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Multi-speaker conferencing over narrowband channels

  • US 5,317,567 A
  • Filed: 09/12/1991
  • Issued: 05/31/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A process of facilitating multispeaker conferencing for users of a digitally encoded voice system, wherein each of said users is capable of outputting encoded digital voice signals in a bit stream at a system data rate, wherein said process comprises the steps of:

  • counting a number of active conferees to produce thereby a count number N, said active conferences being users of said digitally encoded voice system which are speaking when said counting step is performed;

    compressing each of the encoded digital voice signals produced by said active conferees down to a plurality of compressed digital signals which each have a compressed data rate, wherein said counting and compressing steps are performed using a microprocessor which is electrically connected to each of said users of said digitally encoded voice system using telephone lines and a plurality of modem units, wherein said microprocessor is programmed to perform as a conferencing bridge and to perform said counting and compressing steps, wherein said compressing step comprises digitally compressing each of said encoded digital voice signals into said compressed digital signals such that their compressed data rate has a bit rate given by SDR/N, where SDR is the system data rate, and N is the number of active conferees;

    a digital signal summation step, in which the compressed digital signals are combined to output thereby a combined compressed digital signal which is transmitted to said users at the system data rate; and

    decoding said combined compressed digital signal to output thereby an artificial voice signal to said users of the digitally encoded voice system, wherein said artificial voice signal represents voices of all the active conferees which are speaking.

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