# US 11,444,821 B2 · Method for conducting an audio and/or video conference > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,444,821 B2 - Document ID: US11444821B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/500,247 - Filed: 2018-04-12 - Published: 2021-04-22 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-13 - Assignees: RingCentral, Inc. - Applicants: RingCentral, Inc. - Inventors: Karl Klaghofer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444821B2 ## CPC - H04N 7/152: {Multipoint control units therefor} - G06F 16/95: Retrieval from the web - H04L 12/1813: {for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15)} - H04L 12/1822: {Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission} - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 65/60: Network streaming of media packets - H04L 65/65: Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] - H04L 65/752: adapting media to network capabilities - H04L 65/765: {intermediate} - H04N 7/147: {Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals (selecting H04Q)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method for conducting audio and/or video conference, in which one of the terminals that is coupled to a central conference unit takes on the role of a media server, and this occurs under the control of said central conference control unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for conducting a conference, in which multiple terminals are coupled via a data network with a central conference control, the method comprising: using a conferencing-enabled browser for transmitting to the central conference control, information indicating that a first terminal of the multiple terminals and associated with the conferencing-enabled browser is running an application that enables the first terminal to support local browser conferences; determining that the conferencing-enabled browser is capable of assuming a role of a media server, wherein the determination that the conferencing-enabled browser is capable of assuming the role of a media server is based on a conference type, a conference mode, supported codecs, and conference credentials for authentication; receiving, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, a confirmation from the central conference control that the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal can assume the role of a media server; receiving, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, audio and/or video data streams from conferencing-enabled browsers of other terminals of the multiple terminals based on control commands from the central conference control; performing, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, one of: mixing the received audio and/or video data streams and sending the mixed audio and/or video data streams back to the conferencing-enabled browsers of the other terminals, or selecting at least one audio and/or video stream received from at least one of the conferencing-enabled browsers of the other terminals and sending the selected at least one audio and/or video data stream to the conferencing-enabled browsers of the other terminals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the application running on the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal is a web real-time control (WebRTC) browser application. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal receives and mixes and/or processes a selection of audio and/or video streams from the conferencing-enabled browsers of the other terminals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first terminal is a computer device and the other terminals are computer devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein all the audio and/or video data streams of the conference are mixed by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal receives and mixes and/or processes a selection of audio and/or video data streams from a subgroup of the conferencing-enabled browsers of the other terminals. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the other terminals from which audio and/or video data streams are received are coupled to each other in a common local area network (LAN). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a conferencing-enabled browser of each terminal must log in to the central conference control to participate in the conference. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer readable medium having an application stored thereon that is executable by a computer device associated with a first terminal, the application enabling the computer device to initiate a conference and defining a method performed by the computer device when a processor of the computer device runs the application, the method comprising: using a conferencing-enabled browser for transmitting to the central conference control, information indicating that the first terminal associated with the conferencing-enabled browser is running an application that enables the first terminal to support local browser conferences; determining that the conferencing-enabled browser is capable of assuming a role of a media server, wherein the determination that the conferencing-enabled browser is capable of assuming the role of a media server is based on a conference type, a conference mode, supported codecs, and conference credentials for authentication; receiving, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, a confirmation from the central conference control that the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal can assume the role of a media server; receiving, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, audio data and/or video data from conferencing-enabled browsers of one or more communication terminals to which the computer device is connectable; and performing, by the conferencing-enabled browser of the first terminal, one of: mixing the audio data and/or video data received with audio data and/or video data of the communication device to relay the mixed audio and/or video data to conferencing-enabled browsers of the communication terminals, or processing a selection of the audio and/or video data received and the audio and/or video data of the communication device to relay the selection to the conferencing-enabled browsers of the communication terminals.