SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR LINKING PACKET-SWITCHED AND CIRCUIT-SWITCHED CLIENTS

• US 20120176943A1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Frank J., Kwan, Katherine W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/261
• 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 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0006 where voice calls cross both networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1225 Details of core network interconnection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13201 Change-over of service during connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13296 Packet switching, X.25, frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet

Abstract

A method and computer program product which allows both phone-based and IP-based clients to participate in a single audio conference. The method enables at least two multi-point control units (MCUs) (i.e., conferencing servers) to connect via a standard data linkage (i.e., full-duplex dial-up or IP link). The method and computer program product enables the phone-based MCU to handle the phone clients and the IP-based MCU to handle the IP-based clients, while connecting the two to allow each participating client to hear all other participating clients.

Claims

1. A method of linking a first plurality of clients connected to a packet-switched conferencing server to a second plurality of clients connected to a circuit-switched conferencing server, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing, by the packet-switched conferencing server, a connection to the circuit-switched conferencing server;

(2) designating the connection as an active speaker connection on the packet-switched conferencing server;

(3) designating a first client of the first plurality of clients connected to the packet switched conferencing server as a first active speaker by the packet-switched conferencing server;

(4) designating a second client of the first plurality of clients connected to the packet switched conferencing server as a second active speaker by the packet switched conferencing server;

(5) designating a third client of the second plurality of clients connected to the circuit switched conferencing server as a third active speaker by the circuit-switch conferencing server;

(6) designating a fourth client of the second plurality of clients connected to the circuit switched conferencing as a fourth active speaker by the circuit switched conferencing server;

(7) limiting, by the packet-switched conferencing server, one or more of the first plurality of clients added to the active speaker connection;

(8) receiving by the packet switched conference server, over the active connection, a first combined audio packet from the circuit-switched conferencing server, wherein the first combined audio packet is a mixture of audio packets received from the third client and received from the fourth client and is converted by the circuit-switched conferencing server to a format that the first plurality clients can receive;

(9) receiving by the third client the first combined audio packet without an audio packet transmitted by third client and receiving by the fourth client the first combined audio packet without an audio packet transmitted by the fourth client;

(10) receiving, by the packet-switched conferencing server, a first audio packet from the first client and a second audio packet from the second client of the first plurality of clients, wherein the plurality of first and second audio packets are received using an asynchronous transmission method;

(11) forwarding, over the active speaker connection, a second combined audio packet to the circuit-switched conferencing server, wherein the second combined audio packet is a mixture of the first audio packet and the second audio packet, and wherein the circuit-switched conferencing server converts the second combined audio packet to a format that the second plurality of clients can receive;

(12) mixing the first combined audio packet with the second combined audio packets from the first plurality of clients into a composite packet; and

(13) forwarding the composite packet to each of the first plurality of clients connected to the packet-switched conferencing server, wherein the first client receives the composite packet without the composite packet containing an audio packet transmitted from the first client and the second client receives the composite packet without the composite packet containing an audio packet transmitted from the second client;

wherein the first and the second plurality of clients, using varying equipment and protocols, can simultaneously participate in a single audio conference application;

wherein the packet-switched conferencing server is independent from the circuit-switched conferencing server;

wherein the packet-switched conferencing server keeps a first list of the first plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker and limits a number of active speaking IP-based clients; and

wherein the circuit-switched conferencing server keeps a second list of the second plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker and limits a number of active speaking phone-based clients.

2. A method of linking a first plurality of clients connected to a circuit-switched conferencing server to a second plurality of clients connected to a packet-switched conferencing server, comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing, by the circuit-switched conferencing server, a connection to the packet-switched conferencing server;

(2) designating the connection as an active speaker connection on the circuit-switched conferencing server;

(3) designating a first client of the first plurality of clients as an active speaker on the circuit-switched conferencing server;

(4) designating a second client of the first plurality of clients as a second active speaker by the circuit switched conferencing server;

(5) designating a third client of the second plurality of clients as a third active speaker by the packet-switched conferencing server;

(6) designating a fourth client of the second plurality of clients as a fourth active speaker by the packet switched conferencing server;

(7) limiting, by the packet-switched conferencing server, one or more of the second plurality of active speaker clients added to the connection;

(8) receiving, over the connection, a first combined audio packet from the packet-switched conferencing server, wherein the first combined audio packet is a mixture of packets received from each of the third and fourth clients of the second plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker by the packet-switched conferencing server;

wherein the mixture of packets are received using an asynchronous transmission method;

(9) converting, by the circuit-switched conferencing server, the first combined audio packet to a format that the first plurality clients can receive;

(10) receiving, by the circuit-switched conferencing server, a first audio packet from the first client and a second audio packet from the second client, wherein the first and second audio packets are received from each of the first plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker by the circuit-switched conferencing server;

(11) mixing the converted first combined audio packet, the first audio packet and the second audio packet into one composite audio packet;

(12) forwarding the composite audio packet to each of the first plurality of clients connected to the circuit-switched conferencing server; and

(13) forwarding, over the connection, the second audio packet to the packet-switched conferencing server, wherein the second audio packet is converted by the circuit-switched conferencing server to a format that the second plurality clients can receive;

wherein the first and second plurality of clients, using varying equipment and protocols, can simultaneously participate in a single audio conference application, wherein the first client receives the composite packet without the composite packet containing an audio packet transmitted from the first client and the second client receives the composite packet without the composite packet containing an audio packet transmitted from the second client;

wherein the packet-switched conferencing server is independent from the circuit-switched conferencing server;

wherein the packet-switched conferencing server keeps a first list of the second plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker and limits a number of active speaking IP-based clients; and

wherein the circuit-switched conferencing server keeps a second list of the first plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker and limits a number of active speaking phone-based clients.

3. A computer program product carrying a computer program and embodied in a computer usable medium comprising hardware memory configured for causing a computer to connect a first plurality of clients connected to a packet-switched conferencing server to a second plurality of clients connected to a circuit-switched conferencing server, said control logic comprising:

first computer readable program code means for causing said computer to establish, by said packet-switched conferencing server, a connection to said circuit-switched conferencing server;

second computer readable program code means for causing said computer to designate said connection as an active speaker on said packet-switched conferencing server;

third computer readable program code means for causing said computer to designate one or more of said first plurality of clients as an active speaker on said packet-switched conferencing server;

fourth computer readable program code means for causing said computer to designate one or more of said second plurality of clients as an active speaker on said circuit-switched conferencing server;

fifth computer readable code means for causing said computer to limit, by said packet-switched conferencing server, one or more of said first plurality of active speaker clients added to said connection;

sixth computer readable program code means for causing said computer to receive, over said connection, a first audio packet from said circuit-switched conferencing server, wherein said first audio packet is a mixture of packets received from each of said second plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker by said circuit-switched conferencing server and is converted by the circuit-switched conferencing server to a format that the first plurality clients can receive;

seventh computer readable program code means for causing said computer to forward said first audio packet to each of said first plurality of clients connected to said packet-switched conferencing server;

eighth computer readable program code means for causing said computer to receive, by said packet-switched conferencing server, a plurality of audio packets, wherein said plurality of audio packets comprises a second audio packet from each of said first plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker by said packet-switched conferencing server;

wherein said plurality of audio packets are received using an asynchronous transmission method;

ninth computer readable program code means for causing said computer to forward, over said connection, said second audio packet to said circuit-switched conferencing server;

wherein the circuit-switched conferencing server converts the second audio packet to a format that the second plurality of clients can receive;

whereby said first and second plurality of clients, using varying equipment and protocols, can simultaneously participate in a single audio conference application;

whereby said packet-switched conferencing server is independent from said circuit-switched conferencing server;

whereby said packet-switched conferencing server keeps a first list of said first plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker, and limits a number of active speaking IP-based clients,

wherein the circuit-switched conferencing server keeps a second list of the second plurality of clients who have been designated as an active speaker and limits a number of active speaking phone-based clients; and

wherein each client of the second plurality of clients receives said second audio packet without the second audio packet containing an audio packet transmitted from the each client of the second plurality of clients used to make up the second audio packet, thereby eliminating echo in the transmission.

4. (canceled)