Videoconferencing method and system for connecting a host with a plurality of participants

• US 6,433,813 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Melton, Richard Lee, LaMar, George Thomas, Forkner, Terry Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Application Number:
  US09/222,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7-8, 348/12-13, 348/14-20, 348/562-565, 348/584, 348/588, 370/260-266, 370/401, 370/410, 345/330, 379/202, 379/93.21
• US Class Current: 348/14.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

An improved videoconferencing system and method are provided for connecting a host to a plurality of participants. Unlike other videoconferencing methods and systems, the videoconferencing system and method of these preferred embodiments allow each of the parties of a videoconference to benefit from the interaction between the host and the selected participant without limiting the number of participants that can join the videoconference. The host and participants can interact with the videoconferencing system by issuing voice commands or DTMF signals to a voice response unit or by using a computer to access the videoconferencing system directly or indirectly though a network such as the World Wide Web.

Claims

1. A videoconferencing method for connecting a host with a plurality of participants, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a participant from the plurality of participants;

(b) transmitting a video signal of the host to the selected participant, wherein the selected participant does not receive its own video signal and does not receive video signals of non-selected participants;

(c) transmitting a video signal of the selected participant to the host, wherein the host does not receive its own video signal and does not receive the video signals of the non-selected participants;

(d) combining the video signal of the selected participant with the video signal of the host, wherein the video signals of the non-selected participants are not combined with the video signals of the host and the selected participant; and

(e) transmitting the video signals combined in (d) to the non-selected participants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (d) comprises using a picture-in-picture technique to display the video signal of the selected participant over the video signal of the host.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (d) comprises using a picture-under-picture technique to display the video signal of the host over the video signal of the selected participant.

4. A videoconferencing method for connecting a host with a plurality of participants, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a video signal of a host to a plurality of participants;

(b) adding at least one participant into a queue;

(c) selecting a participant from the queue;

(d) initiating a point-to-point videoconference between the host and the selected participant, wherein the host receives a video signal of the selected participant but does not receive its own video signal and does not receive video signals of non-selected participants, and wherein the selected participant receives a video signal of the host but does not receive its own video signal and does not receive the video signals of the non-selected participants; and

(e) transmitting combined video signals of the host and the selected participant to the non-selected participants, wherein the video signals of the non-selected participants are not combined and transmitted with the video signals of the host and the selected participant.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein (b) comprises providing an indication that the participant has been added into the queue.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein (b) is performed in response to a participant request entered via a voice response unit.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) is performed in response to a host request entered via a computer connection.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein (b) is performed in response to a participant request entered via the Internet.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) comprises providing an indication that there is at least one participant in the queue.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) comprises providing an indication that there are no participants in the queue.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) is performed in response to a host request entered via a voice response unit.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) is performed in response to a host request entered via a computer connection.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) is performed in response to a host request entered via an Internet connection.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) comprises selecting a next participant from the queue.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein (c) comprises selecting a previous participant from the queue.

16. The method of claim 4 further comprising removing a participant from the queue in response to a participant request.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising providing the participant with an indication that the participant has been removed from the queue.

18. A videoconferencing system for connecting a host with a plurality of participants, the system comprising:

at least one video switch associated with a host and a plurality of participants;

a control unit operative to select a participant from the plurality of participants;

a videoconferencing unit operative to combine a video signal of the selected participant with a video signal of the host, wherein video signals of non-selected participants are not combined with the video signals of the host and the selected participant; and

a tandem video switch operative to transmit the video signal of the host to the selected participant, to transmit the video signal of the selected participant to the host, and to transmit the combined video signals to the non-selected participants, wherein the video signals of the non-selected participants are not transmitted to the selected participant and are not transmitted to the host, and wherein neither the host nor the selected participant receives its own video signal.

19. The invention of claim 18, wherein the videoconferencing unit comprises:

a first diplexer;

a second diplexer;

a first video/audio processor coupled with the first and second diplexers; and

a second video/audio processor coupled with the first video/audio processor.

20. A videoconferencing system for connecting a host with a plurality of participants, the system comprising:

means for selecting a participant from the plurality of participants;

means for transmitting a video signal of the host to the selected participant, wherein the selected participant does not receive its own video signal and does not receive video signals of non-selected participants;

means for transmitting a video signal of the selected participant to the host, wherein the host does not receive its own video signal and does not receive the video signals of the non-selected participants;

means for combining the video signal of the selected participant with the video signal of the host, wherein the video signals of the non-selected participants are not combined with the video signals of the host and the selected participant; and

means for transmitting the combined video signals to the non-selected participants.