Intelligent switching system for voice and data

• US 6,373,936 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Delaney, Thomas A., Danzig, Steven, Miodownik, Saul, Raniere, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/567,854
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/14.1, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/264, 370/265, 370/266, 370/267, 370/270, 375/222, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.14, 379/93.26, 379/93.28, 379/93.05, 379/93.09, 379/93.37, 379/202.01, 379/203.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/206.01, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 379/309, 379/900
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A teleconferencing system for voice and data provides interconnections among user sites via a central station. User stations at user sites each alternate operation between a data mode connecting a user computer and modem to a user telephone communication path and a voice mode connecting a telephony circuit to the communication path. The teleconferencing system is adapted for conducting a voice conference over standard telephone lines while allowing simultaneous viewing of data objects such as slides, graphs, or text. A host computer connected to the central station serves as a central repository for storage and retrieval of data objects for use in teleconferences.

Claims

1. A method of conferencing among a plurality of user sites, comprising the steps of:

storing a common set of data objects in a plurality of digital computers, each of the digital computers located at a respective user site and having a memory for data object storage and a monitor for data object display, wherein the storing step occurs prior to a conference among the user sites;

interconnecting the plurality of user sites into the conference via a wide area network;

at an individual user site, selecting a data object from the common set of data objects and transmitting a control signal to the other user sites via the network to indicate the selected data object; and

at each of the other user sites, receiving the control signal and displaying the selected data object on the respective digital computer monitor in response to the control signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data objects comprise image data.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of at each user site, transmitting and receiving voice communications signals to and from other user sites via the network.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of at a user site, recording audible signals and voice communications signals;

playing the recording at a subsequent time; and

displaying selected data objects on the respective digital computer monitor in response to the recorded audible signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide area network comprises an Internet network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wide area network comprises a satellite network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data objects comprise executable objects.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data objects comprise video objects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data objects comprise multimedia objects.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data objects comprise image objects.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises;

storing the received control signals;

subsequently retrieving the stored control signals; and

displaying the selected data objects in response to the retrieved control signals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the retrieving and displaying steps occur non-simultaneously at each user site.

13. Apparatus for conferencing among a plurality of user sites, comprising:

a plurality of digital computers, each digital computer storing a common set of data objects prior to a conference and located at a respective user site and having a memory for data object storage and a monitor for data object display;

a network for interconnecting the plurality of user sites into the conference; and

at each user site,

(i) a system for selecting a data object from the common set of data objects;

(ii) a control signal generator for transmitting a control signal indicating the selected data object to the other user sites via the network;

(iii) a receiver for receiving the control signal, the selected data object being displayed on the respective digital computer monitor in response to the control signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein each user site further comprises a telephony circuit for transmitting and receiving voice communications signals to and from other user sites via the network.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the data objects comprise image data.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the network comprises an Internet network.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the network comprises a satellite network.

18. A method of conferencing among a plurality of user sites over an Internet network, comprising the steps of:

storing a common set of data objects in a plurality of digital computers, each of the digital computers located at a respective user site and having a memory for data object storage and a monitor for data object display, wherein the storing step occurs prior to a conference among user sites;

interconnecting the plurality of user sites into the conference via the Internet network;

at an individual user site, selecting a data object from the common set of data objects and transmitting a conference control signal to the other user sites via the Internet network to indicate the selected data object; and

at each of the other user sites, receiving the conference control signal and displaying the selected data object on the respective digital computer monitor in response to the conference control signal.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the data objects comprise image data.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of at each user site, transmitting and receiving voice communications signals to and from other user sites via the network.