IP Library Granted Patent US 10,764,535
Granted Patent B1
US 10,764,535 · App. 16/601,475 · Granted Sep 1, 2020

Facial tracking during video calls using remote control input

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,764,535
App. No.
16/601,475
Granted
Sep 1, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

A communication system enables users to select between individuals for tracking during video calls based on remote control input. The communication system establishes a video call session between a local client device and one or more remote client devices. The communication system uses a facial recognition algorithm to detect one or more faces from video data and obtains an identifier to each face. The communication system selects a first identifier. The communication system receives a navigation input from a remote control coupled to the communication system and, based on the input, selects a second identifier. The communication system receives an operation input and applies a center of focus of the video data to a second face corresponding to the second identifier.

Claims (36)

1. A method comprising:

establishing a video call session between a local client device and one or more remote client devices; and

during the video call session:

detecting, by a facial detection algorithm, one or more faces from video data associated with the video call session;

assigning an ordered identifier for each face of the one or more faces, the ordered identifiers ordered according to respective times of detection of the one or more faces;

transmitting video data associated with the video call session for display on a display device;

selecting a first ordered identifier associated with a first face;

receiving, from a remote control device communicatively coupled to the local client device, a navigation input for cycling selection of the one or more faces, the cycling based on the ordered identifiers; and

responsive to the navigation input, selecting a second ordered identifier, associated with a second face;

receiving an operation input to perform an operation when the second ordered identifier is selected; and

performing the operation on the video data with respect to the second face.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the second identifier comprises at least one of:

incrementing the first identifier based on a first button input from the remote control device to cycle to the second identifier; and

decrementing the first identifier based on a second button input from the remote control device to cycle to the second identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the facial detection algorithm detects bounds for each face of the one or more faces in the video data and the transmitted video data is modified to include a visual representation of the detected bounds.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the operation comprises applying a center of focus of the video data to a currently selected face.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein applying a center of focus of the video data to a face corresponding to a current selected identifier further comprises one or more of: zooming on the face, cropping the video data to a specified area around the face, or tracking the face during movements through the video data.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising tracking, by a facial tracking algorithm, positions of the one or more faces from the video data.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

establishing a video call session between a local client device and one or more remote client devices; and

during the video call session:

detecting, by a facial detection algorithm, one or more faces from video data associated with the video call session;

assigning an ordered identifier for each face of the one or more faces, the ordered identifiers ordered according to respective times of detection of the one or more faces;

transmitting video data associated with the video call session for display on a display device;

selecting a first ordered identifier associated with a first face;

receiving, from a remote control device communicatively coupled to the local client device, a navigation input for cycling selection of the one or more faces, the cycling based on the ordered identifiers; and

responsive to the navigation input, selecting a second ordered identifier, associated with a second face;

receiving an operation input to perform an operation when the second ordered identifier is selected; and

performing the operation on the video data with respect to the second face.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein selecting the second identifier comprises at least one of:

incrementing the first identifier based on a first button input from the remote control device to cycle to the second identifier; and

decrementing the first identifier based on a second button input from the remote control device to cycle to the second identifier.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the facial detection algorithm detects bounds for each face of the one or more faces in the video data and the transmitted video data is modified to include a visual representation of the detected bounds.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein performing the operation comprises applying a center of focus of the video data to a currently selected face.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein applying a center of focus of the video data to a face corresponding to a current selected identifier further comprises one or more of: zooming on the face, cropping the video data to a specified area around the face, or tracking the face during movements through the video data.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , further comprising tracking, by a facial tracking algorithm, positions of the one or more faces from the video data.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 18, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058897/0824 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2019
From: POWELL, BENJAMIN; WANG, YANNI; CHANG, YUAN; BRENNESSL, TOMAS
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 051000/0704 →