Remote participant hold and disconnect during videoconferencing

• US 6,343,314 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1997
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Collaboration Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Lantz, Keith A., Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Burnett, Gerald J., Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/847,828
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 379/202, 370/260, 370/261, 370/220, 345/330
• 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 videoconferencing system and method comprising a plurality of workstations, providing AV capture and reproduction facilities, interconnected by a network providing an AV path for carrying signals representing videoconference participants. The system and method includes one or more of a remote participant hold selection mechanism and a remote participant disconnection mechanism. The remote participant hold selection mechanism is operable to place at least one of the other participants on hold, during a videoconference call among a hold-activating participant and a plurality of other participants. The remote participant disconnection mechanism is operable by a participant teleconference call among the participant and a plurality of the other participants without disconnecting the remaining participants.

Claims

1. A teleconferencing system for conducting a teleconference among a plurality of participants:

(a) a workstation associated with each of at least two participants, each workstation including a monitor for displaying visual images, and AV capture and reproduction capabilities for capturing and reproducing video images and spoken audio of the participants; and

(b) a network providing an AV path for carrying signals representing participant among the workstations wherein the system is configured to allow any participant in a teleconference call, among the participant and a plurality of other participants, to disconnect at least one of the other participants without disconnecting the remaining other participants.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured to allow any participant to place on hold, in a videoconference call among a hold-activating participant and a plurality of other participants, at least one of the other participants.

3. The teleconferencing system of claim 2, wherein the system is further configured to

(a) allow a participant to select a new participant from among a plurality of potential participants and

(b) add the selected new participant to an active teleconference call.

4. The teleconferencing system of claim 3, wherein the system is further configured to

(a) control a connection

(i) between a workstation and a destination device,

(ii) the destination device being another workstation or other reproduction device in communication with at least the AV path, by generating at least one callhandle,

(i) associated with each workstation and the destination,

(ii) each callhandle including a state indicator for indicating the state of its associated workstation or destination,

(iii) wherein the state can be any one of the group consisting of idle, ringing, active and hold, in which

1 an idle state represents that the workstation is available to accept an incoming teleconference call;

2 a ringing state represents that an attempt is being made to establish a teleconference with the workstation;

3 an active state represents that the workstation is actively participating a teleconference; and

4 a hold state represents that the workstation has placed at least one call on hold and is able to accept an incoming call.

5. The teleconferencing system of claim 3 wherein the system is, further configured to

a) detect,

i) during a first teleconference call between first and second participants,

(ii) an attempt by a third caller to initiate a second teleconference call to the second participant,

b) notify the second participant that the third caller is attempting to call the second participant;

and

(c) allow the second participant to add the third caller to the first teleconference call.

6. The teleconferencing system according to claim 5, wherein the system can allow the second participant to add a fourth participant to the teleconference call between the first, second and third participants.

7. The teleconferencing system of claim 3 wherein the system can (a) support a maximum number of N communications (1) for a workstation;

and (a) enable a user, (i) operating that workstation (ii) to select N of M possible communications (iii) when faced with M possible communications (1) where M is greater than N.

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

(a) allow a participant to invoke further calls even if the system is supporting N active calls, and to give the participant the opportunity to select which of the calls are to be active.

9. A method for conducting a teleconference among a plurality of participants having workstations with associated monitors for displaying visual images, and with associated AV capture and reproduction capabilities for capturing and reproducing video images and spoken audio of the participants, the workstations being interconnected by a network providing a path for carrying signals among the workstations, the method comprising the step of:

(a) in a teleconference call among a participant and a plurality of other participants, to allow any participant to disconnect at least one of the other participants.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of allowing any participant in a video-conference call, to place on hold, any other participant.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of

(a) selecting a new participant from among a plurality of potential participants and adding the selected new participant to an active teleconference call.

12. The method for conducting a teleconference according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

(a) managing a data conference during which data are shared among a plurality of the participants and displayed on the monitors of their respective workstations;

(b) moving AV signals among the workstations, the AV signals representing video images and spoken audio of the participants;

(c) managing a videoconference during which the video image and spoken audio of one of the participants is reproduced at the workstation of another of the participants;

(d) controlling a connection between a workstation and a destination device, the destination device being another workstation or other reproduction devices in communication with at least one of the data or the audio paths; and

(e) generating at least one callhandle, associated with each workstation and the destination, each callhandle including a state indicator for indicating the state of its associated workstation or destination, wherein the state can be any one of the group consisting of idle, ringing, active and hold, in which

(i) an idle state represents that the workstation is available to accept an incoming teleconference call;

(ii) a ringing state represents that an attempt is being made to establish a teleconference with the workstation;

(iii) an active state represents that the workstation is actively participating a teleconference; and

(iv) a hold state represents that the workstation has placed at least one call on hold and is able to accept an incoming call.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the teleconference includes at least three participants.

14. The method for conducting a teleconference according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting, during a first teleconference call between a first and second of the participants, an attempt by a third caller to initiate a second teleconference call to the second participant;

(b) notifying the second participant that the third caller is attempting to call the second participant; and

(c) adding the third caller to the first teleconference call.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the steps of detecting and accepting can respectively detect and add a fourth participant to the teleconference call between the first, second and third participants.

16. The method for conducting a teleconference according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

(a) moving AV signals among the workstations, the AV signals representing video images and spoken audio of the participants;

(b) managing a videoconference during which the video image and spoken audio of one of the participants is reproduced at the workstation of another of the participants;

(c) supporting a maximum number of N calls, associated with a workstation; and

(d) enabling a participant, operating the workstation, when faced with M greater than N possible calls, to select N of the M possible calls.