Scalable high-performance interactive real-time media architectures for virtual desktop environments

• US 8,949,316 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Original Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Inventors: Lauwers, Jozef Paul C., Vohra, Sumeet, Vysotsky, Vladimir, Viswanathan, Vijayalakshmi, Richter, Alexander, Ludwig, Lester, Zabluda, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/828,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20110224811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 370/260, 725/37
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• 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: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

System for providing interactive two-way audio in desktop virtualization environment, the desktop virtualization environment comprising desktop virtualization server computer and desktop virtualization client endpoint device with associated microphone element. The system incorporates instance of server software executing on the desktop virtualization server and providing interactive user interface functions to associated desktop virtualization client endpoint device; and instance of endpoint software executing on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device including network port, the instance of endpoint software receiving an incoming real-time audio stream from the network port and providing real-time and audio playback functions on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device. In the system, the desktop virtualization client endpoint is configured to: accept real-time audio input from a microphone element associated with the desktop virtualization client endpoint; and provide an outgoing real-time compressed audio stream to the network port responsive to the real-time audio input from the microphone element.

Claims

1. A system for providing interactive two-way audio in a desktop virtualization environment, the desktop virtualization environment comprising at least one desktop virtualization server computer and at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint device with an associated microphone element, the system comprising:

a. at least one instance of server software executing on the desktop virtualization server and providing at least interactive user interface functions to an associated desktop virtualization client endpoint device; and

b. at least one instance of endpoint software executing on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device comprising a network port, the at least one instance of endpoint software receiving an incoming real-time audio stream from the network port and providing at least real-time and audio playback functions on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device,

wherein the desktop virtualization server comprises a plurality of virtual machines configured to execute at least one desktop application and wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual machines corresponds to the at least one instance of the server software and the at least one instance of endpoint software;

wherein a first portion of software associated with managing of the real-time audio stream executes on a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines and a second portion of software involved in real-time handling of the real-time audio stream executes on the endpoint device; and

wherein the at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint is configured to;

i. accept real-time audio input from a microphone element associated with the desktop virtualization client endpoint; and

ii. provide an outgoing real-time compressed audio stream to the network port responsive to the real-time audio input from the microphone element,

wherein the incoming real-time audio stream is provided by a different instance of endpoint software executing on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device and wherein the outgoing real-time audio stream is provided to a different instance of endpoint software executing on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the real-time audio input from the microphone element is a compressed audio stream.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the real-time audio input from a microphone element is an uncompressed audio stream.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an audio compression algorithm, which performs audio compression to produce the outgoing real-time compressed audio stream.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the instance of endpoint software is configured such that, should the desktop virtualization client endpoint device comprise a multicore processor, the audio compression algorithm is executed on a specific core of the multicore processor.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein at least one video compression function is provided by the hardware of desktop virtualization client endpoint device, and the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging audio streams with the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the instance of endpoint software comprises a audio decompression algorithm.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein at least one video decompression function is provided by the hardware of desktop virtualization client endpoint device, and wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging audio streams with the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

9. A method for providing interactive two-way audio in a desktop virtualization environment, the desktop virtualization environment comprising at least one desktop virtualization server computer and at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint device with an associated microphone element, the method comprising:

c. providing, using at least one instance of server software executing on the desktop virtualization server, at least interactive user interface functions to an associated desktop virtualization client endpoint device;

d. receiving, using at least one instance of endpoint software executing on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device comprising a network port, an incoming real-time audio stream from the network port and providing at least real-time and audio playback functions on the desktop virtualization client endpoint device;

e. accepting, using the at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint, real-time audio input from a microphone element associated with the desktop virtualization client endpoint; and

f. providing, using the at least one desktop virtualization client endpoint, an outgoing real-time compressed audio stream to the network port responsive to the real-time audio input from the microphone element, wherein the desktop virtualization server comprises a plurality of virtual machines configured to execute at least one desktop application;

wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual machines corresponds to the at least one instance of the server software and the at least one instance of endpoint software; and

wherein a first portion of software associated with managing of the real-time audio stream executes on a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines and a second portion of software involved in real-time handling of the real-time audio stream executes on the endpoint device, wherein the incoming real-time audio stream is provided by a different instance of endpoint software executing on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device and wherein the outgoing real-time audio stream is provided to a different instance of endpoint software executing on a different desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the real-time audio input from the microphone element is a compressed audio stream.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the real-time audio input from a microphone element is an uncompressed audio stream.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising executing an audio compression algorithm, which performs audio compression to produce the outgoing real-time compressed audio stream.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein should the desktop virtualization client endpoint device comprise a multicore processor, the audio compression algorithm is executed on a specific core of the multicore processor.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing at least one video compression function by the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device, wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging audio streams with the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the instance of endpoint software comprises a audio decompression algorithm.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing at least one video decompression function by the hardware of desktop virtualization client endpoint device, wherein the instance of endpoint software includes an interface for use in exchanging audio streams with the hardware of the desktop virtualization client endpoint device.