Mixed media conferencing
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method for holding a teleconference between a plurality of users, the method comprising:
- inviting a plurality of conferencing systems to join a conference, each conferencing system having hardware capabilities and bandwidth capabilities, and each conferencing system having a communication capability limited by the associated bandwidth and hardware capabilities;
receiving from each invited conferencing system a user address;
establishing a connection with each invited conferencing system using the received user address;
selecting a conferencing method from a plurality of conferencing methods, wherein the conferencing method is selected based on the communication capabilities of the invited conferencing systems; and
establishing a conference between the invited conferencing systems according to the selected conferencing method, wherein the selected conferencing method allows each invited conferencing system to participate in the conference at a level supported by each conferencing system'"'"'s hardware and bandwidth capabilities.
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Abstract
Multiple users participate in a conference while taking maximum advantage of hardware and bandwidth capabilities of each participant. Each user'"'"'s system makes known to a directory service its hardware sending and receiving capabilities. The directory service makes this information available to other users who may then wish to join a conference with the user. An initiating user sends invitations via the directory service to the remote users. Each user that accepts an invitation transmits its network address to the initiating user, who then establishes a peer-to-peer connection with each of the remote users. Each participant system exchanges information about hardware capabilities and bandwidth, and a conference manager determines a best model for connecting each of the participants. Depending on the hardware and bandwidth capabilities of the participants, the manager chooses from a duplicate streams model, a multicast model, and a host-among-peers model for connecting the participants.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method for holding a teleconference between a plurality of users, the method comprising:
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inviting a plurality of conferencing systems to join a conference, each conferencing system having hardware capabilities and bandwidth capabilities, and each conferencing system having a communication capability limited by the associated bandwidth and hardware capabilities; receiving from each invited conferencing system a user address; establishing a connection with each invited conferencing system using the received user address; selecting a conferencing method from a plurality of conferencing methods, wherein the conferencing method is selected based on the communication capabilities of the invited conferencing systems; and establishing a conference between the invited conferencing systems according to the selected conferencing method, wherein the selected conferencing method allows each invited conferencing system to participate in the conference at a level supported by each conferencing system'"'"'s hardware and bandwidth capabilities. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer implemented method of configuring a teleconference between a plurality of conferencing systems, the method comprising:
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determining for each conferencing system an associated bandwidth, and available communication capabilities; selecting for each conferencing system a conferencing method for connecting the conferencing system from a plurality of conferencing methods based on a communication capability limited by the associated bandwidth and hardware capabilities associated with the conferencing system; and configuring each of the conferencing systems to communicate with the other conferencing systems using the selected conferencing method, wherein the selected conferencing method allows a conferencing system to participate in the conference at a level supported by the conferencing system'"'"'s communication capability.
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14. A system for holding a teleconference between a plurality of users, the system comprising:
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a service interface module for; establishing a connection with a directory service; inviting a plurality of conferencing systems to join a conference, each conferencing system having associated hardware and bandwidth capabilities, and each conferencing system having a communication capability limited by the associated bandwidth and hardware capabilities; a negotiation engine, communicatively coupled to the service interface module, for; receiving from each invited conferencing system a user address; establishing a connection with each invited conferencing system using the received user address; selecting a conferencing method from a plurality of conferencing methods, wherein the conferencing method is selected based on the communication capabilities of the conferencing systems; and establishing a conference between the invited conferencing systems according to the selected conferencing method, wherein the selected conferencing method allows each invited conferencing system to participate m the conference at a level supported by each conferencing system'"'"'s hardware and bandwidth capabilities. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification