Apple Inc.

Roberto Garcia, Jr

Joe S Abuan

Hyeonkuk Jeong

Xiaosong Zhou

Hsi-Jung Wu

Berkat S Tung

Elizabeth Caroline Cranfill

Yan Yang

James O Normile

Nirav Rajendra Patel

Stephen Olivier Lemay

Barry A Whitebook

Sundararaman V Shiva

Hassan A Shojania

David A Eldred

Douglas Scott Price

Robert Quattlebaum

Ting Chen

Justin N Wood

Dazhong Zhang

Haitao Guo

Andrew H Vyrros

Conrad Sauerwald

Gokul P Thirumalai

Ming Jin

David Daming Kuo

Thomas Christopher Jansen

Andrew Yanowitz

Mitch Adler

Justin M N Wood

Some embodiments provide a method for initiating a video conference using a first mobile device. The method presents, during an audio call through a wireless communication network with a second device, a selectable user-interface (UI) item on the first mobile device for switching from the audio call to the video conference. The method receives a selection of the selectable UI item. The method initiates the video conference without terminating the audio call. The method terminates the audio call before allowing the first and second devices to present audio and video data exchanged through the video conference.

Establishing a video conference during a phone call

For a first device participating in a video communications session with a second device, some embodiments provide a method that receives sets of encoding features supported by each of one or more decoders of the second device. The method selects an encoder for the video communication session from several encoders available to the first device. The method selects a set of encoding features of the selected encoder based on the sets of encoding features received from the second device. The method transmits an encoded video bitstream to the second device along with information identifying the selected features in order for the second device to select a decoder to decode the bitstream.

Selection of encoder and decoder for a video communications session

In one embodiment of the invention, service providers generate bloom filters with the user ID codes of registered users and exchange the bloom filters with one another. In response to a request to locate a first user, a first service provider will query its own registration database to determine if the first user is registered with the first service provider. If the first user is not registered with the first service provider, then the first service provider will query its bloom filters to identify other service providers with which the first user may be registered. A positive response from a bloom filter indicates that the first user may or may not be registered with the service provider associated with that bloom filter, and a negative response indicates with certainty that the first user is not registered with the service provider associated with that bloom filter.

Apparatus and method for managing peer-to-peer connections between different service providers

The described embodiments include a message server that is configured to send, to multiple receiving electronic devices, corresponding messages that each include a payload acquired from a single request message received from a client electronic device. In these embodiments, the request message received from the client electronic device includes a push token for each of the receiving electronic devices and the payload. Upon receiving the request message, the message server generates, for a receiving electronic device associated with each push token, a message that includes the payload. The message server then sends each message to the corresponding receiving electronic device. In this way, the message server 'fans out,' to the multiple receiving electronic devices, corresponding messages that each include the payload from the single request message.

Sending messages to multiple receiving electronic devices using a message server

In the described embodiments, a connection data exchange ('CDX') service serves as an exchange point for connection data for establishing peer-to-peer ('P2P') connections between devices. During operation, the CDX service can receive a connection data structure (a &#x201c;ticket&#x201d;) that was created by a matchmaker or an invitation service in response to requests from devices attempting to establish P2P connections. Each ticket can identify a corresponding device and can include encrypted NAT hole-punch data associated with the corresponding device. The CDX service can authenticate each ticket and decrypt the NAT hole punch data from the ticket using a corresponding key. The CDX service can then use corresponding NAT hole punch data to send connection data to each of the devices that reside behind NAT devices.

Apparatus and method for efficiently and securely exchanging connection data

Some embodiments use several different types of networks to relay several different types of media content among several different computing devices. The media content of some embodiments is data that a computing device can process in order to provide a presentation of the media content to a user of the device. Examples of types of such media content include audio data, video data, text data, picture data, game data, and/or other media data. In some embodiments, two different networks relay media content of two different types among multiple computing devices. Specifically, in some embodiments, a first network routes among the computing devices one type of media data content (e.g., game data), while a second network routes among the computing devices another type of media data content (e.g., audio and/or video data of game participants). The two networks differ in some embodiments based on their topology.

Multi-network architecture for media data exchange

Some embodiments provide a method for managing a video conference between a first device and a second device. The method identifies a first ceiling bit rate for transmitting video conference data to the second device through the communication channel. The method identifies a current bit rate that is less than the first ceiling bit rate. The method receives networking data regarding the communication channel from the second device. The method determines, from the received network data, that the communication channel will sustain an increase in the current bit rate. The method increments the current bit rate. The method iteratively performs the receiving, determining, and incrementing operations until a determination is made that the communication channel will not sustain the increase in the current bit rate.

Video conference network management for a mobile device

A method for adaptive audio codec selection during a communication session is disclosed. The method can include negotiating a set of audio codecs for use during the communication session. The method can further include defining multiple audio tiers. Each audio tier can be associated with a network condition and can define an audio codec from the set of audio codecs for use in the associated network condition. The method can also include using a first audio codec during the wireless communication session. The method can additionally include determining a changed network condition selecting a second audio codec by determining the audio tier corresponding to the changed network condition. The method can further include, in response to the changed network condition, switching from the first audio codec to a second audio codec that is defined by an audio tier having an associated network condition corresponding to the changed network condition.

Adaptive audio codec selection during a communication session

A method for detecting and recovering from a transmission channel change during a streaming media session is disclosed. The method can include a wireless communication device detecting a stall condition resulting from a transmission channel change. The method can further include the wireless communication device capturing a snapshot of a current transmission parameter state of the streaming media session in response to detecting the stall condition. The method can also include the wireless communication device using the snapshot to restore the streaming media session to the transmission parameter state captured by the snapshot following completion of the transmission channel change.

Detecting and recovering from a transmission channel change during a streaming media session

A method and apparatus of a device that distinguishes multiplexed media and signaling data traffic is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the device receives, on a single port, a packet of the multiplexed data traffic, where the multiplexed data traffic includes a plurality of packets and each of the plurality of packets is one of a media packet and an encapsulated signaling packet. The device further examines an initial data element of a header of the received packet to determine if the received packet is one of a media packet and a signal packet. The device further forwards the packet to a corresponding module for further processing based on the examining.

Network stream identification for open FaceTime

A method for refreshing blocked media packets for a streaming media session over a wireless network in a stall condition is disclosed. The method can include a wireless communication device maintaining a buffer at an application layer. The buffer can contain at least a portion of media packets provided to a baseband layer by the application layer for transmission. Media packets provided to the baseband layer can be queued in a baseband queue prior to transmission. The method can further include the wireless communication device generating at least one new media packet for the streaming media session during the stall condition; flushing at least a portion of the media packets queued in the baseband queue; and replenishing the baseband queue by providing the baseband layer with at least a portion of the media packets contained in the buffer and at least one new media packet.

Refreshing blocked media packets for a streaming media session over a wireless network in a stall condition

Some embodiments provide a method for conducting a video conference between a first mobile device and a second device. The first mobile device includes first and second cameras. The method selects the first camera for capturing images. The method transmits images captured by the first camera to the second device. The method receives selections of the second camera for capturing images during the video conference. The method terminates the transmission of images captured by the first camera and transmits images captured by the second camera of the first mobile device to the second device during the video conference.

Switching cameras during a video conference of a multi-camera mobile device

Some embodiments provide a method for allowing a first device that is in a video conference with a second mobile device to remotely control the second mobile device. The method sends images captured by a camera of the first device to the second device. The method receives images captured by a camera of the second device. The method sends a command through a communication channel of a real-time communication session to the second device. The command is for instructing the second device to perform an operation that modifies the images captured by the camera of the second device.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Roberto Garcia, Jr