Method and means for interactive audio and video conferencing

• US 4,360,827 A
• Filed: 06/02/1981
• Issued: 11/23/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Teleconferencing Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Darome
• Inventors: Braun, Daryl
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard
• Application Number:
  US06/269,461
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 358/85, 358/149, 358/143, 358/185, 179/1 CN, 179/18 BC, 179/2 TV, 455/12, 455/13
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• 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: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A method and system for establishing an interactive audio and video conference. A plurality of geographically dispersed interactive sites are connected via the ordinary message telephone system to a central conferencing bridge. The bridge mixes the audio signals received from any of the interactive sites and distributes it to all such sites. The video signal is created in a television studio and transmitted as a conventional television signal via satellite. Steps are taken to bring the moderator at the studio site into the interactive conference while avoiding the echo problems which would normally be created. Moderator audio is conveyed to the bridge site via ordinary telephone lines where it is delayed by a period sufficient to compensate for the difference between satellite and telephone transmission times. The so-delayed signal is added to the mix such that moderator audio is received at each interactive site in synchronism with the satellite received video. A mix minus moderator signal is created at the bridge site and transmitted via ordinary telephone lines to the studio for reception by the moderator and for transmission in the TV signal to non-interactive sites.

Claims

1. A method of establishing an interactive audio and video conference in which the video signal is transmitted to the interactive sites via satellite, comprising the steps of:

connecting a plurality of interactive sites by means of telephone lines to a conferencing bridge to create a mix signal, connecting a first and second audio line between a television studio site and the bridge site, delaying any audio signal received from the studio site via the first audio line by an interval sufficient to compensate for differences between television and telephone transmission time, connecting the delayed audio signal to the bridge for inclusion in the mix signal for transmission via the telephone lines to the interactive sites, and creating a mix minus moderator signal and transmitting that signal via the second audio line to the studio site.

2. A method of establishing an interactive audio and video conference in which the video signal is transmitted to the interactive site via satellite, comprising the steps of connecting a plurality of interactive sites by means of telephone lines to a conferencing bridge to create a mix signal, connecting a first and second audio line between a television studio site and the bridge site, delaying any moderator audio signal received from the studio site via the first audio line by an interval sufficient to compensate for differences between television and telephone transmission time, coupling the delayed moderator signal to the bridge in such a way as to create (1) a mix with delayed moderator signal and (2) a mix minus moderator signal, sending via the connected telephone lines the mix with delayed moderator signal to all interactive sites, and sending via the second audio line the mix minus moderator signal to the studio site.

3. A method of synchronizing an audio and video interactive conference in which the video signal is transmitted to the interactive sites via satellite, comprising the steps of:

connecting a conferencing bridge via a plurality of telephone lines to a plurality of interactive sites to create a mix signal, receiving via an audio line from a television studio site the moderator audio portion of the television signal, delaying the moderator signal to compensate for satellite transmission delays, supplying the delayed moderator signal to the bridge to create (1) a mix with delayed moderator signal and (2) a mix minus moderator signal, sending the mix with delayed moderator signal on the telephone lines to the interactive sites for reception thereby in time synchronization with a received television signal, and transmitting via a second audio line to the studio site the mix minus moderator signal so that the delayed moderator signal is not echoed to the studio site for retransmission.

4. A method of synchronizing an interactive audio and video conference comprising the steps of:

at a studio site transmitting a television signal including video and audio information to a communication satellite for retransmission to earth, sending the audio portion of the television signal via an audio line to a bridge site;

at the bridge site receiving via a plurality of telephone lines interactive audio signals from a plurality of interactive sites, receiving the audio signal from the audio line connected to the studio site and delaying the last mentioned audio signal by an amount sufficient to compensate for satellite transmission delays, mixing the delayed signal with the received interactive signals for sending to the interactive sites via the telephone lines, creating a mix minus moderator signal and coupling said signal to a further audio line connecting the bridge to the studio site for transmission in the television signal,

at the interactive sites receiving the transmitted video signal from the satellite on a television receiver, and receiving the synchronized audio signal via the telephone lines connecting each interactive site to the bridge site, whereby the delay introduced in the audio signal at the bridge site synchronizes the audio and video signals at the interactive sites.

5. A method of synchronizing an audio and video interactive conference in which the video signal is transmitted to the interactive sites via one or more satellite retransmissions, comprising the steps of:

connecting conferencing bridging means via a plurality of telephone lines to a plurality of interactive sites to create a mix signal, receiving via an audio line from a television studio site the moderator audio portion of the television signal, delaying the moderator signal to compensate for a single satellite retransmission thereby to create a single delayed moderator signal, delaying the moderator signal to compensate for a double satellite retransmission thereby to create a twice-delayed moderator signal, supplying both delayed moderator signals to the bridge means to create (1) a mix with single delayed moderator signal, (2) a mix with twice-delayed moderator signal and (3) a mix minus moderator signal, sending the mix with single delayed moderator signal via the associated telephone lines to all of the interactive sites receiving the television signal via a single satellite retransmission, sending the mix with twice-delayed moderaor signal via the associated telephone lines to all of the interactive sites receiving the television signal via two satellite retransmissions, and sending the mix minus moderator signal to the studio site via another audio line, whereby the audio signal is synchronized with the video signal at all interactive sites.

6. In a system for synchronizing an audio and video interactive conference in which the video signal is transmitted to the interactive sites via satellite, the combinaion comprising:

a telephone conferencing bridge for mixing signals from a plurality of interactive sites in real time, delay means for receiving an audio poriton of a television signal from a studio site and introducing a delay sufficient to compensate for satellite transmission delays, means mixing the delayed signal with the mix signal for sending to the interactive sites for reception thereby in synchronism with the received video portion of the television signal, and means for returning the mix signal without the delayed signal to the studio site.

7. In a bridging system for coordinating audio signals from a plurality of interactive sites and a television studio site with received video signals originating at the studio site and transmitted to the interactive sites via satellite, the combination comprising:

a conferencing bridge, a plurality of telephone lines connecting the interactive sites and the studio site to the bridge site, means at the bridge site for delaying the moderator audio signal received via the telephone line from the studio site by an interval sufficient to compensate for the difference between satellite transmission and telephone transmission time, means coupling the delayed moderator signal to the bridge for producing a mix with delayed moderator signal for transmission to each of the interactive sites via the associated telephone lines, means for creating a mix minus moderator signal for transmission via the associated telephone line to the studio site, whereby the telephone line transmitted moderator signal arrives at the interactive sites in synchronism with the satellite transmitted video signal.

8. An interactive audio and video conferencing system comprising in combination:

a studio site associated with an up-link for transmitting a television signal containing moderator video and audio signals;

a plurality of interactive sites, at least some of which are associated with down-links for receiving the moderator video signal;

a telephone conferencing bride for connecting a plurality of telephone lines in an audio conference circuit;

means including a telephone line operating in simplex fashion for conveying the moderator audio signal from the studio site to the bridge, means for delaying the moderator audio signal by an interval sufficient to compensate for the difference between satellite and telephone transmission times and coupling the delayed moderator signal to the bridge for creating a mix with delayed moderator signal, means including a telephone line operating in simplex fashion between the bridge and the studio site for creating and conveying a mix minus moderator signal from the bridge to the studio site, and means at the bridge for sending via telephone lines the mix with delayed moderator signal to all of the interactive sites, thereby to synchronize the audio signal so conveyed with the received television video signal.

9. The system set out in claim 8 further including a plurality of non-interactive sites associated with down-link means for receiving television video and audio signals transmitted from studio up-link, the received audio signal including the transmitted moderator audio signal originating at said studio site and the mix minus moderator signal received from the bridge site, whereby said non-interactive sites receive all of the information in the interactive conference.

10. In an interactive audio and video conference system, in which a studio site transmits a television signal to a first satellite for distribution to a first group of interactive sites, and a relay station receives and retransmits the signal from the first satellite to a second satellite for retransmission to a second group of interactive sites, a system for coordinating video and audio signals comprising the combination of telephone conferencing bridge means having telephone connections to the first and second groups of interactive sites, the bridge means also having a telephone connection to the studio site for receiving a moderator audio signal therefrom, delay means associated with the bridge means for receiving the moderator signal and producing (1) a single delayed moderator signal delayed by an interval sufficient to compensate for transmission delays from the first satellite, and (2) a twice-delayed moderator signal delayed by an interval sufficient to compensate for transmission delays from both satellites, means for creating a mix with single delayed moderator signal and sending said last mentioned signal to the first group of interactive sites via the associated telephone lines, means for creating a mix with twice-delayed moderator signal and sending said last-mentioned signal to the second group of interactive sites via the associated telephone lines, thereby to coordinate the moderator signal sent via telephone lines with the video signal transmitted via satellite.