Video communication sessions between whitelisted devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9819905-B1
Application number	US-201514724565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 28, 2015
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A synchronous video communication session may be established between two devices having corresponding device profiles that are symmetrically or asymmetrically whitelisted with respect to each other. A first device located in a first environment may receive user input indicating a request to whitelist a second device located in a second environment. Whitelisting of the second device by the first device may cause a continuous live video stream to be presented on the second device. The continuous video stream may depict at least a portion of the first environment in which the first device is located. The continuous video stream may be initially at least partially obscured. Upon initiation of a video communication session between the first device and the second device, an audio stream may begin to be delivered between the devices and the video stream may no longer be obscured and a clear video image may be presented.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a first user device, an indication of first user input received at the first user device, the first user input corresponding to a request to provide a second user device with access to a first video stream of a first environment that is within a first field of view of a first camera of the first user device, the first video stream including a series of low fidelity blurred video frames of the first environment;
asymmetrically linking a first device profile of the first user device with a second device profile of the second user device by storing an identifier of the second device profile in association with the first device profile to indicate that the second user device has access to the first video data stream of the first environment;
receiving, from the second user device, second user input received at the second user device;
determining that the second user input includes a trigger word that identifies a first user profile associated with the first device profile;
initiating a video communication session between the first user device and the second user device, wherein initiating the video communication session comprises:
sending, to the first user device, a first audio data stream captured at the second user device, and
sending, to the first user device, a second video data stream of a second environment that is within a second field of view of a second camera of the second user device;

generating a third video data stream of the first environment, the third video data stream including a series of high fidelity video frames of the first environment;
sending the third video data stream to the second user device; and
sending, to the second user device, a second audio data stream captured at the first user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from the second user device, an indication of the third user input received at the second user device, the third user input corresponding to a request to provide the first user device with access to a fourth video data stream of the second environment, wherein the fourth video data stream comprises a series of low fidelity blurred video frames of the second environment;
symmetrically linking the first device profile with the second device profile by storing an identifier of the first device profile in association with the second device profile to indicate that the first user device has access to the fourth video data stream of the second environment;
sending, to the first user device, the fourth video data stream; and
ceasing transmission of the fourth video data stream to the first user device prior to sending the second video data stream to the first user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that no object depicted in the third video data stream has moved for a predetermined period of time;
determining that the second audio data stream is below a threshold decibel level for the predetermined period of time; and
terminating the video communication session.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that at least one of the first audio data stream or the second audio data stream includes an identifier of a third user profile associated with a third user device;
determining that the third user profile is associated with at least one of the first user profile or a second user profile associated with the second user device;
presenting, via at least one of a first display of the first user device or a second display of the second user device, a user interface component that identifies the third user profile and that enables including the third user profile in the video communication session;
receiving data indicating a selection of the user interface component; and
sending the first audio data stream, the second audio data stream, the second video data stream, and the third video data stream to the third user device.

5. A method, comprising:
determining that a first device profile of a first user device is associated with a second device profile of a second user device, wherein the association between the first device profile and the second device profile enables a visual indicator of a first environment in which the first user device is located to be presented on the second user device, wherein the visual indicator includes video frames;
receiving, from the second user device, after presentation of the visual indicator to the second user device, user input received at the second user device;
determining that the user input includes a trigger word that identifies a first user profile associated with the first device profile; and
initiating a video communication session between the first user device and the second user device, wherein initiating the video communication session comprises:
sending, to the first user device, a first audio data stream captured at the second user device, and
sending, to the first user device, a first video data stream captured at the second user device, the first video data stream depicting a second environment in which the second user device is located;
sending, to the second user device, a second video data stream captured at the first user device, the second video data stream depicting the first environment; and
sending, to the second user device, a second audio data stream captured at the first user device.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving, from the first user device, a first indication that a user is present in the first environment;
sending, to the second user device, a second indication that the user is present in the first environment to enable the visual indicator to be presented via a display of the second user device, wherein the visual indicator indicates presence of the user in the first environment.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the visual indicator includes a continuous video data stream comprising the video frames, the video frames including a series of low fidelity blurred video frames depicting presence of the user in the first environment.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising ceasing transmission of the continuous video data stream to the second user device prior to sending the second video data stream to the second user device, the second video data stream including a series of high fidelity video frames from which an identity of the user is discernible.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the user input is first user input; the method further comprising:
receiving, from the first user device, an indication of second user input received at the first user device, the second user input corresponding to a request to provide the second user device with access to the visual indicator;
asymmetrically linking the first device profile with the second device profile by storing an identifier of the second device profile in association with the first device profile to indicate that the second user device has access to the visual indicator.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining that at least one of the first audio data stream or the second audio data stream includes a contextual trigger;
determining contextual information corresponding to the contextual trigger; and
presenting the contextual information via at least one of a first display of the first user device or a second display of the second user device.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining that at least one of the first audio data stream or the second audio data stream includes a contextual trigger;
determining a candidate user action corresponding to the contextual trigger;
presenting, via at

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Breitbard Eric Alan
• Mcqueen Michael Douglas
• Murdock Robert Steven
• Li Meng
• Andrizzi Stephan Josef

Classifications

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/601

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N7/147 Primary

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

• H04L65/75

  Media network packet handling · CPC title

• H04L65/1076

  Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT] · CPC title