CN117528009A

CN117528009A - Video conference period through specific secure deep links

Info

Publication number: CN117528009A
Application number: CN202310969497.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 塞维特·耶尔利
Original assignee: TMRW Foundation IP and Holding SARL
Current assignee: TMRW Foundation IP and Holding SARL
Priority date: 2022-08-03
Filing date: 2023-08-03
Publication date: 2024-02-06

Abstract

A method for generating a secure deep link, comprising: generating a deep link generation request; receiving a list of videoconference periods, wherein each videoconference period includes at least a location within a videoconference space of a videoconference platform stored in memory; and generating a depth link unique to each video conference period, the depth link encoding at least a location of the video conference period within the video conference space. Methods of generating spatial deep links for the inviting participants to virtual space, and methods of generating distributed deep links using reassembled data fragments are also described.

Description

Video conference period through specific secure deep links

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a divisional application with U.S. patent application No. 17/880543, filed on 3/8 at 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to computer systems, and more particularly to methods and systems for implementing video conference periods through specific secure deep links.

Background

With the increasing number of global video conferences and other virtual activities, and the increasing theft of deep fake video and conference ID data, higher security and management quality is required for these video conferences. For example, it is not uncommon for a video conference link to be revealed by one or more participants, which may allow an intruder to manipulate the conference and disrupt the conference participant's experience.

Furthermore, in view of the current state of development of wearable immersive technology (e.g., augmented and/or virtual reality) and the relatively low technical applicability, it is appreciated that most video conferencing solutions provide a planar 2D user interface on which most interactions take place. However, when comparing real life experiences with these solutions, the low level of realism, user presence and shared space, as well as the limited amount and quality of interaction that can be performed, can give many users an solitary or boring sensation, which in turn can sometimes lead to lower productivity than when doing the same activity in person.

It is therefore desirable to have a secure video conferencing approach and realistic mechanisms that can improve the security and realism of the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one aspect, a method for generating a secure deep link, implemented by a computer comprising at least one processor and memory, comprises: receiving a deep link generation request generated by a deep link generator stored in a memory; receiving a list of video conference periods, wherein the video conference periods in the list of video conference periods comprise locations within a video conference space of a video conference platform stored in a memory; and generating a deep link corresponding to the video conference period, wherein the deep link is configured to, when activated, direct a first participant to a location of the video conference period within the video conference space.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a list of participants, wherein each of the plurality of participants has one or more associated attributes; and assigning a video conference period to each of the plurality of participants based on one or more of the associated attributes of each participant, thereby creating a conference period protocol. In some embodiments, the method further comprises sending the deep link to a client device of the participant; receiving a message from a participant client device confirming that a first participant is engaged in a corresponding videoconference session using information in the deep link; triggering the videoconference session for the first participant; and assigning the first participant to a corresponding video conference period according to a conference period protocol.

In some embodiments, the video conference period further includes one or more permissions. In some embodiments, the method further comprises providing the participants of the respective video conference period with one or more rights assigned to the video conference period, wherein each right is adjusted based on at least one attribute associated with the respective participant. In some embodiments, the method further comprises positioning the first participant in the virtual waiting room in response to the triggered videoconference session. In a further embodiment, the method further comprises adjusting the location of one or more other participants in the waiting room according to the adjusted permissions.

In some embodiments, generating the deep link includes receiving a participant list including a plurality of participants, the plurality of participants including the first participant, wherein each of the plurality of participants has one or more associated attributes; selecting the first participant based on the associated attributes of the first participant; generating a link with information from a first participant, the information being encoded for authentication purposes; issuing the authentication link to the participant list; receiving a message from the first participant comprising information in the authentication link; authenticating the first participant; and in the event that the identity of the participant is valid, generating and sending a deep link to the first participant. In the event that the first participant identity is invalid, the method may further include rejecting the invalid participant into a videoconference session.

In some embodiments, the video conference space is a 2D video conference environment, and each video conference period represents a tile thereof.

In some embodiments, the video conference space is a 3D virtual environment, and each video conference period represents a precise location in the 3D virtual environment that includes 3D coordinates. In a further embodiment, the method includes receiving a real-time data stream from at least one camera from at least one user of at least one client device; generating a user graphical representation corresponding to the first participant from the real-time data stream; and after receiving the information in the deep link from the first participant, inserting a user graphical representation corresponding to the first participant into a location of the 3D virtual environment and combining the user graphical representation with the 3D virtual environment graphic.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises including an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is one of session-based, time-based, or click-based expiration factors, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the method includes requesting further security authorization requirements, including one or more of a password, a biometric authentication method, or a combination thereof, prior to assigning the first participant to a respective videoconference period of the videoconference session.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for generating a secure deep link, the system comprising: at least one server computer comprising at least one processor and memory including instructions for execution by the at least one processor. The instructions are configured to cause the at least one server computer to: receiving a deep link generation request; receiving a list of video conference periods, wherein the video conference periods in the list of video conference periods comprise locations within a video conference space; and generating a deep link corresponding to the video conference period, wherein the deep link is configured to, when activated, direct a first participant to a location of the video conference period within the video conference space.

In a further embodiment, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to: receiving a participant list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each of the plurality of participants has one or more associated attributes; and creating a conference period protocol by assigning a video conference period to each of the plurality of participants based on the one or more associated attributes. In a further embodiment, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to: transmitting the deep link to a participant client device; receiving a message from a participant client device confirming that a first participant is engaged in a corresponding videoconference session using information in the deep link; triggering a videoconference session of the first participant; and assigning the first participant to a respective video conference period based on a conference period protocol.

In some embodiments, each video conference period further comprises one or more permissions, wherein the participant of the respective video conference period is provided with one or more permissions assigned to the video conference period. In a further embodiment, each of the permissions is further adjusted based on at least one attribute associated with the respective participant.

In some embodiments, each participant is positioned in one virtual waiting room. In a further embodiment, the location of the participant within the waiting room is selected based on rights adjusted according to at least one attribute associated to the corresponding participant. In some embodiments, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to trigger a videoconference session of the first participant; placing the first participant in a virtual waiting room; and adjusting the position of one or more other participants in the virtual waiting room based on the adjusted permissions.

In some embodiments, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to: receiving a list of participants, wherein each participant in the list has one or more associated attributes; selecting a participant based on the participant's associated attributes; generating an authentication link having information from the selected participant, the information being encoded for authentication purposes; issuing the authentication link to the participant list; receiving a message from the participant client device that includes information in the authentication link (e.g., in response to clicking or other activation of the authentication link); validating the selected participant; and generating and transmitting a deep link to the selected participant if the identity of the selected participant is valid. In some embodiments, in the event that the identity of the selected participant is invalid, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to refuse the invalid participant to enter the videoconference session.

In some embodiments, the video conference space is a two-dimensional video conference environment, each video conference period representing a tile thereof. In other embodiments, the video conference space is a three-dimensional virtual environment, each video conference period representing a location in the three-dimensional virtual environment that includes three-dimensional coordinates, wherein a user graphical representation generated from real-time data streams captured by at least one camera is inserted into and combined with 3D coordinates of the 3D virtual environment. In a further embodiment, the deep link further encodes an expiration factor, wherein the expiration factor is session-based, time-based, click-based, or a combination thereof.

In another aspect of the disclosure, at least one non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon configured to cause at least one server computer comprising a processor and a memory to perform steps comprising: receiving a deep link generation request; receiving a list of video conference periods, wherein the video conference periods in the list of video conference periods comprise locations within a video conference space of a video conference platform; generating a deep link corresponding to the video conference period, wherein the deep link is configured to, when activated, direct a first participant to a location of the video conference period within the video conference space; receiving a participant list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each of the plurality of participants has one or more associated attributes; creating a conference period protocol by assigning a video conference period to each of a plurality of participants based on one or more associated attributes of the respective participants; sending the deep link to the participant client device over the network; receiving a message from a participant client device over a network, confirming that a first participant is engaged in a corresponding videoconference session using information in the deep link; triggering a corresponding videoconference session for the first participant; and assigning the first participant to a respective video conference period according to a conference period protocol.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for generating a spatial deep link of a virtual space includes: at least one server computer comprising at least one processor and memory including instructions configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one server computer to receive a deep link generation request triggered when a participant of a video conference session invites an invitee to join the video conference session, wherein the video conference session is hosted by a video conference space in a 3D virtual environment; retrieving and encoding videoconference session context data and session communication instances; and generating a deep link comprising encoded video conference session context data. In some embodiments, the video conference platform connected to the deep link generator includes at least one video conference space hosting a video conference session.

In some embodiments, the context data includes 3D coordinates of a user graphical representation of the participant within the 3D virtual environment and desired 3D coordinates of the invitee. In some embodiments, the required 3D coordinates of the invitees are limited to a predefined radius around the participant inviting the invitees. In some embodiments, the video conferencing platform is configured to insert a user graphical representation of a participant generated from a real-time data stream captured by at least one camera into a location defined by 3D coordinates representing a 3D virtual environment of the video conferencing space and combine the user graphical representation therewith.

In some embodiments, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to: transmitting the deep link to an invitee client device; receiving, by the invitee client device, a message from the invitee and accepting the invitation to participate in the videoconference session using the information in the deep link (e.g., in response to clicking or other activation of the deep link); and retrieving and locating the three-dimensional coordinate graphical representation of the invitee in the three-dimensional virtual environment, granting the invitee access to the video conferencing session.

In some embodiments, the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance.

In some embodiments, the public 3D virtual environment includes a plurality of third party proprietary virtual environments that are publicly or privately accessible by participants. In a further embodiment, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to generate a deep link to the invitee in response to the request of the participant, the deep link configured to position the invitee in the desired 3D coordinates in the private session.

In some embodiments, the video conference session context data further comprises user attributes including user profile data including user identification data, consumer ranking, and purchase preferences.

In some embodiments, a host of a third party proprietary virtual environment retrieves buyer profile data of a participant entering the third party proprietary virtual environment via a corresponding user graphical representation and sends a private invitation to the corresponding participant, the private invitation opening a private session between the host and the invited participant in a private communication instance.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of generating a deep link for a virtual space includes receiving, by a computer system, a deep link generation request, the request being triggered when a participant of a video conference session hosted by a video conference platform invites an invitee to join the video conference session; retrieving and encoding videoconference session context data and session communication instances; and generating a deep link containing encoded video conference session context data; wherein the video conference platform comprises at least one video conference space hosting the video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space comprises a 3D virtual environment.

In some embodiments, wherein the context data includes 3D coordinates of a user graphical representation of the participant in the 3D virtual environment and 3D coordinates required by the invitee, wherein the method further comprises restricting the required 3D coordinates of the invitee to within a predetermined radius around the participant inviting the invitee.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises encoding an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is one of session-based, time-based, or click-based expiration factors, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises inserting, by the video conferencing platform, a user graphical representation of the participant generated from a real-time data stream captured by at least one camera into 3D coordinates of the 3D virtual environment and combining the user graphical representation therewith. In some embodiments, the method further comprises sending the deep link to an invitee client device; receiving, by the invitee client device, a message from the invitee, accepting the invitation to participate in the videoconference session with the information in the deep link (e.g., in response to the invitee clicking on the deep link via the invitee client device); and locating the user graphical representation of the invitee at 3D coordinates within the 3D virtual environment, granting the invitee access to the video conferencing session.

In some embodiments, the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance, wherein the public 3D virtual environment includes a plurality of third party proprietary virtual environments that are publicly or privately accessible by participants. In a further embodiment, the method further includes generating (e.g., by the host through a deep link generator) a deep link to the invitee in response to the participant's request, locating the invitee in the 3D coordinates required in the private session.

In some embodiments, the video conference session context data further comprises user attributes including user profile data including user identification data, consumer ranking, and purchase preferences. In yet further embodiments, a host of the third party proprietary virtual environment retrieves buyer profile data of a participant entering the third party proprietary virtual environment via a corresponding user graphical representation and sends a private invitation to the corresponding participant, the private invitation opening a private session between the host and the invited participant in a private communication instance.

In another aspect of the disclosure, at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions configured to cause at least one server computer comprising a processor and a memory to perform steps comprising receiving (e.g., by a deep link generator stored in the memory) a deep link generation request, triggering the request when a participant of a video conference session hosted in a video conference platform invites an invitee to join the video conference session; retrieving and encoding videoconference session context data and session communication instances; and generating a deep link comprising the encoded videoconference session context data; wherein the video conference platform comprises at least one video conference space hosting the video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space comprises a three-dimensional virtual environment.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of distributed deep link security performed by at least one server computer, the server computer comprising at least one processor and memory, the method comprising receiving a deep link generation request; generating a deep link corresponding to a videoconference period of a videoconference session, wherein the deep link, when activated, is configured to direct a participant to a location of the videoconference period within the videoconference space; dividing the deep link into data segments, wherein a first data segment comprises a majority of the data of the deep link, wherein a second data segment comprises a minority of the data of the deep link; distributing the deep linked data segments to at least two different storage locations, wherein the first data segments are stored in at least one first storage location and the second data segments are stored in at least one second storage location; generating an assembly link configured to initiate an assembly process to assemble the deep link from the data segment upon activation; and sending the assembled link to the inviter client device.

In some embodiments, the video conference space comprises a 2D video conference environment, wherein each video conference period represents a tile thereof, or the video conference space comprises a 3D virtual environment, and each video conference period represents a location in the 3D virtual environment comprising 3D coordinates.

In some embodiments, the deep link assembly process includes retrieving a first data segment of the deep link from a first storage location and retrieving a second data segment from a second storage location, subject to participant verification; assembling the deeply linked first and second data fragments; and sending the assembled deep links to grant the invitees access to the videoconference session.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises inserting a user graphical representation of the invitee into a 3D coordinate location of the 3D virtual environment, the user graphical representation generated from a real-time data stream captured by the at least one camera. In yet a further embodiment, the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance, or a private videoconference session accessed through a private communication instance.

In some embodiments, the second storage location comprises one or more private user server or client device local memories. In other embodiments, the second storage location is configured in a distributed ledger network.

In some embodiments, the first storage location includes a memory of the at least one server computer.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a list of video conference periods, wherein the video conference periods are included in the list of video conference periods and include the location within the video conference space; receiving a participant list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant has one or more associated attributes; and assigning each participant a video conference period according to one or more associated attributes of the respective participant to create a conference period protocol. In some embodiments, the method further comprises providing one or more rights for each videoconference period; and providing one or more rights to the participant of the corresponding video conference period.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a system for implementing distributed deep link security includes at least one server computer including at least one processor and memory including instructions configured to cause the at least one server computer to: receiving a deep link generation request; triggering generation of a deep link corresponding to a video conference period of a video conference session; dividing the deep link into data segments, wherein a first data segment comprises a majority of the data of the deep link, and wherein a second data segment comprises a minority of the data of the deep link; generating an assembly link configured to initiate a deep link assembly process upon activation that assembles the deep link from the data segment; and sending the assembled link to the inviter client device.

In some embodiments, the video conference space comprises a 2D video conference environment, wherein each video conference period represents a tile thereof, or wherein the video conference space comprises a 3D virtual environment, wherein each video conference period represents a location comprising 3D coordinates within the 3D virtual environment. In a further embodiment, the deep link assembly process includes: retrieving the first data segment of the deep link from the first storage location, subject to participant verification; retrieving a second data segment of the deep link from a second storage location; assembling the deeply linked first and second data fragments; and granting the participant access to the videoconference session. In yet further embodiments, after granting access to the video conference session to the participant, the video conference platform inserts a user graphical representation of the participant generated from the real-time data stream captured by the at least one camera at a 3D coordinate location of the 3D virtual environment.

In further embodiments, the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance, or a private videoconference session accessed through a private communication instance.

In some embodiments, the second storage location comprises one or more private user server or client device local memories. In still further embodiments, the second storage location is configured in a distributed ledger network. In some embodiments, the first storage location includes memory of at least one server computer.

In some embodiments, the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to: receiving a list of video conference periods, wherein the video conference periods are included in the list of video conference periods and include locations within a video conference space; receiving a participant list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant has one or more associated attributes; creating a conference period protocol by assigning each participant a video conference period based on one or more associated attributes of the respective participant; providing one or more rights for each videoconference period; and providing one or more rights to the participants of the respective video conference session.

In another aspect of the disclosure, at least one non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions configured to cause at least one server computer comprising a processor and a memory to perform steps comprising: receiving a deep link generation request from an administrator entity of a video conferencing platform; generating a deep link for a video conference period corresponding to a video conference session period of a video conference platform, wherein the deep link, when activated, is configured to direct a participant to a location of the video conference period within a video conference space; dividing the deep link into data segments, wherein a first data segment comprises a first portion of the data of the deep link, and wherein a second data segment comprises a second portion of the data of the deep link; distributing the deep linked data segments to at least two different storage locations, wherein the first data segment is stored in a first storage location and the second data segment is stored in a second storage location; and generating an assembly link configured to initiate an assembly process to assemble the deep link from the data segment upon activation; and transmitting the assembled link to the participant client device.

The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the disclosure. It is contemplated that the present disclosure includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects outlined above, as well as the systems and methods disclosed in the detailed description that follows and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with the present application. Such a combination has advantages not specifically enumerated in the foregoing summary. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

Drawings

The specific features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for generating a secure deep link according to one embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows a video conference platform consisting of attributes and video conference space, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an architecture example of a system that may be used to generate secure deep links, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 4A-4B show two-dimensional and three-dimensional video conference spaces, respectively, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a user may engage in interactions according to his adjusted permissions, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of generating a secure deep link, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system for virtual space generation of spatial deep links, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 8A-8B illustrate a video conferencing platform including a video conferencing space having a common virtual environment and a plurality of proprietary virtual environments, in accordance with one embodiment.

Fig. 9 shows session context data according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method of generating spatial deep links for virtual space, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates a secure distributed deep linking system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates a secure distributed deep linking method according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 illustrates a deep link assembly method according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, various embodiments. In addition, various embodiments will be described below by referring to several examples. It is to be understood that the embodiments may include design and structural changes without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present disclosure addresses at least some of the shortcomings disclosed in the background art by systems, methods, and computer-readable media for generating specific secure deep links and systems, methods, and computer-readable media for generating spatial deep links of virtual spaces, as well as systems, methods, and computer-readable media for implementing distributed deep link security.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for generating a secure deep link according to one embodiment.

The system 100 includes at least one server computer 102 in a server computer system, the server computer 102 including at least one processor 104 and a memory 106, the memory 106 including instructions executed by the at least one processor 104. The memory 106 further stores a deep link generator 108 and a video conferencing platform 110, the video conferencing platform 110 including at least one video conferencing space 112. The deep link generator 108 is configured to receive a deep link generation request and to receive a list of video conference periods, wherein each video conference period 114 includes at least one location in the video conference space 112. The deep link generation request may be sent by an administrator of the videoconference platform 110, for example, through the administrator client device 122, etc., or may be automatically created by the videoconference platform 110 when one confirms an interest in joining a corresponding videoconference session.

The deep link generator 108 is further configured to generate a deep link corresponding to each video conference period 114 (e.g., unique to each video conference period 114), each deep link including information representative of the location of the video conference period 114 in the video conference space 112.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the deep link includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that links to a particular portion of the video conference space of the video conference platform, such as a video conference period. The URL may be displayed on the computing device in the form of a hyperlink. The URL includes all the information needed to point to a particular location in the video conference space. When a videoconference session participant clicks, taps, or otherwise activates a deep link generated by a deep link generator, the participant's client device will generate and send information (e.g., HTTP requests or information using a different protocol) containing the URL to the server computer. In this way, the deep link may bring the participant to a desired location within the video conference space, such as a particular conference period or a particular communication instance.

In some embodiments, the video conference period 114 assigned to the participant is initially determined by an administrator. In one example scenario, an administrator manually clicks or otherwise selects a particular location of the virtual meeting space layout (e.g., a seat location around a virtual conference table) through a graphical user interface and arranges each participant accordingly. Once in place, the deep link generator 108 generates corresponding deep links that direct the participants to corresponding meeting periods, where each deep link is unique to one meeting period. Alternatively, upon each user registration, the system 100 automatically (e.g., in a pseudo-random manner) determines the video conference period 114 to which the participant will be assigned, and thus, when the user clicks on the deep link, the user will be placed in the location automatically determined by the system 100.

In some embodiments, the communication instances of the videoconference session include instances of the videoconference space (e.g., instances of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional virtual environment representing such videoconference space) plus one or more corresponding communication channels that enable communication within the videoconference space. The common communication instance may be an instance of a video conferencing space that enables multiple users to view and communicate with each other simultaneously. The private communication instance may be an instance of a video conference space that allows only invited communication with a small or predetermined number of users.

In some embodiments, the user graphical representation graphically represents the user or conference participant, e.g., including a user three-dimensional virtual silhouette constructed from photographs uploaded by the user or of third party origin, and removes the background; or a user real-time three-dimensional virtual silhouette generated from a real-time two-dimensional, stereoscopic, depth or three-dimensional real-time video stream data feed acquired from a camera, and removing a background, thereby including a user's real-time video stream; or video without background removal; or video with background removed, and displayed using a polygonal structure. The polygonal structure may be a quadrilateral structure or a more complex three-dimensional structure, which serves as a virtual framework for supporting video. These user graphical representations may be inserted into and graphically combined in the three-dimensional coordinates of the three-dimensional video conference space virtual environment. In this disclosure, the term "user three-dimensional virtual silhouette" refers to a virtual replica of a user constructed from two-dimensional photographs uploaded by the user or sourced by a third party. The user three-dimensional virtual silhouette is created through a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction process of a machine vision technology, wherein the process uses a two-dimensional photo from a user uploading or third party source as input data to generate a user three-dimensional grid or three-dimensional point cloud with the background removed. In some embodiments, the data used as input data in the real-time data stream and/or user uploaded or third party source 2D photographs includes 2D or 3D image data, 3D geometry, video data, media data, audio data, text data, haptic data, temporal data, 3D entities, 3D dynamic objects, text data, temporal data, metadata, priority data, security data, location data, lighting data, depth data, infrared data, and the like.

In the present disclosure, the term "user real-time three-dimensional virtual silhouette" refers to a user virtual replica created based on real-time two-dimensional or three-dimensional real-time video stream data acquired from a camera and after removing a user background. The user real-time three-dimensional virtual silhouette is created by a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction process of machine vision technology that uses a user real-time data stream as input data to generate a background-removed user three-dimensional grid or three-dimensional point cloud.

In this disclosure, the term "background-removed video" refers to video streamed to a client device, where the background-removal process has been performed on the video so that only the user is displayed, and then displayed with a polygonal structure on the receiving client device.

In this disclosure, the term "non-background-removed video" refers to video that is streamed to a client device, where the video faithfully presents content captured by the camera so that the user and his background are visible and displayed on the receiving client device using a polygonal structure.

The deep link generator 108 is further configured to send a deep link to each participant client device 118-120. The participant client devices 118-120 may click on or otherwise activate the received links to confirm participation in the corresponding videoconference session, which are then sent to the deep link generator 108. Deep link generator 108 receives authorization to participate in a session from, for example, a user click, and initiates the videoconference session by instructing videoconference platform 110 accordingly. The deep link generator 108, in communication with the video conferencing platform 110, then assigns the participants to respective video conference periods 114.

The deep link generator 108 is a computer-generated deep link generator program stored in the memory 106 that is configured to generate a deep link that encodes a plurality of data. For example, the deep link may encode a particular video conference period from a list of video conference periods such that when a participant clicks on the deep link, the deep link brings the participant to the assigned video conference period 114.

The term "video conference space" refers to a virtual space in which a video conference session is conducted. The video conference space may be a 2D or 3D video conference space. In embodiments where the video conference space is a 2D video conference environment, each video conference period represents a tile thereof. The conference period tiles may be tiles in a matrix, where each tile represents a participant assigned to a particular region within the video conference space and includes a real-time record or picture of the participant.

In one embodiment, the video conference space is a 3D virtual environment, and each video conference period represents a precise location including 3D coordinates in the 3D virtual environment. The 3D virtual environment is a computer-managed virtual environment that supports real-time communication between participants. As a 3D video conferencing environment, the virtual environment may include other graphical elements that are not necessary to enable communication, but may enhance the user experience within the virtual environment. For example, the 3D video conferencing environment may include a plurality of virtual graphical elements representing walls, structures, and objects within the virtual environment. In some cases, the 3D video conferencing environment simulates a physical, real world space. The 3D virtual environment may follow rules related to gravity, topography, physics and kinematics, which may or may not be based on real world elements, and may be implemented by a suitable mathematical model operated by a computer. In some embodiments, suitable models include one or more of a 3D model, a dynamic model, a geometric model, or a machine learning model, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, deep link generator 108 is configured to encode an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is session-based, time-based, or click-based (activation-based), or a combination thereof. The deep links are made available only for a particular session based on the expiration factors of the session, and the deep links are deleted or deactivated after the session ends. Time-based deep links may allow participants using such links to access a videoconference session for a predetermined time, after which the deep link may expire. Click or activation based deep links allow the deep links to be used only a predetermined number of times (e.g., once, twice, or other times) before being deleted or deactivated. It may also be used in combination.

The elements of fig. 1, including at least one server computer 102 and various client devices 118-122, may be connected via a network 124 (e.g., a wireless network). In some embodiments, network 124 may include millimeter wave (mmW) or a combination of millimeter wave and below 6GHz communication systems, such as fifth generation wireless system communication (5G). In other embodiments, the system may connect through a wireless local area network (Wi-Fi). In other embodiments, the system may be communicatively coupled via fourth-generation wireless system communication (4G), may be supported by a 4G communication system, and may include other wired or wireless communication systems.

Fig. 2 shows a video conferencing platform 202 that includes attributes 204 and video conferencing space 206, according to one embodiment.

The video conference space 206 includes a plurality of conference periods 208, such as conference periods a and B, each including one or more permissions 210. Rights 210 refer to rights that participant 212 may possess when occupying a particular conference period 208 that enable multiple options in a videoconference session.

In some embodiments, the rights 210 are provided to participants of the respective video conference period 208. In one embodiment, rights 210 are provided to participant 212 prior to positioning participant 212 at the corresponding meeting period 208. In another embodiment, rights 210 are provided to participant 212 while participant 212 is located at or after meeting period 208. In some embodiments, videoconferencing platform 202, prior to providing rights 210 to participant 212, may send terms and conditions to the participant that require review and approval by the participant to be able to use the particular rights in order to obtain the rights.

Providing rights for each meeting period 208 and providing a deep link that directs participants directly to the corresponding meeting period 208 containing rights 210 may improve session security. If the deep links are unique to the meeting period 208 and updated after each meeting, the probability of the links being "revealed" or being acquired by unauthorized users can be reduced. It is assumed that in the event that a deep link is compromised, the deep link may only be valid for a particular conference period 208, so that only one participant may enter a videoconference session for a particular conference period 208, thereby simplifying the process of tracking such leaks. This is in sharp contrast to most conventional approaches that generate a single link for a videoconference session, with increased likelihood of the session link being compromised because the links of multiple participants are identical. In addition, providing a deep link corresponding to each meeting period 208 may increase the transparency of the positioning within the video conference space 206, thereby improving the quality of the user experience, as potential social friction that may occur by any participant because of the use of the wrong meeting period may be reduced, if not eliminated. In some embodiments, deep link generator 214 is coupled to video conferencing platform 202 and is configured to receive a list of attendees participation, each attendee having one or more associated attributes 204. Each attribute 204 may represent a particular attribute or feature of the participant, such as a feature related to a user profile, including user identification data, consumer ranking, purchase preferences, role during the session (e.g., speaker, moderator, audience, meeting recorder, etc.), and so forth. The participant list may be entered by an administrator of the video conferencing platform, for example, via an administrator client device or the like, or may be automatically created by the video conferencing platform 202 when one confirms that one is interested in joining a corresponding video conferencing session.

In a further embodiment, each right 210 is further adjusted according to at least one attribute 204 associated with the respective participant 212. For example, if the permissions 210 assigned to a particular conference period include muting one participant at a time, and the participant in question has the attribute 204 as the primary speaker, then the permissions 204 for the conference period may be adjusted to include muting all participants simultaneously.

The deep link generator 214 may be further configured to assign each participant a video conference period 208 based on the one or more attributes 204 to create a conference period protocol. In one embodiment, the meeting period protocol includes a list of participants, a seating order in the video conference space 206, and corresponding attributes 204 for each meeting period 208. The deep link generator 214 (which may specify a meeting period protocol in the corresponding deep link) creates a deep link corresponding to each meeting period 214 according to the meeting period protocol. For example, VIP participants (e.g., a speaker, a chairman, or any person with a particular identity in a particular videoconference session) may be assigned a priority conference period 208, such as conference period a, that has more authority than other conference periods 208 (e.g., conference periods B and C), where conference period a has administrator authority, such as to mute microphones of other participants, or to have higher resolution images or larger conference period tiles than other participants. The deep link generator 214 may be further configured to send a deep link to each participant client device 216-218; receiving a deep link click notification or other activation notification of the deep link from the participant, confirming participation in the corresponding videoconference session; triggering a video conference session; and assigning participants to respective video conference periods according to a conference period protocol.

In one embodiment, the deep link generator 214 is further configured to: receiving a list of participants, wherein each participant includes one or more related attributes; selecting a participant based on the correlated attribute; generating a link containing information of the selected participant encoded for verification purposes; publishing the link to the participant list; receiving a click or other activation of the link by the participant; authenticating the participant; generating and sending a deep link to the participant if the participant identity is valid; in the event that the participant identity is invalid, the invalid participant is denied entry into the videoconference session. In this embodiment, the participants in the participant list may be users of the videoconference platform, and the links generated by the deep link generator 214 may be links that are assigned to a particular participant based on participant attributes, but may also be links that are visible to all other users. The deep link generator 214 automatically generates a deep link to place the participant in the corresponding meeting period after authenticating the user to whom the link is directed. Verification may take any suitable form, such as biometric scanning, including facial scanning, fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, and the like; a password; a PIN code; or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, each participant is positioned in a virtual waiting room. The virtual waiting room is a virtual space in which the participants can be placed when the videoconference session administrator allows the participants to enter the session, for example after verifying their identity. The waiting room may prevent an intruder from joining the videoconference session and possibly manipulating the conference or disrupting the conference experience, thereby improving the security of the videoconference. In some embodiments, the waiting room may be a virtual environment where waiting participants may interact before joining an actual session where they may have registered. For example, in the case of a 3D video conference space, the waiting room may be a three-dimensional room with virtual chairs, each user being assigned to a respective chair. In the case of a 2D video conference space, the virtual environment may include a plurality of tiles, each tile being assigned to a respective participant disposed in a waiting room. In some embodiments, the location of the participant in the waiting room is selected according to the rights, and the rights are adjusted according to at least one attribute associated with the respective participant.

FIG. 3 depicts a pictorial representation of an example hybrid system architecture 300 that may be used in a system for generating secure deep links, according to one embodiment.

In some embodiments, hybrid system architecture 300 is a hybrid communication model for interacting with other peer clients (e.g., other participants), including client-server 304 and P2P 306, defined by the dashed area in fig. 3. The use of such a hybrid communication model can enable rapid P2P communication between users while providing network services, data and resources to each session, thereby reducing latency problems and enabling a variety of interactions between users and content in the video conferencing space.

In various embodiments, the level and ratio of usage of client-server 304 with respect to P2P 306 depends on the amount of data to be processed, the delay allowed to maintain a smooth user experience, the quality of service (QOS) required, the services required, and so forth. In one embodiment, the P2P end 306 is used for processing, streaming, and rendering of video and data. Such a mode employing the hybrid system architecture 300 may be suitable, for example, in situations where low latency and low data volume needs to be handled, and when a "heavy" client exists, i.e., the client device 308 has sufficient computing power to perform these operations. In another embodiment, a combination of client-server 304 and P2P 306 is employed, such as P2P 306 for video streaming and rendering, while client-server 304 is used for data processing. Such a mode of employing the hybrid system architecture 300 may be appropriate, for example, when large amounts of data need to be processed or other micro-services may be required. In further embodiments, client-server side 304 may be used for video streaming and data processing, while P2P side 306 is used for video rendering. Such a mode of employing the hybrid system architecture 300 may be suitable, for example, when the amount of data that needs to be processed is greater and/or when only one lightweight client is available. In still further embodiments, client-server side 304 may be used for video streaming, rendering, and data processing. This mode of using the hybrid system architecture 300 may be suitable when very lightweight clients are available. The hybrid system architecture 300 may be configured to switch different usage patterns between the client-server side 304 and the P2P side 306 as needed in the same session.

In some embodiments, at least one cloud server from client-server side 304 may be an intermediate server, meaning that the server is used to facilitate and/or optimize data exchange between client devices 308. In such an embodiment, at least one cloud server may manage, analyze, process, and optimize incoming images and multimedia streams and manage, evaluate, optimize forwarding of outbound streams in the form of router topologies (e.g., without limitation, selective Forwarding Units (SFUs), spatially Analyzed Media Servers (SAMSs), multimedia routers, etc.), or may use image and media processing server topologies (e.g., without limitation, decoding, merging, improvement, mixing, enhancement, computation, operation, encoding) or forwarding server topologies (e.g., without limitation, MCUs, cloud media mixers, cloud 3D renderers, media servers), or other server topologies.

In these embodiments, where the intermediate server is SAMS, such a media server manages, analyzes, and processes incoming data (including, but not limited to metadata, priority data, data categories, spatial structure data, three-dimensional location, direction or motion information, images, media, scalable video codec-based video) for each sending client device 308, and in this analysis optimizes forwarding of outgoing data streams to each receiving client device 308 by modifying, scaling up or scaling down the time (e.g., varying frame rates), space (e.g., different image sizes), quality (e.g., different compression or encoding quality), and color (e.g., color resolution and range) of the media based on the spatial, three-dimensional direction, distance, and priority relationships of the users of the particular receiving client device to those incoming data, achieving optimal bandwidth and computational resource utilization for receiving one or more user client devices 308.

In some embodiments, media, video, and data processing includes one or more of further encoding, transcoding, decoding, spatial or 3D analysis and improvement, including image filtering, computer vision processing, image sharpening, background improvement, background removal, foreground blurring, eye masking, face pixelation, sound warping, image magnification, image cleaning, bone structure analysis, face or head counting, object recognition, marking or QR code tracking, eye movement tracking, feature analysis, 3D mesh or volume generation, feature tracking, face recognition, SLAM tracking, and facial expression recognition, or other modular plug-ins running in micro-services on such media routers or servers.

The client-server 304 employs a secure communication protocol 310 to enable secure end-to-end communication between the client device 308 and a network/application server 312 over a network. Sample suitable secure communication protocols 310 may include, for example, datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), which is itself the secure User Datagram Protocol (UDP), secure real-time transport protocol (SRTP), secure hypertext transfer protocol (https://) and secure WebSocket (wss: /), which are compatible with each other and may provide full duplex authentication application access, privacy protection and integrity of exchanged data in transmission. The applicable Web/application servers 312 may include, for example, jetty Web application servers, which are Java HTTP Web servers and Java Servlet containers that enable communication between machines and proper deployment of Web application services. Web/application server 312 may be accessed through client device 308 through a corresponding downloadable/Web application 328 through graphical user interface 330.

Although the Web/application server 312 is depicted in fig. 3 as a single element, those skilled in the art will likely appreciate that the Web server and application server may be separate elements. For example, the Web server may be configured to receive client requests via the secure communication protocol 310 and route those requests to the application server. Thus, the Web/application server 312 can receive client requests and process those requests using the secure communication protocol 310. The process of processing the request may include requesting one or more micro services 314 (e.g., java-based micro services) and/or using a corresponding database management system 318 to look up data from a database 316. The application/Web server 312 may provide session management and many other services, such as 3D content and application logic, as well as state persistence of the session (e.g., for persisting shared documents, synchronizing interactions and changes in the virtual environment, or persisting visual states and modifications of the virtual environment). For example, a suitable database management system 318 may be an Object Relational Mapping (ORM) database management system that may be suitable for database management using open source and business (e.g., proprietary) services due to the ability of the ORM to translate data between incompatible types of systems using an object-oriented programming language. In further embodiments, the distributed spatial data bus 320 may further be used as a distributed messaging and resource distribution platform between micro-services and client devices through the use of a publish-subscribe model.

The P2P end 306 may use a suitable P2P communication protocol 322 to implement real-time communication between peer client devices 308 in a virtual environment through a suitable Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), to implement real-time interaction and synchronization, and to support a multi-user collaboration environment. For example, through the P2P end 306, the contribution of one or more users may be transmitted directly to other users, who may observe the changes performed in real-time. An example of a suitable P2P communication protocol 324 may be the Web real-time communication (WebRTC) communication protocol, which is a collection of standards, protocols, and JavaScript APIs that enable sharing of P2P audio, video, and data between peer client devices 308. Client devices 308 in the P2P end 306 may perform real-time 3D rendering on the real-time session using one or more rendering engines 324. An example of a suitable rendering engine 324 may be a 3D engine based on WebGL, which is a JavaScript API for rendering 2D and 3D graphics in any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins, allowing one or more processors of the client device 308, such as one or more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), to accelerate physical and image processing and effects. In addition, the client devices 308 in the P2P end 306 may perform image and video processing and machine learning computer vision techniques through one or more suitable computer vision libraries 326. In one embodiment, the image and video processing performed by the client device 308 in the P2P end 306 includes a background removal process used when creating the user graphical representation prior to inserting the user graphical representation into the virtual environment, which may be performed in real-time or near real-time on the received media stream or may be performed in non-real-time on, for example, a photograph. An example of a suitable computer vision library 326 may be OpenCV, which is a library of programming functions configured primarily for real-time computer vision tasks.

Fig. 4A and 4B show 2D and 3D video conference spaces, respectively, according to one embodiment.

Referring to fig. 4a, a 2D video conference space 402 is made up of a plurality of tiles 404, such as tiles a-F, where each tile 404 represents a location in the 2D video conference space 402 that has been allocated to a particular user. Thus, the presently disclosed deep links may, upon being clicked by a participant, directly bring the participant to the corresponding assigned tile.

Each tile 404 is also assigned a plurality of permissions 406 to enable the permissions to be utilized by participants to a videoconference session hosted in the 2D videoconference space 402. In some embodiments, some of the permissions include providing a larger tile and/or higher resolution for a particular conference period, thereby assigning to the respective participant for that conference period. In the example embodiment of fig. 4A, tile a is larger than tiles B-F, and thus participants like VIPs or principals may be assigned to such tiles. Tile F is the second largest tile that may be assigned to an assistant, a co-presenter, or a joint presenter, among others. The remaining tiles B-E may be allocated to listeners of the videoconference session without special tile size rights. As an example of another right, a participant may be assigned to a tile near the speaker's location, which may be very useful in video conference sessions where the participant may be as many as hundreds or thousands of people.

Referring to fig. 4b, the 3D video conference space 408 includes a graphical representation 410 of a plurality of participant users sitting on a conference table 412, each of the graphical representations 410 of the participant users sitting on a 3D seat 414 representing a respective conference session. Thus, the presently disclosed deep links, once clicked on by a participant, will directly bring the participant to the corresponding assigned seat. Each 3D seat 414 is also assigned a plurality of permissions 406 to enable participants participating in a videoconference session hosted in the 3D videoconference space 408 to utilize these permissions 406. In another example of permissions in the 3D video conference space 408, a participant may be assigned to a 3D seat 414 near the speaker's location.

In one example application, a shared office space may have multiple 3D video conferencing spaces 408, each representing a conference period. Multiple participants may request participation in a videoconference session from an administrator (e.g., by acknowledging an invitation or requesting access through a videoconference platform). The administrator may send a deep link generation request to a deep link generator that generates a deep link containing the assigned meeting period locations for each participant. The deep link generator sends one deep link to each participant, and after the participant verifies by clicking on the deep link, the videoconference session is initiated by instructing the videoconference platform accordingly.

The deep link generator communicates with the video conferencing platform to assign participants to corresponding video conferencing periods within the shared office space according to the encoded conferencing period information. Participants may thus be "created" within the shared office space by inserting their corresponding graphical representations or avatars into specific 3D coordinates that may be located during the conference period in the videoconference session. The conference period may include one or more rights that may be provided to each participant. The deep link generator may be further configured to receive a list of participants, wherein each participant includes one or more attributes. Each right may also be adjusted according to at least one attribute associated with the respective participant. Thus, a participant may have special rights depending on the assigned meeting period, alternatively, the rights of the meeting period in combination with its own attributes. Similar examples also apply to virtual event applications held on the presently disclosed video conferencing platform, including but not limited to political lectures, concerts, dramatic shows, comedy shows, conferences, learning (e.g., virtual schools), karaoke, and the like. The participants may interact with each other in a variety of ways as shown in fig. 5 below.

FIG. 5 shows an example of interactions 500 that a user may participate in according to his adjusted rights, according to one embodiment.

Such interactions 500 may include, for example, chat 502, screen sharing 504, moderator options 506, remote sensing 508, recording 510, voting 512, document sharing 514, expression sending 516, agenda sharing and editing 518, or other interactions 520. Other interactions 520 may include, for example, virtual hugs, hand lifting, handshaking, walking, adding content, meeting summary preparation, object movement, projection, laser pointing, game play, purchase, and other social interactions that facilitate communication, competition, collaboration, conflict resolution between users. The various interactions will be described in more detail below. For example, when the video conference space is a two-dimensional video conference space, the permissions may further include increased resolution and/or tile sizes allocated to the particular conference period 208.

Chat 502 may open a chat window that enables users to send and receive text comments and instant resources. Screen sharing 504 may share the user's screen to other participants in real time. The moderator option 506 is configured to provide further options for the dialog moderator, such as muting one or more users, inviting or deleting one or more users, ending the dialog, and the like. Remote sensing 508 may view the current status of the user, e.g., away, busy, available, offline, in a teleconference, or in a meeting. The user status may be updated manually through a graphical user interface or automatically through a machine vision algorithm based on data acquired from the camera. Recording 510 may record audio and/or video of a conversation. The vote 512 may provide a vote for one or more proposals issued by any other participant. Through the voting 512, a moderator or other authorized participant can initiate a voting session at any time. For each participant, topics and options may be displayed. According to the configuration of voting interaction, after the timeout period is over or all people answer, the result can be displayed to all participants. Document sharing 514 may share documents that exist in any suitable format with other participants. These documents may also be permanently saved by storing them in persistent memory of one or more cloud server computers and may be associated with a virtual environment, i.e., where virtual communications occur. The emoticon 516 transmission allows the participant to transmit an emoticon to other participants. Agenda sharing and editing 518 may share and edit agenda prepared by any participant. In some embodiments, the moderator may pre-configure the list of agenda items prior to the meeting. The agenda may be referred to the foreground at any time by the moderator or other authorized participant. Through the agenda editing options, the options may be checked when consensus is reached, or processing may be deferred.

Other interactions 520 provide a non-exhaustive list of some interactions that may be provided in the virtual environment according to the vertical orientation of the virtual environment. The hand-hold function may hold hands during a virtual communication or conference so that a moderator or other participant with such rights may speak to the user. The walking function may be moved in the virtual environment by a user real-time 3D virtual silhouette. The add content function allows a user to add interactive applications, static or interactive 3D resources, animations or 2D textures to the virtual environment. Meeting summary preparation enables the automatic preparation of the results of a virtual meeting and the distribution of those results to the meeting participants at the end of the meeting. Object movement allows objects to be moved in a virtual environment. Projection may project content from the screen of the meeting participant onto a screen or wall available in the virtual environment. The laser pointing may direct the laser to highlight desired content on the presentation. Play games may play one or more games or other types of applications that may be shared during a real-time session. Purchase allows players to purchase content in a session. Other interactions not mentioned here may also be configured according to the specific use of the virtual environment platform.

Fig. 6 illustrates a method 600 of generating a secure deep link. Method 600 may be implemented by at least one computer of a computer system including at least one processor and memory containing instructions configured to perform the steps of method 600. Method 600 begins at step 602 with receiving a deep link generation request via a deep link generator stored in memory. The deep link generation request may be sent by an administrator of the video conferencing platform, for example, through an administrator client device, or may be automatically created by the video conferencing platform when one confirms that one is interested in joining a corresponding video conferencing session. In step 604, the method 600 continues by receiving a list of videoconference periods, wherein the videoconference periods in the list include at least locations within the videoconference space of the videoconference platform. In step 606, the method 600 ends by generating a deep link corresponding to (e.g., unique to) the video conference period, the deep link including information representing at least a location of the video conference period within the video conference space. The deep link is configured to direct the conference participant to a location within the video conference space upon activation of the conference participant. The information representing the location may be, for example, coordinates of a particular meeting period, a numeric or alphanumeric code that may be used to find coordinates of a particular meeting period, or some other representative information.

In some embodiments, the method 600 further includes receiving a list of participants, wherein each participant in the list of participants includes one or more attributes linked to the respective participant. Each attribute may represent a particular attribute or feature of the participant, such as a feature related to the user profile, including user identification profile, expense ranking, purchase preference, role during the session (e.g., presenter, moderator, audience, recorder, etc.), and so forth. For example, the meeting participant list may be entered by an administrator of the video conferencing platform via an administrator client device, or may be automatically created by the video conferencing platform upon a person confirming an interest in joining a corresponding video conferencing session.

In some embodiments, method 600 further includes creating a conference period protocol by assigning each participant a video conference period according to one or more attributes. In some embodiments, the meeting period protocol includes a list of participants and an order of seats in the video conference space, as well as corresponding attributes for each meeting period. The deep link generator may encode a meeting period protocol into the respective deep links and create a deep link corresponding to each meeting period according to the meeting period protocol.

In some embodiments, the method 600 further includes sending a deep link to each participant client device; receiving a notification of clicking or other activation of a deep link by a participant confirming participation in a corresponding video conference session, confirming participation of the participant in the video conference session; triggering a video conference session; and assigns participants to corresponding video conference periods according to a conference period protocol.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 for generating spatial deep links for virtual space, according to one embodiment.

System 700 includes at least one server computer 702 of a server computer system that includes at least one processor 704 and a memory 706, the memory 706 storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor 704 to implement a deep link generator 708 configured to receive a deep link generation request triggered when a participant 710 of a video conference session invites an invitee 712 to join the video conference session. Deep link generator 708 is further configured to retrieve videoconference session context data 714 and session communication instances 716 corresponding to the particular session in which the participant is engaged; and generating a deep link containing an encoded representation 714 of the videoconference session context data. The instructions also implement a video conference platform 718 connected to the deep link generator 708 that includes at least one video conference space 720 hosting a video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space 720 is a 3D virtual environment. The context data 714 and the session communication instance 716 may be part of a video conferencing platform 718. The 3D virtual environment may include features as described in fig. 1, context data 714, video conferencing platform 718.

In one embodiment, the context data 714 includes 3D coordinates of the user graphical representation 722 of the participant 710 and the desired 3D coordinates of the invitee 712 in the 3D virtual environment. In a further embodiment, the required 3D coordinates of invitee 712 are limited within a predefined radius around participant 710 inviting invitee 712. In still further embodiments, the context data 714 includes user attributes, including user profile data, including user identification data, consumer ranking, and purchase preferences.

In some embodiments, the video conferencing platform 718 is configured to insert user graphical representations 722 of the corresponding participants 710 generated from real-time data sources captured by the at least one camera 724 into 3D coordinate locations of the video conferencing space 720 and to combine the user graphical representations 722 therewith. The 3D virtual environment may include features as described with reference to fig. 1. In still other embodiments, deep link generator 708 is configured to send the deep link to invitee client device 726; receiving, via invitee client device 726, a message or other notification that invitee 712 clicks on or otherwise activates the deep link, accepting an invitation to the videoconference session; and user graphical representation 728 of invitee 712 is retrieved and positioned into precise 3D coordinates within the 3D virtual environment, permitting invitee 712 to access the videoconference session.

For example, participant 710 may invite invitee 712 to participate in a video conference session within video conference space 720. Deep link generator 708 receives the deep link generation request and encodes video conference session context data 714 and session communication instances 716 corresponding to the particular session in which participant 710 is engaged, and then includes this information in the deep link generated by deep link generator 708. The context data 714 includes the 3D coordinates of the user graphical representation 722 of the participant 710 within the 3D virtual environment and the desired 3D coordinates of the invitee 712. Participant 710 may be presented within video conference space 718 through a user graphical representation 722, which user graphical representation 722 is generated from real-time feed data captured by at least one camera 724, and user graphical representation 722 is inserted into the 3D coordinates of video conference space 720 by video conference platform 718 and user graphical representation 722 is combined therewith. In one example, participant 710 invites invitee 712 in such a way that the deep link includes a set of 3D coordinates, with the corresponding invitee user graphical representation 726 positioning invitee 712 in close proximity to participant user graphical representation 722, because the desired 3D coordinates of invitee 712 may be limited within a predefined radius around participant 710 inviting invitee 712. Thus, participant 710 may initially access an area of the 3D virtual environment of video conference space 718 and, after finding the area of interest, may decide to invite a friend to enjoy the area. To this end, participant 710 sends a deep link bringing invitee 712 directly into proximity of participant 710, e.g., in front of the participant.

Participant 710 and invitee 712 may use client device 726, client device 726 including, for example, a computer, headphones, mobile phone, glasses, transparent screen, tablet, and input devices typically having a built-in camera, or may connect to and receive data feeds from cameras. Client devices 726 may connect to each other and to server 702 through network 730.

In an embodiment, the deep link generator 708 is configured to encode an expiration factor for each deep link, wherein the expiration factor is session-based, time-based, or click-based, or a combination thereof.

Fig. 8A-8B illustrate a video conferencing platform 802 that includes a video conferencing space 804 having a common virtual environment 806 and a plurality of proprietary virtual environments 808, in accordance with one embodiment.

The common virtual environment 806 refers to a common communication instance in a 3D virtual environment where multiple users can be used to join a common videoconference session, where each user can see each other and a common virtual 3D area accessible to all participants.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the public virtual environment 806 includes a plurality of proprietary virtual environments 808, such as proprietary virtual environments A-C, that can be accessed by participants either publicly or privately. In one embodiment, in response to a request for a participant, the host of the proprietary virtual environment 808 can generate a deep link through the deep link generator to locate the invitee into the desired 3D coordinates in the private session.

In fig. 8B, an isometric view of a common virtual environment and multiple proprietary virtual environments is shown.

In the example with reference to fig. 8B. Mall 810 can host a public videoconference session in a public 3D virtual environment representing mall 810. The communication instance is a publicly shared communication instance that can be used by all participants. Mall 810 may include multiple stores, such as shoe store 812 and clothing store 814, each of which includes its own communication instance, which may be public or private. The public communication instance of a private store refers to a communication instance that participants of the public communication instance (e.g., mall 810) can access by switching the public communication instance. A private communication instance of a private store refers to a communication instance that participants of the private store can only access by invitations of the host of the private store.

In one embodiment, the host 816 of the third party private virtual environment retrieves buyer profile data of participants entering the third party private virtual environment via the corresponding user graphical representations and sends private invitations to the respective participants, thereby opening a private session between the host and the invited participants in the private communication instance.

In the example of fig. 8B, participants a and B have joined a public communication instance of a mall, can view different areas of the mall, including proprietary stores, and can view and communicate with each other. In the example of a public communication instance of a proprietary virtual environment, the proprietary virtual environment of shoe store 812 may allow a visitor to the store to enter the store, triggering a communication instance switch from the public store communication instance to the shoe store public communication instance. Within the shoe store 812, there may also be a plurality of other users (e.g., user C and user D) accessing the 3D virtual environment of the shoe store 812, which may be visible to each other. In one example of a private communication instance of a proprietary virtual environment, if user C or user D meets one or more conditions, store clerk 816 may decide to open a temporary communication channel, creating a private communication instance between store clerk 816 and user C or user D. In some embodiments, these conditions are based on user attributes contained in the participant's context data, such as user identification data, consumer ranking, purchase preferences, and the like. For example, store clerk 816 may find that user C's consumption rank is appropriate for a particular offer, and thus may open a temporary communication channel with user C to present the offer. User C may need to confirm interest in such communications, for example, by clicking on and approving a deep link sent by a store clerk in order to bring the participant into a private communication session. In a further example of a clothing store 814, the corresponding store personnel 816 may satisfy certain conditions based on the clothing store's guests (e.g., user E and user F), and invite those two users to participate in the private communication instance if the users shop together (as may be inferred from the user's attributes).

In one embodiment, in response to a request from a user, clerk 816 generates a deep link to the invitee through a deep link generator configured to locate the invitee on the desired 3D coordinates in the private session within the private store. For example, store clerk 816 at a clothing store may generate and send a deep link invitation to user E, who may forward the invitation to friends or acquaintances inviting them to participate in a private session to view one or more products of interest, at the request of user E.

Fig. 9 shows session context data 900 displayed according to an embodiment.

Session context data 900 may include user attributes 902 (including coordinates 904) (including user 3D coordinates 906) and invitee desired coordinates 908. The session context data 900 may further include user profile data 910 including ID data 912, expense ranks 914, and purchase preferences 916. The user three-dimensional coordinates 906 refer to the actual latitude, longitude, and altitude of the user graphical representation of the participant in the three-dimensional virtual environment of the video conference space. The required 3D coordinates 908 of the invitee refer to the 3D coordinates that the participant wishes the invitee to reach when accessing the videoconference session. For example, the participant may prompt the invitee to appear in front of or beside the participant in the videoconference session. The ID data 912 is a specific user code that can be used to identify the corresponding participant and potentially point to multiple user personal data, including at least a consumption ranking 914 and purchase preferences 916. The consumption ranking refers to a ranking provided to the user based on the user's consumption on products that may be purchased through the presently disclosed video conferencing platform, and the purchase preference refers to a product category and characteristics that may reflect the user's purchase preference 916 when purchased through the presently disclosed video conferencing platform.

Fig. 10 illustrates a method 1000 for generating spatial deep links for a virtual space, which may be implemented by a computer comprising at least one processor and memory comprising instructions configured to implement a plurality of steps. Method 1000 begins in step 1002 by receiving (e.g., by a deep link generator stored in memory) a deep link generation request that is triggered when a participant of a video conference session hosted in a video conference platform invites an invitee to join the video conference session. In step 1004, the method continues by retrieving videoconference session context data and session communication instances. In step 1006, the method ends by generating a deep link (e.g., in encoded form) containing video conference session context data. The video conference platform is connected to the deep link generator and includes at least one video conference space hosting a video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space is a 3D virtual environment.

The distributed deep link system 1100 includes at least one server computer 1102 of a server computer system that includes at least one processor 1104 and memory 1106 that store instructions that are executed by the at least one processor 1104 that, when implemented by the at least one processor 1104, implement the video conference platform 1008 and the deep link manager 1110. The deep link manager 1110, in turn, implements a deep link generator 1112 configured to receive deep link generation requests, which may be sent, for example, by a client device 1114 of the inviter 1116. Alternatively, the inviter 1116 may send the deep link generation request by sending the request to an administrator or host client device (not shown), which may collect all requests to join the videoconference session in order to set up the videoconference session.

An inviter 1116 that sends a deep link generation request may be used in embodiments where the inviter 1116 has joined a videoconference session and wishes to invite the invitee 1118 to join the session. For example, the inviter may have joined a videoconference session in a 3D virtual environment of a public or private communication instance, found that the content in the virtual environment may be of interest to acquaintances (e.g., virtual stores, meeting information, shows, recruitments, etc.), and then sent a deep link generation request in order to generate a deep link that can be used to invite the invitee 1118 to join the same videoconference session. Alternatively, an administrator may prepare the deep link generation request by collecting video conference participation requests from multiple users and then sending the deep link accordingly using the distributed deep link system 1100.

The deep link generator 1108 then triggers the generation of a deep link corresponding to each video conference period or three-dimensional space of the virtual environment within the video conference session of the video conference platform 108. The deep link generator 1112 splits the deep link data 1120 into at least two data segments, wherein a first segment includes a data majority 1122, and wherein a second data segment includes a minority 1124 of its data. In some embodiments, the deep link data includes characters of a deep link URL. In some embodiments, the majority of the deep link data represents between about 90% and about 99% of the deep link data 1120, and the minority of the data represents between about 10% and about 1% of the deep link data 1120. In an illustrative scenario, a deep link URL having 1000 characters may be divided into two segments, including a first portion of 900 characters and a second portion of 100 characters; three segments including a first portion of 900 characters, a second portion of 50 characters, and a third portion of 50 characters; or other numbers of segments or character distributions between segments. As another alternative, the deep link may be split into segments, where no single segment contains a majority of the data, such as two segments each including 50% portions of the deep link data, or three segments each having 33%, 33% and 34% portions of the deep link data.

The deep link manager 1110 proceeds by distributing at least two data segments of a deep link to at least two different storage locations, with the data body 1122 stored in a first storage location (e.g., the memory 1106 of the server) and the data minority 1124 stored in at least one second storage location 1126. The deep link generator 1112 then proceeds by generating a link that encodes the deep link assembly process 1128 that is sent to the inviting client device 1114.

Virtualization of deep link data 1120 allows for segmentation processing of deep link data 1120, which may be implemented by deep link manager 1110. The virtualization mechanism allows different portions of the deep link data 1120 to be stored in Virtual Machines (VMs) without having to control the physically allocated locations of these virtual machines. These virtual machines may be assigned to one or more physical servers, which may be part of a larger server network of cloud servers, or edge servers. Segmentation segments data in memory into a number of non-contiguous segments. The data in the file may be managed in units of blocks. Initially, file blocks may be stored contiguously in memory in the private user storage area. However, when segmenting data, some data blocks may be separated and dispersed into different storage locations, such as one or more data collection servers. Since the presently disclosed storage is virtualized, pieces of data may be stored in virtual storage, meaning that the physical storage device in which the pieces of data are stored is not important to the system when the data are acquired and assembled.

Upon verification, the deep link manager 1110 is further configured to retrieve second data segments comprising the data minority portion 1124 of the deep link from the second storage location 1126 and first data segments comprising the data majority portion 1122 of the deep link from the at least one first storage location. Such verification may be in the form of the inviter 1116 clicking on a link configured to initiate the deep link assembly process 1128 upon activation, assembling the deep link from the data segment. Such links may be referred to as assembly links. The assembly link may contain information (e.g., biometric scans, including facial scans, fingerprint scans, voice recognition, etc., passwords, personal Identification Numbers (PINs), or a combination thereof) for facilitating some form of authentication. Deep link manager 1110 is further configured to assemble minority portion 1124 and majority portion 1122 of deep link data 1120 and grant invitee 1118 access to the videoconference session. The assembled deep links may then be sent to invitees 1118, who may access the videoconference session after clicking on the links. In some embodiments, deep link manager 1110 may send the deep link directly to invitee 1118 or indirectly through invitee 1116. The invitee may then click on the link and access the videoconference session through the corresponding invitee client device 1130. In some embodiments, storing the deep link data 1120 in two or more different locations and triggering the deep link assembly process after verification by the inviter 1116 may increase the security of the deep link because the user may not verify the assembly process of the deep link without the correct information.

In some embodiments, when invitee 1118 clicks on the deep link, video conferencing platform 1108 inserts and combines the user graphical representation of invitee 1118 generated by the real-time data source captured by the at least one camera into the three-dimensional coordinate location of the three-dimensional virtual environment of video conferencing platform 1108. In a further embodiment, the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance. For example, once invitee 1118 clicks on an assembled deep link, the invitee may insert his or her user graphical representation into the 3D coordinates of the virtual mall shown in fig. 8B, e.g., at a location near invitee 1116. The deep link may also be created to invite invitee 1118 to a video conference space in a private video conference session accessed through the private communication instance.

In some embodiments, the at least one second storage location 1126 comprises one or more dedicated user server or client device local memories. One or more private user servers may be located in a data center for the purpose of storing data segments and hosting user applications for private use by users. In other embodiments, one or more private user storage areas may be configured within a user device, such as a mobile device, a personal computer, a game console, a media center, a head mounted display, and a transparent device (e.g., a smart contact lens).

In other embodiments, at least one second storage location 1126 is configured within a distributed ledger network. In some embodiments, the at least one first storage location is a memory 1106 of the at least one server computer. A distributed ledger is a trusted database that can be used as a record of value storage and exchange. The distributed ledger provides a decentralized transaction network that includes information shared between different sites and people, eliminating the need for a central institution. Storage in a distributed ledger may include using encryption to keep pieces of deep linked data securely stored in different storage areas. In some embodiments, the deep link data segments are encrypted by a symmetric or asymmetric key encryption mechanism. In the case of asymmetric key encryption, the data fragments are asymmetrically encrypted by the public key sent by the deep link manager 1110 to the inviting client device 1114 over the network 1132 and decrypted by the deep link manager 1110 via the private key of the deep link manager 1110 stored in the memory 1106 of the server 1102. In other embodiments, the data fragments are symmetrically encrypted by the private key of the inviting client device 1114 and decrypted by the deep link manager 1110 via the same private key.

In some embodiments, the deep link generator 1112 is further configured to encode an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is one of session-based, time-based, or click-based expiration factors, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the video conference platform is further configured to receive a list of video conference periods, wherein each video conference period includes at least a location within the video conference space; receiving a list of participants, wherein each participant includes one or more attributes linked to the corresponding participant; creating a conference period protocol by assigning a video conference period to each participant based on the one or more attributes; providing one or more rights to each video conference period; and providing one or more rights to the participant of the corresponding videoconference period.

FIG. 12 illustrates a secure distributed deep linking method 1200 according to one embodiment.

Method 1200 may begin in step 1202 by receiving (e.g., by a deep link generator stored in a memory of at least one server computer) a deep link generation request. The deep link generator may be part of a deep link manager stored in memory. The memory may further store a video conferencing platform accessible by a user over a network via a corresponding client device.

In step 1204, the method 1200 continues by generating a deep link corresponding to (e.g., unique to) each video conference period of the video conference session of the video conference platform, each deep link including at least (e.g., in encoded form) a location of the video conference period in the video conference space. In step 1206, the method 1200 proceeds by dividing the deep link into at least two data fragments, wherein at least one data fragment comprises a majority of the data of the deep link, and wherein at least another data fragment comprises a minority of the data thereof. In some embodiments, a majority of the deep link data represents between about 99% and about 99.99% of the deep link data, and a minority of the data represents between about 1% and about 0.01% of the deep link data.

In step 1208, the method continues by distributing the at least two data segments of the deep link to at least two different storage locations, wherein a majority of the data is stored in memory of at least one first storage location and a minority of the data is stored in memory of at least one second storage location. In step 1210, the method 1200 continues by generating an assembly link, which when activated, initiates a deep link assembly process; in step 1212, the method ends by sending the assembled link to the inviter client device.

In some embodiments, the at least one second storage location comprises local memory of one or more user servers or client devices. In other embodiments, the at least one second storage location is configured in a distributed ledger network. In some embodiments, the at least one first storage location is a memory of at least one server computer.

In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes encoding an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is one of a session, time, or click-based expiration factor, or a combination thereof.

Fig. 13 illustrates a deep link assembly method 1300, according to one embodiment. The steps of method 1300 may occur after method 1200 of fig. 12. Method 1300 may begin at step 1302 by retrieving at least one minority data segment (second data segment) of the deep link from a second storage location and retrieving a majority of the deep link (first data segment) from at least one first storage location after verification from the participant.

Such verification may employ an inviter to click on the assembly link to initiate the deep link assembly process and to conduct some form of authentication (e.g., biometric scan, password, personal Identification Number (PIN), or a combination thereof). The method 1300 continues in step 1304 by assembling minority and majority portions of the deep link. In step 1306, method 1300 ends by sending the assembled deep link to grant the invitee access to the videoconference session.

In some embodiments, method 1300 further includes inserting a user graphical representation of the invitee generated by the real-time data stream captured by the at least one camera into 3D coordinates of the 3D virtual environment and combining the user graphical representation therewith. In further embodiments, the 3D virtual environment may be in a public communication instance or a private videoconference session accessed through a private communication instance.

While certain embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of the broad invention and not restrictive thereof. The invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, as various other modifications may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Claims

1. A system for generating virtual space deep links, comprising:

at least one server computer comprising at least one processor and memory including instructions configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one server computer to:

receiving a deep link generation request triggered when a participant of a video conference session invites an invitee to join the video conference session, wherein the video conference session is hosted by a video conference space in a 3D virtual environment;

Retrieving and encoding videoconference session context data and session communication instances; and

a deep link is generated that includes encoded video conference session context data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the context data includes 3D coordinates of a user graphical representation of the participant in the 3D virtual environment and 3D coordinates required by the invitee.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the required 3D coordinates of the invitee are limited to a predefined radius around the attendee.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one server computer implements a video conferencing platform configured to insert user graphical representations of participants generated from real-time data streams captured by the at least one camera into locations defined by 3D coordinates of a 3D virtual environment representing the video conferencing space.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to:

transmitting the deep link to an invitee client device;

receiving, by the invitee client device, a message from the invitee and accepting the invitation to participate in the videoconference session using the information in the deep link; and

The three-dimensional coordinate graphical representation of the invitee is retrieved and located in the three-dimensional virtual environment, granting the invitee access to the videoconference session.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the public 3D virtual environment comprises a plurality of third party proprietary virtual environments that are publicly or privately accessible by participants.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one server computer to generate a deep link to the invitee in response to the request of the participant, the deep link configured to locate the invitee in the desired 3D coordinates in the private session.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the video conference session context data further comprises user attributes including user profile data including user identification data, consumer ranking, and purchase preferences.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a host of a third party proprietary virtual environment retrieves buyer profiles of participants entering the third party proprietary virtual environment via corresponding user graphical representations and sends a private invitation to the corresponding participants, the private invitation opening a private session between the host and the invited participants in a private communication instance.

11. A method performed by a computer system comprised of at least one processor and memory for generating deep links for a virtual space, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a deep link generation request, the request being triggered when a participant of a video conference session hosted on a video conference platform invites an invitee to join the video conference session;

generating a deep link containing encoded video conference session context data;

wherein the video conference platform comprises at least one video conference space hosting the video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space comprises a 3D virtual environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the context data includes 3D coordinates of a user graphical representation of the participant and 3D coordinates required by the invitee in the 3D virtual environment, wherein the method further comprises restricting the required 3D coordinates of the invitee to within a predetermined radius around the participant inviting the invitee.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising encoding an expiration factor in the deep link, wherein the expiration factor is one of session-based, time-based, or click-based expiration factors, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising inserting, by the video conferencing platform, a user graphical representation of the participant generated from real-time data streams captured by at least one camera into a location defined by 3D coordinates of the 3D virtual environment.

15. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting the deep link to an invitee client device;

receiving, by the invitee client device, a message from the invitee, accepting the invitation to participate in the videoconference session using the information in the deep link; and

positioning the user graphical representation of the invitee at 3D coordinates within the 3D virtual environment grants the invitee access to the videoconference session.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the videoconference session is a public videoconference session hosted in a public 3D virtual environment in a public communication instance, wherein the public 3D virtual environment comprises a plurality of third party proprietary virtual environments that are publicly or privately accessible by participants.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a deep link to the invitee in response to the request by the participant, locating the invitee in the 3D coordinates required in the private session.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the videoconference session context data further comprises user attributes including user profile data including user identification data, consumer ranking, and purchase preferences.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein a host of a third party proprietary virtual environment retrieves buyer data of a participant entering the third party proprietary virtual environment via a corresponding user graphical representation and sends a private invitation to the corresponding participant, the private invitation opening a private session between the host and the invited participant in a private communication instance.

20. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions configured to cause at least one server computer comprising a processor and memory to perform steps comprising:

receiving a deep link generation request, triggering the request when a participant of a video conference session hosted in a video conference platform invites an invitee to join the video conference session;

retrieving and encoding videoconference session context data and session communication instances;

generating a deep link comprising the encoded videoconference session context data;

Wherein the video conference platform comprises at least one video conference space hosting the video conference session, wherein the at least one video conference space comprises a three-dimensional virtual environment.