Method and apparatus for participating in a conference session over a data communication network

• US 20080162635A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interwise Ltd. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interwise Ltd. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keren, Ori
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5081 Inform conference party of participants, e.g. of change of participants conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection, H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus for participating in a conference session over a data communication network, the method comprising the steps of initiating a data communication conference session by a presenter with the an at least one viewer; establishing communication between the presenter and a thin server, wherein the thin server comprises an application for acting behind the scenes and enabling to transfer data.

Claims

1. A method for participating in a conference session over a data communication network, the conference held with at least two participants computing devices that communicate using at least one server, the at least one server comprising a conferencing bridge apparatus, wherein at least one of the participants is a presenter and at least one of the participants is a viewer, the presenter presenting data to one or more participants, at least one viewer comprising a browser application having a rendering capability, the method comprising:

initiating a data communication conference session by the presenter with the at least one viewer;

establishing communication between the at least one presenter and an at least one thin server, wherein the at least one thin server comprises an application for enabling to transfer data;

establishing communication between the at least one viewer and the at least one thin server; and

updating data shared by the presenter with the viewer communicating with the thin server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the application for enabling to transfer data is an application capable of updating the viewer with at least one image on a substantially continuous basis without the need to download specifically designed software for allowing the substantially continuous showing of a conferencing session.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the application for enabling to transfer data is an ajax application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser of the at least one browser communicating with the at least one thin server, comprises a request component.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprises the step of establishing communication by the browser and the request component requesting data update presented by the presenter.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of establishing communication by the server is performed periodically.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the request component is a XML HTTP Request component.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser of the at least one browser communicating with the at least one thin server, comprises a component that communicates with an at least one hidden frame within a communication received from the server.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprises the step of establishing communication by the browser and the request component requesting data update presented by the presenter.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of establishing communication by the server is performed periodically.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the viewer updating the at least one or more participants.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the conferencing bridge apparatus comprises a softbridge.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the browser application having a rendering capability and running ECMA scripts and capable of presenting at least one image.

14. An apparatus for participating in a conference session over a data communication network, the apparatus comprising, an at least two participants computing devices, an at least one server comprising a conferencing bridge apparatus used to communicate with at least two of the participants, the apparatus comprises:

a thin server comprises an application for enabling to transfer data; and

at least one computing device of a participant comprising a browser application with a rendering capability for transferring scripts of data.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the application for enabling to transfer data the application for enabling to transfer data is an application capable of updating the viewer with at least one image on a substantially continuous basis without the need to download specifically designed software for allowing the substantially continuous showing of a conferencing session.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the application for enabling to transfer data is an ajax application.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the at least two presenters can be presenters during a conference session and at least one participant is a viewer communicating with the thin server.