Media based collaboration using mixed-mode PSTN and internet networks
A method which allows standard telephone users to audio conference with video conferencing participants over IP networks in a private secure environment. A dial-out is performed from one or more conference client terminals bridging audio between the Internet and the PSTN networks. The process uses a mixed mode hybrid network architecture for call set-up, initialization and teardown including the method to mix audio at the desktop terminal instead of in a general purpose server as in the prior art. The method conferences video and audio between multiple clients and include audio from a standard telephone network within the conference. A virtual private network connects all of the IP clients together including the voice over IP server used to transcode the proprietary audio into the H.323 standard for transport into the telephony network.
1. A method for adding a telephone participant to a multi-participant video conference, comprising:
sending a first message to each of a plurality of multicast appliances over the Internet, wherein the first message comprises a group address which identifies participants;
each of the multicast appliances receiving the first message;
establishing a plurality of virtual private networks across the Internet between the multicast appliances;
wherein one or more of the participants are able to communicate in the multi-participant video conference;
the telephone participant joining the multi-participant video conference, wherein said joining comprises:
a first participant contacting the telephone participant;
establishing a phone number with a VoIP server;
the VoIP server communicating with a gateway to call the telephone participant;
the telephone participant participating in the multi-participant video conference comprises:
the telephone participant speaking in the video conference;
generating digital voice data in response to the telephone participant speaking;
transforming the digital voice data into IP packets;
transmitting the IP packets containing the digital voice data to the first participant;
at a computer system of the first participant, decoding the IP packets containing the digital voice data to produce the digital voice data;
mixing the digital voice data of the telephone participant with digital voice data of the first participant;
providing the mixed digital voice data of the telephone participant and the first participant to the other participants;
mixing the digital voice data of the first participant and the digital voice data of the other participants;
providing the mixed digital voice data of the first participant and the other participants to the telephone participant.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more of the participants communicating in the multi-participant video conference, comprising:
configuring IP packets with digital media data and a group address according to a multicast protocol to create a multicast IP packet; and
encapsulating the multicast IP packet as a unicast packet and sending the unicast packet to each of the other participants in the group address.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said encapsulating comprises encrypting the multicast IP packet.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more of the participants communicating in the multi-participant video conference, comprising:
generating digital media data;
transforming the digital media data into IP packets;
configuring the IP packet with a group address according to a multicast protocol to create a multicast IP packet;
encapsulating the multicast IP packet as a unicast packet;
transmitting the unicast packet over the virtual private networks across the Internet between one or more appliances;
one or more of the appliances determining the multicast data from the unicast packet;
the appliances providing the multicast data to each of the other participants in the group address;
presenting the digital media data to the other participants in the video conference.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said encapsulating comprises encrypting the multicast IP packet.
6. A method for adding a telephone participant to a multi-participant video conference, comprising:
sending a first message to each of a plurality of multicast appliances over the Internet, wherein the first message comprises a group address which identifies participants;
each of the multicast appliances receiving the first message;
establishing a plurality of virtual private networks across the Internet between the multicast appliances;
wherein one or more of the participants are able to communicate in the multi-participant video conference;
the telephone participant joining the multi-participant video conference, wherein said joining comprises:
a first participant contacting the telephone participant;
establishing a phone number with a VoIP server;
the VoIP server communicating with a gateway to call the telephone participant;
the telephone participant participating in the multi-participant video conference comprises:
the telephone participant speaking in the video conference;
generating digital voice data in response to the telephone participant speaking;
transforming the digital voice data into IP packets;
configuring the IP packets with a group address according to a multicast protocol to create a multicast IP packet;
encapsulating the multicast IP packet as a unicast packet;
transmitting the unicast packet over the virtual private networks across the Internet between one or more appliances;
one or more of the appliances determining the multicast data from the unicast packet; and
the appliances providing the multicast data to each of the other participants in the group address.
7. A method for adding a telephone participant to a multi-participant video conference, comprising:
sending a first message to each of a plurality of multicast appliances over the Internet, wherein the first message comprises a group address which identifies participants;
each of the multicast appliances receiving the first message;
establishing a plurality of virtual private networks across the Internet between the multicast appliances;
wherein one or more of the participants are able to communicate in the multi-participant video conference;
the telephone participant joining the multi-participant video conference, wherein said joining comprises:
a first participant contacting the telephone participant;
establishing a phone number with a VoIP server;
the VoIP server communicating with a gateway to call the telephone participant;
the telephone participant participating in the multi-participant video conference;
one or more of the participants communicating in the multi-participant video conference, comprising:
generating digital media data;
transforming the digital media data into IP packets;
configuring the IP packets with a group address according to a multicast protocol to create a multicast IP packet;
encapsulating the multicast IP packet as a unicast packet;
transmitting the unicast packet over the virtual private networks across the Internet between one or more appliances;
one or more of the appliances determining the multicast data from the unicast packet;
the appliances providing the multicast data to each of the other participants in the group address;
presenting the digital media data to the other participants in the video conference.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said encapsulating comprises encrypting the multicast IP packet.