Transmission control in multiparty conference

• US 7,477,281 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Azizoglu, Cemil, Chandra, Umesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/030,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20060098086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 348/14.14, 709/204, 370/260, 370/261, 715/753, 379/802.01
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, terminal device and conference server device for providing a multiparty conference in a data network, wherein an individual presentation layout for participants in a composite video image is selected by a participant and transmitted to the conference serving function. Based on the layout information, a composite signal is generated so that the requesting participant has knowledge of the locations of individual participants'"'"' information streams, e.g. video stream, within the composite signal. Thereby, the participant can allocate specific information, such as names, titles or functions, to audio or video streams of the multiparty conference.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a list of participants of said multiparty conference in response to information on participants received from a conference serving function;

selecting at least one participant from said participant list to be included in a composite signal;

creating, selecting or modifying a presentation layout for said selected participants of said multiparty conference at a user terminal of a participant by defining a desired position of each selected participant on a display screen;

transmitting to said conference serving function a request with layout information indicating said selected presentation layout;

adding a label to information streams of said selected participants according to said layout information, wherein said label comprises at least one of a uniform resource identifier name, part of a uniform resource identifier name, and an item retrieved from an address book; and

providing a presentation layout of a composite signal of the multiparty conference.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising generating said composite signal at said conference serving function based on said layout information.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said multiparty conference is a multiparty videoconference and said presentation layout information indicates coordinates for images of said selected participants in a two-dimensional coordinate system.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said layout information comprises a tuple of horizontal and vertical coordinates of a display matrix.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said request is a request message of a media control protocol.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said layout information is transmitted as an extensible-markup language attribute of an advanced video template.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said presentation layout selection is automatically performed by said user terminal.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement to said request.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said acknowledgement indicates at least one of a success or a failure of said request in said composite signal.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising repeating the participant selection, the presentation layout selection and the transmitting, for redefining said composite signal.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving information on participants of a multiparty conference;

creating/selecting/modifying means for creating, selecting or modifying a presentation layout of an information stream of at least one of said participants of said multiparty conferencing service by defining a desired position of each selected participant on a display screen;

generating means for generating a request with a layout information indicating said selected presentation layout;

labeling means for labeling at least one information stream displayed on said displaying means wherein said labeling means is configured to label said at least one information stream with at least one of a uniform resource identifier name, part of a uniform resource identifier name, and an item retrieved from an address book.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a display means for displaying a composite signal.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said generating means is configured to generate said layout information as an extensible markup language attribute of a video template.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said layout information comprises horizontal and vertical coordinates of a display matrix.

15. An apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a conference server, wherein said conference server comprises a signal constructor configured to arrange information streams of participants of said multiparty conference in a composite signal in response to the layout information in a request received from a participant.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving information on participants of a multiparty conference; and

signal construction means for arranging information streams of the participants of said multiparty conference in a composite signal in response to a layout information in a request received from one of said participants,

wherein the layout information includes defined desired positions of each selected participants,

wherein the signal construction means is further configured for adding a label to information streams of said selected participants according to said layout information,

wherein said label comprises at least one of a uniform resource identifier name, part of a uniform resource identifier name, and an item retrieved from an address book.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said layout information is received as an extensible-markup language attribute of a video template.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said information streams of said participants are video streams.

19. An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising acknowledging module configured to acknowledge said request received from said participant.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said acknowledging module is further configured to indicate at least one of a success or a failure of said request.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising:

generating a list of participants of said multiparty conference in response to information on participants received from a conference serving function;

selecting at least one participant from said participant list to be included in a composite signal;

creating, selecting or modifying a presentation layout for said selected participants of said multiparty conference at a user terminal of a participant by defining a desired position of each selected participant on a display screen;

transmitting to said conference serving function a request with layout information indicating said selected presentation layout;

adding a label to information streams of said selected participants according to said layout information, wherein said label comprises at least one of a uniform resource identifier name, part of an uniform resource identifier name, and an item retrieved from an address book; and

providing a presentation layout of a composite signal of the multiparty conference.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information on participants of a multiparty conference;

a selector configured to create, select, or modify a presentation layout of an information stream of at least one of said participants of said multiparty conferencing service by defining a desired position of each selected participant on a display screen; and

a generator configured to generate a request with layout information indicating said selected presentation layout

a labeler configured to label at least one information stream displayed on said display module,

wherein said labeler is configured to label said at least one information stream with at least one of a uniform resource identifier name, part of a uniform resource identifier name, and an item retrieved from an address book.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising a display module configured to display a composite signal.

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said generator is configured to generate said layout information as an extensible markup language attribute of a video template.

25. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said layout information comprises horizontal and vertical coordinates of a display matrix.