Telephonic communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-11
2001-10-02
Matar, Ahmad (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Conferencing
C379S204010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298129
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to teleconference recording systems and more particularly pertains to a teleconference recording system and method that allows a teleconference participant to set an identifying mark when a teleconference is being recorded and to later play back a portion of this recorded teleconference beginning at the mark. The system of the present invention combines the use of telecommunication and Internet web-based tools and equipment to perform its intended function. As a result, a teleconference can be recorded and marked using a touch tone telephone, and the teleconference recording or portions thereof can be readily archived, retrieved, and played from the desktop using a conventional multimedia computer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The use of teleconference systems have evolved from simple telephone applications to those that employ computer multimedia workstations communicating in sophisticated networked applications. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,068, U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,324, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,653 disclose a video teleconferencing system for networked and computerized workstations. In this system, an audio and video transmission mechanism is used for sending near real-time and continuous audio and video data streams from a local workstation to a remote workstation by a digital data network. The transmission mechanisms are synchronized such that the audio and video data signals can be reconstructed without affecting continuity of the teleconference at the remote workstation. The system relies upon the execution of a master process on a local workstation that subsequently causes execution of a slave process on a remote work station for receiving audio and video data. Reconstruction of the data is performed by the remote workstation inserting each frame of video data into the audio data stream sent by the local workstation to thereby prevent loss of continuity of data during a system overload condition.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,690 discloses an audio/video storage and retrieval mechanism for multimedia work stations that interleaves audio and video data in a data file. The system includes a storage mechanism for a workstation to store audio and video data as digital data packets in a data file and a retrieval mechanism for the workstation to retrieve audio and video data from the data file. The video data is presented as an image on the display of the workstation and the audio data is sent to either amplified speakers or headphones. The audio data is stored as a data file such that it can be retrieved and reconstructed into a continuous audio signal. The video data is stored to the data file such that each frame of video data is inserted into the audio data stream without effecting the continuity of the audio signal reconstructed by the work station. Timing information is attached to each frame of video data stored to the file and indicates a point in the continuous audio data stream which corresponds in time to the frame of video data. A synchronizer displays a frame of video data when the point in the audio data stream, corresponding to the timing information of the retrieved video frame is audibly reproduced by the workstation.
Although the aforementioned systems describe ways to synchronously stream and store audio and video data in order to reconstruct a conference session, they do not describe or employ facilities that would assist a user in readily accessing and playing back user-selected portions of a teleconference. Consequently, although teleconference recordings are frequently recorded and archived, they are seldom be used due to the lack of effective access to the recorded information at particular points.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention implements a new architecture and method for managing teleconferences. The system of the present invention substantially departs from the described prior art by providing a teleconference recording and marking system and associated method that allows a teleconference participant to set an identifying mark when a teleconference is being recorded and to later play back a portion of this recorded teleconference beginning at the mark.
The system combines the use of a telephone network and an Internet or intranet computer network to perform its function.
The system allows for selected points in a teleconference to be marked for later access through the use of a conventional end-user touch tone telephone.
The system enables whole teleconference recordings or portions thereof to be readily archived, retrieved, and played from the desktop using a conventional multimedia computer and associated software.
The system includes, in combination, a plurality of telephones. Each telephone has facilities for transmitting a voice signal and a plurality of marking signals for marking a teleconference. The system provides a mechanism for establishing a wireline and/or wireless communications link between the telephones. A recording mechanism is included for recording the audible voice signals and marking signals that are transmitted from the telephones in a digital data stream. A mechanism is also provided for replacing each marking signal within the data stream with a shorter time tag. Computational facilities are included for determining a time offset measured from the beginning of the data stream to each time tag. A storage device is provided for storing the data stream and the time offsets. Lastly, a player mechanism is included for playing the data stream starting at any one of the time offsets.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5375068 (1994-12-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 5546324 (1996-08-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 5559876 (1996-09-01), Alperovich
patent: 5608653 (1997-03-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 5623690 (1997-04-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 5668863 (1997-09-01), Bieselin et al.
patent: 5922045 (1999-07-01), Hanson
patent: 6091808 (2000-07-01), Wood et al.
Culver Timothy L.
Oakes Randall S.
Agdeppa Hector
Matar Ahmad
MCI Communications Corporation
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