Telecommunication and multimedia management method and apparatus

Abstract

A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A communication application embedded in a non-transitory computer readable medium when executed on a communication device, the communication application comprising:
 a receiver module configured to receive at the communication device streaming video media from two or more video streaming devices, the streaming video media streamed over a network from the two or more video streaming devices respectively;   a rendering module configured to selectively enable the rendering of the received video media from the two or more video streaming devices in either a simultaneous mode or a consecutive mode:   when in the simultaneous mode, the rendering module is configured to simultaneously render the received streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices when the streaming video media is simultaneously received over the network, the rendering module including a mixer configured to mix the received streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices so that the simultaneously received streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices is simultaneously rendered;   when in the consecutive mode, the rendering module is further configured to:
 prioritize the received streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices in a hierarchical order; 
 when the streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices is simultaneously received, sequentially rending the video media from the two or more video streaming devices in the hierarchical order; and 
   when the streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices is received non-simultaneously at non-overlapping times, rending the video media from the two or more video streaming devices in a time-order in which received;   a media creation module configured to selectively create streaming video media on the communication device;   a transmitter module configured to transmit over the network the created streaming video media selectively to one or more of two or more video streaming devices, wherein the created streaming video media is transmitted as the streaming video media is created; and   a storage module configured to store the received and created streaming video media;
 wherein the transmitter module is further configured to:
 ascertain bandwidth conditions on the network; 
 transmit the created video media as encoded if the ascertained bandwidth conditions on the network permit; and 
 intentionally degrade a quality of the created video media when the ascertained bandwidth conditions on the network do not permit transmission of the created video media as encoded and re-transmit at least portions of the created video media as encoded as network bandwidth conditions permit so that a complete copy of the created video media as encoded is eventually transmitted; and 
 
 wherein the receiver module is further configured to:
 ascertain if a complete copy of the streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices was received; and 
 request missing portions of the streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices not received; and 
 store in the storage module a complete copy of the streaming video media from the two or more video streaming devices when the missing portions are received; 
 
 wherein, the rendering module is further configured to selectively render in a time-shifted mode, the received and created streaming video out of storage.