Duplicating digital streams for digital conferencing using switching technologies

• US 7,921,157 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Scott K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqi; Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US11/549,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/231, 709/238, 709/244, 709/245, 370/260, 370/390, 370/261
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Using switching technologies to duplicate packets of a digital stream (e.g., digital video stream) sent from one workstation to multiple recipient workstations, where the switching technologies enable the multiple streams sent from the switch to the recipient workstations to be generated from a single digital stream sent from the sending workstation to the switch. Data units, such as video data units, may be transmitted by using a switch to enable receipt of a stream of data units including a payload portion and an attribute portion from at least two conferencing participants. The switch is used to duplicate at least a subportion of the payload portion of a data unit within the stream of data units, and to enable access to the duplicated subportion of the data unit by two or more conferencing participants.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data units to participants of a conference using a switch, the method comprising:

receiving, at the switch, a first data unit from a first conferencing participant, the first data unit addressed to the switch and including a payload portion;

forwarding, by the switch, the first data unit to at least a second conferencing participant and a third conferencing participant by;

generating a first and a second duplicated data unit by duplicating at least a portion of the payload portion of the first data unit and adding header information to reflect destination address information,

wherein duplicating at least a portion of the payload portion of the second data unit includes;

identifying a portion of the payload portion that is not suitable for the third conferencing participant;

filtering the payload portion of the second data unit by removing the portion that is not suitable for the third conferencing participant;

duplicating a remaining portion of the payload portion of the second data unit for transmission to the third conferencing participant;

transmitting the first duplicated data unit to the second conferencing participant and transmitting the second duplicated data unit to the third conferencing participant;

receiving, at the switch, a second data unit from the second conferencing participant; and

forwarding, by the switch, the second data unit to at least the first conferencing participant and the third conferencing participant.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data unit includes an Internet Protocol packet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein duplicating at least a portion of the payload portion of the first data unit includes:

copying the payload portion of the Internet Protocol packet and adding an Internet Protocol address of the corresponding conferencing participant as the header information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein duplicating at least a portion of the payload portion of the first data unit includes duplicating only the payload portion of the first data unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data unit is addressed to a unicast address of the switch.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein adding header information to reflect address information of the corresponding conferencing participant includes adding a unicast address of the corresponding conferencing participant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding the first data unit includes:

filtering an originating stream of data units from an originating conferencing participant so that a data unit included in the originating stream is not transmitted back to the originating conferencing participant.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein duplicating at least a portion of the payload portion of the first data unit includes trans coding an underlying media format of the first data unit to a different bit rate.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether one of the second conferencing component or the third conferencing component is attempting to actively participate.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein forwarding the first data unit includes forwarding the first data unit to the conferencing participant attempting to actively participate.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first data unit is not forwarded to conferencing participants that have not been attempting to actively participate.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding the first data unit comprises using a conference manager to designate which of the conferencing participants the first data unit is forwarded to.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein adding header information comprises modifying a destination address of the first data unit to specify an address of the corresponding conferencing participant.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein adding header information comprises replacing a destination address of the first data unit to specify an address of the corresponding conferencing participant.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein adding header information comprises adding a new IP header with destination information of the corresponding conferencing participant.