Techniques for a mixed audio conference

• US 9,294,721 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Thakkar, Pulin, Sekaran, Dhigha, Mehta, Bimal
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US11/807,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20080298278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,220 Days
• Field of Search: 370/261, 370352-356, 370/401, 370/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Techniques for a mixed audio conference are described. An apparatus may comprise an audio video multipoint control unit to mix call information from multiple call connections established over a packet-switched network for a conference call. The apparatus may comprise a telephony gateway communicatively coupled to the audio video multipoint control unit. The telephony gateway may establish a bridge connection with a conference bridge servicing a call connection over a circuit-switched network, the telephony gateway to translate call information from the call connection for use by the audio video multipoint control unit. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed on at least one processing unit, comprising:

establishing a conference call having a call connection to an enterprise network over a packet-switched network;

establishing a bridge connection, via a telephony gateway in an audio conference provider network that is servicing the call connection over a circuit-switched network, between the enterprise network and a conference bridge in the audio conference provider network, by dialing out from the telephony gateway to an audio video multipoint control unit in the enterprise network; and

converting call information from the call connection for communication over the packet-switched network to the conference call.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway to establish the bridge connection.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway comprising a conference bridge number to directly establish the bridge connection.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway comprising a conference bridge number and a post-dial string to indirectly establish the bridge connection.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a link message from a conference chair by an audio video multipoint control unit to establish the bridge connection.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising sending a get conference message from an audio video multipoint control unit to a conference focus to retrieve conference bridge connection information.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising sending a link message with conference bridge connection information from an audio video multipoint control unit to the telephony gateway to establish the bridge connection.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a link message with conference bridge connection information from an audio video multipoint control unit by the telephony gateway to establish the bridge connection.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a computer hardware storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

establish a conference call having a call connection to an enterprise network over a packet-switched network;

establish a bridge connection, via a telephony gateway in an audio conference provider network that is servicing the call connection over a circuit-switched network, between the enterprise network and a conference bridge in the audio conference provider network, by dialing out from the telephony gateway to an audio video multipoint control unit in the enterprise network; and

bridge the call connection from the circuit-switched network to the conference call over the packet-switched network using the bridge connection to the conference call.

10. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway to establish the bridge connection.

11. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway comprising a conference bridge number to directly establish the bridge connection.

12. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive conference bridge connection information by the telephony gateway comprising a conference bridge number and a post-dial string to indirectly establish the bridge connection.

13. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to:

receive a link message from a conference chair by an audio video multipoint control unit to establish the bridge connection;

send a get conference message from the audio video multipoint control unit to a conference focus to retrieve conference bridge connection information; and

send a link message with conference bridge connection information from the audio video multipoint control unit to the telephony gateway to establish the bridge connection.

14. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive conference bridge connection information from an audio conference provider by a conference focus.

15. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to send conference bridge connection information from a conference focus to an audio video multipoint control unit in response to a get conference message.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

an audio video multipoint control unit in an enterprise network to mix call information from multiple call connections established over a packet-switched network for a conference call and to be dialed into by a telephony gateway in an audio conference provider network that is servicing a call connection over a circuit-switched network, to establish a bridge connection between the audio video multipoint control unit and a conference bridge in the audio conference provider network, the telephony gateway to translate call information from the call connection for use by the audio video multipoint control unit in the conference call.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising a conference focus communicatively coupled to the audio video multipoint control unit, the conference focus to establish the conference call over the packet-switched network.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, the packet-switched network comprising a network capable of communicating control information using a session initiation protocol and media information using a real-time transport protocol.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising an audio conference provider gateway to send conference bridge connection information to a conference focus, the conference focus to send the conference bridge connection information to the telephony gateway.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising an audio conference provider gateway to send conference bridge connection information to a conference focus, the conference focus to send the conference bridge connection information to the telephony gateway via the audio video multipoint control unit.