Multiplex communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-07
2002-12-31
Nguyen, Chau (Department: 2663)
Multiplex communications
Special services
Conferencing
C379S202010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06501740
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention is teleconferencing, and particularly teleconferencing using an internetwork comprising a connection-oriented and a connectionless network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Teleconferencing is carried out by certain known systems using a connection-oriented network or internetwork. An internetwork is defined as a set of networks that are directly or indirectly interconnected. The most prevalent example of a connection-oriented network is the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). As shown in
FIG. 1
, teleconferences on the PSTN
11
are established in a known fashion in one embodiment by a PSTN teleconference bridge
12
that has been preconfigured to establish the teleconference, e.g., with certain participants
13
, at a certain time, etc. In one embodiment, one of the participants
13
preconfigures the bridge
12
. In another embodiment, a teleconference administrator
14
preconfigures the bridge
12
. In one embodiment, the bridge
21
calls the predetermined participants
13
and authenticates them. In another embodiment, the participants
13
call the bridge
12
and authenticate themselves. An example of an authentication mechanism is the entry of a password using Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signals at a prerecorded audio prompt from the bridge
12
. The bridge
12
bridges the authenticated connections, enabling the participants
13
to communicate with each other. A teleconference over a connection-oriented network such as the PSTN offers high quality, low latency multimedia transmission and reliable connections. Multimedia is defined to be information of the form of at least one of the group of audio, text, video, animation and graphics. Latency is defined to be the delay between the time information is sent and time it is received. A connection-oriented teleconference connection can be disadvantageously expensive, and does not readily offer the caller a multimedia interface useful for controlling and monitoring the status of the teleconference that is easily accessed using any of a number of general purpose software packages implemented on a wide variety of hardware platforms and networks. A useful teleconferencing multimedia interface would provide information such as the availability of teleconferences for which a user is scheduled or free to join; information on the status of a teleconference (e.g., the identities of the participants, whether a participant's connection is presently active or has been dropped, etc.); and means for conveniently scheduling and establishing a teleconference.
Other known systems carry out teleconferences using a connectionless network. An example of a connectionless network is the Internet. As shown in
FIG. 2
, participants or users
21
establish TCP/IP connections with a teleconference server
22
through the Internet
23
, are authenticated, and send digitized connectionless voice signals in packets to the server
22
. The teleconference server
22
multiplexes the connectionless voice input signals from the participants
21
and sends the resulting multiplexed signal to the participants
21
through the Internet
23
. The server
22
can be preconfigured to host a teleconference consisting of certain predetermined participants, at a scheduled time, etc. The server
22
can be preconfigured by participants
21
, or by a third party such as a teleconference administrator
24
. Multimedia teleconferences over the Internet are inexpensive and can be established and monitored using convenient multimedia interfaces presented to the participants
21
and/or a third party such as teleconference administrator
24
. An example of such a multimedia interface presents graphical and textual information to the participant, augmented by audio, video and animation. However, multimedia teleconference connections can be disadvantageously unreliable, suffer from high latency, and have high data error rates.
Using known systems, connection-oriented conferees (conferees communicating over a connection-oriented network) may teleconference only with other connection-oriented conferees, and connectionless conferees (conferees communicating over a connectionless network) may teleconference only with other connectionless conferees. Connection-oriented conferees often need to teleconference with connectionless conferees, and vice versa. Known systems are unable to accommodate such a hybrid mix of conferees, and hence the two groups are unable to communicate together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus is provided for teleconferencing on an internetwork that has a connection-oriented network connecting a caller to a bridge and a connectionless network connecting users. A call server is connected to both the connection-oriented network and the connectionless network. The call server receives connectionless input signals from users through the connectionless network, multiplexes the signals, and translates the multiplexed signal into a connection-oriented output signal. The output signal is sent to the bridge connected to the connection-oriented network, which shares the signal with connection-oriented users. The call server receives a connection oriented input signal from the bridge, translates the connection oriented signal into connectionless output signal, and sends the connectionless signal to the users on the connectionless network. Thus, both connectionless and connection-oriented conferees can advantageously participate in the same teleconference. The call server accepts connectionless teleconference identification data from users, as well as caller authentication data, and provides both to the bridge. The call server further advantageously monitors the status of connectionless users and the connection to the bridge, and provides control signals and information both to the bridge through means such as DTMF signals and to the users through multimedia interfaces.
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E T Powner, A Odeh, Y Wang; ATM LAN/LAN Bridging Connectionless methods performance analyses; Telecommunications conference IEEE; 130-134, Mar. 1995.
Reit Robert E.
Sun Chaochen J.
West Earle H.
AT&T Corp.
Kwoh Jasper
Nguyen Chau
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