Data stream communication

• US 7,613,137 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iocom UK Limited
• Original Assignee: inSORS Integrated Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Swanson, Jon, McCown, Robert B., Arnold, Jonathan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, CHANDRAHAS B
• Application Number:
  US10/718,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/260, 370/270, 370/468, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 370/395.42
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method for communicating a subset of data streams includes steps of monitoring a plurality of data streams communicated between a plurality of standard users, recognizing at least one primary data stream, and communicating the at least one primary stream to a primary user. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the data streams include real-time audio and video data being communicated between attendees of a virtual meeting.

Claims

1. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream to a virtual meeting attendee comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one first video data stream being communicated from each of a plurality of virtual meeting standard users to all others of said standard users wherein each of said standard users receives a plurality of said first video data streams,

recognizing at least a first and a second primary video data stream from said at least one first video data stream being communicated from each of said plurality of standard users, said first and second primary video data streams are different from one another, and communicating said first primary data stream but not said second primary data stream and not said plurality of first video data streams to a first virtual meeting primary user while continuing to communicate each of said first video data streams from each of said standard users to all others of said standard users, and communicating said second primary data stream but not said first primary data stream and not said plurality of first video data streams to a second virtual meeting primary user while continuing to communicate each of said first video data streams from each of said standard users to all others of said standard users; and

,

wherein communication of said first primary video stream to said first primary meeting attendee and communication of said second primary video stream to said second primary meeting attendee each requires less bandwidth than does communication of said plurality of first video streams to each of said standard users.

2. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 and further including the step of receiving first primary selection command, and of using said first primary selection command to recognize said first primary data stream.

3. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of first video data streams includes an identifier, and wherein the method further includes the step of comparing each of said identifiers to a stored primary data stream identifier to recognize said primary data stream.

4. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 3 wherein said first video data streams comprise discretely packetized digital data in real-time, and wherein said identifiers comprise information from a stream header included with each discrete packet.

5. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring a plurality of video data streams includes receiving said plurality of data streams over a first interface, and wherein the step of communicating said first and second primary video data streams to said first and second primary users is performed using at least a second interface while each of said at least one first video data streams from each of said plurality of standard users continue to be communicated to others of said standard users using said first interface.

6. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 wherein each of said first video data streams comprises a continuous stream of real-time data contained in discrete packets communicated across a packet switched network.

7. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 6 wherein each of said discrete packets has a header portion that includes an identifier that identifies the source of said data stream.

8. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of standard users each comprises a virtual meeting attendee, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

communicating at least one first audio data stream from each of said standard users to all others of said standard users wherein each of said standard users receives a plurality of said first audio streams; and

,

identifying one or more of said at least one first audio data streams as a primary audio data stream and communicating said primary audio data stream but not said plurality of first audio data streams to said primary user while continuing to communicate all of said first audio data streams from each of said standard users to all others of said standard users.

9. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring said plurality of video data streams between said standard users is performed using one or more standard ports on a network interface, and wherein the step of communicating said first primary video data stream to a first virtual meeting primary user is performed using a first primary port that is different from said one or more standard ports, said first virtual meeting primary user in communication with said first primary port simultaneous with said standard users being in communication with said one or more standard ports.

10. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams over a network comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one first streaming real-time video data signal and at least one first streaming real-time audio data signal from each of a plurality of standard users connected by a network and communicating said at least one first streaming real-time video data signal and said at least one first streaming real-time audio data signal to all others of said plurality of standard users over said network, said first streaming real-time video and audio data signals each comprising discretely packetized data, each of said at least one first streaming real-time video data signals and said at least one first streaming real-time audio data signal having a unique identifier, each of said plurality of standard users connected to said network via a connection having at least a first bandwidth capacity;

receiving a primary selection command that identifies at least one of said first streaming real-time video data signal and said first streaming real-time audio signal originating from one of said standard users as primary video and audio data signals;

using said primary selection command to identify said at least one primary audio and at least one primary video data signal from said first streaming real-time video data signals and said first streaming real-time audio signal from said standard users; and

,

communicating said at least one primary video and said at least one primary audio but not said first streaming real-time video or audio data signals to at least one primary user over said network while each of said standard users continue to communicate said first real-time streaming video and audio data signals to all others of said standard users, said at least one primary user connected to said network with a connection having a bandwidth capacity of less than said first bandwidth capacity.

11. A method for communicating at least one primary data stream as defined by claim 10 wherein said at least one first video data signal communicated from each of said standard users comprises a plurality of video data signals.

12. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams over a network as defined by claim 10 and further including the steps of:

communicating a list to said at least one primary user containing video images of each of said first streaming video data signals from each of said standard users; and

,

wherein said primary selection command comprises a selection of at least one of said video images from said list by said at least one primary user.

13. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 10 wherein the step of receiving said at least one primary selection command includes receiving said at least one primary selection command from one of said plurality of standard users or one of said at least one primary users.

14. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams over a network as defined by claim 10 wherein communication of said primary video and primary audio data signals to said at least one primary user requires less bandwidth than does communication of said first streaming video and audio data signals to each of said standard users.

15. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 10 and further including the step of receiving at least one continuous video data signal from said at least one virtual meeting primary user and communicating said at least one continuous video data signal to each of said plurality of virtual meeting standard users whereby each of said standard users receive said first video data signals from all others of said standard users in addition to receiving a video data signal from said primary user.

16. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 10 and further including the step of identifying said at least one primary user by determining that the bandwidth capacity of said at least one primary user is below that required to receive all of said plurality of first video streams being communicated between said standard users.

17. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 10 wherein said at least one primary video data stream comprises a plurality of primary video data streams.

18. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 10 and further including the step of providing a list to said at least one primary user, said list identifying each of said plurality of first video data signals being communicated between said standard users whereby said primary user may select one or more of said first plurality of signals from said list for viewing as said primary stream.

19. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 18 wherein said list includes video images from each of said plurality of first video data streams.

20. A method for communicating one or more primary data streams as defined by claim 18 wherein said list includes thumbnail images from each of said plurality of first video data signals.