Telecommunications and conference calling device, system and method
OwnerAlon Coheninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communications system and method, which may be used, for example, within a conferencing communication system, is provided. A plurality of communicators may transmit, via a network, audio streams bound from any other communicator. A server receives from the plurality of communicators a plurality of incoming streams and for each communicator transmits any mixed combination of the incoming streams. The system also may control any of the mixers to independently control a volume level of any of the incoming streams being mixed at any of the mixers to create the required mixed combination of the incoming streams. Various conference call features may be effected using such mix capacities.
Claims81
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller operative to:
- receive a set of incoming audio streams and output a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each stream having a variable mix level within each combination, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- receive a signal associated with any of the plurality of communications devices and in response, for any of the combinations, control a mix level for each of one or more streams within that combination.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller operative to:
- receive a set of incoming audio streams and output a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each stream having a variable mix level within each combination, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- upon the receipt of a signal from a terminal associated with a communications device, to control a mix level of a subset of said streams which are relevant to said communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller means for:
- receiving a plurality of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each stream having a variable mix level within each combination, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- receiving a signal associated with a communications device and in response, for any of the combinations, controlling a mix level for each of one or more streams within that combination.
A method for allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each stream having a variable mix level within each combination, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- receiving a signal associated with any of the plurality of communications devices and in response, for any of the combinations, controlling a mix level for each of one or more streams within that combination.
A method for allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each stream having a variable mix level within each combination, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- upon the receipt of a signal from a terminal associated with a communications device, altering a mix level of a subset of said streams which are relevant to said communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller operative to:
- connect a first communications device with a first set of communications devices via a conference call;
- and
- cause the first communications device to participate in a telecommunications session, during the conference call, with a second communications device not among the first set of communications devices.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller operative to:
- connect a first communications device with a first set of communications devices;
- cause the first communications device to participate in a telecommunications session with a second communications device not among the first set of communications devices;
- and
- prevent the first set of communications devices from receiving communications from the second communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller means for:
- connecting a first communications device with a first set of communications devices via a conference call;
- and
- causing the first communications device to participate in a telecommunications session, during the conference call, with a second communications device not among the first set of communications devices.
A method of managing a conference call among a plurality of communications devices, the method comprising:
- connecting a first communications device with a first set of communications devices via a conference call;
- and
- causing the first communications device to participate in a telecommunications session, during the conference call, with a second communications device not among the first set of communications devices.
A method of managing a conference call among a plurality of communications devices, the method comprising:
- connecting a first communications device with a first set of communications devices;
- causing the first communications device to participate in a telecommunications session with a second communications device not among the first set of communications devices;
- preventing the second communications device from receiving communications from the first set of communications devices;
- and
- preventing the first set of communications devices from receiving communications from the second communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller operative to:
- receive a set of incoming audio streams and output a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- for each of a set of communications devices, receive an auxiliary audio stream and add the audio stream to the combination for that communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a controller means for:
- receiving a set of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- for each of a set of communications devices, receiving an auxiliary audio stream and adding the audio stream to the combination for that communications device.
A conference call server allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the server comprising:
- a set of mixers, each mixer associable with a communications device, wherein each mixer includes at least an auxiliary audio input;
- and
- a controller operative to:
- receive a set of incoming audio streams and output a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- for each of a set of communications devices, receive an auxiliary audio stream and add the audio stream to the combination for that communications device.
A method for allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each combination being output to a communications device;
- and
- for each of a set of the communications devices, accepting an auxiliary audio stream and adding the auxiliary audio stream to the combination for that communications device.
A method for allowing a plurality of communications devices to communicate, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of incoming audio streams and outputting a plurality of combinations of said incoming streams, each combination being output to a communications device, each communications device being associated with a mixer;
- and
- for each of a set of the communications devices, accepting a pre-recorded auxiliary audio stream and adding the auxiliary audio stream to the combination for that communications device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.