Television – Two-way video and voice communication – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-10
2003-03-04
Ramakrishnaiah, Melur (Department: 2643)
Television
Two-way video and voice communication
Conferencing
C348S014090, C379S093210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06529231
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to television meeting systems.
Japanese Patent No. 10-13799 shows an prior art television meeting system. As shown in
FIG. 5
which is a block diagram showing the construction of the television telephone system disclosed therein, the illustrated prior art television telephone system comprises a camera
26
, a transmitting unit
25
including a background extractor
27
, an image data compressor
28
and a data synthesizer
29
, a receiving unit
32
including a data demultiplexer
33
, an image data expander
34
, an image synthesizer
35
and a background data memory
36
, a monitor
37
and communication lines
30
and
31
.
The prior art television telephone set having the above construction operates as follows.
In the transmitting unit
25
, the background extractor
27
splits an image picked up by the camera
26
into matrix array blocks, and sorts out the blocks into subject blocks more pronounced in inter-frame movement and background blocks less pronounced in inter-frame movement. The data synthesizer
29
feeds out a signal for discriminating the subject blocks and the background blocks from one another together with a compressed image signal of the subject block to the communication line
30
. In the receiving unit
32
, upon reception of the data of this type from the communication line, the image data expander
34
expands the compressed image signal of the subject blocks, and the image synthesizer
35
assigns a particular pattern signal to the background blocks. The monitor
37
, to which a signal synthesized from the image signal of the subject blocks and the background pattern of the background blocks is supplied, clearly reproduces the image of the subject blocks, i.e., the image of a person, while displaying the image of the background blocks in the particular pattern.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-149287 shows a prior art video transmitting system.
FIG. 6
is a block diagram showing the construction of the disclosed video transmitting system.
In this video transmitting system, as shown in the Figure, a video signal of video of a meeting room picked up by a television camera
38
and a video signal of background video stored in a background video out putting means
39
are inputted to a chromachy unit
40
. The chromachy unit
40
separates the subject scene video and actual background video from the video of the meeting room with separating means, generates a cutting-out signal, cuts out the background video, and inserts the subject scene video in the background video. Subsequently, the chromachy unit
40
feeds out the video signal with subject scene video inserted in the background video to a television meeting unit
41
. The video signal is then inputted via a communication circuit
42
and an opposite party station television meeting unit
43
to a monitor
44
.
The system disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-13799 has the following problems.
A first problem is that this system synthesizes a particular pattern as the background image, and does not synthesize any desired motion picture image. This is so because the compressed data blocks are for providing a discrimination signal and irrelevant to actual image synthesis.
A second problem is that the system can not permit synthesis unless it is supported by the receiving side terminal unit. This is so because, like the case of the first problem, it is not possible to synthesize any pattern unless the discrimination signal can be understood.
The system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-149287 has the following problem.
A first problem is that the actual background image of scene object video should be used for chromachy. This is so because of the use of the chromachy unit as image separating/synthesizing means.
A second problem is that the use of a background memory in the terminal unit as means for accumulating background video data poses limitation on the kinds of data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the above problems in the prior art, and it has an object of providing a television meeting system, which permits a desired image selected by the user of the television meeting system to be used as background for meeting.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a television meeting system in which image data and voice data are transmitted and received among a plurality of terminal units, wherein the terminal unit transmits and receives a video signal synthesized by combining desired background data selected by a user with taken-out image and voice.
The terminal unit includes a recorder in which desired background data selected by the user is preliminarily recorded. The terminal unit is connected to a data server for obtaining the desired background data selected by the user from the data server. The terminal unit obtains the desired background data selected by the user from the opposite side terminal unit. The terminal unit uses the image and voice taken out by each terminal unit itself as the desired background data selected by the user. The terminal unit compresses and multiplexes the video signal for transmission.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal unit in the television meeting system according to the above structure.
According to other aspect of the present invention, there is provided a television meeting system in which image data and voice data are transmitted and received among a plurality of terminal units,
the terminal unit comprising:
a camera for taking out motion picture image data;
a microphone for taking out voice data;
a monitor for displaying the motion picture image data;
a loud-speaker for reproducing the voice data;
a keyboard for taking out data selection data;
an image data synthesizer for synthesizing the image data;
a voice data synthesizer for synthesizing the voice data;
a data recorder for recording the received voice and image data;
a data controller for selecting the image data and voice data to be combined from the data received;
a compressor for compressing the voice and image data;
an expander for expanding the compressed voice and image data;
a multiplexer for multiplexing the compressed voice and image data, and delivering the compressed data as communication data;
a demultiplexer for demultiplexing or separating the received communication data into voice data and motion picture image data; and
a communicator for sending out and receiving the communication data to and from the opposite side terminal unit,
wherein the data controller extracts the selected data among the data recorded in the data recorder according to the received data selection data, and delivers the extracted data to the image data synthesizer and the voice data synthesizer,
the image data synthesizer synthesizes the data by combining the image data extracted from the data recorder as background with user s image data taken out from the camera,
the voice data synthesizer synthesizes data from user's voice data taken out from the microphone and voice data extracted from the data recorder, and delivers the synthesized data to the compressor,
the compressor compresses the received image and voice data, and delivers the compressed data to the multiplexer,
the multiplexer multiplexes the compressed image and voice data as the communication data, and delivers this communication data to the communicator, and
the communicator transmits the received communication data via the communication line.
In the above system, the communicator receives communication data from the opposite side terminal unit via the communication line, and delivers the received data to the demultiplexer, the demultiplexer separates the received communication data into image data and voice data, and delivers the separated data to the expander, the expander expands the received motion picture image data and voice data, and delivers the motion picture image data to the monitor, eceiving the motion picture image data, the monitor displays the
Ramakrishnaiah Melur
Young & Thompson
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