Multimedia conference call providing adjustable bandwidth for individual communication terminals
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling a multimedia conference call between a plurality of telecommunication terminals interconnected by a switching system having a plurality of switch nodes and one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals controlling the conference call, the method comprising the steps of:
- implementing the conference call on first one of the plurality of switch nodes;
interconnecting each of the plurality of telecommunication terminals to the first one of the plurality of switch nodes by a communication path through the plurality of switch nodes where each communication path is through one or more of the plurality of switch nodes;
providing a plurality of communication types on the first one of the plurality of switch nodes;
managing the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals by a terminal management application being executed by the first one of the plurality switch nodes;
receiving by the terminal management application all message transmitted to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals;
transmitting to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals by an individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals a first message to change the communication bandwidth varying the number of communication types on a first communication path used by the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals; and
changing in response to the first message only the number of communication types that the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals uses to participate in the multimedia conference call by the switch nodes throughout the first communication path and by the first one of the plurality of switch nodes.
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Abstract
Providing multimedia conference calls with communication type conversion for changing types of communication terminals on one multimedia conference call. In addition, users of communication terminals can change communication types during the multimedia conference calls. Also, a set of users can use additional communication types not presently in use by a multimedia conference call to enhance communication among the set of users.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a multimedia conference call between a plurality of telecommunication terminals interconnected by a switching system having a plurality of switch nodes and one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals controlling the conference call, the method comprising the steps of:
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implementing the conference call on first one of the plurality of switch nodes; interconnecting each of the plurality of telecommunication terminals to the first one of the plurality of switch nodes by a communication path through the plurality of switch nodes where each communication path is through one or more of the plurality of switch nodes; providing a plurality of communication types on the first one of the plurality of switch nodes; managing the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals by a terminal management application being executed by the first one of the plurality switch nodes; receiving by the terminal management application all message transmitted to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals; transmitting to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals by an individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals a first message to change the communication bandwidth varying the number of communication types on a first communication path used by the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals; and changing in response to the first message only the number of communication types that the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals uses to participate in the multimedia conference call by the switch nodes throughout the first communication path and by the first one of the plurality of switch nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for controlling changes in communication bandwidth for a plurality of communication paths of a multimedia conference call with each communication path interconnecting one of a plurality of telecommunication terminals into the multimedia conference call that is established on a switching system and the switching system being capable of providing a plurality of multimedia functions for the multimedia conference call with each of the plurality of multimedia functions requiring communication bandwidth, the method comprising the steps of:
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using by all of the plurality of telecommunication terminals in the multimedia conference call a set of the plurality of multimedia functions; receiving by the switching system a first message to increase the communication bandwidth on a first one of the plurality of the communication paths transmitted to one of the plurality of communication terminals controlling the multimedia conference call where the first one of the plurality of communication paths interconnects a first one of the plurality of communication terminals to the switching system; increasing the communication bandwidth on the first one of the plurality of communication paths by the switching system thereby giving an additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions not in the set of the plurality of multimedia functions to the first one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals; receiving by the switching system a second message to increase the communication bandwidth on a second one of the plurality of the communication paths transmitted to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals where the second one of the plurality of communication paths interconnects a second one of the plurality of communication terminals to the switching system; and increasing the communication bandwidth on the second one of the plurality of communication paths by the switching system thereby giving the additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions to the second one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals and allowing the first and second ones of the plurality of telecommunication terminals to communicate jointly using the additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions while still communicating with the other ones of the plurality of telecommunication terminals using the set of multimedia functions. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for controlling a multimedia conference call between a plurality of telecommunication terminals interconnected by a switching system having a plurality of switch nodes and one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals controlling the conference call, comprising:
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means for implementing the conference call on first one of the plurality of switch nodes; means for interconnecting each of the plurality of telecommunication terminals to the first one of the plurality of switch nodes by a communication path through the plurality of switch nodes where each communication path is through one or more of the plurality of switch nodes; means for providing a plurality of communication types on the first one of the plurality of switch nodes; means in a terminal management application being executed in the first one of the plurality of switch nodes for managing the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals; means in a terminal management application for receiving all message transmitted to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals; means in an individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals for transmitting to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals a first message to change the communication bandwidth varying the number of communication types on a first communication path used by the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals; and means in the switch nodes throughout the first communication path and in the first one of the plurality of switch nodes for changing in response to the first message only the number of communication types that the individual one of the remaining ones of the plurality of communication terminals uses to participate in the multimedia conference call. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for controlling changes in communication bandwidth for a plurality of communication paths of a multimedia conference call with each communication path interconnecting one of a plurality of telecommunication terminals into the multimedia conference call that is established on a switching system and the switching system being capable of providing a plurality of multimedia functions for the multimedia conference call with each of the plurality of multimedia functions requiring communication bandwidth, comprising:
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means in all of the plurality of telecommunication terminals for using in the multimedia conference call a set of the plurality of multimedia functions; means in the switching system for receiving a first message to increase the communication bandwidth on a first one of the plurality of the communication paths transmitted to one of the plurality of communication terminals controlling the multimedia conference call where the first one of the plurality of communication paths interconnects a first one of the plurality of communication terminals to the switching system; means in the switching system for increasing the communication bandwidth on the first one of the plurality of communication paths thereby giving an additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions not in the set of the plurality of multimedia functions to the first one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals; means in the switching system for receiving a second message to increase the communication bandwidth on a second one of the plurality of the communication paths transmitted to the controlling one of the plurality of communication terminals where the second one of the plurality of communication paths interconnects a second one of the plurality of communication terminals to the switching system; and means in the switching system for increasing the communication bandwidth on the second one of the plurality of communication paths thereby giving the additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions to the second one of the plurality of telecommunication terminals and allowing the first and second ones of the plurality of telecommunication terminals to communicate jointly using the additional one of the plurality of multimedia functions while still communicating with the other ones of the plurality of telecommunication terminals using the set of multimedia functions. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification