Virtual multimedia service for mass market connectivity
US5426460A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 17, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jun 20, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 17, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2007/145
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A new communication system merges a voice communication with an image communication into a single transmission channel to provide a virtual voice/video communication service over a limited channel bandwidth. A voice communication path is established between two subscriber communication stations and a desired still picture image is transmitted via the voice channel at the start of the transmission. Portions of the still image expected to be visually active during the communication, such as facial movements (e.g. the lips of the speaker), are replaced at the receiver by an idealized representative image. The voice portion of the transmission is digitally encoded and transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station. Synchronous activation of the idealized image (e.g. the lips) are animated by code book coefficients of the digitized speech message.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.