Method and apparatus for multiple media digital communication system

• US 20040218628A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: BTG International Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Richter, Andreas, Reed, Ogden Cartwright Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,075,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6464 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6483 Video, e.g. MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6489 Buffer Management, Threshold setting, Scheduling, Shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/624 Altering the ordering of packets in an individual queue
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6285 : Provisions for avoiding starvation of low priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 : Buffering arrangements
• 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 65/752 : adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 : Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 : Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 : User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 : Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 : Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 : Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 : of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 : Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 : Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 : Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 : involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6375 : for requesting retransmission , e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from serverARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6583 : Acknowledgement
• 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 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

The present invention is embodied in a digital communication system where multiple media data sources are time multiplexed into a packetized data stream, each packet having an assigned priority and the packetized data stream transmitted in substantially the order of assigned priority. At both the transmit side, and the receive side, audio packets are given priority processing over video packets, which in turn have priority over text/graphics data packets. Continuous real time audio playback is maintained at the receiver by delaying the playback of received audio in a first in/first out (FIFO) buffer providing a delay at least equal to the predicted average packet delay for the communication system. Optionally, the average system delay is continuously monitored, and the audio playback delay time is adjusted accordingly. Audio playback is slowed or accelerated in order to shrink or grow the difference in time between the sender and receiver. In another aspect of the invention, a conference of three or more callers is created by broadcasting a common packetized data stream to all conference callers.

Claims

1. A method for communicating a plurality of digital signals over a communication system, wherein each of said plurality of digital signals represents one of a plurality of media sources, said method comprising:

encoding each of said plurality of digital signals into a plurality of digital packets respectively corresponding to each of said plurality of digital media;