US 10,951,669 B2 · Reverse call forking

Abstract

A technique for merging conference session dialogs allows presenting content and media streams from a non-Skype endpoint to a Skype multipoint control unit (MCU), so that they present a single caller in a conference with both media and content. A signaling adapter intercepts session dialogs and merges or other modifies. When adding the non-Skype endpoint, requests from a content server are dropped while requests from the MCU handling non-Skype media streams are forwarded to the Skype MCU. Responses to the request from the MCU are also forwarded to the content server. When creating subscription dialogs, requests from the content server are modified to appear as if they came from the MCU, while responses go back to the proper requester. Conference notifications are forked to go to both the content server and the MCU. Because Skype uses separate media and content dialogs, merging of audio/video and content dialogs may be omitted. By merging dialogs, user experience is improved.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A conferencing method for connecting endpoints of one type to a conference of another type, comprising:

receiving, from a first multipoint control unit of a first type by a signaling adapter, a first request being sent to a second multipoint control unit of a second type to add a participant for a media stream;
sending, by the signaling adapter, the received first request to the second multipoint control unit;
receiving, from a content server by the signaling adapter, a second request being sent to the second multipoint control unit to add the participant for a content stream;
dropping the second request by the signaling adapter;
receiving, from the second multipoint control unit by the signaling adapter, responses to the first request;
and
sending received responses to the first request, by the signaling adapter, to the first multipoint control unit and the content server.

4 more elements

A non-transitory machine readable storage medium on which is stored software for connecting endpoints of one type to a conference of another type, comprising instructions that when executed by a signaling adapter, cause the signaling adapter to:

receive, from a first multipoint control unit of a first type, a first request being sent to a second multipoint control unit of a second type to add a participant for a media stream;
send the received first request to the second multipoint control unit;
receive, from a content server, a second request being sent to the second multipoint control unit to add the participant for a content stream
drop the second request;
receive, from the second multipoint control unit, responses to the first request;
send received responses to the first request from the second multipoint control unit to the first multipoint control unit and the content server;
and
fork conference notifications to the content server and the first multipoint control unit.

5 more elements

A signaling adapter for connecting endpoints of one type to a conference of another type, comprising:

a hardware processing element;
and
software for connecting endpoints of one type to a conference of another type, stored on a memory connected to the hardware processing element, comprising instructions that when executed cause the hardware processing element to:
receive, from a first multipoint control unit of a first type, a first request being sent to a second multipoint control unit of a second type to add a participant for a media stream;
send the received first request to the second multipoint control unit;
receive, from a content server, a second request being sent to the second multipoint control unit to add the participant for a content stream;
drop the second request, from a content server, to add the participant for a content stream being sent to the second multipoint control unit;
and
send responses to the first request from the second multipoint control unit to the first multipoint control unit and the content server.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reverse call forking

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Reverse call forking

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20