Court video teleconferencing system and method

• US 8,477,662 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vidcom, Co.
• Original Assignee: Vidcom Corp.
• Inventors: Schneider, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US11/789,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-356, 709201-207, 709217-248, 37920201-20701, 37926501-2661
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A court appearance is conducted at a scheduled date and time where at least one attorney or other participant at a remote location appears before a court by video teleconference. The court and the remote participant communicate using video and audio conferencing equipment having the capability of displaying concurrently images of the court and the remote participant during the court appearance. This enables the court and the participant to hear and see video images each other during the court appearance. The operation of the conferencing equipment is initiated and terminated at the scheduled date and time of the court appearance.

Claims

1. A system enabling communication between at least one participant at a location remote from a court and another participant at said court or remote from said court, said system comprising

first video and audio conferencing equipment including terminals at the locations of the participants,

second video and audio conferencing equipment including a plurality of terminals at the court, a first terminal at the judge'"'"'s bench with a display screen facing the judge, a second terminal spaced from the court'"'"'s terminal for one attorney with a display screen facing the public gallery, a third terminal at a station for a court clerk, and a forth terminal at a station for a court reporter,

a private transmission system for placing said conferencing equipment of the court and first and second participants in video and audio communication with each other concurrently, and displaying images of the participants at the first, second, third and forth terminals, said terminals being placed in communication with each other by communication links having the same or different protocols,

a bridging center operably connected to the transmission system and under the control of a remote conference manager that enables said conference manager to initiate and terminate a scheduled court video teleconference and who establishes communication between the court and each participant appearing before the court by video teleconference,

said bridging center enabling the conference manager to communicate with the court and each participant at a scheduled video teleconference appearance and including a computer system programmed to enable simultaneous real-time communication between said terminals, and each said terminal including a device for near-real time compression and decompression of the audio and video signal streams transmitted or received thereby,

said bridging center transcodes each protocol regardless of bit rate, frame rate, resolution rate, and video and audio compression and decompression schemes, and

a dedicated telephone link in active communication with the court that enables the conference manager and court to communicate during a scheduled court video teleconference.