Pseudo-Participant Video Streaming in Conferences

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing video conferencing systems are limited in their ability to incorporate live video streams from multiple external sources, restricting frame rate and resolution, and lack control over the video conferencing interface, especially when dealing with numerous participants and pseudo-participants.

Innovation Solution

The technology allows pre-registration of live streaming sources as pseudo-participants, enabling them to be streamed directly to participants without relay, and provides a video interface template for configuring the display of participants and pseudo-participants, with scroll controls for managing their positions and sizes during a video conference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If live streaming sources are incorporated into video conference without relay, then video feed quality and frame rate are improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo feed qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that receives live streaming sources and distributes them to video conference participants. This mediator architecture allows high-quality direct streaming without requiring complex peer-to-peer relay systems, resolving the contradiction by centralizing the distribution function while maintaining video quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments video conference participants into different client groups and distributes live streaming sources selectively to each group based on their needs. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by not broadcasting to all participants simultaneously,而是 distributing only to those who have requested the stream.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If multiple live streaming sources are streamed to all participants, then video quality is improved, but bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo resolutionVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements partial distribution by sending live streaming sources only to participants who have explicitly requested them, rather than broadcasting to all participants. This partial action principle reduces bandwidth consumption significantly while maintaining high video quality for those who need it, avoiding the excessive bandwidth usage of universal distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different quality levels and distribution strategies to different participant groups based on their specific needs and capabilities. Each participant receives video streams tailored to their local requirements, optimizing bandwidth usage while maintaining appropriate video quality for each receiver rather than using a uniform high-quality stream for everyone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If video interface template is configured for multiple participants and pseudo-participants, then interface control is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterface controlVSAvoidinterface management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal video interface template that can accommodate both regular video conference participants and pseudo-participants (live streaming sources) using the same structural framework. This multi-functional template design allows the system to manage diverse video sources uniformly, improving ease of operation while avoiding the need for separate complex management systems for different participant types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of creating complex individual interface configurations for each participant type, the patent inverts the approach by defining a standardized template structure first, then fitting both participants and pseudo-participants into this pre-defined framework. This inversion simplifies interface management by reversing the traditional customization approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9344681B2Systems and methods of incorporating live streaming sources into a video conference

Publication Date: 2016.05.17 JUPITER SYSTEMS LLC

AI summary

The technology disclosed solves the technical problem of incorporating live streaming sources into a video conference. In particular, the technology disclosed relates to pre-registering live streaming sources as pseudo-participants to optionally include in a video conference and causing the live streaming source represented by the pseudo-participant to be streamed to participants in the video conference without relay from one participant to another participant. The technology disclosed also relates to solving the technical problem of controlling a video conferencing interface during a video conference by allowing attendees of a video conference to configure a video interface template that includes areas to display participants and pseudo-participants live streaming sources.