Coordinated media control system

• US 7,911,955 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beers, Ted W, Derocher, Michael D, Gorzynski, Mark E
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu; Alpus H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASSAN, SAAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/700,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20080181218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370251-271, 370/235, 345/520, 709/204, 709/220, 709/223
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control

Abstract

A coordinated media control system includes a node manager, a device control system, and a device. The node manager is operatively connected to a first node. The device control system is operatively connected to the node manager. The device is operatively connected to the device control system. The node manager is configured to establish and coordinate media streams for transmitting media from the device to a second node or for receiving media to the device from the second node.

Claims

1. A coordinated media control system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, including a first node and a second node, where each of the first node and the second node comprises;

a node manager;

a plurality of devices that are separate from and different than the node manager and that are communicatively connected to the node manager, where at least some of the devices at the first node are communicatively connected to at least some of the devices at the second node, where the first node enables a user at the first node to select a first device from the plurality of devices of the first node that are communicatively connected to the node manager of the first device and to select a second device from the plurality of devices of the second node that are communicatively connected to the node manager of the second device between which a media stream is to be established; and

,

an event manager device separate from and different than the nodes and separate from and different than the devices of the nodes, the event manager device communicatively connected to the node manager of each node,

wherein the node managers of the first and the second nodes communicate with the event manager device to establish a media stream between the first and the second devices, such that the node managers of the first and the second nodes do not communicate directly with one another to establish the media stream between the first and the second devices,

wherein upon the media stream being established via the node managers of the first and the second nodes communicating with the event manager device, the media stream is directly communicated between the first and the second devices without the media stream passing through the event manager device,

and wherein communication between the first and the second devices does not pass through any other node and does not pass through the event manager device.

2. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes further comprises:

a device data storage operatively connected to the node manager and configured to store configuration and control information regarding at least the devices of the node.

3. The coordinated media control system of claim 2, wherein the configuration and control information comprises event participation configuration and control information.

4. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes further comprises:

a graphical user interface (GUI) operatively connected to the node manager, the GUI configured to enable a user of the node to enter commands to establish and coordinate media streams with other nodes via the event manager device.

5. The coordinated media control system of claim 4, wherein the GUI of each node permits the user to select a given device of the node from the plurality of devices of the node.

6. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein the event manager device is configured to establish media streams among the nodes in accordance with a policy.

7. The coordinated media control system of claim 6, further comprising an event data storage operatively connected to the event manager and configured to store the policy.

8. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein the event manager device is configured to describe a state of each node in accordance with an event.

9. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes comprises:

a device control subsystem separate from and different than the node manager of the node and interconnecting the devices of the node with the node manager of the node, to provide an abstracted interface of the devices of the node to the node manager of the node.

10. The coordinated media control system of claim 1, wherein the devices of each node each comprises one of:

a fax machine, a video camera, a telephone, a printer, a scanner, a display, a personal computer, a microphone, and a speaker.

11. A method for establishing and communicating a media stream between a first device of a first node and a second device of a second node of a plurality of nodes, each node having a device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user at the first node, selection of the first device from a plurality of devices of the first node and the second device from a plurality of devices of the second node between which the media stream is to be established, the plurality of devices at the first node communicatively connected to a first node manager of the first node and the plurality of devices at the second node communicatively connected to a second node manager of the second node;

communicating, by each of the first node manager of the first node and the second node manager of the second node, with an event manager device to establish the media stream, where the event manager device is separate from and different than the plurality of devices of each of the first and the second nodes and is communicatively connected to the first node manager of the first node and to the second node manager of the second node, and such that the first and the second node managers of the first and the second nodes do not communicate directly with one another to establish the media stream between the first and the second devices; and

,

communicating the media stream directly between the first and the second devices of the first and the second nodes without the media streaming passing through the event manager device, and where communication between the first and the second devices of the first and the second nodes does not pass through any other node and does not pass through the event manager device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising permitting a user to establish and coordinate the media stream between the first node the second nodes via a graphical user interface (GUI) at each of the first and the second nodes.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the event manager device is configured to establish media streams among the nodes in accordance with a policy.

14. A node of a coordinated media control system, comprising:

a plurality of devices, at least some of which are communicatively connectable to other devices of other nodes of the coordinated media control system, where the node enables a user at the node to select a first device from the plurality of devices of the node and to select a second device from the plurality of other devices of the other nodes between which a media stream is to be established; and

,

a node manager to communicate with an event manager device separate from and different than the node and the other nodes of the coordinated media control system, to establish a media stream between the first and the second devices, the devices of the node being communicatively connected to the node manager

such that the node manager of the node does not communicate directly with a node manager of the given other node to establish the media stream,

wherein upon the media stream being established, the media stream is directly communicated between the first and the second devices without the media stream passing through the event manager device,

wherein the devices are separate from and different than the node manager,

and wherein communication between the first device and the second device does not pass through any other node and does not pass through the event manager device.

15. The node of claim 14, further comprising a device data storage operatively connected to the node manager and configured to store configuration and control information regarding at least the devices of the node.

16. The node of claim 15, wherein the configuration and control information comprises event participation configuration and control information.

17. The node of claim 14, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) operatively connected to the node manager, the GUI configured to enable a user of the node to enter commands to establish and coordinate media streams with the other nodes via the event manager device.

18. The node of claim 17, wherein the GUI permits the user to select the first device of the node from the plurality of devices of the node.

19. The node of claim 14, further comprising a device control subsystem separate from and different than the node manager of the node and interconnecting the devices of the node with the node manager of the node, to provide an abstracted interface of the devices of the node to the node manager of the node.

20. The node of claim 14, wherein the devices of the node each comprises one of:

a fax machine, a video camera, a telephone, a printer, a scanner, a display, a personal computer, a microphone, and a speaker.