Conference endpoint requesting and receiving billing information from a conference bridge

• US 20050213738A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodman, Jeffrey, Drell, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.10
• 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: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5036 using conference for collection of feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• 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: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various communication protocols. In other embodiments, the present invention provides for improved bridge architecture for controlling functions of conference endpoints including controlling functions of the bridge.

Claims

1-1. The conference endpoint of claim 1, wherein the conference billing information comprises a real-time cost of conference.

10-2. The conferencing system of claim 10, wherein the control data comprises an instruction from the conference endpoint that the conference bridge periodically send conference billing information to the conference endpoint, and wherein the conference bridge periodically provides conference billing information to the conference endpoint.

17-3. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

sending payment information to the bridge.

21. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for obtaining conference billing information during a conference by performing the steps of:

combining an audio signal and a control signal;

sending the combined audio and control signal to the one or more remote endpoints; and

sending a request for conference billing information from a multipoint conference bridge; and

receiving conference billing information from the multipoint conference bridge based on the control signal.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the combined audio and control signal is sent according to a communication protocol selected from the group consisting of IP, modem data, ISDN, and analog.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the control signal is embedded in the audio signal and wherein the control signal is substantially humanly inaudible.