Method and apparatus for running customized data and/or video conferencing applications employing prepackaged conference control objects utilizing a runtime synchronizer

• US 6,502,126 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pendakur, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Courtenay, III, St. John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/939,060
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200-255, 395/680, 395/682, 395/683, 709/300, 709/302, 709/309, 709/204, 709/206, 709/313, 709/310, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4053 without floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

An object-oriented DVC application runtime interface (RI) having a number of runtime management and channel objects is provided for assisting running of customized DVC applications incorporated with prepackaged conference control objects that facilitate accesses to conferencing services of GPPC applications. An identical copy of the DVC application RS is to be provided on each system, interposed between the DVC and the GPPC applications, to synchronize A/V rendering as well as data and file channels of the local DVC application to its remote counterpart. The runtime management and channel objects include a Runtime Manager Object, a Channel Manager Object, a pair of Control Input and Output Channel Objects, zero or more pairs of Data Input and Output Channel Objects, and zero or more pairs of File Input and Output Channel Objects for augmenting accesses having repercussion on the remote DVC application, and/or imposes proper end-to-end synchronization on the accesses, before passing the accesses onto the interposed GPPC application. In the presently preferred embodiments, the Runtime Manager Object also automatically exchanges capability information with its counterpart and disables the capabilities of the local DVC application that are unsupported by the connected remote DVC application. Lastly, both data as well as file blocks are sent and received as messages.

Claims

1. A computer system having:

a customized data and/or video conference (DVC) application;

a general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application; and

a DVC application runtime synchronizer (RS) interposed between the customized DVC application and the GPPC application, the customized DVC application being incorporated with instances of prepackaged control objects of a prepackaged object-oriented DVC application programming toolkit (PK) to exploit conferencing services of the GPPC application during operation in managing a connected remote customized DVC application that is similarly constituted, and the DVC application RS comprising a plurality of runtime management objects for complementing the incorporated prepackaged control object instances to manage runtime interactions between the customized DVC application and the connected remote customized DVC application, so that the customized DVC application is automatically synchronized to the connected remote customized DVC application to exchange information directly as well as complemented on another computer system.

2. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the runtime management objects of the DVC application RS includes a runtime manager object for receiving from the incorporated prepackaged control objects all conferencing services accesses having repercussion on the connected remote customized DVC application.

3. The computer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the runtime manager object comprises logic for augmenting conferencing service accesses for the purpose of local rendering of audio and video with additional conferencing service accesses to send control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application.

4. The computer system as set forth in claim 3, wherein,

the runtime management objects of the DVC application RS further comprises a channel manager object for creating a pair of control input and output channel objects at connect time and for routing control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application through the control input and output channel objects; and

the augmentation logic of the runtime manager object routes the additional conferencing service accesses for sending control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application to the channel manager object.

5. The computer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein,

the runtime management objects of the DVC application RS further comprises a channel manager object for creating a pair of data input and output channel objects for an open data channel of the customized DVC application, and for routing data blocks being sent to the connected remote customized DVC application through the data input and output channel objects;

and

the runtime manager object further comprises logic for routing conferencing service accesses for sending data blocks to the connected remote customized DVC application to the channel manager object.

6. The computer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein,

the runtime management objects of the DVC application RS further comprises a channel manager object for creating a pair of file input and output channel objects for an open file channel of the customized DVC application, and for routing file blocks being sent to the connected remote customized DVC application through the file input and output channel objects;

and

the runtime manager object further comprises logic for routing conferencing service accesses for sending file blocks to the connected remote customized DVC application to the channel manager object.

7. The computer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the runtime manager object further comprises logic for exchanging capability information with its counterpart of the connected remote DVC application at connect time, and disabling capabilities of the local DVC application that are not supported by the connected remote DVC application responsive to the capability information exchanged.

8. In a computer system having a customized data and/or video conference (DVC) application and a general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application, wherein the customized DVC application is incorporated with instances of prepackaged control objects of a prepackaged object-oriented DVC application programming toolkit (PK) to exploit conferencing services of the GPPC application during operation in managing a connected remote customized DVC application that is similarly constituted, a method for automatically and directly synchronizing running of the customized DVC application to the connected remote customized DVC application that is complemented on another computer system, the method comprising the step of:

(a) interposing a DVC application runtime synchronizer (RS) having a number of runtime management objects between the customized DVC application and the GPPC application to complement the incorporated prepackaged control object instances, managing runtime interactions between the customized DVC application and the connected remote customized DVC application to exchange information directly, augmenting and/or imposing channel orders on all conferencing service accesses having repercussion on the connected remote customized DVC application.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein step (a) comprises the step of (a.1) routing all conferencing services accesses having repercussion on the connected remote customized DVC application from the incorporated prepackaged control objects to a runtime manager object.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein step (a) further comprises the step of (a.2) augmenting conferencing service accesses for the purpose of local rendering of audio and video by the runtime manager object with additional conferencing service accesses to send control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a.3) creating a pair of control input and output channel objects at connect time by a channel manager object;

(a.4) routing the additional conferencing service accesses for sending control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application from the runtime manager object to the channel manager object; and

(a.5) routing the control messages to the connected remote customized DVC application through the control input and output channel objects by the channel manager object.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a.2) creating a pair of data input and output channel objects for an open data channel of the customized DVC application by a channel manager object;

(a.3) routing conferencing service accesses for sending data blocks to the connected remote customized DVC application from the runtime manager object to the channel manager object; and

(a.4) routing the data blocks being sent to the connected remote customized DVC application through the data input and output channel objects by the channel manager object.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a.2) creating a pair of file input and output channel objects for an open file channel of the customized DVC application by a channel manager object;

(a.3) routing conferencing service accesses for sending file blocks to the connected remote customized DVC application from the runtime manager object to the channel manager object; and

(a.4) routing the file blocks being sent to the connected remote customized DVC application through the file input and output channel objects by the channel manager object.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein step (a) comprises the steps of:

(a.2) exchanging capability information by the runtime manager object with its counterpart of the connected remote DVC application at connect time; and

(a.3) disabling capabilities of the local DVC application that are not supported by the connected remote DVC application by the runtime manager object responsive to the capability information exchanged.

15. A network of computer systems comprising:

(a) first computer system having a first customized data and/or video conference (DVC) application, a first general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application and a first DVC application runtime synchronizer (RS) interposed between the first customized DVC application and the first GPPC application, the first customized DVC application being incorporated with first instances of prepackaged control objects of a prepackaged object-oriented DVC application programming toolkit (PK) to exploit conferencing services of the first GPPC application during operation in managing a second customized DVC application, and the first DVC application RS comprising a first plurality of runtime management objects for complementing the first incorporated prepackaged control object instances to manage runtime interactions between the first customized DVC application and the second customized DVC application; and

(b) a second computer system having the second customized DVC application, a second GPPC application and a second DVC application RS interposed between the second customized DVC application and the second GPPC application, the second customized DVC application being similarly incorporated with second instances of prepackaged control objects of the prepackaged object-oriented DVC application PK to exploit conferencing services of the second GPPC application during operation in managing the first customized DVC application, and the second DVC application RS also comprising a second plurality of runtime management objects for complementing the second incorporated prepackaged control object instances to manage runtime interactions between the first customized DVC application and the second customized DVC application, the first and second customized DVC applications being automatically synchronized to each other to exchange information directly.

16. In a network of computer systems comprising a first and a second computer system, having a first and a second customized data and/or video conference (DVC) application, and a first and a second general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application, correspondingly disposed on the first and second computer systems, wherein the first and second customized DVC applications are correspondingly incorporated with first and second instances of prepackaged control objects of a prepackaged object-oriented DVC application programming toolkit (PK) to exploit conferencing services of the first and second GPPC application respectively during operation in managing the first and second customized DVC applications, a method for automatically and directly synchronizing running of the first and second DVC applications, the method comprising:

(a) interposing a first DVC application runtime synchronizer (RS) having a first number of runtime management object between the first customized DVC application and the first GPPC application to complement the first incorporated prepackaged control object instances managing runtime interactions between the first and second customized DVC applications, augmenting and/or imposing channel orders on all conferencing service accesses having repercussion on the second customized DVC application; and

(b) interposing a second DVC application RS having a second number of runtime management object between the second customized DVC application and the second GPPC application to complement the second incorporated prepackaged control object instances, managing runtime interactions between the first and second customized DVC applications augmenting and/or imposing channel orders on all conferencing service accesses having repercussion on the first customized DVC application, the first and second customized DVC applications being automatically synchronized to each other to exchange information directly.