Conference control device, conference terminal device, and teleconference system

A conference terminal device that is controlled by a conference control device, the conference terminal device comprising:

• a data transmission portion that transmits conferencing data to one of the conference control device and another conference terminal device, the conferencing data including at least one of audio data and video data;
• a request transmission portion that, in a case where a bandwidth for communication with the conference control device has become less than a specified width while the conferencing data are being transmitted to the conference control device by the data transmission portion, transmits to the conference control device a request packet that requests establishing of a communication path with another conference terminal device;
• and
• a first transmission control portion that, in a case where a request response packet has been received from the conference control device in response to the request packet, the request response packet containing information on a transmission source port number from which a response packet has been transmitted to the conference control device from the other conference terminal device, causes the data transmission portion to start the transmission of the conferencing data to the other conference terminal device through the communication path, using the transmission source port number as a destination port number.

A teleconference system that includes a plurality of conference terminal devices and a conference control device that controls teleconferencing among the plurality of conference terminal devices, wherein

• each of the plurality of conference terminal devices includes:
• a first data transmission portion that transmits conferencing data to one of the conference control device and another of the conference terminal devices, the conferencing data including at least one of audio data and video data;
• a first request transmission portion that, in a case where a bandwidth for communication with the conference control device has become less than a specified width while the conferencing data are being transmitted to the conference control device by the first data transmission portion, transmits to the conference control device a first request packet that requests establishing of a first communication path with another of the conference terminal devices;
• and
• a first transmission control portion that, in a case where a first request response packet has been received from the conference control device in response to the first request packet, the first request response packet containing information on a transmission source port number from which a first response packet has been transmitted to the conference control device from the other of the conference terminal devices, causes the first data transmission portion to start the transmission of the conferencing data to the other of the conference terminal devices through the first communication path, using the transmission source port number as a destination port number, and
• the conference control device includes:
• a second data transmission portion that transmits the conferencing data that have been transmitted from one of the plurality of conference terminal devices to another of the plurality of conference terminal devices;
• a first notification request portion that, in a case where the first request packet has been received from the one of the conference terminal devices, transmits to the other of the conference terminal devices a first notification request packet that requests notification of a port number for establishing the first communication path;
• and
• a first request response portion that, in a case where the first response packet that provides the notification of the port number for establishing the first communication path has been received from the other of the conference terminal devices, transmits the first request response packet to the one of the conference terminal devices.