US 7,453,829 B2Granted

Method for conducting a video conference

AssigneeTut Systems, Inc.

InventorsAthar N. Pasha, Ryan P. Hegar, Jon E. Erickson

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Abstract

A video conferencing terminal includes an encoder that receives a baseband audio signal and a baseband video signal and creates compressed audio packets and compressed audio-video packets. A network interface driver receives the compressed audio packets and the compressed audio-video packets, IP encapsulates the compressed audio packets and the compressed audio-video packets, transmits the IP packets onto an IGMP network. The network interface driver also requests audio packets and audio-video packets from the network and recovers compressed audio packets and compressed audio-video packets from the IP packets received from the network. A decoder receives compressed audio packets and compressed audio-video packets from the network interface driver and generates a baseband video signal and multiple baseband audio signals.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A method of conducting a video conference involving at least first, second and third conference sites connected to a network, the method comprising:

(a) at the first site, acquiring an audio signal and a video signal and generating IP encapsulated audio packets and audio-video packets,
(b) at the second site, acquiring an audio signal and a video signal and generating IP encapsulated audio-video packets,
(c) at the third site, acquiring an audio signal and generating IP encapsulated audio packets,
(d) at the first site, receiving audio-video packets from the second site and generating a second site audio signal and a second site video signal therefrom, displaying a video image based on the second site video signal, receiving audio packets from the third site and generating a third site audio signal therefrom, and combining the second site audio signal and the third site audio signal to generate a first site audio mix signal,
(e) at the second site, receiving audio packets from the first site and generating a first site audio signal therefrom, receiving audio packets from the third site and generating a third site audio signal therefrom, and combining the first site audio signal and the third site audio signal to generate a second site audio mix signal, and
(f) at the third site, receiving audio packets from the first site and generating a first site audio signal therefrom, receiving audio-video packets from the second site and generating a second site audio signal and a second site video signal therefrom, displaying a video image based on the second site video signal, and combining the first site audio signal and the second site audio signal to generate a third site audio mix signal.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.