Audio to video switchover in video conferencing

• US 5,920,693 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Carleton, Allison A., Burkman, Allen P., Seth, Shiv M., Peterson, Paul A., Pommier, Theresa M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/944,017
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 395/200.5, 370/260, 379/202
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The invention concerns placing an exploratory telephone call to a party, using a first telephone channel, in order to inquire whether the party wishes to hold a video conference. If the party does, the caller then actuates the invention, which establishes an initial video conference on a second data channel, without disrupting the existing telephone call. Then, after the video conference has been established, the exploratory telephone call is terminated, and the first channel is used to carry the video conference data, along with the second channel.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system enabling multiple computers to share an application program, each of the computers coupled to a display, the system comprising:

a telephone line for linking the computers, the telephone line having first and second channels;

multiple telephones, each of the telephones electronically coupled to the telephone line;

first transmission means for establishing a bi-directional audio connection on the first channel for transferring audio signals between the multiple telephones electronically coupled to the telephone line using the first channel as an audio channel;

conferencing means, performed by one of the computers, comprising;

execution means for executing the application program that is to be shared by each of the computers, wherein the application program runs on one computer and no other computer; and

second transmission means for establishing a bi-directional data connection for transmitting image data from the application program to each of the other computers using the second channel as a data channel;

switchover means electronically coupled to one of the telephones, the computer performing the conferencing means, and the telephone line, for incorporating the audio signals from the audio connection into the data connection to generate merged data, for terminating the audio connection on the first channel, and for switching the data connection to use the first channel as a data channel and the second channel as a data channel without substantial interruption of the transfer of the audio signals and image data between the multiple computers; and

displaying means, performed by each of the other computers, comprising;

receiving means for receiving the merged data; and

restricting means for selectively restricting the display of the received data on the display coupled to the computer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second channels each have a data capacity of approximately 64,000 bits per second.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the audio signals have a bandwidth of approximately 3,000 Hz.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data connection is established after the audio connection has been established without substantial interruption of the audio connection.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the switchover means automatically terminates the audio connection immediately upon establishing the data connection.

6. A method for enabling multiple computers to share an application program, one of the computers being a host computer that is the only computer executing the application program to be shared, each of the computers being coupled to a display, a memory, and a telephone line having first and second channels, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a bi-directional audio connection for transferring audio signals multiple telephones that are coupled to the telephone line using the first channel as an audio channel;

establishing, in the memory coupled to the host computer, a bi-directional data connection for transferring image data from the application program between the multiple computers using the second channel as a data channel;

incorporating, in the memory coupled to the host computer, the audio signals from the audio connection into the data connection so that the merged data is transferred over the second channel to each of the other computers;

automatically terminating, in the memory coupled to the host computer, the audio connection on the first channel;

switching, in the memory coupled to the host computer, the data connection to use the first channel as a data channel and the second channel as a data channel without substantial interruption of the transfer of the audio signals and image data between the multiple computers; and

receiving, in the memory coupled to each of the other computers, the merged data from the host computer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second channels each have a data capacity of approximately 64,000 bits per second.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the audio signals have a bandwidth of approximately 3,000 Hz.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the data connection is established after the audio connection has been established without substantial interruption of the audio connection.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of automatically terminating the audio connection is performed immediately after establishing the data connection.

11. One or more program storage devices readable by a computer having a memory and coupled to a data storage device, each of the program storage devices tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by a computer to perform method steps for enabling multiple computers to share an application program, one of the computers being a host computer that is the only computer executing the application program to be shared, each of the computers being coupled to a display and a telephone line having first and second channels, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a bi-directional audio connection for transferring audio signals between multiple telephones that are coupled to the telephone line using the first channel as an audio channel;

establishing a bi-directional data connection for transferring image data from the application program between the multiple computers using the second channel as a data channel;

incorporating the audio signals from the audio connection into the data connection so that the merged data is transferred over the second channel to each of the other computers;

automatically terminating the audio connection on the first channel;

switching the data connection to use the first channel as a data channel and the second channel as a data channel without substantial interruption of the transfer of the audio signals and image data between the multiple computers; and

receiving, in the memory coupled to each of the other computers, the merged data from the host computer.

12. The one or more program storage devices of claim 11 wherein the first and second channels each have a data capacity of approximately 64,000 bits per second.

13. The one or more program storage devices of claim 11 wherein the audio signals have a bandwidth of approximately 3,000 Hz.

14. The one or more program storage devices of claim 11 wherein the data connection is established after the audio connection has been established without substantial interruption of the audio connection.

15. The one or more program storage devices of claim 11 wherein the step of automatically terminating the audio connection is performed immediately after establishing the data connection.