Supporting enhanced media communications in communications conferences

• US 20050041604A1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tighe, James R., Platt, Richard B., Hahn, Paul S., McFarland, Rowan L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/263
• 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 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/251 Cut-through or wormhole routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• 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: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• 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

Abstract

A method for supporting communications involves establishing a communications conference that includes multiple conference participants that each provide an audio stream. Audio data packets in the audio streams are identified, and audio information from selected audio data packets is mixed to generate a conference audio stream that is communicated to the conference participants. Enhanced media packets in at least one of the audio streams are identified, and the enhanced media packets are communicated to selected conference participants.

Claims

1. A method for supporting communications comprising:

establishing a communications conference, the communications conference including a plurality of conference participants, each conference participant providing an audio stream;

identifying audio data packets in the audio streams;

mixing audio information from selected ones of the audio data packets to generate a conference audio stream;

communicating the conference audio stream to the conference participants;

identifying enhanced media packets embedded in at least one of the audio streams; and

communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises embedding the enhanced media packets in the conference audio stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected ones of the conference participants consist of all conference participants except a particular conference participant that embedded the enhanced media packets in a particular audio stream in which the enhanced media packets were received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises identifying conference participants capable of using the enhanced media packets and communicating the enhanced media packets to the identified conference participants.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each selected one of the conference participants is operable to automatically display an enhanced media window in response to receiving the enhanced media packets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced media packets comprise video packets.

7. An apparatus supporting communications comprising:

a controller operable to establish a communications conference, the communications conference including a plurality of conference participants, each conference participant providing an audio stream, to identify audio data packets in the audio streams, to mix audio information from selected ones of the audio data packets to generate a conference audio stream, and to identify enhanced media packets embedded in at least one of the audio streams; and

an interface operable to communicate the conference audio stream to the conference participants and to communicate the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises embedding the enhanced media packets in the conference audio stream.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the selected ones of the conference participants consist of all conference participants except a particular conference participant that embedded the enhanced media packets in a particular audio stream in which the enhanced media packets were received.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises identifying conference participants capable of using the enhanced media packets and communicating the enhanced media packets to the identified conference participants.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each selected one of the conference participants is operable to automatically display an enhanced media window in response to receiving the enhanced media packets.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the enhanced media packets comprise video packets.

13. A system supporting communications comprising:

a conference bridge operable to establish a communications conference having a plurality of conference participants;

a first conference participant having a first set of media capabilities; and

a second conference participant operable to communicate a message identifying a second set of media capabilities associated with the second conference participant to the conference bridge;

wherein the conference bridge is further operable to redirect the message to the plurality of conference participants; and

wherein the first conference participant is further operable to determine whether the first set of media capabilities and the second set of media capabilities both include an enhanced media capability, and to communicate enhanced media packets to the second conference participant in response to determining that the first set of media capabilities and the second set of media capabilities both include the enhanced media capability.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to the second conference participant comprises tunneling the enhanced media packets in a conference audio stream to the second conference participant.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to the second conference participant comprises communicating the enhanced media packets in an enhanced media communication link to the second conference participant.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the conference bridge is further operable to redirect the message to selected ones of the conference participants, the selected ones of the conference participants including the first conference participant.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the second conference participant is further operable to automatically display an enhanced media window in response to receiving the enhanced media packets.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the enhanced media capability is a video capability and the enhanced media packets comprise video packets.

19. A system supporting communications comprising:

a packet-based telephony device having a first set of media capabilities and operable to couple to a communications conference; and

a computing device coupled to the telephony device and operable to receive a message from the communications conference identifying a second set of media capabilities associated with a remote device, to determine whether the first set of media capabilities and the second set of media capabilities both include an enhanced media capability, and to communicate enhanced media packets to the remote device in response to determining that the first set of media capabilities and the second set of media capabilities both include the enhanced media capability.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to the remote device comprises tunneling the enhanced media packets in a conference audio stream to the remote device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to the remote device comprises communicating the enhanced media packets in an enhanced media communication link to the remote device.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the conference bridge is further operable to redirect the message to selected ones of the conference participants, the selected ones of the conference participants including the first conference participant.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device is further operable to receive enhanced media packets from the remote device and to automatically display an enhanced media window in response to receiving the enhanced media packets from the remote device.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the enhanced media capability is a video capability and the enhanced media packets comprise video packets.

25. Logic for supporting communications, the logic encoded in media and operable when executed to:

establish a communications conference, the communications conference including a plurality of conference participants, each conference participant providing an audio stream;

identify audio data packets in the audio streams;

mix audio information from selected ones of the audio data packets to generate a conference audio stream;

communicate the conference audio stream to the conference participants;

identify enhanced media packets embedded in at least one of the audio streams; and

communicate the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants.

26. The logic of claim 25, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises embedding the enhanced media packets in the conference audio stream.

27. The logic of claim 25, wherein the selected ones of the conference participants consist of all conference participants except a particular conference participant that embedded the enhanced media packets in a particular audio stream in which the enhanced media packets were received.

28. The logic of claim 25, wherein communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants comprises identifying conference participants capable of using the enhanced media packets and communicating the enhanced media packets to the identified conference participants.

29. The logic of claim 25, wherein each selected one of the conference participants is operable to automatically display an enhanced media window in response to receiving the enhanced media packets.

30. The logic of claim 25, wherein the enhanced media packets comprise video packets.

31. A device for supporting communications comprising:

means for establishing a communications conference, the communications conference including a plurality of conference participants, each conference participant providing an audio stream;

means for identifying audio data packets in the audio streams;

means for mixing audio information from selected ones of the audio data packets to generate a conference audio stream;

means for communicating the conference audio stream to the conference participants;

means for identifying enhanced media packets embedded in at least one of the audio streams; and

means for communicating the enhanced media packets to selected ones of the conference participants.