Method, system, and device for controlling a token for an auxiliary stream in a multi-point double-stream conference

• US 8,819,133 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Haifeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US12/815,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, a system, and a device for controlling a token for an auxiliary stream in a multi-point double-stream conference. In the multi-point double-stream conference, a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) receives a token depriving request message, judges whether to execute the token depriving according to the identifier carried in the token depriving request message, and deprives the token when deciding to execute the token depriving. The solution of the present invention effectively solves the problem that the auxiliary stream token is held by a certain conference terminal for a long time and the sending of an emergent and important auxiliary stream is disturbed and provides for the control of the auxiliary stream token in a multi-point double-stream conference to facilitate the need of a user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a token for an auxiliary stream in a multi-point double-stream conference performed by a multi-point control unit (MCU), the method comprising:

receiving a token depriving request message for a token which is occupied by a first conference terminal in the multi-point double-stream conference sent by a second conference terminal, wherein the token depriving request message includes an identifier (ID) of the second conference terminal, wherein the ID of the second conference terminal is an MCU Terminal (MT) number that is assigned by the MCU;

upon receiving the token depriving request message, determining to deprive the token which is occupied by the first conference terminal upon determining that the MT number of the second conference terminal exists in an MT number pool, wherein the MT number pool comprises multiple MT numbers each of which have permission to deprive a token for an auxiliary stream; and

after determining to deprive the token which is occupied by the first conference terminal, depriving the token from the first conference terminal by sending a token request message to the first conference terminal which occupies the token,

wherein the token request message is an H.239 protocol message that includes a symmetryBreaking field set to a field value of “

0”

indicating that the first conference terminal must release the token occupied by the first conference terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a token response message responsive to the token request message from the first conference terminal; and

sending the token response message to the second conference terminal;

receiving from the second conference terminal a message indicating that the token is occupied by the second conference terminal; and

sending the message indicating that the token is occupied by the second conference terminal to a plurality of conference terminals including the first conference terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second conference terminal has a highest priority to get the token occupied by the first conference terminal among multiple conference terminals requesting the token occupied by the first conference terminal.

4. A system for controlling a token for an auxiliary stream in a multi-point double-stream conference, comprising:

a second conference terminal configured to send a token depriving request message for a token which is occupied by a first conference terminal in the multi-point double-stream conference, wherein the token depriving request message includes an identifier (ID) of the second conference terminal, wherein the ID of the second conference terminal is a multi-point control unit (MCU) Terminal number (MT number) that is assigned by an MCU; and

the multi-point control unit (MCU) configured to;

receive the token depriving request message sent by the second conference terminal;

determine to deprive the token which is occupied by the first conference terminal upon determining that the MT number of the second conference terminal exists in an MT number pool, wherein the MT number pool comprises multiple MT numbers each of which have permission to deprive a token for an auxiliary stream, upon receiving the token depriving request message; and

deprive the token from the first conference terminal by sending a token request message to the first conference terminal which occupies the token, after determining to deprive the token which is occupied by the first conference terminal,

wherein the token request message is an H.239 protocol message that includes a symmetryBreaking field set to a field value of “

0”

indicating that the first conference terminal must release the token occupied by the first conference terminal.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the MCU is further configured to:

receive a token response message responsive to the token request message from the first conference terminal;

send the token response message to the second conference terminal;

receive from the second conference terminal a message indicating that the token is occupied by the second conference terminal; and

sending the message indicating that the token is occupied by the second conference terminal to a plurality of conference terminals including the first conference terminal.

6. A multi-point control unit (MCU), comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a token depriving request message sent by a second conference terminal in a multi-point double-stream conference when a token is occupied by a first conference terminal, the token depriving request message including an identifier (ID) of the second conference terminal, wherein the ID of the second conference terminal is an MCU Terminal (MT) number that is assigned by the MCU; and

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to;

determine to deprive the token occupied by the first conference terminal upon determining that the MT number of the second conference terminal exists in an MT number pool, wherein the MT number pool comprises multiple MT numbers each of which have permission to deprive a token for an auxiliary stream, upon receiving the token depriving request message; and

deprive the token occupied by the first conference terminal from the first conference terminal by sending a token request message to the first conference terminal,

wherein the token request message is an H.239 protocol message that includes a symmetryBreaking field set to a field value of “

0”

indicating that the first conference terminal must release the token occupied by the first conference terminal.

7. The MCU according to claim 6, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a token response message responsive to the token request message from the first conference terminal, and the MCU further comprises

a transmitter configured to send the token response message to the second conference terminal.