System and method for supporting a plurality of media conferences

• US 6,606,306 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harrow, Joseph C., Le, Son H. P., Ju, Ken J., Chow, Steven, Lin, Tien-Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US09/465,235
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 370/267, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/264, 370/265, 370/266, 370/269, 370/352, 370/356, 379/201, 379/101, 379/202.01, 379/203.01, 709/230
• US Class Current: 370/261
• 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

Abstract

A device for supporting a plurality of media conferences includes digital signal processors (DSPs) and a system resource management (SRM) module coupled to the DSPs. Each DSP receives input data packets from conference participants and processes the input data packets to generate output data packets. Each DSP determines whether the media conference is set to an active mode and communicates the output data packets to the conference participants in response to determining that the media conference is set to the active mode. The SRM module allocates a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP and sets the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP. The first DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP. The SRM module sets the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP and de-allocates the media conference from the first DSP, and the second DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP.

Claims

1. A device for supporting a plurality of media conferences, comprising:

a plurality of digital signal processors (DSPs), each DSP operable to receive input data packets from conference participants and to process the input data packets to generate output data packets, each DSP further operable to determine whether the media conference is set to an active mode and to communicate the output data packets to the conference participants in response to determining that the media conference is set to the active mode; and

a system resource management (SRM) module coupled to the DSPs and operable to allocate a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP and to set the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP, wherein the first DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP, the SRM module further operable to set the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP and to de-allocate the media conference from the first DSP, wherein the second DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP,

wherein the second DSP further comprises;

a memory operable to store a status variable indicating whether the media conference is set to the active mode or the stand-by mode; and

a processing module coupled to the memory and operable to determine whether the media conference is set to the active mode by examining the status variable associated with the media conference in the memory.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the SRM module stores status information relating to a plurality of media conferences, the status information associating each media conference with one or more DSPs that are processing each media conference in the active mode or the stand-by mode.

2. A device for supporting a plurality of media conferences, comprising:

a plurality of digital signal processors (DSPs), each DSP operable to receive input data packets from conference participants and to process the input data packets to generate output data packets, each DSP further operable to determine whether the media conference is set to an active mode and to communicate the output data packets to the conference participants in response to determining that the media conference is set to the active mode; and

a system resource management (SRM) module coupled to the DSPs and operable to allocate a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP and to set the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP, wherein the first DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP, the SRM module further operable to set the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP and to de-allocate the media conference from the first DSP, wherein the second DSP communicates output data packets associated with the media conference in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP,

wherein the SRM module is further operable to de-allocate the first media conference from the first DSP if resource information relating to the first DSP exceeds a resource threshold.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the resource information relates to processing resources required to support one or more media conferences allocated to the first DSP.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the resource information is based on a number of media conferences allocated to the first DSP and a number of participants in each media conference.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein the media conference is a voice telephone conference.

3. A method of supporting a plurality of media conferences using a plurality of digital signal processors (DSPs), the method comprising:

allocating a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP;

setting the media conference to an active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP;

communicating input data packets associated with the media conference to the first and second DSPs;

processing the input data packets to generate output data packets at the first and second DSPs;

determining whether the media conference is set to the active mode in the first and second DSPs;

communicating the output data packets from the first DSP to one or more end-user devices in response to determining that the media conference is set to the active mode in the first DSP;

de-allocating the media conference from the first DSP;

setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP; and

communicating the output data packets from the second DSP to the end-user devices in response to determining that the media conference is set to the active mode in the second DSP.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing at the first DSP a status variable indicating whether the media conference allocated to the first DSP is set to the active mode; and

storing at the second DSP a status variable indicating whether the media conference allocated to the second DSP is set to the active mode.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing status information relating to the plurality of media conferences, the status information associating each media conference with one or more DSPs that are processing each media conference in the active mode or the stand-by mode.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

examining resource information relating to the first DSP; and

de-allocating the media conference from the first DSP if the resource information relating to the first DSP exceeds a resource threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the resource information relates to processing resources required to support one or more media conferences allocated to the first DSP.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the resource information is based on a number of media conferences allocated to the first DSP and a number of participants in each media conference.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein the media conference is a voice telephone conference.

4. A device for supporting a plurality of media conferences, comprising:

a system resource management (SRM) module operable to allocate a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP and to set the media conference to an active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP,

wherein the first DSP communicates one or more output data streams associated with the media conference to one or more end-user devices in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP, the SRM module further operable to deallocate the media conference from the first DSP and to set the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP,

wherein the second DSP communicates one or more output data streams associated with the media conference to the end-user devices in response to the SRM module setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP,

wherein the SRM module de-allocates the media conference from the first DSP if resource information relating to the first DSP exceeds a resource threshold.

16. The device of claim 4, wherein the resource information relates to processing resources required to support one or more media conferences allocated to the first DSP.

17. The device of claim 4, wherein the resource information is based on a number of media conferences allocated to the first DSP and a number of participants in each media conference.

18. The device of claim 4, wherein the media conference is a voice telephone conference.

24. The SRM module of claim 4, wherein the SRM stores in a memory status information relating to a plurality of media conferences, the status information associating each media conference with one or more DSPs that process each media conference in the active mode or the stand-by mode.

5. System resource management (SRM) software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to perform the following steps:

allocating a media conference to a first DSP and a second DSP;

setting the media conference to an active mode in the first DSP and a stand-by mode in the second DSP;

communicating input data packets associated with the media conference to the first and second DSPs;

communicating output data packets from the first DSP to one or more end-user devices in response to setting the media conference to the active mode in the first DSP;

de-allocating the media conference from the first DSP;

setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP; and

communicating the output data packets from the second DSP to the end-user devices in response to setting the media conference to the active mode in the second DSP.

19. The SRM software of claim 5, further operable to perform the step of storing status information relating to a plurality of media conferences, the status information associating each media conference with one or more DSPs that are processing each media conference in the active mode or the stand-by mode.

20. The SRM software of claim 5, further operable to perform the steps of:

examining resource information relating to the first DSP; and

de-allocating the media conference from the first DSP if the resource information relating to the first DSP exceeds a resource threshold.

21. The SRM software of claim 20, wherein the resource information relates to processing resources required to support one or more media conferences allocated to the first DSP.

22. The SRM software of claim 20, wherein the resource information is based on a number of media conferences allocated to the first DSP and a number of participants in each media conference.

23. The SRM software of claim 5, wherein the media conference is a voice telephone conference.