UTP based video and data conferencing

• US 6,212,547 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Collaboration Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Lauwers, J. Chris, Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/072,542
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 345/330, 370/261, 370/260, 370/262, 370/265, 370/266, 370/270
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5018 Initiating a conference during a two-party conversation, i.e. three-party-service or three-way-call computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 : Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 : PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 : Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 : for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 : where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 : User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 : whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 : Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 : Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 : Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 : Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 : Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1326 : Consultation call, broker's call, call hold, toggling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 : Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet

Abstract

A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks—the former real-tine audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data—in a manner that is interoperable across different computer and network operating system platforms and which closely approximates the experience of face-to-face collaboration, while liberating the participants from the limitations of time and distance. These capabilities are achieved by exploiting a variety of hardware, software and networking technologies in a manner that preserves the quality and integrity of audio/video/data and other multimedia information, even after wide area transmission, and at a significantly reduced networking cost as compared to what would be required by presently known approaches. The system architecture is readily scalable to the largest enterprise network enviroments. It accommodates differing levels of collaborative capabilities available to individual users and permits high-quality audio and video capabilities to be readily superimposed onto existing personal computers and workstations and their interconnecting LANs and WANs. In a particular preferred embodiment, a plurality of geographically dispersed multimedia LANs are interconnected by a WAN. The demands made on the WAN are significantly reduced by employing multi-hopping techniques, including dynamically avoiding the unnecessary decompression of data at intermediate hops, and exploiting video mosaicing, cut-and-paste and audio mixing technologies so that significantly fewer wide area transmission paths are required while maintaining the high quality of the transmitted audio/video.

Claims

1. A videoconferencing system comprising:

(a) at least one video signal source;

(b) at least one video display device;

(c) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires

(i) defining a UTP video communication path,

(ii) arranged for transport of video signals,

(1) originating at one of the signal sources,

(2) to at least one of the display devices;

(d) at least one processor

(i) capable of providing data conferencing signals; and

(e) at least one data communication path

(i) arranged for transmission of

(1) data conferencing signals,

(2) to one of the display devices,

wherein the system is configured to

(ii) reproduce video images,

(1) based on the transported video signals,

(2) on one of the display devices, and

(iii) display information,

(1) based on the carried data conferencing signals,

(2) on one of the display devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data communication path is defined by

(a) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

(a) images

(i) based on the video signals

(ii) can be reproduced

(iii) in a first window

(iv) on one of the display devices, and

(b) information

(i) based on the data conference signals

(ii) can be displayed

(iii) in a second window

(iv) on the display device.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

(a) a control communication path,

wherein, the system is configured

(i) to respond to control signals

(1) transmitted over the control communication path

(ii) to control the display of the video images.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein

(a) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defines both

(i) the data path, and p2 (ii) the control communication path.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein

(a) at least two video display devices

(i) each have an associated processor

(ii) to each define a workstation, and

wherein the system is configured

(i) to control the reproduction of video images and spoken audio

(1) of a first user of a workstation

(2) at the workstation of a second workstation user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein

(a) the information

(i) based on the data conferencing signals

(b) can be displayed

(i) interactively.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is configured to

(a) reproduce the video images,

(i) at TV quality.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

(a) the video signals are transported in analog.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the system is configured

(a) to combine video images

(i) of at least a first and a second user

(ii) into a mosaic image, and

(b) to reproduce the mosaic image

(i) on one of the video display devices.

11. A teleconferencing system, for conducting a teleconference among a plurality of users, comprising:

(a) a plurality of workstations

(i) each associated with at least one user,

(ii) each workstation including

(1) a video display device, and

(2) associated audio reproduction capabilities;

(b) audio and video (AV) capture capabilities configured to capture

(i) video images and

(ii) spoken audio

(iii) of a workstation user; and

(c) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defining

(i) a UTP data path

(1) along which data can be shared

(2) among the workstations, and

(ii) a UTP AV path,

(1) along which AV signals

a. representing user video images and audio

b. can be transported among the workstations,

wherein the system is configured to

(i) interactively display images

(1) based on the shared data,

(2) on at least two of the video display devices, and

(ii) reproduce video images and spoken audio

(1) based on the AV signals,

(2) on at least one of the video display devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

(a) images

(i) based on the video signals

(ii) can be reproduced

(iii) in a first window on one of the display devices, and

(b) information

(i) based on the data conferencing signals

(ii) can be displayed

(iii) in a second window on the display device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein

(a) the reproduction

(i) of the video images and audio

(ii) is enabled by control signals transmitted

(1) over the UTP data path.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein

(a) wherein the UTP data and UTP AV paths are separate.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein

(a) the video signals are transported in analog.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is configured to

(a) reproduce the video images,

(i) at TV quality.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the system is configured

(a) to combine video images

(i) of at least a first and a second user

(ii) into a mosaic image, and

(b) to reproduce the mosaic image

(i) on a video display device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein

(a) the video images are reproduced in color.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the system is configured:

(a) to allow a first user

(i) to use a first graphical user interface

(ii) to select a user

(iii) from a plurality of users; and

(b) to allow the first user

(i) to use a second graphical user interface

(ii) to select a collaboration type

(iii) from a group of collaboration types; and

(c) to respond

(i) by establishing communication

(ii) of the selected collaboration type

(iii) from the first user

(iv) to the selected user.

20. A method of conducting a videoconference,

over at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defining a UTP video communication path,

using a system including

at least one video signal source,

at least one video display device,

at least one processor, and

at least one data communication path,

the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating video signals

(i) at one of the video signal sources;

(b) transporting the generated video signals,

(i) over one of the UTP video communication paths,

(ii) to at least one of the display devices;

(c) reproducing video images,

(i) based on the transported video signals,

(ii) on the display device;

(d) producing data conferencing signals

(i) at the processor;

(e) transporting the data conferencing signals

(i) over one of the data communication paths,

(ii) to at least one of the display devices; and

(f) displaying information,

(i) based on the transmitted data conferencing signals,

(ii) on the display device.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising the steps of:

(a) reproducing the images

(i) based on the video signals

(ii) in a first window

(iii) on a display device, and

(b) the information

(i) based on the data conference signals

(ii) in a second window

(iii) on this display device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

(a) producing control signals;

(b) transmitting the control signals

(i) over at least one control communication path,

(c) controlling the display of the video images

(i) in response to the transmitted control signals.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein

(a) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defines

(i) the data path, and

(ii) the control communication path.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein

(a) at least two video display devices

(i) each have an associated processor

(ii) to each define a workstation, and

wherein the method includes the step of

(a) controlling the reproduction of video images and spoken audio

(i) of a first user of a workstation

(ii) at the workstation of a second workstation user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein

(a) the information

(i) based on the data conferencing signals

(ii) can be displayed interactively on at least two display devices.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

(a) reproducing the video images,

(i) at TV quality.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein

(a) the video signals are transported in analog.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of

(a) combining video images

(i) of at least a first and a second user

(ii) into a mosaic image, and

(b) reproducing the mosaic image

(i) on a video display device.

29. A method for conducting a teleconference,

among a plurality of users,

over at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defining both a UTP data path and a UTP AV path, and

using a system including

a plurality of workstations, each associated with at least one user and having a video display device,

the method comprising the steps of:

(a) capturing

(i) video images and

(ii) spoken audio

(iii) of a workstation user;

(b) representing

(i) the captured user video images and audio

(ii) as AV signals

(c) transporting the AV signals

(i) over the AV path

(ii) among the workstations;

(d) reproducing video images and spoken audio

(i) based on the AV signals,

(ii) on t least one of the video display devices;

(e) transmitting data

(i) over the data path

(ii) among the workstations; and

(f) interactively displaying images

(i) based on the shared data,

(ii) on at least two of the video display devices.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying images

(i) based on the video signals

(ii) in a first window on one of the display devices; and

(b) displaying information

(i) based on the data conferencing signals

(ii) in a second window on the display device.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:

(a) using control signals

(i) transmitted on the data path

(ii) to control the reproduction

(1) of the video images and audio.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:

(a) reproducing the video images

(i) at TV quality.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein

(a) the video signals are transported in analog.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein

(a) the video images are reproduced in color.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising the steps of:

(a) combining video images

(i) of at least a first and a second user

(ii) into a mosaic image, and

(b) reproducing the mosaic image

(i) on one of the video display devices.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising the steps of:

(a) allowing a first user

(i) to use a first graphical user interface

(ii) to select a user

(iii) from a plurality of users; and

(b) allowing the first user

(i) to use a second graphical user interface

(ii) to select a collaboration type

(iii) from a group of collaboration types; and

(c) establishing communication

(i) of the selected collaboration type

(ii) from the first user

(iii) to the selected user.

37. A videoconferencing system

for operation,

with an infrastructure including

at least one video signal source and

at least one video display device,

at least one data communication path

arranged for carrying the data conferencing signals, to one of the display devices, and

over at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defining a video communication path,

arranged for transport of video signals,

originating at one of the signal sources,

to at least one of the display devices,

the system comprising

(a) at least one processor

(i) capable of

(1) providing data conferencing signals, and

(2) communicating with the data communication path

wherein the system is configured to

(i) reproduce video images,

(1) based on the transported video signals,

(2) on the display device, and

(ii) display information,

(1) based on the carried data conferencing signals,

(2) on the display device.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the system is further configured to

(a) operate with

(i) data communication path defined by

(ii) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein:

(a) images

(i) based on the video signals

(ii) can be reproduced

(iii) in a first window

(iv) on a display device, and

(b) information

(i) based on the data conference signals

(ii) can be displayed

(iii) in a second window

(iv) on this display device.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the infrastructure further includes:

a control communication path, and

wherein, the system is further configured

(i) to respond to control signals

(1) transmitted over the control communication path

(ii) to control the display of the video images.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein

(a) at least one unshielded twisted pair of wires defines

(i) the data path, and

(ii) the control communication path.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein

(a) at least two video display devices

(i) each have an associated processor

(ii) to each define a workstation, and

wherein the system is further configured

(iii) to control the reproduction of video images and spoken audio

(1) of a first user of a workstation

(2) at the workstation of a second workstation user.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein

(a) the information

(i) based on the data conferencing signals

(b) can be displayed

(i) interactively.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the system is configured to

(a) reproduce the video images,

(i) at TV quality.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein

(a) the video signals can be transported in analog.