Avid Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fraley, James J., Chen, Ning Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRENTE, RICHARD T
• Application Number:
  US12/772,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 375/240.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A mobile device management system including a method for monitoring a remote video camera and event scheduling, synchronization and modification using location information. Video from a remote camera is encoded by a computer and streamed in real time over a network to a mobile device for decoding and display. The computer encoder and mobile device decoder are software-based. Event calendar and schedule information is incorporated, shared and automatically updated among multiple mobile devices. Location information, such as from a locator network or a satellite-based global positioning system, is used to provide real time updates to a mobile device calendar or event schedule. A map or other indicia of the location of other mobile devices may be provided.

Claims

1. A wireless video monitoring system comprising:

a camera for capturing a live video image;

a computer coupled to the camera and comprising a software-based video encoder for encoding and streaming the video image and a software-based video decoder for decoding camera control information encoded in a video compression protocol; and

a mobile device comprising another software-based video decoder for receiving, decoding and displaying the video image and another software-based video encoder for encoding the camera control information in the video-compression protocol, the mobile device transmitting the video compressed encoded camera control information to the computer for full duplex video operation, and the mobile device not having a dedicated hardware-based video decoder, wherein

the video images are encoded by the computer as multi-packet MPEG frames and are streamed sequentially to the mobile device,

the mobile device decodes and completes assembly of each received complete multi-packet frame before signaling the computer with a one byte header to send the next multi-packet frame, and

the software-based video decoder for decoding camera control information encoded in a video compression protocol is based on software different from the software on which the another software-based video encoder for encoding the camera control information in the video-compression protocol is based.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control information controls basic camera functions.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a display configured to best take advantage of the available storage capacity of the mobile device.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a network of fixed location, short-range wireless devices for storing and tracking the location of a second mobile device when the second mobile device is not within the range of a conventional cellular or satellite communications network.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises a location query module to obtain a location of the camera in conjunction with the streaming video image.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the location of the camera is obtained by a global positioning system.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the location query module obtains the location of the camera in response to a predetermined event.

8. A method for wireless monitoring on a mobile device comprising:

receiving an encoded video stream from a remote camera;

transmitting video-compression protocol encoded camera control information to the remote camera based on a software-based video encoder;

decoding and displaying the video stream on the mobile device based on a software-based video decoder for full duplex video operation, the mobile device not having a dedicated hardware-based video decoder, wherein the video stream is encoded as multi-packet MPEG frames and are streamed sequentially to the mobile device;

completing assembly of each received complete multi-packet frame; and

signaling a computer with a one byte header to send the next multi-packet frame after decoding and completing assembly of the each received complete multi-packet frame, wherein

the software-based video encoder is based on software different from the software on which the software-based video decoder for full duplex video operation is based.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the encoded video stream comprises a real-time video feed.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the encoded video stream comprises a summary file of images containing significant activity.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the summary file contains images in which motion was detected.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the encoded video stream is received only when significant activity occurs and is accompanied by an alert to the user of the mobile device.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8, and further comprising:

obtaining a location of the camera in conjunction with the received encoded video stream.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the location of the camera is obtained by a global positioning system.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the location of the camera is obtained in response to a predetermined event.