Unified communications-based video conference call method, device and system
A unified communications (UC)-based video conference call method and system, and a device, where receiving, by a first UC client, a request for querying call information of a second video conference terminal (VCT), where the request includes an identifier of a called contact; sending the query request to a UC server, and receiving the call information of the second VCT; and sending, by the first UC client, the call information of the second VCT to a first VCT, hence the first VCT initiates a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT. By integrating a personal computer (PC)-based UC system with a hardware video conference system that is based on a digital signal processor (DSP) and embedded software, a high-quality video conference can be initiated and held using a UC client, thereby boosting user experience and enhancing product competitiveness.
1. A unified communications (UC)-based video conference subsystem connected to a network, comprising:
a video conference terminal (VCT);
a PC (personal computer) host;
a UC client;
a user input device,
wherein the UC client is installed on the PC host,
wherein the PC host is connected to the network and the user input device,
wherein the VCT is connected to the PC host,
wherein the UC client further comprises:
a VCT application module; and
a UC-VCT communications module,
wherein the VCT comprises:
a video processing module;
a call control module;
a VCT-UC communications module,
wherein the call control module is connected to the video processing module,
wherein the VCT-UC communications module is connected to the call control module,
wherein the VCT-UC communications module is configured to:
receive the call information of the called VCT sent by the UC-VCT communications module;
send the call information of the called VCT to the call control module;
receive the incoming video conference call message that comprises the incoming call number;
send the incoming video conference call message to the VCT application module using the UC-VCT communications module;
receive one of the call answer, reject request; and
send one of the call answer, reject request to the call control module wherein the call control module is configured to:
receive the call information of the called VCT;
initiate a video conference call to the called VCT according to the call information of the called VCT;
receive one of the call answer, reject request; and
perform one of the answering, rejecting operation on the incoming call, wherein the VCT application module is configured to:
receive a request for querying call information of a called VCT;
send the query request to a UC server, wherein the UC server connected to the network;
receive the call information of the called VCT that is returned by the UC server;
send the call information of the called VCT to the UC-VCT communications module;
receive an incoming video conference call message that comprises an incoming call number;
send a calling party information query request that comprises the incoming video conference call message to the UC server;
receive calling party information of the video conference call, wherein the calling party information is queried and obtained by the UC server according to the incoming call number;
output the calling party information of the video conference call in a visual manner;
receive one of the call answer, reject request input by a user; and
send the request to the UC-VCT communications module,
wherein the UC-VCT communications module is configured to:
establish a communication channel between the UC client and the VCT;
receive the call information of the called VCT;
send the call information of the called VCT to the VCT-UC communications module of the VCT;
receive the call answer or reject request; and
send the call answer or reject request to the VCT-UC communications module,
wherein the user input device is configured to:
receive the request for querying the call information of the called VCT; and
send the query request to the VCT application module.
2. The subsystem according to claim 1 , wherein the video processing module of the VCT is further configured to:
implement switching among the following three types of images comprising:
a PC host interface image;
a video image captured on a local conference site; and
an acquired image of one or more other video conference sites; and
overlay of at least two of the three types of images.
3. The subsystem according to claim 1 , wherein the PC host further comprises a user input device control module configured to implement switching, between the PC host and the VCT, of control rights on the user input device.
4. The subsystem according to claim 2 , wherein the PC host further comprises a user input device control module configured to implement switching, between the PC host and the VCT, of control rights on the user input device.
5. A unified communications (UC)-based video conference call method, comprising:
receiving, by a video conference terminal (VCT) application module of a first UC client, a request for querying call information of a second VCT serving as a called party, wherein the second VCT is a VCT used by a called contact, and wherein the request comprises an identifier of the called contact;
sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the query request to a UC server;
receiving the call information of the second VCT, wherein the call information is queried and obtained by the UC server according to the identifier of the called contact in the query request; and
sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the call information of the second VCT to a call control module of a first VCT using a UC-VCT communications module of the first UC client and a VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, to enable the call control module of the first VCT to initiate a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT.
6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
sending the query request to a UC server by the VCT application module of the first UC client;
receiving the call information of the second VCT, wherein the call information is queried and obtained by the UC server according to the identifier of the called contact in the query request;
sending the query request to the UC server by the VCT application module of the first UC client;
receiving the network address of the second VCT, wherein the network address is queried and obtained by the UC server from a contact database according to the identifier of the called contact in the query request;
sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the call information of the second VCT to a call control module of a first VCT using a UC-VCT communications module and a VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, to enable the call control module of the first VCT to initiate a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT;
sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the network address of the second VCT to the call control module of the first VCT using the UC-VCT communications module and the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, to enable the call control module of the first VCT to initiate the video conference call to the second VCT according to the network address of the second VCT,
wherein the call information of the second VCT is a network address of the second VCT.
7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein before sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the query request to a UC server, the method further comprises:
registering, by the first VCT and the second VCT, with a gatekeeper (GK) in a video conference network; and
establishing a mapping relationship between VCT numbers and VCT network addresses on the GK,
wherein sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the query request to a UC server, and receiving the call information of the second VCT, wherein the call information is queried and obtained by the UC server according to the identifier of the called contact in the query request, comprises receiving, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, a number of the second VCT,
wherein the number is queried and obtained by the UC server from a contact database according to the identifier of the called contact in the query request,
wherein after the VCT application module of the first UC client sends the number of the second VCT to the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT using the UC-VCT communications module,
wherein the method further comprises querying, by the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, the GK for a network address of the second VCT according to the number of the second VCT, and
wherein initiating, by the call control module of the first VCT, a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT comprises initiating, by the call control module of the first VCT, the video conference call to the second VCT according to the network address of the second VCT.
8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein when there are at least two second VCTs, the method further comprises:
sending network addresses of the at least two second VCTs to the first VCT by the VCT application module of the first UC client;
sending, by the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, a multipoint conference call request to a multipoint control server, wherein the request comprises the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and a network address of the first VCT; and
initiating, by the multipoint control server, a multipoint conference call to the at least two second VCTs and the first VCT according to the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and the network address of the first VCT in the request.
9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein when there are at least two second VCTs, the method further comprises:
sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, network addresses of the at least two second VCTs to the first VCT;
sending, by the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, a multipoint conference call request to a multipoint control server, wherein the request comprises the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and a network address of the first VCT; and
initiating, by the multipoint control server, a multipoint conference call to the at least two second VCTs and the first VCT according to the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and the network address of the first VCT in the request.
10. The method according to claim 5 , wherein when there are at least two second VCTs, wherein before sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the query request to a UC server, the method further comprises:
registering, by the first VCT and the at least two second VCTs, with a GK in a video conference network; and
establishing a mapping relationship between VCT numbers and VCT network addresses on the GK,
wherein after the VCT application module of the first UC client sends the number of the second VCT to the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT using the UC-VCT communications module, the method further comprises querying, by the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, the GK for network addresses of the at least two second VCTs according to numbers of the at least two second VCTs, and
wherein initiating, by the call control module of the first VCT, a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT comprises sending, by the call control module of the first VCT, the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and a network address of the first VCT to a multipoint control server, to enable the multipoint control server to initiate the video conference call to the at least two second VCTs and the first VCT.
11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein when there are at least two second VCTs, before the sending, by the VCT application module of the first UC client, the query request to a UC server, the method further comprises:
registering, by the first VCT and the at least two second VCTs, with a GK in a video conference network; and
establishing a mapping relationship between VCT numbers and VCT network addresses on the GK,
wherein after the VCT application module of the first UC client sends the number of the second VCT to the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT using the UC-VCT communications module, the method further comprises querying, by the VCT-UC communications module of the first VCT, the GK for network addresses of the at least two second VCTs according to numbers of the at least two second VCTs, and
wherein initiating, by the call control module of the first VCT, a video conference call to the second VCT according to the call information of the second VCT comprises sending, by the call control module of the first VCT, the network addresses of the at least two second VCTs and a network address of the first VCT to a multipoint control server, to enable the multipoint control server to initiate the video conference call to the at least two second VCTs and the first VCT.
12. A video conference terminal (VCT) comprising:
a video processing module;
a call control module; and
a VCT-unified communications (VCT-UC) communications module;
wherein the VCT-UC communications module connected to the call control module,
wherein the VCT-UC communications module is configured to:
receive call information of a called VCT sent by a unified communications-video conference terminal (UC-VCT) communications module;
send the call information of the called VCT to the call control module;
receive an incoming video conference call message that comprises an incoming call number;
send the incoming video conference call message to a VCT application module using the UC-VCT communications module;
receive a call answer or reject request; and
send the call answer or reject request to the call control module,
wherein the call control module is configured to:
receive the call information of the called VCT; and
initiate a video conference call to the called VCT according to the call information of the called VCT;
receive the call answer or reject request; and
perform an operation of answering or rejecting the incoming call.
13. The VCT according to claim 12 , wherein the video processing module of the VCT is further configured to:
implement switching among the following three types of images comprising:
a PC host interface image;
a video image captured on a local conference site; and
an acquired image of one or more other video conference sites; and
overlay of at least two of the three types of images.
14. A unified communications (UC) client, comprising:
a video conference terminal (VCT) application module;
a UC-VCT communications module,
wherein the VCT application module is configured to:
receive a request for querying call information of a called VCT;
send the query request to a UC server;
receive the call information of the called VCT that is returned by the UC server;
send the call information of the called VCT to the UC-VCT communications module;
receive an incoming video conference call message that comprises an incoming call number;
send a calling party information query request that comprises the incoming video conference call message to the UC server;
receive calling party information of the video conference call, wherein the calling party information is queried and obtained by the UC server according to the incoming call number;
output the calling party information of the video conference call in a visual manner;
receive a call answer or reject operation request input by a user; and
send the request to the UC-VCT communications module, and
wherein the UC-VCT communications module is configured to:
establish a communication channel between the UC client and the called VCT;
receive the call information of the called VCT;
send the call information of the called VCT to a VCT-UC communications module of the VCT;
receive the call answer or reject request; and
send the call answer or reject request to the VCT-UC communications module.