Patent ID: 7227567

Claim:
A method for performing a video telecommunications interaction between at least first and second participants, comprising: (a) acquiring image information, the image information including an image of the first participant; (b) removing at least one of desired and undesired image information from the acquired image information to form (i) filtered image information and (ii) the removed at least one desired and undesired image information, the removed at least one of desired and undesired image information being selected previously by the first participant; and (c) at least one of a sending endpoint associated with the first participant and a receiving endpoint associated with the second participant combining at least one of (i) the filtered image information and (ii) the removed desired image information with substitute image information to form composite image information, wherein the desired image information is the image of the first participant, wherein the undesired image information comprises at least part of the background in the acquired image information, wherein the substitute image information is a modified form of the background, wherein, prior to transmission to the receiving endpoint, the at least part of the background in the acquired image information is modified and/or replaced by the first participant to form the substitute image information, wherein the substitute image information is transmitted to the receiving endpoint and thereafter followed by transmission of the first participant's image only, and wherein the receiving endpoint combines the substitute image information with the received first participant's image to form the composite image information for display to the second participant.