Communication system

• US 8,947,491 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Jonathan David
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US13/536,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20140002578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.03, 348/14.07, 348/14.12
• US Class Current: 348/14.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A user terminal has an input for receiving a video signal, and a display for displaying to a user a video image derived from the video signal. A selection input is provided for receiving from the user at least one effect for enhancing the video image derived from the video signal. The user terminal has a rendering device for rendering on the display the video image derived from the video signal enhanced by the selected effect.

Claims

1. A user terminal comprising:

an input for receiving a video signal;

a display for displaying to a user at the user terminal a video image derived from the video signal;

a selection input for receiving from the user at the user terminal at least one effect for enhancing the video image derived from the video signal; and

a rendering device for rendering on the display the video image derived from the video signal enhanced by modifying the video signal according to the selected effect,

the user terminal being configured to receive an indication to apply the same selected effect to a sub-portion of an image displayed on the display,

the rendering device being configured to render the same selected effect to the sub-portion of the image displayed on the display.

2. A user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the rendering device comprises:

a decoder arranged to decode the received video signal; and

a post processing module arranged to perform the modifying the video signal by adding the selected effect to the decoded video signal and to generate display control signals for rendering the enhanced video image on the display, said display control signals incorporating the selected effect.

3. A user terminal according to claim 1, comprising a transmitter for transmitting an indication of the selected effect from the user terminal to a remote terminal.

4. A user terminal according to claim 3, comprising an encoder operable to encode a video image to be transmitted from the user terminal to the remote terminal, said encoder operable to insert the indication into a video signal to be transmitted from the user terminal.

5. A user terminal according to claim 1, comprising a camera for capturing an image of a user at the user terminal, the display operable to render the captured image.

6. A user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the video signal received at the user terminal indicates an effect selected by a user at a remote terminal, the user terminal comprising a mix function configured to display the image captured by the camera enhanced with the effect selected at the remote terminal.

7. A user terminal according to claim 1, comprising a processor and a memory storing a communication client for execution by the processor, wherein the communication client, when executed, establishes a communication event over which the video signal can be received at the user terminal.

8. A user terminal according to claim 7, wherein the communication event is a two-way communication event wherein video signals are exchanged between the user terminal and a remote terminal.

9. A user terminal according to claim 1, wherein the selection input for receiving said at least one effect from a user comprises at least one of:

a touch screen;

a keyboard;

a mouse;

or

software code for marking the image.

18. A user terminal according to claim 1, comprising a function for causing display on a social network site a captured image of the user at the user terminal enhanced by the selected effect.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a video signal at a first terminal;

receiving from a user at the first terminal a selection of at least one effect for enhancing a video image, derived from the received video signal;

rendering on a display at the first terminal a video image derived from the video signal enhanced by adding the selected effect to the video signal;

receiving an apply effect indicator indicating that the same selected effect is to be applied to a sub-portion of an image displayed on the display; and

rendering the same selected effect to the sub-portion of the image displayed on the display.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting an indication of the selected effect from the first terminal.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting a feature in the video image and locating the selected effect relative to the detected feature.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting from the first terminal with the indication of the selected effect a notification that the effect has been applied.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a return notification at the first terminal, the return notification comprising a notification that the selected effect has been applied at a second terminal, and displaying the return notification at the first terminal.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise causing display on a social network site a captured image of the user at the user terminal enhanced by the selected effect.

15. A method of rendering a video image comprising:

receiving, from a remote terminal, an indication of a selected effect at a user terminal;

capturing an image of a user at the user terminal;

rendering the image captured at the user terminal at a display of the user terminal, wherein said rendering includes enhancing the image by modifying the image according to the selected effect;

displaying a notification that enables the user of the user terminal to cause the same selected effect to be applied at the remote terminal.

16. A method according to claim 15, comprising capturing at the user terminal an image of a user and transmitting that image in the video signal to a remote terminal, whereby the video image of the user at the user terminal is rendered on the display at the remote terminal enhanced by the selected effect.

17. A method according to claim 15, comprising causing display, on a social network site, a captured image of the user at the user terminal enhanced by the selected effect.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein the captured image is a still image.