Method and apparatus for providing video conferencing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9357165-B2
Application number	US-201213679514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, capturing images that are associated with a video conference communication session, obtaining a video conference policy associated with the video conference communication session, applying object pattern recognition to the images to detect an object in the images, and retrieve first replacement image content according to the video conference policy. The images can be adjusted by replacing a first portion of the images other than the detected object with the first replacement image content to generate first adjusted video content. The first adjusted video content can be provided to the first recipient communication device via the video conference communication session. Non-adjusted video content can be provided according to the video conference policy to the second recipient communication device via the video conference communication session. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A server, comprising:
a memory to store computer instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:
receiving images captured by a source communication device associated with a video conference communication session established among video conference participant devices comprising the source communication device, a first recipient communication device, a second recipient communication device and a third recipient communication device;
obtaining a video conference policy associated with the video conference communication session, wherein the video conference policy comprises a first presentation policy to be applied to the first recipient communication device, a second presentation policy to be applied to the second recipient communication device, and a third presentation policy to be applied to the third recipient communication device, and wherein the first presentation policy, the second presentation policy, and the third presentation policy differ from each other;
analyzing subject matter of the video conference communication session to determine a list of objects to be removed from the images;
applying object pattern recognition to the images to detect a listed object;
applying facial pattern recognition to the images to detect a facial object in the images;
retrieving first replacement image content according to the video conference policy, wherein the first replacement image content is provided by a first user of the source communication device or by a second user of the first recipient communication device;
based on the first presentation policy associated with the first recipient device, adjusting the images by replacing a portion of the images other than the facial object with the first replacement image content to generate first adjusted video content, wherein the portion of the images comprises the detected listed object and wherein the first replacement image content comprises a replacement object for the detected listed object;
providing the first adjusted video content to the first recipient communication device via the video conference communication session;
retrieving second replacement image content according to the video conference policy;
based on the second presentation policy associated with the second recipient device, adjusting the images by replacing the portion of the images other than the facial object with the second replacement image content to generate second adjusted video content;
providing the second adjusted video content to the second recipient communication device via the video conference communication session; and
based on the third presentation policy associated with the third recipient device, providing non-adjusted video content including the images according to the video conference policy to the third recipient communication device via the video conference communication session, wherein the first adjusted video content is provided to the first recipient communication device without providing the non-adjusted video content to the first recipient communication device, and wherein the second adjusted video content is provided to the second recipient communication device without providing the non-adjusted video content to the second recipient communication device.

2. The server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise providing the first and second adjusted video content to the source communication device for presentation at the source communication device in separate graphical user interface windows.

3. The server of claim 1 , wherein the list further comprises a list of private objects determined according to the video conference policy, and wherein the operations further comprise:
applying object pattern recognition to the images to detect a private object from among the list of private objects,
wherein the replacing of the portion of the images to generate the first adjusted video content includes replacing the private object in the images with a replacement object from the first replacement image content.

4. The server of claim 1 , wherein the source communication device is a mobile communication device, and wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining location data associated with the mobile communication device; and
detecting a change in location of the mobile communication device during the video conference session,
wherein the providing of the first adjusted video content to the first recipient communication device via the video conference communication session comprises switching from providing the non-adjusted video content to the providing of the first adjusted video content responsive to the detecting of the change in location of the mobile communication device.

5. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first replacement image content comprises a still image, and wherein the adjusting the images to generate the first adjusted video content comprises superimposing the facial object on the still image, and wherein sub-conferencing is performed among a subset of the video conference participant devices to limit distribution of target content among the subset.

6. The server of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the images to generate the first adjusted video content includes retaining another portion of the images other than the facial object in the first adjusted video content, and wherein the first replacement image content comprises moving image content.

7. The server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
adjusting facial features of the facial object in the first adjusted video content according to user preferences in the video conference policy.

8. The server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining identification information associated with the source communication device;
determining an identity of a source device user of the source communication device; and
accessing the video conference policy based on the identity of the source device user.

9. The server of claim 1 , wherein the video conference policy is a group of video conference policies associated with each of the first, second and third recipient communication devices and with a source device user of the source communication device, and wherein the operations further comprise:
determining video content distribution rules according to the group of video conference policies;
detecting a rules conflict in the video content distribution rules; and
resolving the rules conflict according to a priority rule associated with the source device user to generate an adjusted video content distribution rules,
wherein the providing of the first and second adjusted video content and the non-adjusted video content is according to the adjusted video content distribution rules.

10. The server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining audio content captured by the source communication device during the video conference communication session;
applying audio recognition analysis on the audio content to detect noise in the audio content;
adjusting the audio content to generate adjusted audio content that reduces the noise; and
providing the adjusted audio content to the first recipient communication device without providing the audio content to the first recipient communication device.

11. The server of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise accessing a voice sample for a source device user of the source communication device, wherein the noise is detected utilizing the voice sample.

12. The server of claim 11 , wherein the processor, respons

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Lu Min
• Chin Yi
• Hoover Gerald L

Classifications

• G06T7/10

  Segmentation; Edge detection (motion-based segmentation G06T7/215) · CPC title

• G10L21/0208

  Noise filtering · CPC title

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G06F2203/04803

  Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas · CPC title

• G06T7/194

  involving foreground-background segmentation · CPC title