System and method for facilitating real-time, multi-point communications over an electronic network

• US 20020133611A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eddy Gorsuch, James A. Savage III, Sophie Muller
• Original Assignee: Eddy Gorsuch, James A. Savage III, Sophie Muller
• Inventors: Muller, Sophie, Gorsuch, Eddy, Savage, James A. III
• Application Number:
  US09/811,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133611A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system are provided for receiving communications requests over an electronic network and using a dispatch server to direct the communications requests to a media server that establishes a conference and processes communications thereof. Dispatch servers may select a media server from a plurality of media servers by consulting available capacity data for the media servers.

Claims

1. A method for providing conference communications, comprising:

receiving at a dispatch server a join conference request from a client, wherein the join conference request identifies a conference requested by the client; and

transmitting to the client an identified media server configured to host the conference after selecting the identified media server from a plurality of media servers using data pertaining to available capacity on the plurality of media servers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting at the dispatch server a connect request from the client prior to receiving the join conference request; and

transmitting a connect acknowledgment to the client, wherein the connect acknowledgment facilitates communications between the client and the dispatch server.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

authenticating the client prior to transmitting the connect acknowledgment to the client.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the dispatch server a second join conference request from a second client, wherein the second join conference request identifies a specified conference requested by the second client;

examining a conference data repository to identify a selected media server assigned to host the specified conference; and

transmitting an identity of the selected media server to the second client.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the identified media server that the client has joined the conference on the identified media server; and

updating capacity data for the identified media server to reflect the indication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the identified media server that the client has left the conference on the identified media server; and

updating capacity data for the identified media server to reflect the indication.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the identified media server that all clients have left the conference on the identified media server; and

deleting data pertaining to the conference from a conference data repository.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the identified media server that it can no longer support the conference;

identifying another media server of the plurality of media servers to host the conference; and

transmitting to the client an identity for the another media server configured to host the conference.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving in the identified media server a join conference request from the client; and

sending the client a channel identity from the identified media server, wherein the channel identity informs the client where the identified media server receives communications data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a client channel identity in the identified media server, wherein the client channel identity informs the identified media server where the client receives communications data.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving in the identified media server a second join conference request from a second client, wherein the second join conference request identifies a selected conference requested by the second client;

receiving communications data from the client by the identified media server; and

sending the received communications data from the identified media server to the second client.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by a dispatcher switch a first connect request from the client, wherein the dispatcher switch has been configured to select the dispatch server from a plurality of dispatch servers to receive the first connect request.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the dispatcher switch is configured to select a second dispatch server after receiving the first connect request, the method further comprising:

receiving by the dispatcher switch a second connect request from a second client;

directing the second connect request to the second dispatch server;

receiving by the second dispatch server a second join conference request from the second client, wherein the second join conference request identifies a selected conference requested by the second client; and

transmitting to the second client from the second dispatch server an identity of the media server hosting the conference.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

examining conference creation data to determine whether the dispatch server and the second dispatch server have allowed a same conference to be created on different media servers of a plurality of media servers.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending a signal to the selected media server to initiate a communications with the dispatch server;

receiving a communication by the dispatch server from the selected media server; and

connecting the call with the communication by the dispatch server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving at a second dispatch server a join conference request from a client, wherein the join conference request identifies the conference associated with the call;

examining a conference table to identify the selected media server; and

transmitting the identity of the selected media server to the client.

18. The method of claim 16, farther comprising:

servicing the call at the selected media server.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one dispatch server is configured to direct a client to the identified media server.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one dispatch server identifies the selected media server as having a greatest available capacity among the plurality of media servers.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the at least one dispatch server disregards media servers of the plurality of media servers that have been scheduled for inactivity during a time period for conference communications for the client.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one dispatch server identifies the selected media server on the basis of media type.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

an authentication server configured to authenticate client communication requests.

26. The dispatch server of claim 25 wherein the client host service module is further configured to receive a connect request from the client over the electronic network prior to receiving the join conference request and is also configured to transmit a connect acknowledgment to the client.

27. The dispatch server of claim 25 wherein the dispatch service module is further configured to examine a conference data repository for a second client that has requested the conference and identify the media server assigned to host the conference, wherein the client host service module is further configured to transmit an identity for the selected media server to the second client.

28. The dispatch server of claim 25 wherein the dispatch service module is further configured to receive an indication from the selected media server that the client has joined the conference on the selected media server and is also configured to update capacity data for the selected media server.

29. The dispatch server of claim 25 wherein the dispatch service module is further configured to receive an indication from the selected media server that the client has left the conference on the selected media server and is also configured to update capacity data for the selected media server.

30. The dispatch server of claim 25 wherein the dispatch service module is further configured to receive an indication from the selected media server that it can no longer support the conference and is further configured to identify a second media server of the plurality of media servers to host the conference, wherein the client host service module is further configured to transmit to the client an identity for the second media server configured to host the conference.

15. A method for providing a caller with conference communications, comprising:

receiving in a dispatch server a call from the caller over a telephony network; and

identifying a selected media server of a plurality of media servers to service the call, wherein the media servers of the plurality of media servers are configured to provide conference communications.

19. A system for facilitating conference communications, comprising:

a plurality of media servers, each media server configured to provide conference communications; and

at least one dispatch server configured to identify a selected media server of the plurality of media servers having appropriate capacity for providing conference communications.

25. A dispatch server configured to facilitate conference communications, comprising:

a client host service module configured to receive a join conference request from a client over an electronic network, wherein the join conference request identifies a conference requested by the client; and

a dispatch service module configured to select a selected media server from a plurality of media servers to host the conference requested by the client using data pertaining to available capacity on the plurality of media servers.

31. A media server configured to provide conference communications to a client of a plurality of clients, wherein the client receives an address for the media server from a dispatch server that selected the media server on the basis of available capacity, comprising:

a client host service module configured to receive a join conference request from the client over an electronic network, wherein the join conference request identifies the conference requested by the client;

a connect service module configured to arrange conference transmissions for conference participants; and

a mesh service module configured to transmit media data to conference participants.

32. The media server of claim 31 wherein the client service module is configured to receive a join conference request from a second client, wherein the join conference request identifies a selected conference requested by the client, and wherein the mesh service module is configured to receive conference data from the client and transmit the received conference data to the second client.

33. The media server of claim 31, further comprising:

a dispatchee service module configured to send an indication to the dispatch server that the client has joined the conference on the media server, wherein the dispatch server updates capacity data for the media server to reflect the indication.

34. The media server of claim 31, further comprising:

a dispatchee service module configured to send an indication to the dispatch server that the client has left the conference on the media server, wherein the dispatch server updates capacity data for the media server to reflect the indication.

35. The media server of claim 31, further comprising:

a dispatchee service module configured to send an indication to the dispatch server that all clients have left the conference on the media server.

36. The media server of claim 31, further comprising:

a dispatchee service module configured to send an indication to the dispatch server that the media server can no longer support the conference.