Remote confidence testing for computer-based conferencing system

• US 5,506,832 A
• Filed: 03/27/1995
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Watts, Kevin, Arshi, Taymoor, Prakash, Alok, Evans, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLUM, RUSSELL
• Application Number:
  US08/411,300
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 370/13, 370/14, 370/62, 370/85.1, 370/85.2, 370/85.3, 370/85.4, 370/85.5, 370/85.9, 370/85.11, 370/85.12, 370/85.15, 370/110.1, 379/1, 379/22, 379/27, 379/202, 348/13, 348/15, 348/192, 348/193, 371/15.1, 371/20.1
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/08 Two-way loud-speaking telephone systems with means for conditioning the signal, e.g. for suppressing echoes for one or both directions of traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• 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: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet

Abstract

A conferencing server accepts a conferencing session call from a conferencing node over a communications link. The conferencing server receives a message from the conferencing node requesting confidence testing over the communications link. The conferencing server transmits confidence test signals to the conferencing node over the communications link for playing by the conferencing node. The conferencing server receives a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node. The conferencing server transmits the status of the playing of the confidence test signals to a customer support node.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process for confidence testing of a computer-related product installed in a computer-based conferencing node, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a conferencing session between the conferencing node and a conferencing server over a communications link;

(b) transmitting a message from the conferencing node to the conferencing server requesting confidence testing over the communications link;

(c) receiving confidence test signals by the conferencing node from the conferencing server over the communications link; and

(d) playing, with the conferencing node, the confidence test signals received from the conferencing server.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the confidence test signals comprise audio signals and video signals.

3. The process of claim 1, comprising the further step of transmitting a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node to the conferencing server.

4. The process of claim 1, comprising the further step of storing in the conferencing node a status of the playing of the confidence test signals.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of starting a timer by the conferencing node after transmitting the message of step (b), wherein a failure status occurs if the timer times out before step (c) begins.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting the failure status from the conferencing node to the conferencing server.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the communications link is an ISDN network.

8. A computer system for confidence testing of a computer-related product installed in a computer-based conferencing node, comprising:

(a) means for establishing a conferencing session between the conferencing node and a conferencing server over a communications link;

(b) means for transmitting a message from the conferencing node to the conferencing server requesting confidence testing over the communications link;

(c) means for receiving confidence test signals by the conferencing node from the conferencing server over the communications link; and

(d) means for playing, with the conferencing node, the confidence test signals received from the conferencing server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the confidence test signals comprise audio signals and video signals.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for transmitting a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node to the conferencing server.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for storing in the conferencing node a status of the playing of the confidence test signals.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for starting a timer by the conferencing node after transmitting the message of means (b), wherein a failure status occurs if the timer times out before the processing of means (c) begins.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for transmitting the failure status from the conferencing node to the conferencing server.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the communications link is an ISDN network.

15. A computer-implemented process for confidence testing of a computer-related product installed in a computer-based conferencing node, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a conferencing session between the conferencing node and a conferencing server over a communications link;

(b) receiving a message by the conferencing server from the conferencing node requesting confidence testing over the communications link; and

(c) transmitting confidence test signals from the conferencing server to the conferencing node over the communications link for playing by the conferencing node.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the confidence test signals comprise audio signals and video signals.

17. The process of claim 15, comprising the further step of receiving at the conferencing server a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node.

18. The process of claim 17, comprising the further step of transmitting the status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing server to a customer support node.

19. The process of claim 15, wherein the communications link is an ISDN network.

20. A computer system for confidence testing of a computer-related product installed in a computer-based conferencing node, comprising:

(a) means for establishing a conferencing session between the conferencing node and a conferencing server over a communications link;

(b) means for receiving a message by the conferencing server from the conferencing node requesting confidence testing over the communications link; and

(c) means for transmitting confidence test signals from the conferencing server to the conferencing node over the communications link for playing by the conferencing node.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the confidence test signals comprise audio signals and video signals.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for receiving at the conferencing server a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for transmitting the status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing server to a customer support node.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the communications link is an ISDN network.

25. A system for confidence testing of a computer-related product installed in a computer-based conferencing node, comprising:

(a) one or more conferencing servers; and

(b) a customer support node electrically connected to the one or more conferencing servers, wherein;

a conferencing server of the one or more conferencing servers accepts a conferencing session call from a conferencing node over a communications link;

the conferencing server receives a message from the conferencing node requesting confidence testing over the communications link;

the conferencing server transmits confidence test signals to the conferencing node over the communications link for playing by the conferencing node;

the conferencing server receives a status of the playing of the confidence test signals from the conferencing node; and

the conferencing server transmits the status of the playing of the confidence test signals to the customer support node.

26. The system of claim 25, comprising:

two or more conferencing servers electrically interconnected by a local area network; and

a hub electrically connected to the two or more conferencing servers, wherein the hub distributes conferencing session calls from conferencing nodes to the two or more conferencing servers.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the confidence test signals comprise audio signals and video signals.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the communications link is an ISDN network.