Method, device, and system for reducing bandwidth usage during a communication session

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9294720-B2
Application number	US-201214400964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2012
Priority date	May 18, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A communication system, method and communication terminal are configured to permit bandwidth reduction when communication partners are engaged in a communication session. In one embodiment, a communication terminal such as a cellular phone or tablet may turn off at least one of its display and camera sensor within a predetermined amount of time when the terminal is detected as being positioned near a user's ear via at least one sensor of the terminal. In some embodiments, the communication terminal may also transmit one or more messages to communication devices of communication partners engaged in the communication session to inform those devices that video transmissions should no longer be sent to the communication terminal. The communication terminal and other communication devices involved in the communication session may also stop transmitting video as a result of the detection of the communication terminal being positioned near a user's ear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication system comprising:
a first communication terminal;
a first communication device;
the first communication terminal being configured to establish a communication session, with the first communication device, the communication session comprising an exchange of video data and audio data between the first communication terminal and the first communication device;
after the communication session is established and has been ongoing, the first communication terminal being configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session;
the first communication terminal being configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises at least one detector of the first communication terminal configured to detect the first communication terminal being moved from a first position to a second position, the first position being a position used for recording a face of a user of the first communication terminal via a camera sensor of the first communication terminal, the second position being a position in which a speaker of the first communication terminal is adjacent to an ear of the user;
in response to the determining that the video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session, the first communication terminal being configured to send a first message to the first communication device; and
in response to receiving the first message, the first communication device being configured to stop the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication device to the first communication terminal after receipt of the first message and the transmitting of video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session is stopped by the first communication device.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device comprises a computer device that is communicatively connectable to the first communication terminal and second communication terminals to oversee the communication session, the communication session involving a transmission of the audio data and the video data from the second communication terminals to the first communication terminal and also involving a transmission of audio and video data from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminals;
the first communication device being configured to stop the transmitting of video data from the second communication terminals to the first communication terminal during the communication session such that only audio data from the second communication terminals is transmitted by the first communication device to the first communication terminal during the communication session after receipt of the first message and the transmitting of video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session is stopped by the first communication device such that video data from the second communication terminals is no longer transmitted to the first communication terminal during the communication session after the first communication device receives the first message from the first communication terminal.

3. The communication system of claim 2 further comprising at least one of:
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal being configured to deactivate the camera sensor of the first communication terminal so that video of the user of the first communication terminal is no longer recorded by the camera sensor; and
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal being configured to stop the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication terminal to the first communication device after the transmitting of video data during the communication session is stopped by the first communication terminal.

4. The communication system of claim 3 further comprising the first communication terminal being configured to turn off a display of the first communication terminal such that video data received during the communication session is not displayed on the display during the communication session in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position.

5. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication terminal is configured to send the first message to the first communication device after the first communication terminal is detected as being in the second position for a predetermined amount of time.

6. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first message is a Session Initiation Protocol REINVITE message and the at least one detector is comprised of a proximity sensor.

7. The communication system of claim 2 further comprising:
prior to the first communication terminal sending the first message, a display of the first communication terminal being configured to display -a warning to the user of the first communication terminal to inform the user that video will no longer be available during the communication session if input is not provided to the first communication terminal to prevent the sending of the first message.

8. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication terminal is configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises one of:
being configured to receive input from a user of the first communication terminal indicating the video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device, and
a camera sensor of the first communication terminal configured to record light at or below a predetermined level for a predetermined amount of time.

9. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication device is also configured so that video data is transmitted to the second communication terminals during the communication session after the sending of video data to the first communication terminal is stopped in response to the first message.

10. A method of reducing bandwidth used in a communication session comprising:
a first communication terminal establishing the communication session with a first communication device, the communication session comprising an exchange of video data and audio data between the first communication terminal and the first communication device;
after the communication session is established and has been ongoing, the first communication terminal determining that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session;
the first communication terminal determining that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises:
at least one detector of the first communication terminal detecting the first communication terminal being moved from a first position to a second position, the first position being a position used for recording a face of a user of the first communication terminal via the camera sensor of the first communication terminal, the second position being a position in which a speaker of the first communicati

Assignees

• Karimi-Cherkandi Bizhan
• Kouchri Farrokh Mohammadzadeh
• Ali Schah Walli
• Unify Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Karimi-Cherkandi Bizhan
• Kouchri Farrokh Mohammadzadeh
• Ali Schah Walli

Classifications

• H04L65/80 Primary

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04N7/147 Primary

  Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals (selecting H04Q) · CPC title

• H04L65/1089

  by adding media; by removing media · CPC title

• H04W52/027

  by controlling a display operation or backlight unit · CPC title

• H04W52/0254

  detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device · CPC title