Methods, systems and program products for initiating a process on data network

A real time communications system for conducting a plurality of simultaneous videoconferences each of which include a plurality of users communicating real-time video and audio data to one another over a packet based data network, the system comprising a plurality of computers linked to one another for communication with one another, and further comprising:

• a plurality of sources linked to the network, each configured to communicate a request to initiate a real-time videoconference, each of said requests including parameters useful to configure the videoconference, said parameters useful to predict a minimum bandwidth required for said videoconference, said parameters including a duration for said data sharing event, a number of attendees for said data sharing event, a total number of data streams to be communicated during said data sharing event, video frame rates, data compression settings for at least a portion of said streaming data, and identities of authorized attendees;
• a plurality of first nodes distributed across a plurality of the computers, each of said first nodes configured to receive one or more of said requests communicated from one of said sources and to forward said one or more requests;
• and,
• a plurality of bridge factories configured to receive said requests and to respond to said requests by launching a bridge, at least a portion of said plurality of bridge factories located on different of the computers from others of said plurality of bridge factories, each of said bridges configured to support one of the plurality of simultaneous real-time communications sharing events whereby users connected to said bridge can communicate real-time video and audio data to all others of the users attending the videoconference, at least a plurality of said bridges located on different of the computers from others of said plurality of bridges, said bridges not existing prior to launching by said bridge factory.

A method for conducting a videoconference on a packet based data network, the method comprising the steps of, not necessarily in the order presented:

• a) receiving a request to initiate a videoconference communicated from a first user, said request including parameters useful to configure the videoconference, said parameters comprising a duration for said data sharing event, a number of attendees for said data sharing event, a total number of data streams to be communicated during said data sharing event, video frame rates, data compression settings for at least a portion of said streaming data, and identities of authorized attendees;
• b) initiating a bridge to support the videoconference in response to said request and adding said bridge to a data depository listing active bridges, said bridge specifying at least one port over which communications will occur, said bridge using said parameters to allocate resources necessary to support the videoconference, said bridge located at a different network location than said bridge factory, said bridge not existing prior to initiation by said bridge factory;
• c) communicating with said first user to enable said first user to communicate audio and video data streams with at least a second, a third and a fourth user;
• d) receiving requests to join said videoconference from said at least a second, third and fourth users, said bridge factory querying said data depository in response to said requests to confirm that said videoconference is occurring;
• e) linking said second, third and fourth users to said bridge whereby said first, second, third and fourth users communicate streaming video and audio data to one another over said bridge during said videoconference, said streaming data being communicated between said first, second, third and fourth users avoiding said bridge factory;
• and,
• f) terminating said bridge upon satisfaction of one or more termination conditions, said bridge ceasing to exist following termination.