Method and apparatus for distributed conferences

• US 20080267094A1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interwise Ltd. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interwise Ltd. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gray, Joseph, Karniely, Haim
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling an event such as a telecollaboration or conference event in a communication network. The apparatus is tree-structured, and comprises a main site and one or more descendent sites, each site comprising one or more servers. Each site is a parent site, a descendent site, or both. Two sites may be connected via a dedicated or controlled connection. The apparatus further comprises client devices, each client device connecting to one site. The method of the disclosed invention comprises passing information between a client device and a server or between two servers exactly once. The information is propagated by each server to all the components connected to the server, i.e. the parent site if any, descendent sites if any, and client devices if any, excluding the component from which the server received the information.

Claims

1. A method for distributing an at least one information stream during an event, in a hierarchical distributed apparatus operating in a communication network, the network comprising at least two sites, each of the at least two sites comprising an at least one server, wherein an at least one client device is connected to each of the at least two sites, the method comprising the steps of:

a. transmitting an at least one first information stream by an at least one source to an at least one first destination connected to the at least one source by a first connection, the at least one source being the client device, or the at least one first destination being a site;

b. if an at least one second destination other than the at least one source is connected to the first destination in a second connection, transmitting an at least one second information stream from the first destination to the at least one second destination, the at least one second destination including one or more of the following;

the client device;

an at least one descendent site;

or a parent site,

wherein the first or the second information stream are transmitted once between the source and the first destination or between the first destination and the at least one second destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step b is repeated for each second destination to which the second information stream is transmitted, such that:

the first destination becomes the source;

the second destination becomes the first destination; and

a product of processing or multiplexing the second information stream becomes the second information stream.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of transforming the first information stream into the second information stream.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of transforming the first information stream into the second information stream comprises any of the group consisting of:

multiplexing the first information stream with a third information stream;

compressing the first information stream;

decompressing the first information stream; and

digitizing the first information stream.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of connecting an at least one additional server during the event.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one additional server is located in a third site, the third site different from the at least two sites.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least two sites are connected in a dedicated or controlled connection.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first or the second information stream are transmitted between the source and the first destination or between the first destination and the at least one second destination via a minimal number of servers.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second information stream is the first information stream.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one client device is a telephone or a computing platform.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one server is a computing platform.

12. A tree-structured distributed apparatus for enabling an at least one event with an at least one participant, the apparatus operating in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a main site, the main site comprising an at least one first server;

an at least one descendent site, the at least one descendent site comprising an at least one second server, wherein each of the at least one descendent site is connected to a parent site and each parent site or the main site is connected to an at least one descendent site;

an at least one client device connected to the main site or to the at least one descendent site, wherein the at least one participant participates in the at least one event through the at least one client device, by transmitting or receiving an at least one information stream to or from the at least one first or the at least one second server.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the at least one main site or the at least one descendent site is behind a firewall, and the at least one main site or the at least one descendent site is in the internet.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the at least one first server is connected to the at least one second server in a controlled or dedicated connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the at least one client device is connected to the at least one first server or to the at least one second server in a not controlled and not dedicated connection.