HIGH QUALITY MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS `

• US 20010012304A1
• Filed: 11/12/1997
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: GOLAN, JOSEPH, RAMAMURTHY, RAM S., HODIC, MICHAEL W., AGRAHARAM, SANJAY, BHAGAVATH, VIJAY K.
• Application Number:
  US08/967,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20010012304A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/487
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5664 Support of Video, e.g. MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5671 Support of voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A method of providing high quality multimedia communications between end users uses an ATM-ADSL access system, which provides 6 megabits per second downstream and 640 kilobits per second upstream multimedia signal in conjunction with a multicasting feature. An end user can receive multiple video/audio streams downstream while the end user'"'"'s video/audio is transmitted upstream to the multicast network and is multicast to the end points.

Claims

1. A method for providing multimedia communications including audio, video, and data communications, comprising:

receiving multimedia communications from a first party in a multimedia communications device using a first bandwidth; and

transmitting multimedia communications from the multimedia communications device to the first party at a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth.

2. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

receiving multimedia communications from a second party in the multimedia communications device using the first bandwidth; and

multicasting the multimedia communications received from the first party and the second party, wherein the first party and the second party receive the multimedia communications using the second bandwidth.

3. The method of

claim 2

, further comprising:

receiving multimedia communications from a third party at the first bandwidth;

reducing bandwidths of the multimedia communications from the first and the second parties to produce a reduced bandwidth signal less than or equal to the first bandwidth; and

transmitting the reduced bandwidth signal to the third party.

4. The method of

claim 2

, wherein the first bandwidth is at least about 640 kilobits per second and the second bandwidth is at least about 6 megabits per second.

5. The method of

claim 2

, further comprising the step of prompting parties to indicate desired multimedia connections to complete the multimedia communications.

6. A method of creating a first multimedia call between at least two parties, comprising:

connecting the at least two parties to a multicast services node in a multicast network; and

receiving multimedia communications from the at least two parties at a first bandwidth and multicasting the multimedia communications to each of the at least two parties at a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth.

7. The method of

claim 6

, wherein the first bandwidth is at least about 640 kilobits per second and the second bandwidth is at least about 6 megabits per second.

8. The method of

claim 6

, further comprising creating a second multimedia call in simultaneous operation with the first multimedia call, wherein one or more of the at least two parties participates in the second multimedia call.

9. The method of

claim 8

, wherein the connection comprises one or more of a plurality of multimedia connections.

10. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the multimedia includes at least two of audio, video, and data.

11. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising:

multicasting the received video and data multimedia communications; and

transmitting the received audio communications via an audio bridge.

12. The method of

claim 11

, wherein two or more of the at least two parties transmit multimedia communications using a local area network.

13. The method of

claim 12

, wherein at least one of the at least two parties transmit compressed audio communications.

14. The method of

claim 13

, further comprising the step of automatically identifying capabilities of communications equipment of the at least two parties.

15. The method of

claim 14

, further comprising saving the multimedia call in the multicast network.

16. An apparatus providing multimedia communications to subscribers of a multimedia service, comprising:

a multimedia communications device for receiving multimedia communications from the subscribers and for multicasting the multimedia communications to the subscribers; and

connectors coupled to communications devices of the subscribers and the controller, the connectors allowing transmission of the multimedia communications from the subscribers at a first bandwidth and reception of the multimedia communications by the subscribers at a second bandwidth equal to or greater than the first bandwidth.

17. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the first bandwidth is about 640 kilobits per second and the second bandwidth is about 6 megabits per second.

18. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the connectors of two or more of the subscribers are local area network connectors.

19. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the controller further comprises an audio bridge for transmitting and receiving audio communications from the subscribers.

20. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the multimedia communications includes at least two of audio, video and data communications.

21. The apparatus of

claim 16

, wherein the controller reduces bandwidths of the received multimedia communications and combines the reduced bandwidths to produce a third bandwidth signal, the third bandwidth being less than or equal to the first bandwidth, the third bandwidth signal being transmitted to one or more of the subscribers.