IP Library Granted Patent US 12,592,979
Granted Patent B2
US 12,592,979 · App. 18/123,914 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Immersive teleconferencing and telepresence

Inventor: Ozgur Oyman (Cupertino, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04L65/65H04L65/1016H04L65/1104H04L65/403
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,592,979
App. No.
18/123,914
Granted
Mar 31, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments may relate to a user equipment (UE) that is configured to determine a real-time transport protocol (RTP) media flow that includes visual data related to a plurality of images concurrently taken of a location and a supplemental information enhancement (SEI) message that is to be used to display at least a portion of the visual data. The UE is further configured to visually display, based on the visual data and the SEI message, the portion of the visual data to a user of the user device. Other embodiments may be described or claimed.

Claims (40)

1 . A method comprising:

receiving real-time transport protocol (RTP) stream that includes visual data and corresponding metadata comprising one or more omnidirectional video specific supplemental enhancement information (SEI) messages;

processing the RTP stream to generate an elementary stream;

decoding the elementary stream using a high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) decoder to obtain decoded visual data and decoder metadata comprising the one or more SEI messages;

generating, based at least in part on the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata, a 360 degree video; and

generating a viewport from the 360 degree video based at least on position information from one or more sensors.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the RTP stream was generated using a plurality of two-dimensional images for a video conference.

3 . The method of claim 2 , comprising sending, by a device and to a system that generates the RTP stream, one or more two-dimensional images captured by a camera connected to the device, wherein the one or more two-dimensional images are included in the plurality of images for the video conference.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the plurality of images were captured by an omnidirectional camera for the video conference.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 360 degree video is generated based on a texture-to-sphere mapping function in conjunction with the decoded visual data and wherein the 360 degree video is mapped to a visual field that comprises the viewport.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the viewport from the 360 degree video based on display characteristics of a display device that will output the 360 degree video.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata comprises obtaining, by one or more baseband processors, the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata.

8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising transmitting, in a RTP control protocol (RTCP) feedback message, an indication of a desired field of view of the visual data, wherein obtaining the decoded visual data comprises obtaining the decoded visual data that is based at least on the desired field of view.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the RTP stream is a first RTP stream that includes first visual data related to a first image of a plurality of images; and

obtaining the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata comprises obtaining the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata based on a) the first RTP stream and b) a second RTP stream that includes second visual data related to a second image of the plurality of images.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the 360 degree video comprises:

obtaining texture data from the elementary stream using the HEVC decoder; and

generating the 360 degree video, using a texture-to-sphere mapping function, based on the texture data and the decoder metadata.

11 . An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving real-time transport protocol (RTP) stream that includes visual data and corresponding metadata comprising one or more omnidirectional video specific supplemental enhancement information (SEI) messages;

processing the RTP stream to generate an elementary stream;

decoding the elementary stream using a high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) decoder to obtain decoded visual data and decoder metadata comprising the one or more SEI messages;

generating, based at least in part on the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata, a 360 degree video; and

generating a viewport corresponding to a 360 degree video based at least on position information from one or more sensors.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more baseband processors.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the RTP stream was generated using a plurality of two-dimensional images for a video conference, the operations comprising sending, to a system that generates the RTP stream, one or more two-dimensional images captured by a camera connected to the apparatus, wherein the one or more two-dimensional images are included in the plurality of images for the video conference.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein at least some of the plurality of images were captured by an omnidirectional camera for the video conference.

15 . The apparatus of claim 11 , the operations comprising generating, based at least on a texture-to-sphere mapping function and the decoded visual data, the 360 degree video, wherein at least some of the 360 degree video is mapped to a visual field that comprises the viewport.

16 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise generating the viewport from the 360 degree video based on display characteristics of a display device that will output the 360 degree video.

17 . The apparatus of claim 11 , comprising transmitting, in a RTP control protocol (RTCP) feedback message, an indication of a desired field of view of the visual data, wherein obtaining the decoded visual data comprises obtaining the decoded visual data that is based at least on the desired field of view.

18 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:

the RTP stream is a first RTP stream that includes first visual data related to a first image of a plurality of images; and

obtaining the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata comprises obtaining the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata based on a) the first RTP stream and b) a second RTP stream that includes second visual data related to a second image of the plurality of images.

19 . One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving real-time transport protocol (RTP) stream that includes visual data and corresponding metadata comprising one or more omnidirectional video specific supplemental enhancement information (SEI) messages;

processing the RTP stream to generate an elementary stream;

decoding the elementary stream using a high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) decoder to obtain decoded visual data and decoder metadata comprising the one or more SEI messages;

generating, based at least in part on the decoded visual data and the decoder metadata, a 360 degree video; and

generating a viewport from the 360 degree video based at least on position information from one or more sensors.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17892019 · Aug 19, 2022
Continuation 17439322
Provisional Application 62866488 · Jun 25, 2019
Related Publication 20240098129A1 · Mar 21, 2024
References Cited (26)
US 9479732B1 · Saleh · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 11166013B2 · Hannuksela · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11528312B2 · Oyman · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 11652862B2 · Oyman · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20070299912A1 · Sharma et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20080013620A1 · Hannuksela · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20150049004A1 · Deering et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20170193711A1 · Lenchner et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190215729A1 · Oyman · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20220174108A1 · Oyman et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220417308A1 · Oyman · 2022 [cited by applicant]
CN 106576158 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020100068728 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; 3GPP Virtual reality profiles for streaming applications (Release 15),” 3GPP TS 26.118, V 15.1.9, Dec. … [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Multimedia Telephony; Media handling and interaction (Release 16),” 3GPP… [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Telepresence using the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS); Media Handling and Interaction (Release 16),” 3GP… [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “Information technology—Coded representation of immersive media—Part 2: Omnidirectional media format,” International Standard ISO/IEC 23090-2, Jan. 2019, 170 pages. [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “Information Technology—Coding of audio-visual objects—Part 10: Advanced Video Coding,” International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC), ISO/IEC 144… [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listed], “Information Technology—High efficiency coding and media delivery in heterogeneous environments—Part 2: High efficiency video coding,” International Organization for Standardization/International Ele… [cited by applicant]
[No Author Listesd], “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Study on media handling aspects of conversational services in 5G systems (Release 16),” 3GPP TR 26.919… [cited by applicant]
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. et al., “Proposed updates to TR 26.919 on various aspects,” 3GPP TSG-SA4 Meeting #99, S4-180650, Rome, Italy, Jul. 9-13, 2018, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
Intel et al., “ITT4RT Permanent Document—Requirements, Working Assumptions and Potential Solutions,” 3GPP TSG-SA4 Meeting #103, S4-190503, Newport Beach, CA, U.S.A., Apr. 8-12, 2019, 6 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability in International Appln. No. PCT/US2020/039512, dated Jan. 6, 2022, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion in International Appln. No. PCT/US2020/039512, dated Sep. 14, 2020, 16 pages. [cited by applicant]
Wang et al., “RTP Payload Format for H.264 Video,” Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), RFC 6184, May 2011, 101 pages. [cited by applicant]
Wang et al., “RTP Payload Format for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC),” Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), RFC 7798, Mar. 2016, 86 pages. [cited by applicant]