Method and apparatus for building customized data and/or video conferencing applications utilizing prepackaged conference control objects

• US 6,785,709 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1997
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• 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): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/947,920
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 709/320, 709/204-211, 345/753-759, 719/320, 719/315, 719/328, 719/316
• 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

Abstract

A prepackaged object-oriented data and/or video conferencing (DVC) application programming toolkit (PK) having a number of conference control objects is provided for building customized DVC applications. Instances of these conference control objects are to be incorporated in customized DVC applications. An instance of a conference control object is used to facilitate accesses to conference management services of a local general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application, including connection management functions, extended A/V services, and data management services.

Claims

1. A computer system having a prepackaged object-oriented data and/or video conference (DVC) application programming toolkit (PK) for building customized DVC applications, wherein the DVC application PK includes a prepackaged connection control object whose instance is to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of a general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application during runtime operation to allow a local incorporating customized DVC application having a local GPPC application to connect to another remote incorporating customized DVC application having a remote GPPC application, and to interactively manage the connection, the local incorporating customized DVC application and the remote incorporating customized DVC application being independent of and separate from the local and remote GPPC applications, wherein the local and remote incorporating customized DVC applications each respectively utilize the conferencing services of their respective local or remote GPPC application.

2. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DVC application PK further includes a prepackaged local audio and video control object whose instance is to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control capturing of local audio and video.

3. The computer system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the prepackaged local audio and video control object whose instance is to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built is further used for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control local rendering of the captured audio and video.

4. The computer system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the prepackaged local audio and video control object whose instance is to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built is further used for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control provision of the captured audio and video to the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

5. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DVC application PK further includes a prepackaged remote audio and video control object whose instance is to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control local rendering of remote audio and video received from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

6. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DVC application PK further includes one or more prepackaged data channel control objects whose instances are to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to open and close one or more data channels for the purpose of sending and receiving data to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

7. The computer system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the one or more prepackaged data channel control objects whose instances are to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built is further used for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to send and receive data to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application via the open data channels.

8. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the DVC application PK further includes one or more prepackaged file channel control objects whose instances are to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to open and close one or more data channels for the purpose of sending and receiving files to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

9. The computer system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the one or more data channels are to be incorporated in the customized DVC applications being built is further used for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to send and receive file s to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application via the open file channels.

10. In computer system, a method for building customized DVC applications, the method comprising the step of:

(a) incorporating an instance of a prepackaged connection control object of a prepackaged object-oriented data and/or video conference (DVC) application programming toolkit (PK) into a customized DVC application being built responsive to a user request, the prepackaged connection control object comprising procedure(s) for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of a general purpose personal conference (GPPC) application during runtime operation to allow a local incorporating customized DVC application having a local GPPC application to connect to another remote incorporating customized DVC application having a remote GPPC application, and to interactively manage the connection, the local incorporating customized DVC application and the remote incorporating customized DVC application being independent of and separate from the local and remote GPPC applications, wherein the local and remote customized DVC applications each respectively utilize the conferencing services of their respective local or remote application.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) setting custom connection control property values of the incorporated prepackaged connection control object instance responsive to user inputs.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) associating customized event handling logic for handling custom events of the incorporated prepackaged connection control object instance responsive to user inputs.

13. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) incorporating an instance of a prepackaged local audio and video control object of the prepackaged object-oriented DVC application PK into the customized DVC application being built responsive to the user request, the prepackaged local audio and video control object comprising procedure(s) for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control capturing of local audio and video, local rendering of captured audio and video, and provision of the captured audio and video to the remote incorporating customized DVC application.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) setting custom local audio and video control property values of the incorporated prepackaged local audio and video control object instance responsive to user inputs.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) associating customized event handling logic for handling custom events of the incorporated prepackaged local audio and video control object instance responsive to user inputs.

16. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) incorporating an instance of a prepackaged remote audio and video control object of the prepackaged object-oriented DVC application PK into the customized DVC application being built responsive to the user request, the prepackaged remote audio and video control object comprising procedure(s) for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to interactively control local rendering of remote audio and video received from the remote incorporating customized DVC application.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) setting custom remote audio and video control property values of the incorporated prepackaged remote audio and video control object instance responsive to user inputs.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) associating customized event handling logic for handling custom events of the incorporated prepackaged remote audio and video control object instance responsive to user inputs.

19. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) incorporating an instance of a prepackaged data channel control object of the prepackaged object-oriented DVC application PK into the customized DVC application being built responsive to the user request, the prepackaged data channel control object comprising procedures for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to open and close one or more data channels for the purpose of sending and receiving data to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) setting custom data channel control property values of the incorporated prepackaged data channel control object instance responsive to user inputs.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) associating customized event handling logic for handling custom events of the incorporated prepackaged data channel control object instance responsive to user inputs.

22. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of (b) incorporating an instance of a prepackaged file channel control object of the prepackaged object-oriented DVC application PK into the customized DVC application being built responsive to the user request, the prepackaged file channel control object comprising procedures for facilitating accesses to conferencing services of the GPPC application during runtime operation to allow the local incorporating customized DVC application to open and close one or more file channels for the purpose of sending and receiving data to and from the connected remote incorporating customized DVC application.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) setting custom file channel control property values of the incorporated prepackaged file channel control object instance responsive to user inputs.

24. The method as set forth in claim 22, wherein the method further comprises the step of (c) associating customized event handling logic for handling custom events of the incorporated prepackaged file channel control object instance responsive to user inputs.