HK1082626B - A method of reducing bandwidth in a communication network - Google Patents

Description

Method for reducing bandwidth in communication network

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to managing network communications, and more particularly to a system and method for controlling the communication of media information over an integrated services network.

Background

In recent years, significant technological advances have been made in the field of wireless and internet-related communications. One application of this technology focuses on providing bi-directional video conferencing (e.g., video telephony) services over wired and wireless networks. To provide a reasonable quality video stream in real time, a transmission bandwidth of at least 64 kbit/sec is required. Even if a highly efficient compression scheme is implemented, this is approximately eight times the bandwidth required for voice communications.

One of the most important obstacles to providing high quality multimedia video conferencing services is the inability to provide adequate transmission bandwidth. Furthermore, there is a great question of the public's interest in two-way video telephony services, even if they can be offered at a reasonably affordable price. To enlighten public interest and thus establish a strong market for the video conferencing industry, the present inventors have recognized that social impact between callers must be encouraged without sacrificing valuable transmission bandwidth. With this method it will be possible to increase the time of use and thus generate sufficient revenue to ensure the continued progress of the telecommunications industry.

The inventors of the present invention have also identified that next generation communication systems must provide a wide variety of multimedia services, including real-time video streaming and video clip switching, while saving or reducing transmission bandwidth requirements and other network resources. Present communication systems do not adequately provide these services and implement those services they provide in an efficient manner. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that provide enhanced multimedia services to the public while conserving or reducing network resources.

Furthermore, it is noted that currently existing telecommunication systems cannot handle the abstract concepts and emotions of callers that are accustomed to communicating with each other every day. For example, most callers are aware of each other. They know their characteristics, physical appearance and other attributes through experience and knowledge shared in the past. One party also typically has knowledge of the other party's mobile terminal, including the manner in which they are equipped and their ability to support multimedia and other services. Existing communication systems do not use a priori knowledge and experience of the caller as a basis for reducing transmission bandwidth in providing multimedia services in the communication system. These systems also do not use a priori knowledge and experience as a basis for reducing the costs associated with providing multimedia communications.

Furthermore, it is noted that existing communication systems require the transmission of multimedia information via a network whenever it is desired that these services be displayed on a receiving terminal. This hinders efforts to save transmission bandwidth and adversely affects the communication quality of other users.

Accordingly, there is an additional need for a system and method for managing multimedia service communications more efficiently than prior systems by ensuring that transmission bandwidth and other network resources are not used whenever one terminal desires another terminal to display media information. There is also a need to provide this type of system and method in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing the communication of media information in a network more efficiently than existing systems of this type.

Another object of the present invention is to achieve the aforementioned object by ensuring that transmission bandwidth and other network resources are not used whenever one terminal wants another terminal to display media information.

Another object of the present invention is to achieve the aforementioned object in a cost-effective manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing the communication of media information using fewer network resources, including transmission bandwidth, in a network than existing systems, while providing users with an equal or greater number of multimedia services.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method that allows a user on one terminal to control the display of multimedia information based on the identity of a party on another terminal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing the communication of media information in a network based on a priori knowledge and experience that callers have with each other and, more particularly, in the provision of multimedia services within the network, using these a priori knowledge and experience as a basis for reducing transmission bandwidth without sacrificing the quality of those services.

In one aspect, the above and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a highly compressed pseudo video system that manages the transmission and display of media information in an integrated services network using fewer network resources than existing systems. The network may be a wireless network or the internet, and the media information may include real-time video streams, short-time video scripts, images (e.g., snapshots), live animation, and still visual displays.

According to one embodiment, the present invention reduces transmission bandwidth by having animation, images and/or short-time video script information pre-stored in a memory provided within or attached to the communication terminal. This media information is not transmitted over the network and therefore the receiving terminal automatically retrieves and displays the pre-stored media information in response to receiving a call from another user or other events that may occur during the call.

According to another embodiment, the present invention reduces transmission bandwidth by combining and transmitting high bandwidth media, such as video streams and short-time video scripts, to a receiving terminal, and then coordinating the display of the high bandwidth media with a lower bandwidth media. Since the medium of lower bandwidth is pre-stored in the receiving terminal, there is no need to extend the transmission bandwidth in order to display the medium of lower bandwidth on the receiving terminal.

The invention also allows for changes in the telecommunication paradigm. In existing systems, each communication link relies on the following assumptions: the communication link is established independent of prior knowledge and experience of the communicating parties. Thus, existing systems allocate network resources based strictly on communication protocols. Never considering the caller's abstract, imagination, and emotion.

The present invention takes into account the caller's abstract concepts, imagination and mood as well as their past knowledge and experience with each other when managing the communication and display of media information on a user terminal. For example, using a priori knowledge and experience, the communicating parties can control the amount of information they want to send based on how much they are willing to pay for a wide variety of communication services.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

Drawings

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication system in which the present invention can be implemented.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile terminal that may be configured to operate in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of control circuitry that may be used to display media information regarding a wireless terminal configured in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps included in a communication method for controlling media information according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of how combined/multiplexed media information is transmitted according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps included in a method of the present invention for controlling the manner in which media information is displayed based on the person sending the information.

Fig. 7 is a timing diagram showing an optional step of how the method of the present invention may be implemented.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table entry stored in a memory of a receiving terminal for controlling the display of media information according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing how the display of media information is controlled on two terminals in communication, according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention is a system and method for controlling the communication of media information between two terminals in a network. In one aspect, the present invention controls the manner in which different types of media information are multiplexed and communicated between the terminals. In another aspect, the present invention controls the manner in which media information is displayed or otherwise output on the terminal. This control may be performed based on past experience/knowledge one user has about other users, or based on service options selected by one or both of the users. Thus, the present invention can be customized to meet the specific requirements of each user. Advantageously, the present invention may also be implemented to reduce network resources (including transmission bandwidth) required by existing methods for transmitting media information between terminals.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a communication system in which the invention may be implemented. The communication system comprises a network 1 for receiving and transmitting calls within a predetermined geographical area. The network may be a wired or wireless network operating in accordance with any of a variety of communication standards. To maximize customer subscription, a wired version of the network may be implemented as a wide area network, such as the internet. Preferably, the network is integrated to include a plurality of access points or gateways 2 for connecting terminals via different networks. These terminals include mobile terminals 3, such as mobile telephones, so-called web phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and portable computers, to name a few. The network may also connect desktop or notebook personal computers 4 to each other or to mobile terminals. Wireless content providers 5 and/or network content providers 6 may be included as desired.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mobile terminal 10 that may be configured to operate in accordance with the present invention. This terminal comprises a loudspeaker 11, a microphone 12, a keypad 13 and a display 14 for displaying media information, which either has been pre-stored in the memory of the terminal or is transmitted to the terminal via an antenna 15, or both. The mobile terminal also includes, as an optional feature, a camera 16 having the capability to capture still images and/or obtain real-time streaming video in a manner similar to a video phone or video conferencing terminal. An external data port 17, such as a USB port, may also be included for receiving and/or downloading information, including media information, from another system 18, such as a personal computer. Although the mobile terminals shown in fig. 2 are preferred for use with the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other types of terminals may be used when they are provided with the capability to output media information in a manner to be described below.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a control circuit that may be used to display media information on a wireless terminal configured in accordance with this invention. This control circuit includes a processor 20 connected to an antenna (not shown), an optional caller ID unit 21, a memory 22, a keypad 23, a camera 24 and a data port 25. The caller ID unit extracts identification information from the call that represents the identity of the caller. This information may include the caller's telephone number, name, address, etc.

The memory may include an area for storing media information that is either displayed on the terminal itself or transmitted for display on another terminal. The media information may be pre-stored in the terminal memory or received for display from another terminal. To control the display of media information, the memory may include an on-board Personal Information Management (PIM) database. This database may operate based on information derived from the caller ID unit, control information entered by the user, information downloaded to the terminal from an external computer system, or any combination thereof. The PIM database may be provided in a personal computer or other external computing device connected to the terminal via a data port, if desired. The data port may also be used to load media information into the memory of the terminal for subsequent transmission or display.

The media data may also be combined or multiplexed for transmission via its antennas using the processor of the terminal. This media information may be stored in on-board memory, imported from an external computer system, or both.

Before receiving a call, the user may set the parameters of the operating software 26 for control in the processor, in particular the way the media information is displayed on the terminal. The user may also specify one or more media service options he or she wants to receive. These options may control the type of media information to be received in order to reduce service charges or enhance terminal operation to receive and display broadband media if cost is not an issue. The service options may be negotiated directly with the bearer or set by entering information using a keypad terminal.

When a call connection is established, the processor displays media information based on control parameters and/or service options specified by the user, for example. This media information may be stored in memory 22, received from the transmitting terminal on display 28, or both. The manner in which media information is communicated between terminals for display will now be discussed.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating steps included in a method for controlling communication of media information according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment either multiplexes different types of media information in one terminal for transmission to the receiving terminal in the same transmission period. The method begins when a transmitting terminal initiates a call with a receiving terminal. (block 30). As previously discussed, the call may be initiated via a wireless network, the internet, or any other type of wired network.

Once the call connection is established, the transmitting terminal combines or multiplexes the first media information and the second media information in the output transport stream. (block 31). This media information may be selected by the user via operation of the terminal keypad in combination with the displayed menu. The media information may take any of a variety of forms, including the following:

video streaming (either pre-stored or real-time)

Short-time video text (e.g., MPEG files)

Images (e.g., JPEG files)

Static animation (e.g., graphic interchange Format-GIF)

Real-time animation (e.g., active GIF)

The types of media information listed above may be combined or multiplexed in any order, or this information may be synthesized based on the transmitting terminal user's knowledge of the pre-stored media information in the receiving terminal. These features of the present invention will be described in more detail below.

Once the media information has been combined, it is transmitted, preferably in chronological or multiplexed form, to the receiving terminal, preferably together with the voice information (block 32). Fig. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of how combined/multiplexed media information may be transmitted in accordance with the present invention. (the transmission of the speech information is omitted in this figure for convenience).

Fig. 5 shows that the media information transmission may be performed in sequential cycles, in this case, each of which is equal to 2 minutes. During the first period, the video stream is transmitted along with animation information called avatar (avatar). The video stream is transmitted during the first 20 seconds of the cycle and the animation information is transmitted during the second cycle that follows. In this example, the remainder of the first period is an idle state, which means that the transmitting terminal does not transmit any media information, although it can transmit and receive voice information very well on a continuous basis. At this time, the media information transmitted from the receiving terminal may also be received at the transmitting terminal. In the next cycle, different media information may be transmitted. For example, only 20 seconds of streaming video may be delivered in the next cycle. The remainder of the cycle may then be left in a wait state.

Returning to fig. 4, in a subsequent step of the method, the receiving terminal controls the manner in which the media information is output on its display screen. (block 33). This control can be performed in various ways.

First, the user of the receiving terminal may choose to command the radio bearer to restrict or extend the service options of the media services that can be received. For example, receiving high bandwidth transmissions, such as video streams and short-time video scripts, can be very expensive in terms of a user's subscription fee. To limit costs, the user of the receiving terminal may agree on a wireless bearer to ensure that only low bandwidth media is displayed on the receiving terminal. This may be performed, for example, by a controller on a switching station that blocks or otherwise filters the higher bandwidth media before it reaches the receiving terminal.

Second, the operating software of the receiving terminal may be configured to block the display of higher bandwidth media even if it has been transmitted by the transmitting terminal. The receiving terminal may be configured to receive higher bandwidth information or only certain types of media information, if cost is not a concern. The invention thus advantageously allows the user to customize his terminal for the purpose of displaying multimedia information.

Third, the operating software of the receiving terminal may be programmed to replace the received media information with additional media information stored in the terminal's memory. For example, it may not be necessary to display an avatar character received by the receiving terminal. Alternatively, this avatar may be replaced by another avatar stored in the terminal memory. This feature of the invention is particularly intended for the purpose of customizing the operation of the terminal to each particular user.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of storing media information in a memory of a terminal, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the terminal may also be interconnected with an external memory that stores and retrieves media information in accordance with the present invention.

According to another embodiment, the method of the present invention controls the manner in which media information is displayed based on the person sending the information. Referring to fig. 6, the method begins with receiving a call in a first terminal. (block 40). Once the call connection has been established, the second step of the method comprises: caller identification information is extracted and processed in the receiving terminal to determine the identity of the transmitting terminal and, therefore, the identity of the user who may be placing the call. (block 41). The extracted information may include any one or more of a phone number of the second terminal, a name of an owner of the terminal, his or her address, and the like. This caller ID information may be comparable information such as a web address if the terminal is connected to the internet.

The third step includes comparing caller ID information (e.g., the caller's telephone number) with information stored in a memory of the first terminal. (block 42). The stored information may include pre-stored media information associated with the telephone number of the transmitting terminal. The media information may be of any of the types mentioned previously and may even correspond to the user characteristics of the transmitting terminal. Alternatively, the media information may be transmitted to the receiving terminal and stored in a memory associated with caller ID information of the transmitting terminal for later retrieval.

According to a particularly advantageous feature of the invention, the pre-stored media information may be an avatar associated with the user characteristics of the transmitting terminal. In the graphical world, an avatar may be understood as an animated icon, symbol or character, which may be used to represent certain characteristics or features of a person, for example. This property may be an entity attribute of a person or may relate to some non-entity characteristic. Examples of non-entity characteristics include a relationship one user has with another user and the user's profession. The avatar may also be based on an opinion of one user, e.g., based on prior knowledge and experience, made to another user.

The fourth step of the method comprises: media information stored on the receiving terminal is output based on the identity of the transmitting terminal. (block 43). This involves retrieving the stored media information and displaying it for a predetermined period of time. If the media information is a video script, for example, the script is played before it ends. Alternatively, if the media information is an avatar, it may be displayed at intervals or even constantly throughout the call.

In an optional, but desirable step, an avatar representing characteristics of the user of the transmitting terminal is displayed before the user of the receiving terminal answers the call. This can be achieved as follows.

When a call is received, an audible tone sounds to notify the user of the receiving terminal of the incoming call. As previously discussed, the call may include information identifying the transmitting party or his terminal, for example, based on a telephone number or web address. When this information is received, the processor of the first terminal may search the memory to locate the avatar corresponding to the telephone number. This avatar character may then be automatically displayed (e.g., in place of the telephone number of the transmitting terminal). The receiving end-user can then immediately identify who the calling party is. For example, if a wife of a receiving terminal user is called, an avatar image in the shape of a heart with her image may be displayed. In another case, if an avatar representing an unpopular person is displayed, the receiving end user has the option of not answering the call.

Another optional step is to allow the user to answer the call but then continue to display an avatar identifying the transmitting end user either intermittently or continuously throughout the call. For example, if the media information displayed during a call is only an avatar character with a heart of her image, then this avatar character is displayed before the call is ended. On the other hand, if a video or image information data stream is displayed, the avatar character may be replaced by this additional media information. If desired, the avatar character is redisplayed after the additional media information ends to provide a continuous visual communication effect.

Fig. 7 is a timing diagram showing how this optional step of the present invention may be performed. In this timing chart, the receiving terminal receives 20 seconds of video stream data. After the data stream is complete, an avatar representing the characteristics of the transmitting end user may be displayed. As previously discussed, this avatar may be pre-stored in the memory of the receiving terminal, or it may have been transmitted from the transmitting terminal and then stored in the memory of the receiving terminal for subsequent display. Whenever the receiving terminal displays the stored avatar image, it is not necessary to allocate communication resources.

Fig. 8 shows an example of a table entry according to the invention, which table entry may be stored in the memory of the receiving terminal for controlling the display of the media information. This table entry may be a data structure obtained from a Personal Information Management (PIM) database disposed within or connected to the receiving terminal. The data structure preferably includes a user identification field 50 and a media information identification field 60. The subscriber identity field may include information identifying the user (and/or his terminal) who either has called or may expect to call the receiving terminal. The information includes the name of the transmitting terminal user, his or her telephone number, and the type of terminal (e.g., mobile phone, home phone, or office phone) corresponding to the telephone number. If the user has an internet telephone, the telephone number field may be replaced by a web address or otherwise known as a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

The media information identification field is stored in association with the user identification information and may comprise, for example, an address either in or in an external memory in which the media information is stored. This situation may occur, for example, when the media information is an image file or a video clip. Alternatively, or in addition, the media-information identification field may include information defining attributes of one or more avatar characters corresponding to the transmitting end user. If the avatar resembles the actual look of the user, the following sub-fields may be included: hair styles, faces, glasses, bodies, coats, pants, shoes, accessories, and the like. The processor of the receiving terminal may use graphics generation software to generate an avatar character for display based on the information in the fields.

The media information identification field may also include an animator indicator subfield (AIF) that includes a plurality of bits describing the avatar. For example, a two-bit AIF field may represent the following:

00-there is no avatar for a particular phone number;

01-synthetic avatar image;

10-a composite avatar with pose and body motion;

11-non-synthetic avatar that can be accessed by a specific address field.

In operation, the receiving terminal processor may access the AIF field and thereby generate an avatar.

The media information identification field may also include a code for instructing the receiving terminal processor to deactivate audio (e.g., ring tones) or other visual effects. Currently existing mobile terminals typically have more than 1 megabit of storage space available for storing this code along with a plurality of table entries for controlling the display of media information on the receiving terminal.

The table entries of the present invention may be updated, modified, or otherwise maintained by connecting the receiving terminal to an external computer system (e.g., a personal computer) via a data port, which may be, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. This external system may load software that allows the external system to generate avatar images specifically designed for each transmitting end-user identified in the table. The avatar representation may be a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the users, if desired.

The memory storing the table entries of the present invention may also store a plurality of default or factory preset avatar characters, which may be selected to correspond to different users. Operating software of the receiving terminal may be written to allow the avatar characters to be switched, modified or deleted automatically or in response to a command of the receiving terminal user. The avatar may be switched for display based on the telephone number from which the transmitting end user calls. For example, as shown in fig. 8, one user may have a plurality of telephone numbers. In this case, different avatar characters may be displayed based on the phone number from which the user calls.

Fig. 9 illustrates the manner in which communication occurs between two mobile terminals 70 and 80 in accordance with the present invention. In this figure, terminal 70 initiates a call to terminal 80 via wireless network 90. When the terminal 80 receives a call, its processor determines the identity of the caller and then displays an avatar 85 in the shape of a man with the portrait of the caller, his name being cristodor. This avatar may have been transmitted to the terminal 80 via the network or may have been generated by the receiving terminal user based on his/her experience and knowledge about the caller and pre-stored in a memory of this terminal.

The terminal 70 also displays an avatar 75 representing an avatar image he/she wants. This avatar may be generated by the transmitter end-user to depict himself/herself. When the terminal is switched on, it may be displayed as a default image in his/her terminal or may be transmitted as one of optional visual communications over a network to a receiver terminal. In the illustrated example, the avatar 75 corresponds to a panda, which is selected to correspond to the representation image desired by the caller kristover. On the receiver terminal, the avatar 85 corresponding to the caller krisdov may not be the same as the avatar 75 displayed by the caller. Avatar images 75 and 85 may be displayed throughout the call session, if desired.

In order to make the conversation more active, one terminal transmits a control signal to the other terminal during the call to change the avatar attribute, or replaces the avatar displayed on the receiving terminal with an avatar transmitted from the transmitting terminal or pre-stored in the receiving terminal. For example, this type of control signal may cause an avatar on the receiving terminal to display an emotion (cry, laugh, etc.) to conform to the mood or sensation of the user of the transmitting terminal. This may be accomplished, for example, by including a mood subfield in the table entry of FIG. 8. This subfield may be a two-bit field for controlling the emotion on the face of the avatar character. Updating this field will cause the processor to automatically change the avatar in a corresponding manner.

As previously discussed, the table in the terminal memory may include multiple entries for the same user. This may occur, for example, when the user has multiple telephone numbers. In this case, for example, the same avatar character may be displayed for all telephone numbers corresponding to that user, or different avatar characters may be displayed, depending on the number from which the user calls. Furthermore, the receiving terminal may be equipped with image capture software that will allow the storage and subsequent display of a single frame (or image) from the received video stream.

The present invention is superior to the existing media communication management system in terms of performance and convenience for users. For example, the present invention requires less network resources than are typically required to control the communication of media information between terminals. These resources, which include transmission bandwidth, are reduced by allowing the memory of the receiving terminal to store media information that the existing system must transmit over the network. This memory may be located within the receiver or externally connected thereto.

The present invention allows a user to control the type of media service they want to accept, thereby allowing the user to control the cost and extent of receiving the media service.

The present invention also allows users to combine or multiplex different types of media information having different transmission bandwidth requirements within a single transmission period, thereby enhancing conversational content between users for both personal and business applications.

With the aid of the previous idea, the invention can be used to implement at least the following communication scenario.

Visual message initiator (transmitter) with real-time, two-way video streaming telephony capabilities including voice conversation

Although many terminals, including mobile terminals, today have the capability to display streaming video, many users may not want to pay for high-speed bearers for these and other broadband services. The present invention accomplishes this by giving the user the option of controlling the media service they want to receive. For example, during a call setup procedure, the user of the transmitting terminal may negotiate with the network for options for video streaming services. This negotiation process may be performed using the desired visual message transmitter. The appropriate service may then be selected from a variety of service options.

Exemplary service options include:

a) full bandwidth streaming video services (e.g., MPEG format)

b) Short time streaming video services (e.g., MPEG format)

c) Image of a person

d) Static animation

e) Live animation

If full bandwidth streaming video is selected, the transmitting terminal may transmit continuous video output from a camera unit in the terminal. This may continue for the duration of the call or before the user turns this function off.

If a short-time streaming video service is selected, the transmitting terminal may transmit a short-time streaming video script of a predetermined time limit (e.g., 20 seconds) via the network. The receiving terminal may capture and then display the video and, at the same time, store the script in internal or external memory. The user of the receiving terminal may repeatedly display this script from the internal memory without any additional network resource allocation. Further, the video script may be refreshed periodically during the call, e.g., every 2 minutes.

If the user selects the option for receiving the image, the image may be transmitted to the receiving terminal once every predetermined time period (e.g., every 2 minutes).

If the user selects an option for receiving an animation, information of the animation, such as an icon, is transmitted to the receiving terminal, for example, in the manner shown in the timing chart of fig. 5 or 7. As previously discussed, this icon may be, for example, an avatar created by the transmitting party in the form of his or her own character, symbol, or other graphical representation. The avatar may be created by software stored within the transmitting terminal or may be downloaded from an external software tool that allows the user to create his own avatar. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that no actual similarity is required as the avatar may correspond to any desired graphic of the transmitting user's selection. A system capable of generating this type of avatar is disclosed in us patent 6,384,829, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In addition to a static avatar, the animation information transmitted in accordance with the present invention may be a live animation or a moving avatar, one type of which is referred to as an animated GIF. When the avatar resembles some type of feature, its movement may make the avatar appear to be speaking, moving forward and backward, laughing, crying, closing and opening the eye, pointing, etc. Although in this example, the identifying transmitting party generates and transmits the avatar to the receiving party, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the avatar may be stored and subsequently displayed on the receiving terminal. In this case, the avatar character may be automatically displayed by the receiving terminal based on the identification of the caller ID information, automatically displayed in response to a control signal transmitted from the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal, and automatically displayed based on control information input by the receiving party himself or at any other time during the call session.

When displayed in response to a control signal from the transmitting terminal, the control signal may cause a different avatar to be displayed on the receiving terminal, for example, to commemorate an event (e.g., happy birthday GIF), or to simulate the mood or mood felt by the transmitting party (e.g., similar to the transmitting party's GIF with happy facial expressions).

The avatar character transmitted by the transmitting user may be ignored and replaced with the avatar character selected by the receiving user when displayed based on control information input by the user. For example, if the receiving terminal user dislikes the transmitting terminal user, the receiving terminal may cause an avatar of a dog to be displayed in response to detection of caller ID information based on previously stored settings. If desired, the avatar character may be displayed even when the transmitting party does not transmit the avatar character to the receiving terminal.

And if the media service is not selected, the media information is not displayed. In this case, no additional bandwidth is allocated for visual communication between the transmitting and receiving terminals. All of these options include simultaneous and continuous two-way voice conversations. On the receiving terminal, a default avatar character stored on the receiving terminal or an avatar character corresponding to the caller ID may be displayed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting end-user (or call originator) may select one of the aforementioned service options or any combination of these options to control the display of media information during a call session. This selection may be based on his or her desire and desire to pay for the desired service. Generally, the higher the bandwidth requirements, the more expensive the service options. Thus, it is expected that live streaming video is the most expensive, and still animation is the least expensive.

Fig. 7, which has been previously discussed, illustrates an exemplary scenario. For re-discussion, in this case, the call originator sends a short streaming video of 20 seconds every 2 minutes. During the first 2 minutes, the call originator transmits his avatar image only once if the receiving party indicates that he wants to receive the call originator's avatar image, or if the transmitting party cannot determine whether the receiving terminal user has the call originator's avatar image stored in the receiving terminal's memory.

After the receiving terminal receives the transmitted avatar, the receiving terminal may store the avatar in a memory (which may be an internal or external memory) accessible by the receiver. Then, the receiving terminal may display the avatar character discriminated by the user.

In another case, the call originator does not transfer any media information. In this case, the receiving end user may display an avatar generated and/or selected by this user to represent the caller. As previously discussed, this avatar character may be stored in the memory of the receiving terminal and recalled. Since the avatar image is pre-stored in the receiver terminal, no additional bandwidth allocation is required to display the avatar image, and thus network resources are saved.

Real-time, bi-directional video streaming telephone communication including voice conversation for call receiver

During the call setup procedure, the network may indicate that there is a specific service option request from the call originator. The service options on the receiver side may be the same as for the transmitter side. Alternatively, one of the terminals may have a different service option setting than the other to reflect the user's preference for cost savings or for enhanced media services. In this example, the service option is the same as in the first example.

At the receiver, the service option request sent from the transmitting terminal is checked again against the receiver's parameter settings. These settings may indicate the current software and hardware version of the receiving terminal and the desire to share communication costs with the receiving terminal user or to receive the media service indicated in the service option request. If the requested service is acceptable to the receiving end user, the transmitting end user (or call originator) transmits media information to the receiving end according to the service options mentioned in the request.

For the avatar option, the receiving terminal does not need to receive any information from the call originator if the call originator's avatar has been generated and stored in the memory or PIM database of the receiving terminal. In this case, the receiving terminal retrieves from memory or PIM database based on the phone number (caller ID) of the call originator and then displays the particular avatar character. This feature of the invention is advantageous because it allows media information to be displayed on the receiver terminal without using any bandwidth resources of the network.

The system and method of the present invention may include many other features. For example, the present invention may communicate media information using or without audio communication (e.g., video teleconferencing, videophone applications, etc.). This may be accomplished, for example, by transmitting voice signals over a circuit-switched logical channel and media information over one or more packet-switched logical channels. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other known methods may also be used.

Other modifications and variations of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing disclosure. Accordingly, while only certain embodiments of the invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In those claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.

Claims (41)

1. A method of reducing bandwidth in a communication network, comprising:

transmitting media information within a specified n-length transmission time, wherein the media information comprises a combination of at least one of:

a) a first video stream having a specified x length of transmission time, where x is less than or equal to n;

b) a second video stream having a specified transmission time of length y, where y is less than x;

c) a still image; and

d) a virtual image;

and

displaying the received media information in a prescribed display format during a prescribed m-length reception time, wherein the media information is transmitted via a wireless network,

wherein the combination during the n length of transmission time comprises an idle state without a, b, c or d above for the remaining time period of the n length of transmission time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the idle state does not allocate required communication resources during transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a virtual image is displayed on a receiving terminal during the idle state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a third video stream having a specified z-length time period is displayed in the specified display format during the specified m-length reception time, where z is less than or equal to n.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third video stream is the same as the second video stream if the media information comprises the second video stream.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the third video stream is different from the second video stream even though the media information includes the second video stream.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third video stream is a previously stored video stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received media information is displayed by the mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video stream is a full bandwidth streaming video that operates continuously.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video stream is a short-time streaming video.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the snapshot of the virtual image is an image of a calling party.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual image is an avatar.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the avatar representation is an animated avatar representation.

14. A method of reducing bandwidth in a communication network, comprising:

establishing a call connection by a first mobile terminal of a calling party;

multiplexing a plurality of first video signals provided by a first mobile terminal during a call connection, wherein the first video signals include at least one of an idle state, a first video stream, a first still image, and a first graphical representation/depiction; and

the multiplexed first video signal is transmitted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network transmits a signal representing the multiplexed video signal to a second mobile terminal of the called party, and the second mobile terminal displays a video image based on the multiplexed second video signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the multiplexed second video signal comprises at least one of a second video stream, a second still image, and a second graphical representation/depiction.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second video streams are different.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second still images are different.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second graphical representations/depictions are different.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second graphical representation/depiction is stored in a memory of the second mobile terminal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second graphical representation/depiction is based on past experience of the called party and the calling party.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the second graphical representation/depiction is replaced by the first graphical representation/depiction of the calling party.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said second graphical representation/depiction gives the image likeness and look and feel of the calling party to the called party.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the second video stream comprises an idle video state.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiver terminal displays the second graphical representation in an idle video state.

26. A method of reducing bandwidth in a communication, comprising:

initiating a call between a first terminal and a second terminal;

selectively multiplexing the first media information and the second media information in the first terminal; and

the multiplexed information with the voice information is transmitted from the first terminal to the second terminal,

wherein the multiplexed information is transmitted during a first call period, and wherein the differently multiplexed information is transmitted during a second call period.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first media information and the second media information are selected from the group consisting of a video stream, a short time video script, a still image, a moving animation, and a still animation.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the video stream comprises live streaming video.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first media information is a video stream and the second media information is a still animation.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

controlling output of the multiplexed media information at the second terminal, the step of controlling further comprising preventing output of one of the first media information and the second media information.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

controlling the output of the multiplexed media information on the second terminal, the controlling step comprising setting a service option of the second terminal for controlling a type of media information to be output on the second terminal.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

controlling the output of the multiplexed media information on the second terminal, the controlling further comprising replacing the first media information with third media information stored in a memory of the second terminal.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first media information and the third media information comprise different avatar avatars.

34. A method of reducing bandwidth by selectively sending media information over a communication network, comprising:

selecting a format for transmitting various types of media information;

combining the media information according to the format in a chronological order;

transmitting the combined media information from the calling party terminal to the called party terminal in a transmission period; and

transmitting voice information from the calling party terminal to the called party terminal, the voice information being transmitted together with the combined media information during the call cycle,

the method further comprises:

a virtual image, which is created by the called party based on previous knowledge and his/her own understanding about the calling party, is pre-stored in the called party terminal and displayed on the called party terminal.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising: a virtual image created by the calling party based on his/her own understanding is received from the calling party.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the called party terminal retrieves data of a virtual image stored by the calling party terminal, wherein the stored data includes a personal subscriber identification field and a virtual image field.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the virtual image field includes an animation indicator field as a sub-field of a predefined size.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the virtual image field includes an emotion code field as a subfield.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the virtual image reflects an emotion of the calling party.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising: transmitting an emotion code of a predefined size from the calling party terminal to the called party terminal, the emotion code corresponding to the emotion of the calling party.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising: changing an appearance of a virtual image displayed on the called party terminal based on an emotion code.