Network conferencing using method for distributed computing and/or distributed objects to intermediate host for presentation to a communications device

• US 20050265533A1
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Wesley
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.10
• 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 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Prior to the intermediate host conference, an Intermediate Host Conferencing Module communicates a library of digital objects and the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module to an intermediate host communications device(s). During the conference, the intermediate host-resident Intermediate Host Conferencing Module receives a synchronization command and instructs the intermediate host communications device to communicate a synchronized object with presentation instructions to a downstream participant communications device and to present the synchronized object to the intermediate host communications device. Furthermore, the participant communications devices may communicate a synchronization acknowledgment back to the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module. The synchronization confirmation acknowledges a successful presentation of the synchronized object to the intermediate host communications device and/or to at least one of the downstream participant communications devices.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a conference, comprising the steps of:

initializing the conference amongst at least one intermediate host communications device and at least one downstream participant communications device;

prior to the conference,

communicating a library of digital objects to the intermediate host communications device,

communicating an intermediate host conferencing module to the intermediate host communications device; and

during the conference,

communicating a synchronization command from a host communications device to the intermediate host communications device, wherein in response to the synchronization command, the intermediate host conferencing module instructs the intermediate host communications device to present an object from the library of digital objects and to communicate the object to the downstream participant communications device with the instructions to the downstream participant communications device to present the object, and

communicating the object with the presentation instructions from the intermediate host communications device to the downstream participant communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate host conferencing module further communicates a conferencing management command to the downstream participant communications device, the conferencing management command comprising at least one of (i) a command to exit the conference, (ii) a command to delay presentment of the conference, (iii) a synchronization override command to access to any object from the library of digital objects, (iv) authority to distribute the object to a non-participant, (v) authority to modify the object, (vi) a command to terminate further communication of the synchronization acknowledgement, and (vii) a command to modify a communication connection of the conference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

during the conference,

communicating the object with presentation instructions for another downstream participant communications device from the intermediate host communications device to the downstream participant communications device, wherein the downstream participant communications device communicates the object with presentation instructions to the other downstream participant communications device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving a synchronization acknowledgment identifying at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device, the synchronization acknowledgement further confirming a successful presentation of the object to at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of delaying communication of a subsequent synchronization command until the synchronization acknowledgment is received from the intermediate host communications device to the host communications device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the synchronization acknowledgment further provides at least one of (i) a request to exit the conference, (ii) a request to delay presentment of the conference, (iii) a request to access to a non-synchronized digital object, (iv) a request for authority to distribute the object to a non-participant of the conference, (v) a request for authority to modify the object, and (vi) a request to terminate further communication of the synchronization acknowledgement.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

ignoring receipt of the synchronization acknowledgment from a selected downstream participant communications device, thus allowing the selected downstream participant communications device to request any object from the intermediate host communications device via the intermediate host conferencing module, such that the requested object is communicated with presentation instructions from the intermediate host communications device to the downstream participant communications device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initializing the conference amongst the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device comprises:

accessing a list of intermediate host communications devices and downstream participant communications devices, and

communicating the list of intermediate host communications devices and downstream participant communications devices to at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initializing the conference amongst the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device further comprises:

analyzing transmission rates between at least two participant communications devices and between the host communications device and each of the at least two participant communications devices to determine the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initializing the conference amongst the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device further comprises at least one of:

analyzing a cost factor between at least two participant communications devices and another cost factor between the host communications device and each of the at least two participant communications devices to determine the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device,

analyzing a reliability factor between at least two participant communications devices and another reliability factor between the host communications device and each of the at least two participant communications devices to determine the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device, and

analyzing a security factor between at least two participant communications devices and another security factor between the host communications device and each of the at least two participant communications devices to determine the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to the conference,

verifying the intermediate host communications device has local access to the library of digital objects, and

verifying an available communications connection between the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

12. A system, comprising:

an Intermediate Host Conferencing Module stored in a memory device, and a processor communicating with the memory device,

the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module initializing the conference amongst at least one intermediate host communications device and at least one downstream participant communications device, communicating a library of digital objects and the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module to the intermediate host communications device prior to the conference, and communicating a synchronization command from a host communications device to the intermediate host communications device during the conference, wherein in response to the synchronization command, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module of the intermediate host communications device instructs the intermediate host communications device to present an object from the library of digital objects and to communicate the object to the downstream participant communications device with instructions to the downstream participant communications device to present the object.

13. The system of claim 12, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module of the intermediate host communications device communicating the object with the presentation instructions to the downstream participant communications device.

14. The system of claim 13, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module of the intermediate host communications device further communicating a conferencing management command to the downstream participant communications device, the conferencing management command comprising at least one of (i) a command to exit the conference, (ii) a command to delay presentment of the conference, (iii) a synchronization override command to access to any object from the library of digital objects, (iv) authority to distribute the object to a non-participant, (v) authority to modify the object, (vi) a command to terminate further communication of the synchronization acknowledgement, and (vii) a command to modify a communication connection of the conference.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

receiving a synchronization acknowledgment identifying at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device, the synchronization acknowledgement further confirming a successful presentation of the object to at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.

16. The system of claim 12, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module stored in a memory device of a host communications device, wherein a communications network connects the host communications device with the intermediate host communications device.

17. The system of claim 16, the communications network comprising at least one of a telecommunications network, a data communications network, and a satellite communications network.

18. The system of claim 12, the intermediate host communications device comprising at least one of a computer, a voice-over internet protocol phone, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, a global positioning system, and a digital signal processor.

19. The system of claim 12, the downstream participant communications device comprising at least one of a computer, a voice-over internet protocol phone, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, a global positioning system, and a digital signal processor.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an Intermediate Host communications network connecting the intermediate host communications device with the downstream participant communications device, the Intermediate Host communications network comprising at least one of a direct data communications connection and a distributed data communications connection via at least one of a telecommunications network, a data communications network, and a satellite communications network.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

a Intermediate Host Conferencing Module stored on the computer-readable medium, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module initializing the conference amongst at least one intermediate host communications device and at least one downstream participant communications device, communicating a library of digital objects and the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module to the intermediate host communications device prior to the conference, communicating a synchronization command from a host communications device to the intermediate host communications device during the conference, wherein in response to the synchronization command, the Intermediate Host Conferencing Module of the intermediate host communications device instructs the intermediate host communications device to present an object from the library of digital objects and to communicate the object to the downstream participant communications device with instructions to the downstream participant communications device to present the object, and receiving a synchronization acknowledgment identifying at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device, the synchronization acknowledgement further confirming a successful presentation of the object to at least one of the intermediate host communications device and the downstream participant communications device.