End-point-initiated multipoint videoconferencing
First Claim
1. A communications network, including signal media and nodes thereon that implement a videoconference multipoint control unit, a videoconference gatekeeper, and a plurality of videoconference endpoints, wherein:
- A) the videoconference gatekeeper is so configured as to;
i) receive, through the signal media from a source endpoint among the videoconference endpoints, an admission-request message that includes at least one alias-address field;
ii) determine whether the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field conforms to a compound-address format predetermined to represent a compound alias address;
iii) if so, parse the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field into a plurality of individual alias addresses representing other participants and send the multipoint control unit a create-conference message that identifies as conference participants the other participants and the source endpoint; and
iv) in response to a resulting registration-request message containing a conference transport address from the multipoint control unit, sending in an admission-confirmation message to the admission-request message'"'"'s source the conference transport address contained in the registration-request message; and
B) the videoconference multipoint control unit is configured to respond to the create-conference message from the gatekeeper by;
i) allocating conference resources to a conference among the conference participants that the create-conference message identifies; and
ii) sending the gatekeeper a registration-request message that identifies a conference transport address at which the multipoint control unit will afford access to the conference resources thus allocated.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A videoconference gatekeeper (18) inspects the alias-address fields in admission-request messages from videoconference endpoints (12, 14, 16) to determine whether their formats indicate that the alias address should be interpreted as a "compound address" designating separate multipoint-conference participants. If so, it causes a multipoint control unit (20) to allocate conference resources to a videoconference among the participants thereby designated. In a registration-request message that the multipoint control unit (20) immediately sends the gatekeeper, it notifies the gatekeeper of the transport address at which it accords access to the conference resources, and the gatekeeper includes this information in an admission-confirm message that it sends the source of the admission-request message.
141 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A communications network, including signal media and nodes thereon that implement a videoconference multipoint control unit, a videoconference gatekeeper, and a plurality of videoconference endpoints, wherein:
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A) the videoconference gatekeeper is so configured as to; i) receive, through the signal media from a source endpoint among the videoconference endpoints, an admission-request message that includes at least one alias-address field; ii) determine whether the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field conforms to a compound-address format predetermined to represent a compound alias address; iii) if so, parse the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field into a plurality of individual alias addresses representing other participants and send the multipoint control unit a create-conference message that identifies as conference participants the other participants and the source endpoint; and iv) in response to a resulting registration-request message containing a conference transport address from the multipoint control unit, sending in an admission-confirmation message to the admission-request message'"'"'s source the conference transport address contained in the registration-request message; and B) the videoconference multipoint control unit is configured to respond to the create-conference message from the gatekeeper by; i) allocating conference resources to a conference among the conference participants that the create-conference message identifies; and ii) sending the gatekeeper a registration-request message that identifies a conference transport address at which the multipoint control unit will afford access to the conference resources thus allocated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20)
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11. For operating a communications network including signal media and nodes thereon that implement a videoconference multipoint control unit, a videoconference gatekeeper, and a plurality of videoconference endpoints, a method comprising the steps of:
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A) receiving at the videoconference gatekeeper, through the signal media from a source endpoint among the videoconference endpoints, an admission-request message that includes at least one alias-address field; B) employing the videoconference gatekeeper to determine whether the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field conforms to a compound-address format predetermined to represent a compound alias address; C) if so, employing the videoconference gatekeeper to parse the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field into a plurality of individual alias addresses representing other participants and send the multipoint control unit a create-conference message that identifies as conference participants the other participants and the source endpoint; D) employing the videoconference multipoint control unit to respond to the create-conference message from the gatekeeper by; i) allocating conference resources to a conference among the conference participants that the create-conference message identifies; and ii) sending the gatekeeper a registration-request message that identifies a conference transport address at which the multipoint control unit will afford access to the conference resources thus allocated; and E) in response to a resulting registration-request message containing a conference transport address from the multipoint control unit, employing the videoconference gatekeeper to send in an admission-confirmation message to the admission-request message'"'"'s source the conference transport address contained in the registration-request message. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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21. For use in a communications network, including signal media and nodes thereon that implement a videoconference multipoint control unit and a plurality of videoconference endpoints, a videoconference gatekeeper so configured as to:
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A) receive, through the signal media from a source endpoint among the videoconference endpoints, an admission-request message that includes at least one alias-address field; B) determine whether the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field conforms to a compound-address format predetermined to represent a compound alias address; C) if so, parse the contents of the received admission-request message'"'"'s at least one alias-address field into a plurality of individual alias addresses representing other participants and send the multipoint control unit a create-conference message that identifies as conference participants the other participants and the source endpoint; and D) in response to a resulting registration-request message containing a conference transport address from the multipoint control unit, sending in an admission-confirmation message to the admission-request message'"'"'s source the conference transport address contained in the registration-request message. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification