System and method for supporting conferencing capabilities over packet-switched networks

• US 7,006,455 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2000
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fandrianto, Jan, Sin, Sam K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Juntima, Nittaya
• Application Number:
  US09/694,619
• Time in Patent Office: 1,956 Days
• Field of Search: 370259-263, 370352-356, 370/401, 709/204, 379/212.01, 379/211.02, 379/202.01, 379/207.01
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• 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

Abstract

An IP telephone which supports a voice conference call with a plurality of other IP telephones over a packet-switched network is disclosed. The IP telephone exchanges audio and signaling messages with the other IP devices during the conference call, and thereby allows three or more conference call participants to talk together over the packet-switched network. The IP telephone includes a memory, which stores a conferencing module and a channel establishment module, and a mixing module for mixing input signals received at the IP telephone to produce a combined signal output. When played back, the combined signal output allows the user to hear what was said by the other conference call participants.

Claims

1. A first station for supporting a conference call with a plurality of other stations over a packet-switched network, the first station enabling a voice conference in response to a conference request signal received from each of the plurality of other stations, the first station comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming modules including a means for conferencing and a means for establishing a communication channel, wherein;

said means for conferencing is operable to receive a conference request signal, and

said means for establishing a communication channel is operable to establish a communication channel between the first station and a second station in response to said means for conferencing receiving the conference request signal, the communication channel supporting voice communication over the packet-switched network;

means for mixing input signals which mixes the signals received at the first station to produce a combined signal output which is played at said first station; and

means for transferring a communication session between the first station and the second station to a third station by disconnecting the second station from the conference call and establishing a communication channel between the first station and the third station based upon a transfer signal transmitted by said second station, wherein the transfer signal includes a conference request signal designating the third station.

2. The first station of claim 1, wherein said means for conferencing enables the first station to be set in conference mode.

3. The first station of claim 1, wherein said means for establishing a communication channel is configured to transmit a signal which causes the plurality of stations to indicate the establishing of said communication channel.

4. The first station of claim 1, further comprising:

means, in communication with said means for conferencing, for authorizing a station to establish a communication channel based upon receiving an identification code having a pre-designated association to the conference call.

5. The first station of claim 4, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the second station.

6. The first station of claim 4, wherein the identification code includes a call-reference, the call-reference comprising the header of a data packet, the header indicating a station from which the data packet was received.

7. The first station of claim 4, wherein the authorizing means is configured to prevent the establishing of a communication channel between the first and second stations if the second station is not authorized to obtain access to the conference call.

8. The first station of claim 1, wherein the transfer signal includes a call-reference identifying the second station.

9. The first station of claim 1, further comprising:

means, in communication with said means for conferencing, for detecting changes in network conditions affecting quality of service, said conferencing means providing a transfer signal to said second station in response to said means for detecting changes in network conditions detecting a change in network conditions affecting quality of service.

10. The first station of claim 1, wherein the first station is a telephonic device and can establish a voice communication channel over a packet-switched network.

11. A method for establishing a conference call at a first station with a plurality of stations over a packet-switched network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first conference request signal at a first station from a second station;

determining whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station based on an identification code received by the first station, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the second station;

determining whether the first station can support a communication channel for voice communication over the packet-switched network with the second station;

establishing a communication channel between the first station and the second station, if the first station can support a communication channel and the second station is authorized to establish the communication channel with the first station; and

sending a transfer signal which includes a conference request command designating a third station, if the first station cannot support the communication channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first station is in conference mode such that said first station can support a conference call.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

indicating to the first station and the second station the establishment of the communication channel.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the conference request command triggers the second station to establish a communication channel between the second station and the third station.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the transfer signal includes a call-reference that identifies the first station.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the conference request command designates the third station based on network conditions affecting quality of service.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the fist station comprises the steps of:

pre-designating an identification code of each authorized station in a memory unit of the first station, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the authorized stations; and

determining whether the first station receives an authorized identification code from the second station.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station comprises the steps of:

signaling the first station from the second station;

determining whether the first station receives appropriate response signals from the second station.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein if it is determined that the second station is not authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station, denying said second station access to said first station.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first station is a telephonic device and can establish a voice communication channel over a packet-switched network.

21. A first station for supporting a conference call with a plurality of other stations over a packet-switched network, the first station comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming modules including a conferencing module and a channel establishment module, wherein;

the conferencing module is operable to receive a conference request signal from a second station and to determine whether to establish a communication channel between the first and second stations, and

the channel establishment module is operable, based upon the determination of the conferencing module, to establish the communication channel which supports voice communication over the packet-switched network;

a mixed module for mixing input signals received at the first station to produce a combined signal output which is played at said first station; and

a transfer controller operable to transfer a communication session between the first and second stations to a third station by disconnecting second station from the conference call, and wherein the channel establishment module establishes a second communication channel between the first and third stations based upon a transfer signal provided by said second station, and wherein the transfer signal includes a conference request signal designating the third station.

22. The first station of claim 21, wherein the channel establishment module transmits a signal which causes the plurality of stations to indicate the establishing of the communications channel.

23. The first station of claim 21, further comprising an authorization module, in communication with the conferencing module, for determining whether the second station is authorized to establish a voice communication channel with the first station.

24. The first station of claim 23, wherein the authorization module determines whether the second station is authorized based upon receiving an identification code having a pre-designated association to the conference call.

25. The first station of claim 24, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the second station.

26. The first station of claim 25, wherein the identification code includes a valid call-reference.

27. The first station of claim 23, wherein the authorization module is configured to prevent the establishing of a communication channel between the first and second stations if the second station is not authorized to obtain access to the conference call.

28. The first station of claim 21, wherein the transfer signal includes a call-reference identifying the second station.

29. The first station of claim 21, further comprising a network monitoring module for detecting changes in network conditions affecting quality of service, said network monitoring module providing a transfer signal to said second station in response to said network monitoring module detecting a change in network conditions affecting quality of service.

30. A first station for supporting voice communication with one or more other stations:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming modules including a means for conferencing and a means for establishing a communication channel, wherein;

the means for conferencing is associated with a conference request signal, and

the means for establishing a communication channel is operable to establish a communication channel between a first station and a second station in response to the means for conferencing, the communication channel supporting voice communication over a packet-switched network;

means for mixing input signals which mixes the signals received at the first station to produce a combined signal output which is played at the first station;

means, in communication with the means for conferencing, for authorizing a station to establish a communication channel based upon receiving an identification code, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the second station; and

means for detecting changes in network conditions that affect quality of service, and wherein the means for conferencing is operable to provide a transfer signal to the second station in response to the means for detecting changes in network conditions detecting a change in network conditions affecting quality of service.

31. The first station of claim 30, wherein the identification code includes a call-reference, the call-reference comprising a header of a data packet, the header indicating a station from which the data packet was received.

32. The first station of claim 30, wherein the authorizing means is configured to prevent the establishment of a communication channel between the first station and the second station if the second station is not authorized to access the conference call.

33. The first station of claim 30, further comprising means for transferring a communication session between the first station and the second station to a third station by disconnecting the second station from the conference call and establishing a communication channel between the first station and the third station based upon a transfer signal transmitted by said second station, wherein the transfer signal includes a conference request signal designating the third station.

34. The first station of claim 30, wherein the transfer signal comprises a call-reference identifying the second station.

35. Logic embodied in computer-readable media and operable to perform the following steps:

receiving a first conference request signal at a first station from a second station;

determining whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station based on an identification code received by the first station, wherein the identification code uniquely identifies the second station; and

establishing a communication channel between the first station and the second station, if the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station, wherein establishing the communication channel comprises;

determining whether the first station can support a communication channel for voice communication over the packet-switched network with the second station;

in response to determining that the first station can support the communication channel, establishing the communication channel; and

in response to determining that the first station cannot support the communication channel, sending a transfer signal which includes a conference request command designating a third station.

36. The logic of claim 35, wherein the logic is further operable to establish a communication channel between the second station and the third station in response to the conference request command.

37. The logic of claim 35, wherein the logic is operable to send the transfer signal by sending a transfer signal that comprises a call-reference identifying the first station.

38. The logic of claim 35, wherein the logic is operable to send a transfer signal by:

identifying the third station based on network conditions; and

sending a transfer signal that includes a conference request command designating the third station.

39. The logic of claim 35, wherein the logic is further operable to determine whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station.

40. The logic of claim 39, wherein the logic is operable to determine whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the fist station by:

storing an identification code of each of a plurality of authorized stations in a memory unit at the first station, wherein each identification code uniquely identifies a particular authorized station; and

determining whether the first station receives an identification code from the second station that matches a stored identification code.

41. The logic of claim 39, wherein the logic is further operable to determine whether the second station is authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station by:

signaling the first station from the second station;

determining whether the first station receives appropriate response signals from the second station.

42. The logic of claim 39, wherein the logic is further operable to deny the second station access to the first station, in response to determining that the second station is not authorized to establish a communication channel with the first station.

43. A first station for supporting a conference call with a plurality of other stations over a packet-switched network, the first station comprising:

a storage medium, operable to store a plurality of programming modules including a conferencing module and a channel establishment module;

the conferencing module, operable to receive a conference request signal from a second station and to determine whether to establish a communication channel between the first station and a second station, wherein the communication channel supports voice communication over a packet-switched network, and

the channel establishment module, operable to establish, based upon the determination of the conferencing module;

a mixed module for mixing input signals received at the first station to produce a combined signal output which is played at the first station;

an authorization module, operable to determine whether the second station is authorized to establish a voice communication channel with the first station based upon receipt of an identification code which uniquely identifies the second station; and

a network monitoring module operable to detect a change in network conditions affecting quality of service and to provide a transfer signal to the second station in response to detecting a change in network conditions affecting quality of service.

44. The first station of claim 43, wherein the identification code includes a call-reference, the call-reference comprising a header of a data packer, the header indicating a station from which the data packet was received.

45. The first station of claim 43, wherein the authorization module is further operable to prevent the establishment of a communication channel between the first station and the second station if the second station is not authorized to obtain access to the conference call.

46. A method for establishing a conference call at a first station with a plurality of stations over a packet-switched network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first conference request signal at a first station;

determining whether the first station can support a communication channel for voice communication over the packet-switched network with a second station; and

if so, establishing a first communication channel between the first station and the second station,

else, sending a transfer signal which includes a conference request command designating a fourth station;

receiving a second conference request signal at the first station;

establishing a second communication channel between the first station and a third station; and

mixing the input signals from the first and second communication channels at the first station and playing a combined signal output at said first station.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the conference request command triggers the second station to establish a communication channel between the second and fourth stations.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the conference request command includes a call-reference that identifies the first station.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the conference request command designates the fourth station based on network conditions affecting quality of service.