Apparatus and method for establishing audio and video conferencing

• US 20020083462A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Arnott, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US09/740,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083462A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus, and method for establishing audio and video (visual) conferencing capabilities are disclosed. A communications device comprises a first interface to a first channel for transmitting and receiving voice over a voice network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The communications device further comprises a second interface to a second channel for transmitting and receiving video data. A connection to the second channel for transmitting and receiving video data is established upon receiving a pre-determined signal transmitted over the first channel from a second, similarly-configured communications device.

Claims

1. A communications device, comprising:

a first interface to a first channel for transmitting and receiving voice over a voice network;

a second interface to a second channel for transmitting and receiving video data;

wherein the communications device is configured to establish a connection to at least the second channel for videoconferencing upon receiving a pre-determined signal over the first channel.

2. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the first channel is the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

3. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the second channel comprises a data connection.

4. The communications device of claim 3, wherein the data connection comprises at least one of an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), a symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), a high-data-rate digital subscriber line (HDSL), or a voice-over digital subscriber line (VoDSL).

5. The communications device of claim 4, wherein the data connection further comprises a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem.

6. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the video data transmitted via the second channel is captured using a charge coupled device camera (CCD) configured for use with the communications device.

7. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the charge coupled device (CCD) camera is integral with the communications device.

8. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the charge coupled device (CCD) camera is separable from the communications device.

9. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the video data received via the second channel is displayed using a liquid crystal display (LCD) configured for use with the communications device.

10. The communications device of claim 9, wherein the liquid crystal display (LCD) is integral with the communications device.

11. The communications device of claim 9, wherein the liquid crystal display (LCD) is separable from the communications device.

12. The communications device of claim 9, wherein the liquid crystal display (LCD) is used to display advertisements transmitted via the second channel, when the first channel is not transmitting or receiving voice.

13. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined signal is a tone burst comprising a sequence of data that is transmitted from a second communications device.

14. The communications device of claim 13, wherein the sequence of data comprises a first field, the first field comprising a repeating sequence of characters allowing the communications device to synchronize to the tone burst.

15. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the sequence of data comprises a second field, the second field comprising header information to identify the second communications device as being a similarly-configured communications device.

16. The communications device of claim 15, wherein the sequence of data comprises a third field, the third field comprising an Internet protocol (IP) address of the second communications device.

17. The communications device of claim 16, wherein the sequence of data comprises a fourth field, the fourth field comprising a checksum character that serves as an error detection mechanism to ensure that the tone burst was transmitted correctly.

18. The communications device of claim 17, further comprising an analog modem to receive the tone burst.

19. The communications device of claim 18, further comprising a filter to pass the tone burst while excluding any unused frequencies.

20. The communications device of claim 19, further comprising an analog to digital converter configured to digitize the tone burst.

21. The communications device of claim 20, wherein the analog to digital converter is a pulse code modulation (PCM) decoder.

22. The communications device of claim 20, wherein the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second communications device is extracted from the digitized tone burst and used to establish the second channel for videoconferencing.

23. A communications device, comprising:

an interface to a first and second channel;

wherein the first channel is for transmitting and receiving voice over a voice network;

wherein the second channel is for transmitting and receiving video data;

wherein the communications device is configured to establish a connection to at least the second channel for videoconferencing upon receiving a pre-determined signal over the first channel.

24. A method for establishing a video conferencing session, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a first interface to a first channel for transmitting and receiving voice over a voice network;

b) providing a second interface to a second channel for transmitting and receiving video data; and

c) establishing a connection to at least the second channel for videoconferencing upon receiving a predetermined signal over the first channel.