Method and system of teleconferencing

• US 7,839,803 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wireless Systems Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Snelgrove, William Martin, Stumm, Michael, De Simone, Mauricio
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US09/787,758
• Time in Patent Office: 4,078 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-267, 370230-235, 370352-392, 370/400, 370/401, 379158-202, 709206-227
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• 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 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

A telecommunication system and method for communicating between at least two end users over a telecommunication network, where the communication is defined by a set of parameters. At least two entities, such as one or both of the end users and/or the service providers negotiate an agreed set of values for said parameters that define the desired communication. The entities also negotiate a warranty agreement with the network service provider defining at least one of the agreed parameters to be warranted including a compensation method to be applied should said at least one monitored parameter fail to meet the corresponding one of said agreed values. The agreed warranted parameters are monitored once the communication is established and, in the event of a failure of the monitored parameters to meet agreed values, at least one of the entities is compensated in accordance with the agreed compensation method. When more than two entities are involved in a communication, the compensation from an entity can be divided amongst the other entities according to an agreed scheme.

Claims

1. A system for teleconferencing comprising:

three or more user terminals, each having an audio input and an audio output;

a telecommunications network interconnecting said user terminals and operable to transport data to and from said user terminals;

separate modular mixing software for each respective user terminal, executing on said telecommunications network, and operable;

to receive separate audio signals from said audio outputs of the others of said user terminals; and

to combine said separate audio signals into a signal for said audio input of said respective user terminal which correlates to the needs of said respective user terminal;

modular connection management software for establishing interconnections between said three or more user terminals and said separate modular mixing software, including a connection proxy for each of said three or more user terminals and said telecommunications network; and

each of said connection proxies executing on said system and being operable;

to represent its owner'"'"'s interests in managing the teleconference by recognizing the limitations of its owner'"'"'s resources.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a mapper for locating said separate modular mixing software for each respective user terminal for execution on different routers of said telecommunications network, trading off delay time in communicating data between routers with computational power available in order to maintain quality of service.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said telecommunications network comprises multiple telecommunications networks with varied transport media and protocols, each of said multiple telecommunications networks having its own connection proxy.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

negotiation management software including a negotiation agent for each of said user terminals and said multiple telecommunications networks, each of said negotiation agents being operable;

to execute on said system; and

to representing the interests of each of said three or more user terminals in negotiating communication over said telecommunications network;

said negotiation management software being operable;

to identify negotiation agents participating in a negotiation;

to implement a negotiation discipline which allows each said participating negotiation agent to consider a communication contract and either accept or revise said communication contract; and

to respond to said negotiation being successful by executing said communication contract.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said separate modular mixing software is operable to combine said separate signals into two or more audio channels which define a metaphorical physical space, each user terminal having a simulated position within said metaphorical physical space whereby individual users may be recognized by their particular position in said space.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mixer is responsive to a request from said respective user to emphasize a particular user'"'"'s voice by amplifying the corresponding audio signal prior to combining.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of said user terminals comprises a personal computer having a stereo sound card and stereophonic speakers, and said respective mixer software is operable to combine said separate signals into two audio channels.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of said user terminals comprises a connection to a PSTN network via two monophonic telephone lines, and said respective mixer software is operable to combine said separate signals into two audio channels.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein each said connection proxy comprises:

multiple software agents each being operable to perform a specific task; and

a proxy object operable to instantiate particular ones of said multiple software agents in response to requirements of communications made over said telecommunications system.

10. A server for teleconferencing comprising:

means for interconnecting user terminals and transporting data to and from said user terminals;

means for executing separate modular mixing software for each respective user terminal, said separate modular mixing software including;

means for receiving separate audio signals from said audio outputs of the others of said user terminals;

means for combining said separate audio signals into a signal for said audio input of said respective user terminal which correlates to the needs of said respective user terminal; and

means for executing modular connection management software for establishing interconnections between said user terminals and said separate modular mixing software, said modular connection management software including a connection proxy for each of said user terminals and said means for interconnecting user terminals and each of said connection proxies representing its owner'"'"'s interests in managing the teleconferencing by recognizing the limitations of its owner'"'"'s resources.

11. A method of teleconferencing comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a separate modular mixer representing a respective one of three or more user terminals and executing on a telecommunications network, separate audio signals from audio outputs of the others of said user terminals;

executing modular connection management software on said telecommunications network for establishing interconnections between said three or more user terminals and said separate modular mixers, said modular connection management software including a connection proxy for each of said three or more user terminals and said telecommunications network, each of said connection proxies being operable to represent its owner'"'"'s interests in managing the teleconferencing by recognizing the limitations of its owner'"'"'s resources; and

combining said separate audio signals into a signal for an audio input of said respective user terminal which correlates to the needs of said respective user terminal.

12. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, said computer data signal comprising a set of machine executable code being executable by a computer to perform the steps of claim 11.

13. A computer readable storage medium storing a set of machine executable code, said set of machine executable code being executable by a computer server to perform the steps of claim 11.