Granted Patent B1

US 8,670,538 · App. 11/676,632 · Granted Mar 11, 2014

Abstract

Claims (84)

1. A method of international conferencing via globally distributed cascading media servers, comprising:

dialing, by each local participant located in the United States, a pre-defined access number to access a local media gateway;

accessing, by the each local participant, the local media gateway;

validating, by the local media gateway, the each local participant;

quarrying, by the local media gateway, the each local participant for information to establish the each local participant into a specific conference call;

transmitting, by the local media gateway, the information to a local application server;

communicating, by the local application server, with a local conferencing database;

determining, by the local application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each local participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the local conferencing database, to the local application server information identifying a local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determining, by the local application server, if the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each local participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each local participant to the specific conference call;

receiving, from the each local participant, a local participant audio packet at the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

summing the each local participant audio packet by the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet;

dialing, by each distal participant located in another country other than the United States, a pre-defined access number to access a distal media gateway;

accessing, by the each distal participant, the distal media gateway;

validating, by the distal media gateway, the each distal participant;

quarrying, by the distal media gateway, the each distal participant for information to establish the each distal participant into the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the distal media gateway, the information to a distal application server;

communicating, by the distal application server, with a distal conferencing database;

determining, by the distal application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each distal participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the distal conferencing database, to the distal application server information identifying a distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determining, by the distal application server, if the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each distal participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each distal participant to the specific conference call;

receiving, from the each distal participant, a distal participant audio packet at the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

summing each distal participant audio packet by the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet; and

interfacing the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server with the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server;

summing the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet with the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet;

receiving, at a local participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the local participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the local participant; and

receiving, at a distal participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the distal participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the distal participant.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising: interfacing the local conferencing media server to a local telephone network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the local telephone network comprises at least one of: a public switched telephone network; a voice over Internet protocol network; and a cellular network.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising: interfacing the local conferencing media server with a local external network.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising: interfacing the distal conferencing media server to a distal telephone network.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising: interfacing the distal conferencing media server with a distal external network.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform:

validating, by a local media gateway located in the United States, each local participant;

quarrying, by the local media gateway, the each local participant for information to establish the each local participant into a specific conference call;

transmitting, by the local media gateway, the information to a local application server;

communicating, by the local application server, with a local conferencing database;

determining, by the local application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each local participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the local conferencing database, to the local application server information identifying a local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determining, by the local application server, if the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each local participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each local participant to the specific conference call;

receiving, from the each local participant, a local participant audio packet at the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

summing the each local participant audio packet by the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet;

validating, by a distal media gateway located in another country other than the United States, each distal participant;

quarrying, by the distal media gateway, the each distal participant for information to establish the each distal participant into the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the distal media gateway, the information to a distal application server;

communicating, by the distal application server, with a distal conferencing database;

determining, by the distal application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each distal participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmitting, by the distal conferencing database, to the distal application server information identifying a distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determining, by the distal application server, if the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each distal participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each distal participant to the specific conference call;

receiving, from the each distal participant, a distal participant audio packet at the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

summing each distal participant audio packet by the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet; and

interfacing the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server with the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server;

summing the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet with the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet;

receiving, at a local participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the local participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the local participant; and

receiving, at a distal participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the distal participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the distal participant.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 comprising: reserving the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server resources and the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server resources for the conference call.

9. A system of international conferencing via globally distributed cascading media servers comprising:

receive, at a local media gateway, a pre-defined access number from each local participant located in the United States;

access, by the each local participant, the local media gateway;

validate, by the local media gateway, the each local participant;

quarry, by the local media gateway, the each local participant for information to establish the each local participant into a specific conference call;

transmit, by the local media gateway, the information to a local application server;

communicate, by the local application server, with a local conferencing database;

determine, by the local application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each local participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmit, by the local conferencing database, to the local application server information identifying a local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determine, by the local application server, if the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each local participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each local participant to the specific conference call;

receive, from the each local participant, a local participant audio packet at the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

sum the each local participant audio packet by the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet;

receive, at a distal media gateway, a pre-defined access number from each distal participant located in another country other than the United States;

access, by the each distal participant, the distal media gateway;

validate, by the distal media gateway, the each distal participant;

quarry, by the distal media gateway, the each distal participant for information to establish the each distal participant into the specific conference call;

transmit, by the distal media gateway, the information to a distal application server;

communicate, by the distal application server, with a distal conferencing database;

determine, by the distal application server, if resources for the specific conference call have already been allocated and the specific conference call is currently setup and which one of the each distal participant is a first participant to join the specific conference call;

transmit, by the distal conferencing database, to the distal application server information identifying a distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server that is hosting the specific conference call;

determine, by the distal application server, if the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server has resources available for at least one of the each distal participant to join the specific conference call, if the resources are available, connecting the each distal participant to the specific conference call;

receive, from the each distal participant, a distal participant audio packet at the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server for the specific conference call;

sum each distal participant audio packet by the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server to create a summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet; and

interface the local Internet Protocol based conferencing media server with the distal Internet Protocol based conferencing media server;

sum the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet with the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet;

receive, at a local participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the local participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the local participant; and

receive, at a distal participant, the summed audio stream of the each local participant audio packet from the local conferencing media server and the summed audio stream of the each distal participant audio packet from the distal conferencing media server; and removing the distal participant audio packet from the summed audio stream incoming to the distal participant.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the local media gateway and the distal media gateway are communicably connected to at least one of: a public switched telephone network; a voice over internet protocol network; and a cellular network.

Assignments (9)