DISTRIBUTED AUDIO CONFERENCING ARCHITECTURE WITH OPTIMUM RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND SEAMLESS SCALABILITY

• US 20100165889A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Sarna, Puneet Saran, Mallappa, Prasannakumar, Madabhushi, Pramod
• Granted Patent: US 9,143,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed

Abstract

A conference call solution with one or more conference server, one or more conference bridge and one or more media mixer. A conference server is chosen as the conference bridge for the conference call using various optimization techniques. A media mixer for the conference call may also be chosen using various optimization techniques. The media mixer mixes media data from one or more conference bridge. If a conference bridge or the media mixer fails, the system recovers from the failure with minimal interruption to the users.

Claims

1. A conference server apparatus for facilitating a conference call, the apparatus comprising:

a bridge controller for directing other components in the apparatus, the bridge controller communicatively coupled to a memory and a soft switch;

the memory for storing information for one or more component in the apparatus, the memory communicatively coupled to the bridge controller; and

the soft switch for establishing call connections, the soft switch communicatively coupled to the bridge controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bridge controller comprises a conference session management module and the conference session management module manages information about a plurality of conference servers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bridge controller comprises a media mixer module and the media mixer module mixes media received from a plurality of conference bridges.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bridge controller comprises an optimization module and the optimization module implements media stream number optimization, media stream bandwidth optimization or resource fragment optimization.

5. A method for selecting an assigned conference server for a participant telephone in a conference call, the method comprising:

determining whether a default conference server has required resources for connecting the telephone participant to the conference call; and

selecting the default conference server as the assigned conference server if the default conference server has the required resources for connecting the participant telephone to the conference call.

6. The method of claim 5 comprising:

determining that the default conference server does not have the required resources;

determining whether a first conference server in a first site of the default conference server has the required resources; and

selecting the first conference server as the assigned conference server if the first conference server has the required resources.

7. The method of claim 5 comprising;

determining that the default conference server does not have the required resources;

determining that a number of conference servers in a first site of the default conference server has the required resources; and

selecting one of the number of conference servers as the assigned conference server.

8. The method of claim 5 comprising:

determining that the default conference server does not have the required resources;

determining that no conference server in a first site of the default conference server has the required resources;

determining whether a first conference server in a second site has the required resources; and

selecting the first conference server as the assigned conference server if the first conference server has the required resources.

9. The method of claim 5 comprising:

determining that the default conference server does not have the required resources;

determining that no conference server in a first site of the default conference server has the required resources;

determining that a number of conference servers in a second site has the required resources; and

selecting one of the number of conference servers as the assigned conference server.

10. The method of claim 5 comprising:

determining that the default conference server does not have the required resources;

determining that no conference server in a first site of the default conference server has the required resources;

determining that no conference server in a second site has the required resources; and

delivering an error message to the participant telephone.

11. A method for resource fragmentation optimization for a conference session, the method comprising:

determining a first conference bridge for a first connection to the conference call wherein the first conference bridge transmits mixed media to the first connection; and

assigning a second connection for the conference call to the first conference bridge if the first conference bridge is an assigned conference server for the first connection and the second connection.

12. The method of claim 11 comprising:

assigning a second connection for the conference call to the first conference bridge if the first conference bridge is the assigned conference server for the first connection and not the second connection.

13. The method of claim 11 comprising:

determining a second conference bridge for transmitting mixed media to the first connection and the second connection wherein the second conference bridge is the assigned conference server for the second connection; and

assigning the second conference bridge to the first connection and the second connection.

14. The method of claim 11 comprising:

determining a second conference bridge for transmitting mixed media to the second connection wherein the second conference bridge is not the assigned conference server for the second connection; and

assigning the second conference bridge to the second connection.

15. The method of claim 11 comprising:

establishing a media connection with a media mixer for the conference call wherein the media mixer mixes media data from a plurality of connections.

16. The method of claim 11 comprising transmitting update information to a conference server.

17. A method for optimizing bandwidth usage in a conference call system, the method comprising:

becoming, by a first conference server, a first conference bridge for a conference call;

determining whether one or more other conference bridge for the conference call exist in the conference call system; and

selecting a media mixer for the conference call in response to the determining whether the one or more other conference bridge exist in the system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting the media mixer comprises:

determining that the one or more other conference bridge does not exist; and

assigning the first conference bridge as the media mixer.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising establishing a media connection with the media mixer.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting the media mixer comprises:

determining that the one or more other conference bridge does not exist;

determining that the first conference bridge does not have a required resource to become the media mixer; and

selecting a conference server with the required resource as the media mixer.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising establishing a media connection with the media mixer.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting the media mixer comprises:

determining that one or more other conference bridge for the conference call exist in the conference call system;

determining that one or more other conference bridge for the conference call does have a required resource to become the media mixer;

determining that the first conference bridge does have the required resource to become the media mixer;

assigning the first conference bridge as the media mixer if the first conference bridge has the maximum amount of resources when compared to resources of the first conference bridge and the one or more other conference bridge; and

assigning one of the one or more other conference bridge as the media mixer if the one or more other conference bridge has the maximum amount of resources when compared to resources of the first conference bridge and the one or more other conference bridge.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting the media mixer comprises:

determining that one or more other conference bridge for the conference call exist in the conference call system;

determining that one or more other conference bridge for the conference call does not have a required resource to become the media mixer;

determining that the first conference bridge does not have the required resource to become the media mixer; and

assigning a conference server with the required resources as the media mixer.

24. A method for a conference bridge failover in a conference call system, the method comprising:

determining that a first conference bridge with a connection for a participant telephone has failed;

determining, whether one or more conference bridge have resources to manage the connection for the participant telephone of the first conference bridge; and

assigning the connection for the participant telephone to the one or more conference bridge in response to the determination.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein assigning comprises:

determining a max conference bridge with maximum resources amongst the one or more conference bridge; and

assigning the connection for the participant telephone to the max conference bridge.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the one or more conference bridge is in a site of the first conference bridge.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the one or more conference bridge is in a sub-network of the first conference bridge.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein assigning comprises:

assigning the one or more participants to more than one of the one or more conference bridge such that the more than one of the one or more conference bridge collectively manage the one or more participants.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein assigning comprises:

assigning the one or more participants to one or more conference server that has required resources to manage the one or more participants.

30. The method of claim 24 comprising:

updating one or more conference server or one or more conference bridge with an update information.

31. A method for a media mixer failover in a conference call system, the method comprising:

determining that a first media mixer for a conference call has failed;

determining whether one or more conference server in the system has a required resource to become the media mixer; and

assigning one of the conference server from one or more conference servers as the media mixer.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein one of the conference server is an existing conference bridge for the conference call.

33. The method of claim 32 comprising:

determining that the existing conference bridge has the required resource to become the media mixer.

34. The method of claim 32 comprising:

determining that none of the one or more conference server in the system have the required resource to become the media mixer; and

assigning more than one conference server as the media mixer such that the more than one conference server has a collective resource to become the media mixer.

35. The method of claim 31 comprising:

dropping latest joined connections to the conference call until one of the conference server has the required resource to become the media mixer.

36. The method of claim 31 comprising:

dropping connections to the conference call with lower priority until one of the conference server has the required resources to become the media mixer.

37. The method of claim 31 comprising:

changing the compression format for one or more connection to the conference call to reduce the amount of required resources.

38. The method of claim 31 comprising:

updating the one or more conference server with an update information.

39. A system for setting up conference call, the system comprising:

a first conference bridge for transmitting media data from one or more participants of the conference call to a media mixer; and

the media mixer for preparing mixed media data from media data received from one or more conference bridges and transmitting the mixed media data to the first conference bridge.

40. The system of claim 39 comprising an assigned conference server for routing the connection to the conference bridge.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the media mixer is a second conference bridge for a second participant of the conference call;

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the media mixer mixes media data from the second participant with the media data from the first conference bridge.

43. A system for setting up conference call, the system comprising:

a first conference bridge for transmitting to a second conference bridge a first mixed participant media stream including media data from a first group comprising at least first loudest party; and

the second conference bridge for transmitting to the first conference bridge a second mixed participant media stream including media data from a second group comprising at least second loudest party.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the first conference bridge mixes the first mixed participant media stream with the second mixed participant media stream into a conference media stream.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein the conference media stream includes media data from the at least first loudest party and the at least second loudest party.

46. The system of claim 44 wherein the first conference bridge transmits the conference media stream to the at least first loudest party.

47. The system of claim 43 wherein the first conference bridge is configured to mix media data from a first maximum number of loudest participants and the second conference bridge is configured to mix media data from a second maximum number of loudest participants.