MANAGING A PACKET SWITCHED CONFERENCE CALL
First Claim
1. A conference call server comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive data packets from each of a plurality of terminals participating in a conference call; and
a mixer operatively coupled to the receiver and configured todecode the data packets to extract background noise information;
determine if a data packet from the data packets includes voice data, wherein the data packet is received from a first terminal;
if the data packet includes the voice data, extract an identifier associated with the first terminal;
mix the voice data, if any, with the background noise information; and
provide the mixed voice data and background noise information and the extracted identifier to each of the plurality of terminals in an outbound packet.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for managing a packet switched, centralized conference call between a plurality of terminals 13. In order to enable an enhancement of the user comfort, it is proposed that the method comprises at a conference call server 12 receiving data packets from all terminals 13. Based on these data packets, then at least one terminal 13 currently providing voice data is determined. In a next step, the data received in the data packets is mixed, and the mixed data is inserted into new data packets together with at least one identifier associated to one of the terminals 13 which were determined to provide voice data, such that the at least one identifier can be distinguished from any other information in the data packets. Finally, the new data packets are transmitted to terminals 13 participating in the conference call. The invention relates equally to a, corresponding server and to a corresponding terminal
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A conference call server comprising:
-
a receiver configured to receive data packets from each of a plurality of terminals participating in a conference call; and a mixer operatively coupled to the receiver and configured to decode the data packets to extract background noise information; determine if a data packet from the data packets includes voice data, wherein the data packet is received from a first terminal; if the data packet includes the voice data, extract an identifier associated with the first terminal; mix the voice data, if any, with the background noise information; and provide the mixed voice data and background noise information and the extracted identifier to each of the plurality of terminals in an outbound packet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for managing a call comprising:
-
decoding data packets received from each of a plurality of terminals participating in a conference call to extract background noise information; determining if a data packet from the data packets includes voice data, wherein the data packet is received from a first terminal; if the data packet includes the voice data, extracting an identifier associated with the first terminal; mixing the voice data, if any, with the background noise information; and providing the mixed voice data and background noise information and the extracted identifier to each of the plurality of terminals in an outbound packet. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A terminal comprising:
-
means for sending a first data packet to a conference call server, wherein the first data packet includes first background noise information and an identifier associated with the terminal; means for receiving a second data packet from the conference call server, wherein the second data packet includes second background noise information from a second terminal mixed with voice data from a third terminal, wherein the second terminal and the third terminal are participating in a conference call with the terminal, and further wherein the second data packet includes an active terminal identifier associated with the third terminal, wherein the voice data is included in the second data packet based at least in part on a determination by the conference call server that a third data packet received from the third terminal includes the voice data; and means for presenting the active terminal identifier, wherein the active terminal identifier indicates that the third terminal sent the voice data to the conference call server. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A memory having conferencing software stored thereon, wherein the conferencing software causes a terminal to:
-
send a first data packet to a conference call server, wherein the first data packet includes first background noise information and an identifier associated with the terminal; receive a second data packet from the conference call server, wherein the second data packet includes second background noise information from a second terminal mixed with voice data from a third terminal, wherein the second terminal and the third terminal are participating in a conference call with the terminal, and further wherein the second data packet includes an active terminal identifier associated with the third terminal, wherein the voice data is included in the second data packet based at least in part on a determination by the conference call server that a third data packet received from the third terminal includes the voice data; and present the active terminal identifier, wherein the active terminal identifier indicates that the third terminal sent the voice data to the conference call server. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification