Videoconference system
First Claim
1. A multipoint videoconference system constructed on an ATM network, comprising:
- first communications channels established as part of the ATM network;
second communications channels established as part of the ATM network, having transmission rates lower than those of said first communication channels;
a plurality of videoconference terminals each of which comprises;
transmission means for transmitting video and voice signals over said first communications channels, and material data signals over said second communications channels, wherein the material data signals convey still images, text data, and mouse position data which are produced locally at each said videoconference terminal,reception means for receiving rearranged video and voice signals sent over said first communications channels, and receiving collected material data signals sent over said second communications channels, anddisplay means for displaying images produced from the collected material data signals received by said reception means on a monitor screen, together with motion images produced from the rearranged video and voice signals received by said reception means;
a videoconference server which rearranges the video and voice signals, and the material data signals received from said plurality of videoconference terminals over said first and second communications channels, and sends the rearranged video and voice signals and the collected material data signals back to the plurality of videoconference terminals via said first and second communications channels, respectively; and
a videoconference administration server which controls network connections between said videoconference server and said plurality of videoconference terminals.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multipoint videoconference system which efficiently delivers video and voice information along with various types of material data to realize a more realistic teleconferencing environment. The system comprises a plurality of videoconference terminals, a videoconference server, and a videoconference administration server. Each videoconference terminal transmits a video signal, a voice signal, and a material data signal over an ATM network. The videoconference server rearranges the video signals, the voice signals, and the material data signals received from the plurality of videoconference terminals. It sends the rearranged signals back to the videoconference terminals via the ATM network. The videoconference administration server controls network connections between the videoconference server and the videoconference terminals.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A multipoint videoconference system constructed on an ATM network, comprising:
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first communications channels established as part of the ATM network; second communications channels established as part of the ATM network, having transmission rates lower than those of said first communication channels; a plurality of videoconference terminals each of which comprises; transmission means for transmitting video and voice signals over said first communications channels, and material data signals over said second communications channels, wherein the material data signals convey still images, text data, and mouse position data which are produced locally at each said videoconference terminal, reception means for receiving rearranged video and voice signals sent over said first communications channels, and receiving collected material data signals sent over said second communications channels, and display means for displaying images produced from the collected material data signals received by said reception means on a monitor screen, together with motion images produced from the rearranged video and voice signals received by said reception means; a videoconference server which rearranges the video and voice signals, and the material data signals received from said plurality of videoconference terminals over said first and second communications channels, and sends the rearranged video and voice signals and the collected material data signals back to the plurality of videoconference terminals via said first and second communications channels, respectively; and a videoconference administration server which controls network connections between said videoconference server and said plurality of videoconference terminals. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A videoconference terminal used in a multipoint videoconference system constructed on an ATM network having a first communications channel and a second communications channel that is slower than the first communications channel, comprising:
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a video camera which outputs a video signal; a microphone which outputs a voice signal; material data signal output means for outputting a material data signal which represents materials prepared for presentation in a videoconference, which materials include still images, text data, and mouse position data produced locally at the videoconference terminal, coding means for applying an MPEG coding process to the video signal and the voice signal to produce a coded video signal and a coded voice signal; an ATM interface for performing signal processing necessary to transmit the coded video signal and the coded voice signal over the first communications channel, and the material data signal over the second communications channel, and for extracting reception signals from incoming ATM cells received from the first and second communications channels, wherein the incoming ATM cells contain video signals and voice signals, and material data signals that are collected and distributed by a videoconference server in the multipoint videoconference system; decoding means for applying an MPEG decoding process to the signals extracted by said ATM interface and decode the received video signals and voice signals; video displaying means for displaying images produced from the received material data signals on a monitor screen, together with motion images produced from the decoded video signals; a speaker which produces a sound by transducing the voice reception signal obtained by said decoding means. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. A videoconference server used in a multipoint videoconference system constructed on an ATM network having first communications channels and second communications channels that are slower than the first communications channels, comprising:
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an ATM interface receiver unit which extracts signals from ATM cells sent from a plurality of videoconference terminals via the ATM network, the extracted signals including a plurality of MPEG-coded video signals and a plurality of MPEG-coded voice signals that are sent over the first communications channels and a plurality of material data signals sent over the second communications channels, the material data signals including still images, text data, and mouse position data produced locally at the videoconference terminal, video decoding means for reproducing a plurality of decoded video signals by individually decoding the plurality of MPEG-coded video signals extracted by said ATM interface receiver unit; video image creating means for creating a rearranged video signal by combining and rearranging the plurality of decoded video signals reproduced by said video decoding means; video coding means for producing an MPEG-coded rearranged video signal by applying an MPEG coding process to the rearranged video signal created by said video image creating means; voice decoding means for reproducing a plurality of decoded voice signals by individually decoding the plurality of MPEG-coded voice signals extracted by said ATM interface receiver unit; voice signal creating means for creating a combined voice signal by combining the plurality of decoded voice signals reproduced by said voice decoding means; voice coding means for producing an MPEG-coded combined voice signal by applying the MPEG coding process to the combined voice signal created by said voice signal creating means; material data signal output means for outputting the plurality of material data signals extracted by said ATM interface receiver unit, each of which is affixed a source identification number indicative of which videoconference terminal produced the material data signal; and an ATM interface transmitter unit, coupled to said video coding means, said voice coding means, and said material data signal output means, for sending the MPEG-coded rearranged video signal and the MPEG-coded combined voice signal to the plurality of videoconference terminals over the first communications channels, and sending the plurality of material data signals having the identification numbers to the plurality of videoconference terminals over the second communications channels. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A videoconference administration server used in a multipoint videoconference system, comprising:
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reservation means, activated by a reservation request signal sent from one of a plurality of videoconference terminals via an ATM network, for finding a vacant videoconference server from among the plurality of videoconference servers and making a reservation for a videoconference using said found videoconference server, and connection information transmission means, activated at a scheduled start time for the videoconference reserved by said reservation means, for calling participant videoconference terminals, setting up network connections, and transmitting connection information to the participant videoconference terminals over the ATM network, said connection information including information necessary for the participant videoconference terminals to connect to the reserved videoconference server, wherein said connection information transmission means includes; calling means, activated at the scheduled start time for the videoconference reserved by said reservation means, for calling the participant videoconference terminals, repetitive calling means for repeatedly calling a particular participant videoconference terminal which does not respond to the calling means or returns a busy status signal to the calling means, and notification means for notifying the reserved videoconference server that said repetitive calling means keeps calling the particular participant videoconference terminal, and also for making the reserved videoconference server notify the other participant videoconference terminals that said repetitive calling means is calling the particular participant videoconference terminal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification