Video teleconferencing for networked workstations
First Claim
1. Video teleconferencing apparatus for a distributed data processing system having a plurality of computer workstations connected by a digital data local area network, the computer workstations comprising:
- a) source means for a local workstation to send audio and video data across the digital data local area network connecting the computer workstations as digital data packets to a remote workstation;
b) receiver means for the local workstation to receive audio and video data from across the digital data local area network as digital data packets sent from source means of the remote workstation;
wherein the source means of the local workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the remote workstation over one variable bandwidth digital data connection, and the source means of the remote workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the local workstation over another variable bandwidth digital data connection.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A video teleconferencing method and apparatus for computer workstations connected by a digital data network includes a transmission source portion for a local workstation to send audio and video teleconference data across the network to one or more remote workstations, and, a receiver for the local workstation to receive audio and video teleconference data back from the remote workstations. The local workstation sends teleconference data to each of the remote workstations over a variable bandwidth digital data connection, and each of the remote workstations returns teleconference data back to the local workstation over another variable bandwidth digital data connection. The transmission source portion includes a master software process executing on the local workstation, and the receiver includes a slave software process executing the remote workstation. The master process of a local workstation causes execution of a slave process on a remote workstation for receiving video teleconference data from the local workstation. An audio data transmitter for sends an audio data stream to the remote workstation such that the audio data can be reconstructed into a continuous audio signal. A video transmitter sends video data so that each frame of video data to be sent is inserted into the audio data stream without affecting the continuity of the reconstructed audio signal at the remote workstation.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. Video teleconferencing apparatus for a distributed data processing system having a plurality of computer workstations connected by a digital data local area network, the computer workstations comprising:
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a) source means for a local workstation to send audio and video data across the digital data local area network connecting the computer workstations as digital data packets to a remote workstation; b) receiver means for the local workstation to receive audio and video data from across the digital data local area network as digital data packets sent from source means of the remote workstation; wherein the source means of the local workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the remote workstation over one variable bandwidth digital data connection, and the source means of the remote workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the local workstation over another variable bandwidth digital data connection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. Video teleconferencing apparatus for a distributed data processing system having a plurality of computer workstations connected by a digital data network, the computer workstations comprising:
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a) source means for a local workstation to send audio and video data across the digital data network as digital data packets to a remote workstation, including audio transmission means for sending an audio data stream from the local workstation to the remote workstation via the digital data network such that the audio data can be reconstructed by the remote workstation into a continuous audio signal, and video transmission means for sending video data from the local workstation to the remote workstation via the digital data network such that each frame of video data sent to the remote workstation is inserted into the audio data stream by the local workstation without affecting the continuity of the reconstructed audio signal at the remote workstation; b) receiver means for the local workstation to receive audio and video data from across the digital data network as digital data packets sent from source means of the remote workstation; wherein the source means of the local workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the remote workstation over one variable bandwidth digital data connection, and the source means of the remote workstation sends audio and video data to the receiver means of the local workstation over another variable bandwidth digital data connection. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for sending audio and video data between a plurality of video teleconferencing workstations connected by a digital data network, comprising the steps of
a) sending an audio data stream from a local workstation to a remote workstation via the digital data network such that the audio data stream can be reconstructed by the remote workstation into a continuous audio signal, and b) sending video data from the local workstation to the remote workstation via the digital data network such that each frame of video data sent to the remote workstation is inserted into the audio data stream by the local workstation without affecting the continuity of the reconstructed audio signal at the remote workstation.
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24. A video teleconferencing computer workstation, comprising:
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a video frame grabber for generating local video data by digitizing analog video signals received from a video source, and for accumulating the local video data to provide frames of the local video data; a video buffer for receiving and temporarily storing the frames of local video data; an audio controller for generating local audio data by digitizing a live audio signal from an audio source; and a network controller for transmitting the local audio data and the frames of local video data, temporarily stored by the video buffer, to a remote computer workstation via a first one-way variable bandwidth digital data connection providing a first virtual circuit connection across a digital data network. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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35. A method for maintaining a video teleconference in a distributed computer system including at least three computers and a network linking the computers for transporting data packets between the computers, the method comprising:
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maintaining two variable bandwidth digital data connections, one in each direction between every pair of the computers; each one of the computers generating audio and video teleconferencing data; and each one of the computers transmitting the audio and video teleconferencing data to other ones of the computers via the variable bandwidth digital connections. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification