Method and apparatus for distributed conferences
First Claim
1. A method for distributing information in a hierarchical communication network during an event, the method comprising:
- receiving a first information stream from a source by a parent first destination site comprising a first server connected to a first client device and connected to the source by a first connection;
when at least one descendent second destination site comprising a second server connected to a second client device is connected to the parent first destination site in a second connection, transmitting a second information stream from the parent first destination site to the at least one descendent second destination site,wherein the first information stream is transmitted once between the source and the parent first destination site and the second information stream is transmitted once between the parent first destination site and at least one descendent second destination site,wherein the first client device connected to the first server of the parent first destination site is not the source and is connected only to the first server of the parent first destination site, andwherein the second client device connected to the second server of the descendant second destination site is connected only to the second server of the descendant second destination site.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for enabling an event such as a telecollaboration or conference event in a communication network. The apparatus is tree-structured, and comprises a main site and one or more descendent sites, each site comprising one or more servers. Each site is a parent site, a descendent site, or both. Two sites may be connected via a dedicated or controlled connection. The apparatus further comprises client devices, each client device connecting to one site. The method of the disclosed invention comprises passing information between a client device and a server or between two servers exactly once. The information is propagated by each server to all the components connected to the server, i.e. the parent site if any, descendent sites if any, and client devices if any, excluding the component from which the server received the information.
10 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for distributing information in a hierarchical communication network during an event, the method comprising:
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receiving a first information stream from a source by a parent first destination site comprising a first server connected to a first client device and connected to the source by a first connection; when at least one descendent second destination site comprising a second server connected to a second client device is connected to the parent first destination site in a second connection, transmitting a second information stream from the parent first destination site to the at least one descendent second destination site, wherein the first information stream is transmitted once between the source and the parent first destination site and the second information stream is transmitted once between the parent first destination site and at least one descendent second destination site, wherein the first client device connected to the first server of the parent first destination site is not the source and is connected only to the first server of the parent first destination site, and wherein the second client device connected to the second server of the descendant second destination site is connected only to the second server of the descendant second destination site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A tree-structured distributed system for distributing in a hierarchical communication network information during an event, the system comprising:
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a parent first destination site comprising a first server connected to a first client device and connected to a source in a first connection and receiving a first information stream from the source; at least one descendent second destination site comprising a second server connected to a second client device, the at least one descendent second destination site being connected to the parent first destination site in a second connection, the at least one descendent second destination site receiving a second information stream from the parent first destination site by the second connection, wherein the first information stream is transmitted once between the source and the parent first destination site and the second information stream is transmitted once between the parent first destination site and the second destination site, wherein the first client device connected to the first server of the parent first destination site is connected only to the first server of the parent first destination site, and wherein the second client device connected to the second server of the descendant second destination site is connected only to the second server of the descendant second destination site. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification