Video conference installation

US4995071A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Telenorma Telefonbau und Normalzeit GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Jens Weber · Bad Soden, DE
• Rolf Loos · Eppertshausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 30, 1989
• Grant date: Feb 19, 1991
• Expiry date: May 30, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M3/567
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A video conference installation has transmission and reception devices for handling audio and video signals from a plurality of subscriber points via a shared processor which assigns individual subscriber units to the subscriber points. A digital communication system connects subscriber telephone sets (F) to the shared processor via subscriber circuits (AL) having two utility channels and a signalling channel. Audio is pulse code modulated for transmission over one utility channel and compressed video is transmitted over the other. Each subscriber point has a video monitor (B) and video camera (K). Control symbols (SS, SY) are displayed on the subscriber's monitor via an overlay generator (OG). The subscriber can initiate control and switching actions by pointing to displayed symbols on the screen using a cursor, light pen or position sensitive screen input.