Videophone and method for a video call

Abstract

A videophone. The videophone can include an imaging mechanism for taking a video picture of a scene. The videophone can include a mechanism for producing a first video stream of the scene and a second video stream of the scene from the video picture and sending the first video stream and the second video stream onto a network at the same time, the producing mechanism in communication with the imaging mechanism. The videophone can include a mechanism for receiving a plurality of video streams of different scenes from a network. The videophone can include a mechanism for displaying the different scenes of the plurality of video streams alongside each other. A method for a video call.

1 . A videophone for a telecommunications conference over a network comprising:
 an imaging means for taking a video picture of a scene; and   means for producing a video stream of the scene from the video picture, clipping areas of the scene where there is no user of the videophone and sending the video stream onto the network, the producing means in communication with the imaging means.   
   
   
       2 . A videophone as described in  claim 1  wherein the producing means clips the first video stream of their respective scenes by removing a portion of the first video stream that is associated with a location of the respective scene that has no user. 
   
   
       3 . A videophone as described in  claim 2  wherein the producing means only sends an audio stream of the scene if there is a noise above a predetermined threshold at the respective scene. 
   
   
       4 . A videophone as described in  claim 3  including an encoder in communication with the imaging means which compresses and encodes the video stream into a desired format without frame buffering. 
   
   
       5 . A videophone as described in  claim 4  wherein the producing means includes a Field Programmable Gate Array in communication with the encoder, which packetizes the video stream, and also receives the video stream from the imaging means and produces a second video stream of the scene and packetizes the video stream. 
   
   
       6 . A videophone as described in  claim 5  including a network interface in communication with the Field Programmable Gate Array and the network and transfers the video stream to the network, and receives another video stream from the network and sends it to the Field Programmable Gate Array. 
   
   
       7 . A videophone as described in  claim 6  including microphone means for receiving sound from the scene and producing the audio stream of the scene. 
   
   
       8 . A videophone as described in  claim 7  including speaker means in communication with the network interface for playing an audio stream from the network. 
   
   
       9 . A videophone as described in  claim 8  wherein the producing means includes a DSP which packetizes the audio stream of the scene and provides the audio stream to the Field Programmable Gate Array which transfers the audio stream of the scene to the network interface which transfers the audio stream of the scene to the network. 
   
   
       10 . A videophone as described in  claim 9  wherein the producing means includes an audio interface which receives the audio stream of the scene from the microphone means and digitizes it and provides it to the DSP, and converts the audio stream from the network that it receives from the DSP to an analog form for the speaker means to play. 
   
   
       11 . A videophone as described in  claim 10  wherein the network interface time stamps packets of the audio stream and the video stream of the scene before they are sent to the network, and aligns the packets of the video stream and audio stream of the network that the interface receives by time stamp so when the video stream and audio stream of the network are played by the first node, the associated sound with the image from the network is played. 
   
   
       12 . A videophone as described in  claim 11  including a receive memory in which the video stream from the network is received and stored, and a main controller connected to the network interface, the encoder, the Field Programmable Gate Array and the DSP to control them, the controller instructing the network interface to choose the first video stream from the network and send it to the receive memory, the main controller decodes and expands the video stream from the network stored in the receive memory and sends it to the display controller. 
   
   
       13 . A videophone as described in  claim 12  including an LCD controller connected to the display controller, and the display screen includes a panel display connected to the LCD controller, the LCD controller receives the video stream from the network from the display controller and prepares the video stream from the network for display on the panel. 
   
   
       14 . A videophone as described in  claim 13  including a touch screen on which buttons associated with functions appear, and a touch screen controller connected to the touch screen and the main controller for transferring information regarding buttons which have been touched on the touch screen by a user to the main controller. 
   
   
       15 . A videophone as described in  claim 14  including a decoder for converting the video stream from the imaging means of the scene to digital form and providing it to the encoder and the Field Programmable Gate Array, the decoder connected to the Field Programmable Gate Array and the encoder, the decoder also receiving analog form video streams from the network and converting them to digital form. 
   
   
       16 . A videophone as described in  claim 15  wherein the imaging means includes an analog video camera which is in communication with the decoder, a digital video camera which is in communication with the encoder and the Field Programmable Gate Array, or a fire wire camera in communication with the Field Programmable Gate Array, the Field Programmable Gate Array providing any video stream it receives from the fire wire camera to the encoder. 
   
   
       17 . A videophone as described in  claim 16  wherein the DSP provides for stereo echo cancellation of the audio stream of the scene of the first node, the encoder provides for the first video stream of the first node to have a resolution of at least 720 by 640 pixels, and the microphone means and the speaker means are full duplex. 
   
   
       18 . A videophone as described in  claim 17  wherein the DSP monitors the microphone means for the noise level produced by the speaker means and adjusts the speaker means to maintain a desired noise level. 
   
   
       19 . A videophone as described in  claim 18  wherein the main controller recognizes a command by a user to automatically call another user for a video conference, and use the command to announce to the other users that the other user is being requested for the video conference. 
   
   
       20 . A videophone as described in  claim 19  including video mail when the first node is not able to accept a video call. 
   
   
       21 . A videophone as described in  claim 20  including a plurality of display panels connected to the display controller, with the images of video streams from network being displayed on the panels alongside each other as though the plurality of panels is one continuous panel. 
   
   
       22 . A videophone as described in  claim 21  including a second imaging means for producing the first video stream of the scene having a different view of the scene than the imaging means. 
   
   
       23 . A videophone as described in  claim 22  wherein the main controller sends the second video stream of the scene from the Field Programmable Gate Array to the display controller to be displayed on the panel so the user can see the scene on the display panel. 
   
   
       24 . A method for a video call comprising the steps of:
 taking a video picture of a scene;   producing a video stream of the scene from the video picture;   clipping areas of the scene where there is no user of the videophone; and   sending the video stream onto a network.