Multimedia communication apparatus

• US 5,381,412 A
• Filed: 09/11/1992
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Otani, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US07/944,075
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 370/77, 370/79, 370/85.7, 370/95.1, 370/110.1, 370/112, 370/118, 370/84, 379/53, 379/54, 379/93, 379/96, 358/85, 358/142, 358/143, 358/146, 348/14, 348/552
• US Class Current: 370/391
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/24 Systems for the transmission of television signals using pulse code modulation H04N21/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/54 the signals being synchronous H04N21/23602, H04N21/23614, H04N21/2365, H04N21/2368, H04N21/4341, H04N21/4342, H04N21/4347, H04N21/4348 take precedence

Abstract

A multimedia communication apparatus can perform communication while multiplexing multimedia information comprising voice information, video information, data and the like. If the transmission rate of video information in a first channel is greater than a predetermined value, a new additional channel is not connected even if a plurality of channels are connectable. It is thereby possible to automatically set the minimum number of channels necessary for the communication of video information, and to prevent setting of an unnecessary additional channel.

Claims

1. A multimedia communication apparatus for communicating with a destination apparatus, said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus each having a respective capability to transmit and receive data within predetermined limits, and each being operable in any one of a respective plurality of communication modes for transmitting and receiving data within the limits set by the respective capability, wherein in each communication mode, at least one channel for data communication is set, said communication apparatus comprising:

data communication means for communicating first and second data to the destination apparatus, the first data being a different kind of data from the second data;

determination means for determining which of the communication modes can be used to communicate data between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, to designate one communication mode that can be so used, and to set the communication apparatus to operate in the designated communication mode, the determination being made in accordance with the capability of the destination apparatus and the capability of said communication apparatus;

setting means connected to said determination means and responsive to the determination and the designation of the determination means for setting at least a first channel having a structure defining how data is communicated therein between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus; and

comparison means connected to said determination means and said setting means for deriving a transmission rate at which said first data can be communicated within the first channel in accordance with the structure of the first channel, and for comparing the derived transmission rate with a defined value indicative of a sufficient transmission rate of said first data within the first channel,

wherein said setting means does not set a second channel between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, even if a second channel is settable within the designated communication mode, when the derived transmission rate is greater than the defined value.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first data comprises image data and the second data comprises voice data, and wherein said data communication means communicates the image data and the voice data while multiplexing these data.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means sets the second channel if the derived transmission rate is smaller than the defined value and if the second channel is settable.

4. A multimedia communication apparatus for communicating with a destination apparatus, said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus each having a respective capability to transmit and receive data within predetermined limits, and each being operable in any one of a respective plurality of communication modes for transmitting and receiving data within the limits set by the respective capability, wherein in each communication mode, at least one channel for data communication is set, said communication apparatus comprising:

data communication means for communicating first and second data to the destination apparatus, the first data being a different kind of data from the second data;

first setting means for setting a first channel having a structure defining how data is to be communicated therein between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, and for enabling communication of the second data within the first channel;

input means operable by a user for inputting an instruction to start transmission of the first data within the first channel; and

means for deriving a transmission rate at which the first data can be communicated within the first channel in accordance with the structure of the first channel and the instruction input from said input means,

wherein said data communication means communicates the first data in accordance with the derived transmission rate after the input of the instruction to start communication of the first data.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first data comprises video data and the second data comprises voice data, and wherein said data communication means communicates the video data and the voice data while multiplexing these data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising determination means for determining which of the communication modes can be used to communicate data between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, to designate one communication mode that can be so used, and to set the communication apparatus to operate in the designated communication mode, the determination being made in accordance with the capability of the destination apparatus and the capability of said communication apparatus, and wherein said deriving means derives the derived transmission rate in accordance with the determination of said determination means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising comparison means for comparing the derived transmission rate with a defined value indicative of a sufficient transmission rate of said first data within the first channel, and second setting means for setting a second channel between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus if the derived transmission rate is smaller than the defined value, and if the second channel is settable.

8. A multimedia communication apparatus for communicating with a destination apparatus, said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus each having a respective capability to transmit and receive data within predetermined limits, and each being operable in any one of a respective plurality of communication modes for transmitting and receiving data within the limits set by the respective capability, wherein in each communication mode, at least one channel for data communication is set, said communication apparatus comprising:

data communication means for communicating first and second data to the destination apparatus, the first data being a different kind of data from the second data;

first determination means for determining whether or not turning-off of communication of the first data has been selected during communication of the first and second data by said data communication means in a selected one of the communication modes, said communication apparatus turning-off communication of the first data in response to the selection;

second determination means for determining whether or not a channel for communicating data in the selected communication mode has become vacant by the turning-off of the communication of the first data; and

releasing means for, if said second determination means has determined that a channel has become vacant, releasing the vacant channel from use.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first data comprises video data and the second data comprises voice data, and wherein said data communication means communicates the video data and the voice data while multiplexing these data.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising third determination means for selecting the selected communication mode by determining which of the communication modes can be used to communicate data between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, to designate one communication mode that can be so used, and to set the communication apparatus to operate in the designated communication mode, the determination being made in accordance with the capability of the destination apparatus and the capability of said communication apparatus.

11. A multimedia communication apparatus for communicating with a destination apparatus, said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus each being operable in any one of a plurality of communication modes for data communication, comprising:

data communication means for communicating first and second data to the destination apparatus, the first data being a different kind of data from the second data;

determination means for determining whether said communication apparatus is at a calling side for transmitting data or at a reception side for receiving data;

first setting means for setting said communication apparatus to operate in a first one of the plurality of communication modes which allows transmission of the first and second data by said data communication means if said communication apparatus is at the calling side;

second setting means for setting said communication apparatus to operate in a second one of the plurality of communication modes which allows transmission of the first data by said data communication means if said communication apparatus is at the reception side; and

third setting means for setting said communication apparatus to operate in a third one of the plurality of communication modes which allows transmission of the first and second data if transmission of the first data is selected according to an instruction input by an operator after the second mode has been set by said second setting means.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first data comprises video data and the second data comprises voice data, and wherein said data communication means communicates the video data and the voice data while multiplexing these data.

13. A multimedia communication apparatus for communicating with a destination apparatus, said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus each having a respective capability to transmit and receive data within predetermined limits, and each being operable in any one of a respective plurality of communication modes for transmitting and receiving data within the limits set by the respective capability, comprising:

data communication means for communicating first and second data to the destination apparatus, the first data being a different kind of data from the second data;

selection means for selecting turning-on or turning-off of transmission of the first data to the destination apparatus, said selecting means having an on-state in which it can make a selection and an off-state it which it cannot make a selection;

detection means connected to said selection means for detecting a start of transmission;

setting means for setting said selection means to the on-state when said detection means has detected the start of the transmission;

determination means for determining which of the communication modes can be used to communicate data between said communication apparatus and the destination apparatus, to designate one communication mode that can be so used, and to set the communication apparatus to operate in the designated communication mode, the determination being made in accordance with the capability of the destination apparatus and the capability of said communication apparatus; and

control means for keeping said selection means in the on-state up until a time when said determination means designates a communication mode.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first data comprises video data and the second data comprises voice data, and wherein said data communication means communicates the video data and the voice data while multiplexing these data.