Method, device, and system for reducing bandwidth usage during a communication session
View Patent ↗A communication system, method and communication terminal are configured to permit bandwidth reduction when communication partners are engaged in a communication session. In one embodiment, a communication terminal such as a cellular phone or tablet may turn off at least one of its display and camera sensor within a predetermined amount of time when the terminal is detected as being positioned near a user's ear via at least one sensor of the terminal. In some embodiments, the communication terminal may also transmit one or more messages to communication devices of communication partners engaged in the communication session to inform those devices that video transmissions should no longer be sent to the communication terminal. The communication terminal and other communication devices involved in the communication session may also stop transmitting video as a result of the detection of the communication terminal being positioned near a user's ear.
1. A communication system comprising:
a first communication terminal;
a first communication device;
the first communication terminal being configured to establish a communication session, with the first communication device, the communication session comprising an exchange of video data and audio data between the first communication terminal and the first communication device;
after the communication session is established and has been ongoing, the first communication terminal being configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session;
the first communication terminal being configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises at least one detector of the first communication terminal configured to detect the first communication terminal being moved from a first position to a second position, the first position being a position used for recording a face of a user of the first communication terminal via a camera sensor of the first communication terminal, the second position being a position in which a speaker of the first communication terminal is adjacent to an ear of the user;
in response to the determining that the video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session, the first communication terminal being configured to send a first message to the first communication device; and
in response to receiving the first message, the first communication device being configured to stop the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication device to the first communication terminal after receipt of the first message and the transmitting of video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session is stopped by the first communication device.
2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication device comprises a computer device that is communicatively connectable to the first communication terminal and second communication terminals to oversee the communication session, the communication session involving a transmission of the audio data and the video data from the second communication terminals to the first communication terminal and also involving a transmission of audio and video data from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminals;
the first communication device being configured to stop the transmitting of video data from the second communication terminals to the first communication terminal during the communication session such that only audio data from the second communication terminals is transmitted by the first communication device to the first communication terminal during the communication session after receipt of the first message and the transmitting of video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session is stopped by the first communication device such that video data from the second communication terminals is no longer transmitted to the first communication terminal during the communication session after the first communication device receives the first message from the first communication terminal.
3. The communication system of claim 2 further comprising at least one of:
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal being configured to deactivate the camera sensor of the first communication terminal so that video of the user of the first communication terminal is no longer recorded by the camera sensor; and
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal being configured to stop the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication terminal to the first communication device after the transmitting of video data during the communication session is stopped by the first communication terminal.
4. The communication system of claim 3 further comprising the first communication terminal being configured to turn off a display of the first communication terminal such that video data received during the communication session is not displayed on the display during the communication session in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position.
5. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication terminal is configured to send the first message to the first communication device after the first communication terminal is detected as being in the second position for a predetermined amount of time.
6. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first message is a Session Initiation Protocol REINVITE message and the at least one detector is comprised of a proximity sensor.
7. The communication system of claim 2 further comprising:
prior to the first communication terminal sending the first message, a display of the first communication terminal being configured to display -a warning to the user of the first communication terminal to inform the user that video will no longer be available during the communication session if input is not provided to the first communication terminal to prevent the sending of the first message.
8. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication terminal is configured to determine that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises one of:
being configured to receive input from a user of the first communication terminal indicating the video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device, and
a camera sensor of the first communication terminal configured to record light at or below a predetermined level for a predetermined amount of time.
9. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the first communication device is also configured so that video data is transmitted to the second communication terminals during the communication session after the sending of video data to the first communication terminal is stopped in response to the first message.
10. A method of reducing bandwidth used in a communication session comprising:
a first communication terminal establishing the communication session with a first communication device, the communication session comprising an exchange of video data and audio data between the first communication terminal and the first communication device;
after the communication session is established and has been ongoing, the first communication terminal determining that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session;
the first communication terminal determining that video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session comprises:
at least one detector of the first communication terminal detecting the first communication terminal being moved from a first position to a second position, the first position being a position used for recording a face of a user of the first communication terminal via the camera sensor of the first communication terminal, the second position being a position in which a speaker of the first communication terminal is adjacent to an ear of the user;
in response to the determining that the video data is no longer desired to be received from the first communication device during the communication session, the first communication terminal sending a first message to the first communication device; and
in response to receiving the first message, the first communication device stopping the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication device to the first communication terminal after receipt of the first message and the transmitting of video data during the communication session is stopped by the first communication device.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first communication device is a computer device that is communicatively coupled to the first communication terminal and at least one second communication terminal participating in the communication session, the computer device overseeing the communication session, the method also comprising:
the first communication device facilitating transmission of the video data and the audio data between the first communication terminal and the at least one second communication terminal during the communication session;
the first communication device stopping the transmitting of video data during the communication session in response to receiving the first message by a process comprising:
one of: (i) forwarding the first message to the second communication terminal to inform the second communication terminal to stop sending the video data during the communications session and (ii) sending a second message based on the first message to inform the second communication terminal to stop sending the video data during the communication session.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal deactivating the camera sensor of the first communication terminal so that video of the user of the first communication terminal is no longer recorded by the camera sensor.
13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
in response to the at least one detector detecting the first communication terminal being moved from the first position to the second position, the first communication terminal stopping the transmitting of video data during the communication session such that only audio data is transmitted by the first communication terminal to the first communication device after the transmitting of video data during the communication session is stopped by the first communication terminal.
14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
prior to the first communication terminal sending the first message, a display of the first communication terminal displaying a warning to the user to inform the user that video will no longer be available during the communication session if input is not provided to the first communication terminal to prevent the sending of the first message.
15. The method of claim 11 comprising:
The second communication terminal stopping the transmission of video data toward the first communication terminal during the communication session in response to receiving the forwarded first message or the second message.
16. The method of claim 15 comprising:
in response to receiving the forwarded first message or the second message, the second communication terminal turning off a display of the second communication terminal during the communication session and turning off a camera sensor of the second communication terminal during the communication session such that the camera sensor of the second communication terminal no longer records video during the communication session.
17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first communication device is a computer device that is communicatively connected to the first communication terminal and a plurality of second communication terminals participating in the communication session, the computer device configured to oversee the communication session, the method also comprising:
the first communication device facilitating transmission of the video data and the audio data between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminals during the communication session;
the first communication device stopping the transmitting of the video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session in response to receiving the first message while continuing to transmit the video data to the second communication terminals during the communication session.
18. The method of claim 10 wherein the first communication device is a computer device that is communicatively coupled to the first communication terminal and a plurality of second communication terminals participating in the communication session, the computer device overseeing the communication session, the method also comprising:
the first communication device facilitating transmission of the video data and the audio data between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminals during the communication session;
the first communication device stopping the transmitting of the video data to the first communication terminal during the communication session in response to receiving the first message while continuing to transmit the video data to the second communication terminals during the communication session; and
the first communication device performing one of: (i) forwarding the first message to the second communication terminals to inform the second communication terminals to stop sending the video data during the communications session and (ii) sending second messages to the second communication terminals based on the first message to inform the second communication terminals to stop sending the video data during the communication session.
19. The method of claim 18 comprising:
in response to receiving the forwarded first message or one of the second messages, each of the second communication terminals turning off a display during the communication session and turning off a camera sensor during the communication session such that the camera sensor no longer records video during the communication session.