Method and apparatus for VoIP video communication

Abstract

In a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) video communication method and apparatus, first and second VoIP-based terminals store video event indexes and images mapped thereto with respect to state information of a user and terminal, and establish a session using session establishment information defining the video event. The first terminal then transmits a data packet including the video event index, and the second terminal receives the data packet and outputs an image mapped to the video event index of the images stored in advance. Thus, by transmitting and receiving a predefined index alone without transmitting user and terminal states as a real time data-type image, the VoIP video communication method and apparatus prevent unnecessary waste of bandwidth in video communication.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) video telephone data channel;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a VoIP video telephone data channel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration of VoIP session establishment information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a real-time transport protocol (RTP) packet through which a video event is transmitted and received according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a procedure for transmitting a video event according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a procedure for receiving a video event according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a screen for setting a video event according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the internal configuration of a VoIP terminal for video communication according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) video communication, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a session between a first terminal and a second terminal using session establishment information defining a video event for one of a user state and a terminal state;creating and transmitting, at the first terminal, a data packet including a video event index; andreceiving the data packet at the second terminal, extracting the video event index, and outputting, from at least one pre-stored image, an image mapped to the extracted video event index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video event comprises at least one of a screen blank event, a screen standby event, a terminal camera failure event, a terminal image data transmission disable event, and a terminal image data reception disable event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet has a structure of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of creating the data packet comprises creating the RTP packet including a video event Payload type contained in a Payload Type field.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the RTP packet further comprises user-defined image data corresponding to the video event Payload type contained in the Payload Type field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting the image at the second terminal comprises extracting and outputting user-defined image data included in a Payload field of an RTP packet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, at the second terminal, information on whether the first terminal uses user-defined image data from a user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the data packet comprises creating a data packet, including a Start/End flag of a video event which indicates at least one of a start and an end of the video event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at the second terminal, the image mapped to the extracted video event index is outputted upon receipt of the data packet including the Start/End flag indicating the start of the video event.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of discontinuing output of the image mapped to the extracted video event index upon receipt of a data packet including the Start/End flag indicating the end of the video event.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a session between the first terminal and the second terminal comprises establishing the session using one of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and an H.323 protocol.

12. A terminal for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) video communication, comprising: a memory for mapping and saving a video event index of a video event for one of a user state and a terminal state to at least one image;a session establishment unit for establishing a session between terminals using session establishment information defining the video event; anda video event processor for transmitting and receiving a data packet including the video event index, and for retrieving and outputting an image mapped to the video event index.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the video event includes at least one of a screen blank event, a screen standby event, a terminal camera failure event, a terminal image data transmission disable event, and a terminal image data reception disable event.

14. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the data packet has a structure of a real-time transport protocol (RTP) packet.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the video event processor comprises: a video event transmission module for creating and transmitting the RTP packet including a Payload Type field and a video event index; anda video event reception module for extracting the video event index contained in the received RTP packet, and for retrieving from a memory and outputting an image mapped to the video event index.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the video event transmission module creates and transmits the RTP packet including user-defined image data corresponding to the video event index, and the video event reception module extracts and outputs the user-defined image data contained in a Payload field of the received RTP packet.

17. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the data packet further comprises a video event Start/End flag indicating at least one of a start and an end of the video event.

18. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the video event processor outputs an image mapped to the video event index upon receipt of the data packet including the video event Start/End flag indicating the start of the video event.

19. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the video event processor discontinues output of the image mapped to the video event index upon receipt of the data packet including the video event Start/End flag indicating the end of the video event.

20. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the session establishment unit establishes a session with another terminal using one of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and an H.323 protocol.