Providing conference data in a network communications system based on client or server information examined during a conference

• US 7,715,331 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pixion Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pixion Incorporated
• Inventors: Wells, Benjamin, Madams, Peter, Flower, John, Kaul, Clint, Salesky, Joseph, Janne, Edward Arthur Ho-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Robert W
• Application Number:
  US12/012,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1415 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• 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 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An improved networked computer communications system handles arbitrary streams of data, and transports at varying speeds those streams where intermediate updates can be dropped if they are made obsolete by later arriving data updates, optimizing the utilization of network and node resources. Complex buffering by system server software allows distributed, parallel, or redundant processing, transmission, and storage for performance, reliability, and robustness. Various parameters of the system can be monitored, and the system can be reconfigured automatically based on the observations. Varied techniques reduce the perceived end-to-end latency and take advantage of software and hardware capabilities that assets connected to the system may possess. One conferencing system allows conference participants to share all or a portion of the display seen on their computer screens. The conferees may be at sites removed from each other, or may view a recorded presentation or archived conference at different times. Conference participants are either “presenters” who can modify the display or “attendees” who cannot modify the display. A pointer icon, which can be labeled to identify the conferee, is displayed on the shared image area. Each conferee can modify the position of his or her own pointer, even when not presenting, so that every participant can see what each conferee is pointing to, should a conferee choose to point to an element of the display. These and other features apply to other data streams shared in the conference or in meetings where there is no shared-image data stream.

Claims

1. A conferencing system comprising:

a conference server;

at least one client, the at least one client including a web browser; and

at least one network connection coupling the conference server and the at least one client, the conference server providing conferencing data to the at least one client via the at least one network connection after establishing a client-server connection, the client-server connection established via the web browser at the at least one client having been navigated to a Universal Resource Locator associated with a conference, and wherein one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data are based on client or server information examined in real time and subsequent to both the client-server connection having been established and the client joining the conference.

2. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises a size of at least part of the conferencing data.

3. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises at least some contents within the conferencing data.

4. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises at least some information related to at least part of the conferencing data.

5. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises at least one source of at least part of the conferencing data.

6. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises at least one destination of at least part of the conferencing data.

7. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises a rate of reception of at least part of the conferencing data.

8. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises a rate of transmission of at least part of the conferencing data.

9. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises hardware involved in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

10. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises software involved in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

11. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the provided conferencing data comprises at least one protocol used in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

12. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least a size of at least part of the conferencing data.

13. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least a calculation of a size of at least part of the conferencing data.

14. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least some content within the conferencing data.

15. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least some information related to at least part of the conferencing data.

16. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least one source of at least part of the conferencing data.

17. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least one destination of at least part of the conferencing data.

18. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to a rate of reception of at least a part of the conferencing data.

19. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to a rate of transmission of at least a part of the conferencing data.

20. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to hardware involved in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

21. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to software involved in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

22. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined is related to at least one protocol used in processing at least part of the conferencing data.

23. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a speed of the server.

24. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a speed of at least one of the clients.

25. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a speed of at least one of the network connections.

26. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a load of the server.

27. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a load of at least one of the clients.

28. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information examined comprises a load of at least one of the network connections.

29. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics is based on at least one modification to a conference environment originated by the server.

30. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the one or more characteristics is based at least one modification to a conference environment originated by at least one client.

31. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information comprises at least one modification to a conference environment originated by the server.

32. The conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information comprises at least one modification to a conference environment originated by at least one client.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client is configured to provide the conference server with a key prior to joining the conference, the key identifying one or more privileges of the at least one client during the conference.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more privileges includes entering the conference.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more privileges includes being a presented during the conference.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more privileges includes access to information about another attendee in the conference.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more privileges includes changing a conference setting.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the client or server information is examined at various points during the conference.

39. A method for conferencing between a server and at least one client in a conferencing system, comprising:

establishing a network connection between the server and the at least one client, the network connection established via a web browser at the at least one client having been navigated to a Universal Resource Locator associated with a conference;

examining client or server information in real time and subsequent to both the client-server connection having been established and the client joining the conference; and

providing conferencing data from the server to the at least one client after establishing a client-server connection and the at least one client having joined the conference, wherein one or more characteristics of the conferencing data are based on the examined client or server information.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising determining one or more characteristics of conferencing data for delivery during a first portion of the conference, the determination based on current capabilities of the at least one client validated after establishing the client-server connection but prior to the at least one client joining the conference.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more characteristics of conferencing data for delivery during the first portion of the conference are changed in favor of the one or more characteristics of the conferencing data based on the client or server information examined subsequent to both the client-server connection having been established and the client joining the conference.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the client or server information is examined at multiple points during the conference thereby resulting in an adjustment of the one or more characteristics of the conferencing data provided during the conference.