System and method for providing videoconferencing services
First Claim
1. A videoconferencing system comprising:
- a plurality of videoconferencing user stations, each user station including a video camera, a microphone, a video display, and a speaker;
a plurality of videoconferencing user station controllers, each of said controllers at one of said videoconferencing user stations controlling said video camera, microphone, video display and speaker and including control applications for controlling signaling and broadband contents information flow to and from said videoconferencing user station; and
a broadband switching network, said network including;
a broadband session controller for communicating with each of said videoconferencing user stations; and
a broadband service control point connected to said broadband session controller, said control point including a database having broadband processing records having information specific to said videoconferencing user stations and a processor for accessing said processing records and for sending to said broadband session controller processing information specific to a user station in response to a trigger;
said broadband session controller including;
means responsive to a videoconferencing request from a calling user station for requesting processing instructions from said broadband service control point;
means responsive to said processing instructions for sending a videoconferencing service request to the videoconferencing user station controller of a called user station; and
means for establishing a broadband connection between said videoconferencing user station controllers of said calling and said called user stations in response to an accept signal from said called user station videoconferencing controller.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A broadband system includes a broadband switch network, a broadband session controller, and a broadband service control point. The broadband network provides connections between information sender/receivers in response to instructions from a broadband service control point or in response to requests originated by an information sender/receiver. The broadband service control point provides processing instructions and/or data to the broadband controller and information sender/receiver. Applications supported by the broadband network include video-on-demand and videoconferencing services for system users. For video-on-demand, a settop controller is associated with a video display of each system user. One or more video information providers ("VIPs") stores video information to be sent to the user'"'"'s settop controller via the broadband switch network. The broadband session controller communicates with the user'"'"'s settop controller and VIPs and requests processing information from the broadband service control point in response to predetermined triggers. The broadband session controller instructs the broadband switch network to establish the broadband connection between the VIP and a predetermined settop controller. For settop controller-based videoconferencing, the settop controller controls cameras, microphones, video displays, and speakers. In addition, an integrated service control point integrates broadband and telephone networks to provide efficient and effective integrated broadband and telephone services. Both broadband and telephone services can be provisioned via a video interface at a user'"'"'s remote location. Also, the integrated network provides unique caller identification delivery services.
120 Citations
2 Claims
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1. A videoconferencing system comprising:
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a plurality of videoconferencing user stations, each user station including a video camera, a microphone, a video display, and a speaker; a plurality of videoconferencing user station controllers, each of said controllers at one of said videoconferencing user stations controlling said video camera, microphone, video display and speaker and including control applications for controlling signaling and broadband contents information flow to and from said videoconferencing user station; and a broadband switching network, said network including; a broadband session controller for communicating with each of said videoconferencing user stations; and a broadband service control point connected to said broadband session controller, said control point including a database having broadband processing records having information specific to said videoconferencing user stations and a processor for accessing said processing records and for sending to said broadband session controller processing information specific to a user station in response to a trigger; said broadband session controller including; means responsive to a videoconferencing request from a calling user station for requesting processing instructions from said broadband service control point; means responsive to said processing instructions for sending a videoconferencing service request to the videoconferencing user station controller of a called user station; and means for establishing a broadband connection between said videoconferencing user station controllers of said calling and said called user stations in response to an accept signal from said called user station videoconferencing controller.
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2. In a videoconferencing network including a plurality of videoconferencing user stations, a plurality of videoconferencing user station controllers having control applications for controlling signaling and broadband contents information flow to and from the videoconferencing user station, and a broadband switching network including a broadband session controller and a broadband service control point having a database of broadband processing records having information specific to each user station, a method for providing videoconferencing comprising the steps of:
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requesting, at a calling party'"'"'s user station controller, a videoconference with a called party; requesting processing information from the broadband service control point in response to said videoconference request; executing a broadband processing record at the broadband service control point in response to said processing information request; sending a videoconference session request signal to a called party'"'"'s user station controller in response to the broadband processing record execution request; and establishing a videoconference connection between said calling party'"'"'s user station controller and said called party'"'"'s user station controller in response to an accept signal from said called party'"'"'s user station controller.
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Specification