Multipoint audiovisual conferencing system
First Claim
1. A program storage device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for establishing a connection for an endpoint to a scheduled audiovisual conference between a plurality participants, the plurality of participants connecting to the audiovisual conference from a plurality of endpoints, connections for the plurality of endpoints to the audiovisual conference being maintained by a multipoint control unit, said instructions embodied in said program storage device comprising:
- (a) receiving a request at a conference control server from a participant to connect an endpoint associated with the participant to the scheduled audiovisual conference;
(b) obtaining an IP address or a telephone number for the endpoint;
(c) writing the IP address or the telephone number for the endpoint to the multipoint control unit;
(d) communicating audiovisual conference data from the multipoint control unit to the endpoint via the IP address or the telephone number, thereby facilitating a dynamically allocated IP address or a dynamically provided ISDN/PSTN telephone number for at least one endpoint in an audiovisual conference and enabling the endpoint to be connected to the audiovisual conference.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to the present invention there are provided a system, method and program storage device for establishing a connection for an endpoint to a scheduled audiovisual conference between a plurality of participants, the plurality of participants connecting to the audiovisual conference from a plurality of endpoints, connections for the plurality of endpoints to the audiovisual conference being maintained by a multipoint control unit, comprising: receiving a request at a conference control server from a participant to connect an endpoint associated with the participant to the scheduled audiovisual conference; obtaining an IP address or a telephone number for the endpoint; writing the IP address or the telephone number for the endpoint to the multipoint control unit; and communicating audiovisual conference data from the multipoint control unit to the endpoint via the IP address or the telephone number, thereby enabling the endpoint to be connected to the audiovisual conference.
19 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A program storage device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for establishing a connection for an endpoint to a scheduled audiovisual conference between a plurality participants, the plurality of participants connecting to the audiovisual conference from a plurality of endpoints, connections for the plurality of endpoints to the audiovisual conference being maintained by a multipoint control unit, said instructions embodied in said program storage device comprising:
-
(a) receiving a request at a conference control server from a participant to connect an endpoint associated with the participant to the scheduled audiovisual conference; (b) obtaining an IP address or a telephone number for the endpoint; (c) writing the IP address or the telephone number for the endpoint to the multipoint control unit; (d) communicating audiovisual conference data from the multipoint control unit to the endpoint via the IP address or the telephone number, thereby facilitating a dynamically allocated IP address or a dynamically provided ISDN/PSTN telephone number for at least one endpoint in an audiovisual conference and enabling the endpoint to be connected to the audiovisual conference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for establishing a connection for an endpoint to a scheduled audiovisual conference between a plurality of participants, the scheduled audiovisual conference having a plurality of pre-registered identifiers associated with a plurality of participants, the plurality of participants connecting to the audiovisual conference from a plurality of endpoints, connections for the plurality of endpoints to the audiovisual conference being maintained by a multipoint control unit, the method comprising:
-
(a) receiving a request at a conference control server from a participant to connect an endpoint associated with the participant to the scheduled audiovisual conference; (b) obtaining an identifier for the endpoint associated with the participant requesting connection in step (a); (c) overwriting a pre-registered identifier associated with the participant, with the identifier for the endpoint obtained in step (b) to the multipoint control unit; and (d) communicating audiovisual conference data from the multipoint control unit to the endpoint obtained in step (b) via the identifier, thereby overriding the pre-registered identifier and enabling the endpoint obtained in step (b) to be connected to the audiovisual conference in place of the pre-registered identifier. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A system for establishing a connection for an endpoint to a scheduled audiovisual conference between a plurality of participants, the scheduled audiovisual conference having a plurality of pre-registered identifiers associated with a plurality of participants, the plurality of participants connecting to the audiovisual conference from a plurality of endpoints, connections for the plurality of endpoints to the audiovisual conference being maintained by a multipoint control unit, the system comprising:
-
a conference control server coupled to the multipoint control unit for; (a) receiving a request from a participant to connect an endpoint associated with the participant to the scheduled audiovisual conference; (b) obtaining an identifier for the endpoint associated with the participant requesting connection in step (a); and (c) overwriting a pre-registered identifier associated with the participant, with the identifier for the endpoint obtained in step (b) to the multipoint control unit, wherein the multipoint control unit communicates audiovisual conference data from the multipoint control unit to the endpoint obtained in step (b) via the identifier, thereby enabling the endpoint obtained in step (b) to be connected to the audiovisual conference in place of the pre-registered identifier. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
Specification