Systems and methods for echo management in conferencing over a network using multiplexed mixed multicast

A method of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) conferencing, comprising:

• receiving by a master node, a plurality of digital voice streams from a plurality of participant nodes over a plurality of unicast sessions;
• generating, by a mixer at the master node, a plurality of mixed digital voice streams, wherein each mixed digital voice stream in the plurality of mixed digital voice streams is configured for a corresponding one of the plurality of participant nodes, wherein, for each participant node in the plurality of participant nodes, a mixed digital voice stream that is configured for that participant node includes an ingress digital voice stream of the master node and the plurality of digital voice streams of the plurality of participant nodes except for a digital voice stream received from that participant node for which the mixed digital voice stream is configured;
• multiplexing, by the master node, the plurality of mixed digital voice streams into a multiplexed digital voice stream;
• and
• transmitting, by the master node, the multiplexed digital voice stream to the plurality of participant nodes over a multicast session.

A participant node for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) conferencing, comprising:

• a transceiver configured to:
• transmit a digital voice stream to a master node over a unicast session;
• and
• receive a multiplexed digital voice stream from the master node over a multicast session, wherein the multiplexed digital voice stream includes a plurality of mixed digital voice streams, wherein each mixed digital voice stream in the multiplexed digital voice stream is generated by a mixer at the master node and is configured for a corresponding participant of the VoIP conferencing, wherein the plurality of mixed digital voice streams include a mixed digital voice stream that is configured for the participant node, wherein the mixed digital voice stream that is configured for the participant node mixes a plurality of digital voice streams of participants of the VoIP conferencing except for the digital voice stream of the participant node;
• and a de-multiplexer configured to de-multiplex the multiplexed digital voice stream to obtain the mixed digital voice stream that is configured for the participant node.

A master node for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) conferencing, comprising:

• a transceiver configured to receive a plurality of digital voice streams from a plurality of participant nodes over a plurality of unicast sessions;
• a mixer configured to generate a plurality of mixed digital voice streams, wherein each mixed digital voice stream in the plurality of mixed digital voice streams is configured for a corresponding one of the plurality of participant nodes, wherein, for each participant node in the plurality of participant nodes, a mixed digital voice stream that is configured for that participant node includes an ingress digital voice stream of the master node and the plurality of digital voice streams of the plurality of participant nodes except for a digital voice stream received from that participant node for which the mixed digital voice stream is configured;
• a multiplexer configured to multiplex the plurality of mixed digital voice streams into a multiplexed digital voice stream;
• and
• wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the multiplexed digital voice stream to the plurality of participant nodes over a multicast session.