Apparatus and method for intelligent conference call codec selection

• US 6,731,734 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1999
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Beyda, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J
• Application Number:
  US09/377,895
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 379/206.01, 379/207.01, 379/220.01, 379/221.06, 379/221.07, 379/243
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

A multipoint control unit (104) is provided which allows for dynamic codec selection. According to one embodiment, the MCU (104) causes endpoints (102, 106) to renegotiate their codec selections if a most-commonly available codec is not being used, upon entry of new parties to a teleconference. Alternatively, the codec renegotiation may be performed each time a user speaks, to optimize for maximum transmission quality or for minimizing transcoding.

Claims

1. A multi-point control unit (MCU), comprising:

a multi-point controller configured to perform call signaling between said MCU and a plurality of client endpoints;

a multi-point processor configured to perform transcoding between codecs of different types; and

a transcoding control unit configured to direct said multi-point controller to signal at least one of said plurality of client endpoints to communicate using a predetermined codec so as to minimize an amount of said transcoding according to one or more predetermined criteria.

2. An MCU according to claim 1, wherein said transcoding control unit directs said multipoint controller upon entry of a client endpoint into a multipoint conference.

3. An MCU according to claim 1, wherein said transcoding control unit directs said multipoint controller when a client endpoint begins communication.

4. An MCU according to claim 1, wherein said criteria are to maximize quality.

5. An MCU according to claim 1, wherein said criteria are to minimize transcoding required by said multipoint processor.

6. A multi-point control unit (MCU), comprising:

means for transcoding among two or more parties to a multi-point conference; and

means for minimizing an amount of transcoding required to be performed by said transcoding means according to one or more predetermined criteria.

7. An MCU according to claim 6, wherein said optimizing means optimizes upon entry of new parties to a multipoint conference.

8. An MCU according to claim 6, wherein said optimizing means optimizes upon a new party communication.

9. An MCU according to claim 6, said predetermined criteria comprising minimizing an amount of transcoding required to be performed by said transcoding means.

10. An MCU according to claim 6, said predetermined criteria comprising maximizing a coding quality.

11. An MCU according to claim 6, said predetermined criteria comprising assigning one or more of said parties to a predetermined codec and others of said parties to a different codec.

12. A method for teleconferencing, comprising:

transcoding among two or more parties to a multi-point conference; and

minimizing an amount of transcoding required to be performed by said transcoding according to one or more predetermined criteria.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said optimizing optimizes upon entry of new parties to a multipoint conference.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said optimizing optimizes upon a new party communication.

15. A method according to claim 12, said predetermined criteria comprising minimizing an amount of transcoding required to be performed by said transcoding.

16. A method according to claim 12, said predetermined criteria comprising maximizing a coding quality.

17. A method according to claim 12, said predetermined criteria comprising assigning one or more of said parties to a predetermined codec and others of said parties to a different codec.