Patent · US Expired

Multimedia communications network

US5471318A · kind A · utility

256Cited by
6References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 22, 1993
Grant dateNov 28, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 22, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S379/908
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A circuit configuration in a multimedia network representing a controllably persistent virtual meeting room simulates an actual meeting room where conferences between two or more people may be held. This facilitates the creation in the network of flexible, long-term multimedia conferences between conferees who are separated from one another. Any number of conferees may communicate with one another via one or more of audio, video, and data. Virtual meeting rooms may persist in the network for predetermined periods of time controlled by the users of the meeting room. The room may remain in the network independent of whether or not a user is connected to the room. The meeting room is a vehicle whereby the activity of various media servers is coordinated to effectuate conferences between multiple participants in more than one medium. The servers are associated with storage devices which may record or store certain aspects of multimedia conferences using the virtual meeting room.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.