System and method for distributed multipoint conferencing with automatic endpoint address detection and dynamic endpoint-server allocation
US7461126B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 2003 |
| Grant date | Dec 2, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L63/02
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An embodiment of the invention is a multipoint conferencing system having the ability to dynamically assign an endpoint to a “closest” one of multiple conference servers is disclosed. In one embodiment, when an endpoint first connects to the conferencing system, its Endpoint ID (e.g., IP address, E164 address) is determined. Based on the Endpoint ID, the conferencing system selects the most appropriate ones of the conference servers to act as the endpoint's “local” conference server. That is, the endpoint will transmit and receive conference data from other endpoints via the selected conference server. If no other endpoints across the network happen to be viewing a particular endpoint's video stream, the stream is not provided to the network, thus conserving network bandwidth. An embodiment further creates appropriate linking between conference servers automatically, manages conference server topology and determines link type (e.g., Unicast vs. Multicast linking) automatically.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.