Multimedia conferencing using parallel networks

• US 5,916,302 A
• Filed: 12/06/1996
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Edith Helen, Toohey, James J., Harrison, Colin George, Dunn, James M., Willner, Barry Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Hieu C.
• Application Number:
  US08/761,249
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 395/200.58, 348/14, 348/15, 348/16, 348/17, 706/246, 706/275, 370/259, 370/260, 370/351, 365/189.01, 379/202
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A conference server system, for internal use in the public switched telephone network (PSTN), links to public data communication networks (e.g. the Internet) for distributing computer displayable data between participants in voice telephone conferences. The server system includes a computer sub-system for storing data generated by the participants and distributing the data in coordination with voice presentations of respective participants. Data so stored and distributed includes computer-displayable data. Other data handled by the computer subsystem represents commands and functional requests issued by participants which pertain to the handling of computer-displayable data and voice parameters of the conference. Conference participants, having separate and concurrent access to both the PSTN and the data network, receive and view computer-displayable data prepared by one of the participants in coordination with the respective voice conference. The conference server system connects to voice conference management resources of the PSTN in a manner enabling the server system to control voice parameters of a voice conference in response to data requests received from participants (e.g. requests from hearing-impaired participants for enhanced audio service), as well as enabling the conference management resources to control functions performed in respect to distribution of displayable data in response to spoken requests uttered by the participants, when the telephone system contains appropriate speech recognition equipment. Telephone system conferences utilizing the present conference server system have the advantage of being usable to support voice-only and/or data-only participants (participants respectively linked to only the voice or data distribution parts of a conference session), as well as to provide conference service between exactly two participants which may be more effective than comparable services that the same two participants would obtain using a direct dial-up telephone connection for voice and a public data network connection completely isolated from the voice conference management resources of the PSTN to exchange data.

Claims

1. A voice and video conferencing system, for the public switched telephone network (PSTN), said PSTN having conferencing circuits entirely internal thereto for routing analog voice signals between end users of said PSTN, and also having conference management facilities entirely internal thereto for managing operations in said conferencing circuits to provide conference connections between said end users;

said conferencing system comprising;

a conference server communicating with said conference management facilities to form an extended conference management facility operating as an internal part of said PSTN;

said conference server having controlling connections to both said internal conferencing circuits and a data communication network external to said PSTN;

said controlling connections enabling said conference server to direct transfers of data signals through said external network in coordination with a voice conference instantly established in said internal conferencing circuits;

said data being transferred in parallel through said external data network, between participants to said established voice conference having connections to said external network, in coordination with voice signals transmitted between said participants through said internal conferencing circuits;

said data being transferred including data representing displayable video images and data representing functional requests and commands issued by individual said participants and requiring attention by said extended conference management system;

said functional requests including data transfer requests, routed from a said participant to said conference server, to have said conference server manage distribution of data representing said displayable video images, said image data having been previously furnished to said conference server by a participant issuing the request, to other said participants;

said controlling connections and requests being used to have said extended conference management facility distribute said data representing said displayable video images between said conference participants in coordination with a vocal presentation instantly being made by a requesting participant;

said controlling connections, requests, and commands further being used for having said extended conference management facility perform controlling functions relative to both said internal conferencing circuits and said external data network.

2. A voice and data conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said controlling connections between said conference server and both said conferencing circuits and conference management facilities are used, in response to certain said functional requests, to signal said conference management facilities to vary conditions of operation in said conferencing circuits.

3. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said PSTN includes:

speaker-independent speech-recognition means linked to said conferencing circuits for detecting spoken commands and functional requests uttered by said participants; and

means linking said speech-recognition means to said conference server for enabling said conference server to execute controlling functions relative to said external data network in response to said spoken commands; and

wherein said conference server comprises;

means responsive to signals received from said speech-recognition means for distributing individual pages of said displayable image data to said participants and for performing other functions relevant to said voice conference of aid participants.

4. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said signals to said conference management facilities to vary conditions in said conferencing circuits are used to cause the telephone connection of a said conference participant to be changed so as to enable the respective participant to change between wired and wireless channels of connection to said PSTN without interrupting continuity of a currently active conference.

5. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said signals to said conference management facilities to vary conditions in said conferencing circuits are used to effectively vary the volume of sound currently being delivered to a telephone receiver used by one of said participants.

6. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said controlling connections between said conference server and said conferencing circuits are useful to enable said conference server to transfer signals representing voice and video information between said internal conferencing circuits and voice and video handling equipment connected to said external data network, and also to enable said conference server to transfer signals representing video data between said video handling equipments connected to said external data network;

thereby enabling PSTN end users lacking connections to said data network to send and receive data relative to the data network via the PSTN.

7. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said external data network is a public data network that is accessible to any member of the public complying with requirements of the respective network.

8. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said conference server is effective to form a circuit path between said internal conferencing circuits in said PSTN and said external data network for selectively routing signals representing both voice and data between said conferencing circuits and said external data network.

9. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said circuit path formed by said conference server enables said PSTN and external data network to support conferences between conference participants having different equipment and different communication connections including but not limited to any and all of the following:

a participant having a conventional telephone linked to the PSTN and a computer separately linked to said external data network;

a participant having only a conventional telephone linked to the PSTN;

a participant having only a computer linked to said external data network;

said computer unequipped for handling voice;

a participant having only a computer linked to said external data network;

said computer being equipped for handling both voice and data transmissions relative to the respective participant;

a participant having only a device linked to said external network;

said device being equipped only for handling voice communications relative to the respective participant; and

a participant having only a computer linked to said PSTN;

said computer being equipped for handling both voice and data transmissions relative to said PSTN.

10. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said PSTN includes speaker-independent speech recognition means connected to said conferencing circuits for responding to voice commands uttered by said conference participants and said connections between said conference server and said conferencing circuits and said conference management facilities are effective to link said conference server to said speech recognition means.

11. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 10 wherein said connections between said conference server and said conferencing circuits, said conference management facilities and said speech recognition means are provided by a data communication network internal to said PSTN.

12. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said internal data communication network is a local area network (LAN).

13. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said PSTN includes a modem bank within said PSTN forming signal transmission paths internal to said PSTN but parallel to said conferencing circuits and said conference server includes:

means linking said conference server to said modem bank for routing voice and data signals between said internal conferencing circuits and said modem bank and between said external data network and said modem bank.

14. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said conference server is effective to:

separate voice and data signals received in said modem bank from a single said participant;

route the separated voice signals to said conferencing circuits for connection to telephones of all conference participants having telephones; and

selectively route some of the separated data signals to said conferencing circuits, for delivery to participants having computers directly connected to said PSTN, and route the remaining separated data signals to said external data network for delivery to participants having computers directly connected to said external data network.

15. A conferencing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said conference server and conferencing circuits are jointly effective to allow any of the following actions to be implemented, without telephone operator assistance, relative to said conference between said participants:

add predetermined participants to said conference;

add new participants to said conference on an ad hoc basis;

selectively remove (disconnect) participants from said conference;

display additions of new participants and removal of old participants as they occur;

permit said conference to be sub-divided into plural sub-conferences between subgroups of the participants in said conference;

block portions of a conference relative to a subset of its current participants (e..g. to prevent unauthorized participants for listening to and/or viewing confidential information).

16. A voice and data conferencing system for use exclusively within the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) comprising:

apparatus interfacing between the PSTN and an external data communication network, during a voice conference established in said PSTN, for transferring signals representing voice between internal conferencing circuits of the PSTN and voice transmitting and receiving equipment connected to said external data network, and also for directing transfers of signals representing viewable images related to said voice conference between devices connected to said external data network and between the PSTN and said devices;

said apparatus further being able to coordinate transfers of said viewable image data with said established voice conference so that a party speaking to other participants in said voice conference can have viewable documents presented to said other conference participants in coordination with and in association with what is being said by the speaking party.

17. A method of adapting existing conference management facilities in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to support efficient conferencing of voice and video information, said method comprising:

establishing a server interface internal to the PSTN between said conference management facilities and a data communication network external to the PSTN;

connecting said server interface directly to said conference management facilities and PSTN conferencing circuits controlled by said conference management facilities;

adapting said server interface and said conference management facilities to allow for;

a) routing signals representing video information through said server interface between internal signal transmission circuits in said PSTN and said external data network, wherein said signals are routed between participants in a voice conference instantly established in said conferencing circuits; and

b) coordinating transfers of said video information pertinent to what is being instantly said in said voice conference directly with what is being said in said conference;

thereby enabling an instantly speaking party to said voice conference to present video images pertinent to and in coordination with what the speaking party is instantly saying to other participants in said conference.