Preservation/degradation of video/audio aspects of a data stream

• US 9,167,195 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Jung, Edward K. Y., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): YODER III, CHRISS S
• Application Number:
  US11/455,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,413 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/169, 348/145, 348/146, 348/153, 348/157, 348/166, 348/201, 348/207, 348/241, 348/207.99, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 348/231.4, 704/221, 704/226, 704/233, 704/246, 704/248, 704/275, 715/700, 715/716, 715/719, 715723-728
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

In one aspect, a method related to data management. In addition, other method, system, and program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and/or text forming a part of the present application.

Claims

1. A method related to data management, the method comprising:

accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream obtained from at least one sensing device, the designated first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream including at least data representing at least one of a distinct human voice, a distinct sound, or an image of a distinct object;

accepting a second input for retaining the designated first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream at a first resolution; and

accepting a third input for designation of at least one reduced resolution value for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, wherein the one or more reduced resolutions are determined as a function of the at least one reduced resolution value and distance in the video and/or audio data stream between the designated first portion to be retained at the first resolution and the one or more portions of the residue, and wherein the function of distance instructs for at least one greater reduction of the one or more reduced resolutions as the distance increases between the designated first portion to be retained at the first resolution and the one or more portions of the residue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting the input for designating a portion of audio and/or video data included in a temporal segment of the video and/or audio data stream, the temporal segment being designated for retention in non-volatile memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting an input for designating a portion of audio and/or video data included in a plurality of non-contiguous temporal segments of the video and/or audio data stream, the non-contiguous temporal segments being designated for retention in non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting an input for designating the first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream, wherein the video and/or audio data stream is a live and/or a substantially live video and/or audio data stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting an input for designating the first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream, wherein the video and/or audio data stream is a retained video and/or audio data stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting input for designating a first resolution value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream further comprises:

accepting a tactile input and/or a sonic input and/or a visual input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retaining the first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream at the first resolution.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if a preselected time has elapsed after a specified previous degrading of the residue.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if a time value is framed by a preselected time window.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if at least one of an available storage space is less than a preselected amount, a condition established by a user is met, and/or a criterion corresponding to a storage management algorithm is met.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions if a condition responsive to an examination of at least one other retained set of video/audio data is met.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if the condition is met, wherein the condition is related to one or more of a set of events and/or conditions excluding a specified previous degrading of the residue.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if a condition responsive to data received from a device other than a device used for a specified previous degrading of the residue is met.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the degrading is to be performed if a condition responsive to data received from a device other than a device to be used for the degrading is met.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting a third input for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, further comprises:

accepting input for degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions, wherein the method includes a method implemented in a first device, and wherein the degrading is to be performed if a condition responsive to data received from a second device is met.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

degrading the one or more portions of the residue of the video and/or audio data stream to the one or more reduced resolutions, if the condition is met.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the degrading the one or more portions of the residue of the video and/or audio data stream to the one or more reduced resolutions, if the condition is met further comprises:

degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions using a compression algorithm.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the degrading the one or more portions of the residue of the video and/or audio data stream to the one or more reduced resolutions, if the condition is met further comprises:

degrading the one or more portions of the residue to the one or more reduced resolutions using data redaction.

20. A computer program product related to data management, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including:

one or more instructions for accepting an input for designating a first portion of data in a video and/or audio data stream, the designated first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream including data representing at least one of a distinct human voice, a distinct sound, or an image of a distinct object;

one or more instructions for accepting a second input for retaining the designated first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream at a first resolution; and

one or more instructions for accepting a third input for designation of at least one reduced resolution value for degrading one or more portions of a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to one or more reduced resolutions less than the first resolution, if a condition is met, wherein the one or more reduced resolutions are determined as a function of the at least one reduced resolution value and distance in the video and/or audio data stream between the designated first portion to be retained at the first resolution and the one or more portions of the residue, and wherein the function of distance instructs for at least one greater reduction of the one or more reduced resolutions as the distance increases between the designated first portion to be retained at the first resolution and the one or more portions of the residue.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

at least one of transmitting or receiving;

one or more instructions for retaining the designated first portion of data in the video and/or audio data stream at the first resolution.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

at least one of transmitting or receiving;

one or more instructions for degrading a residue of the video and/or audio data stream to a reduced resolution, if a condition is met.