Multicast meeting unit and multicast meeting program

A multicast meeting unit comprising:

• a picture input means for receiving a picture stream such as a camera;
• a picture coding means for coding the input picture stream to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture information to a network by use of the multicast;
• a picture receiving means for receiving the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• a picture decoding means for decoding the received data;
• a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture stream;
• and
• a participation terminal storing means for storing the transmitter information on terminals that are participating in a meeting,
• wherein said picture receiving means, upon receiving an in-frame coded picture, notifies said picture coding means of the reception, and said picture coding means, upon receiving the notice from said picture receiving means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

A multicast meeting unit comprising:

• a picture input means for receiving a picture stream such as a camera;
• a picture coding means for coding the input picture stream to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture information to a network by use of the multicast;
• a picture receiving means for receiving the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• a picture decoding means for decoding the received data;
• a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture stream;
• and
• a coding information storing means for storing the coding parameter of terminals that are participating in a meeting and terminals that participate in the meeting in the middle if a terminal participates in the meeting in the middle,
• wherein said picture coding means codes the picture data by use of the changed coding parameter that can be displayed on all the terminals that are participating in the meeting with reference to said coding information storing means.

A multicast meeting program for carrying out multicast meeting by a computer to execute the steps of:

• inputting a picture stream to a picture input means such as a camera of a multicast meeting unit;
• coding the input picture stream by a picture coding means of the multicast meeting unit to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• transmitting the coded picture information by a picture transmission means to a network by use of the multicast;
• making a picture receiving means receive the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• decoding the received data by a picture decoding means of the multicast meeting unit;
• displaying the decoded picture stream on a picture display means of the multicast meeting unit;
• notifying that a terminal participates in a meeting in the middle by a middle participation notice means, if the terminal participates in the meeting in the middle;
• and
• detecting the terminal that participates in the meeting in the middle by a middle participation terminal detection means of the multicast meeting unit, upon receiving the middle participation notice,
• wherein said picture coding means receives the detection signal from said middle participation terminal detection means, and changes the coding format from the in-frame coding format.

A multicast meeting program for carrying out multicast meeting by a computer to execute the steps of:

• inputting a picture stream to a picture input means such as a camera of a multicast meeting unit;
• coding the input picture stream by a picture coding means of the multicast meeting unit to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• transmitting the coded picture information by a picture transmission means to a network by use of the multicast;
• making a picture receiving means receive the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• decoding the received data by a picture decoding means of the multicast meeting unit;
• displaying the decoded picture stream on a picture display means of the multicast meeting unit;
• and
• storing the transmitter information on terminals that are participating in a meeting in a participation terminal storing means,
• wherein said picture receiving means, upon receiving an in-frame coded picture, notifies said picture coding means of the reception, and said picture coding means, upon receiving the notice from said picture receiving means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

A multicast meeting program for carrying out multicast meeting by a computer to execute the steps of:

• inputting a picture stream to a picture input means such as a camera of a multicast meeting unit;
• coding the input picture stream by a picture coding means of the multicast meeting unit to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• transmitting the coded picture information by a picture transmission means to a network by use of the multicast;
• making a picture receiving means receive the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• decoding the received data by a picture decoding means of the multicast meeting unit;
• displaying the decoded picture stream on a picture display means of the multicast meeting unit;
• and
• storing, in a coding information storing means, the coding parameter of terminals that are participating in a meeting and terminals that participate in the meeting in the middle, if a terminal participates in the meeting in the middle,
• wherein said picture coding means codes the picture data by use of the changed coding parameter that can be displayed on all the terminals that are participating in the meeting with reference to said coding information storing means.

A cellular phone comprising:

• a picture input means for receiving a picture stream such as a camera;
• a picture coding means for coding the input picture stream to prepare the coded picture information to be transmitted;
• a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture information to a network by use of the multicast;
• a picture receiving means for receiving the picture information transmitted by use of the multicast;
• a picture decoding means for decoding the received data;
• a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture stream;
• a middle participation notice means for notifying the middle participation in a meeting;
• a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the terminal that participates in the meeting in the middle, and for supplying the information to said picture coding means;
• and
• a communication means for controlling the communication between said cellular phone and a base station,
• wherein said picture coding means receives the detection signal from said middle participation terminal detection means and changes the coding format from the in-frame coding format, on the other hand said communication means, in addition to communication control between cellular phone and said base station, transmits the compressed and coded picture data and the compressed and coded voice data to the network, receives the compressed and coded picture data and the compressed and coded voice data from the network, furthermore transmits said middle participation notice signal to the network, and receives said middle participation notice signal from the network.