Central Distributor Architecture for Multi-Participant Conferencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-participant conferencing technologies face challenges with bandwidth and processing power constraints, making it difficult to support conferences with more than two participants using off-the-shelf computers without dedicated servers, as full-mesh and star topologies require significant resources.
Innovation Solution
A central content distributor architecture where one participant's computer acts as a focus point, receiving and distributing audio/video streams from other participants, generating composite data, and adjusting bandwidth to accommodate varying participant capabilities, allowing heterogeneous participation and efficient resource management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full-mesh topology is used for multi-participant conferencing, then each participant can send and receive A/V data directly to all other participants, but the processing power and bandwidth requirements at each participant become prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a focus computer as an intermediary that receives A/V data from all participants, processes it centrally, and distributes it to others. This mediator approach eliminates the need for each participant to directly communicate with all others, dramatically reducing individual processing and bandwidth requirements while maintaining conference functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the conferencing system into a focus computer that handles complex processing and distribution tasks, and regular participants that have simplified send-only roles. This segmentation divides the heavy processing burden from individual participants to a dedicated focus computer
2Ease of operation
If star topology with central server is used, then server can manage all A/V data distribution, but the server requires high bandwidth and processing power that scales with number of conferences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables participant computers to serve themselves by acting as focus computers when needed. Instead of relying on an external server, the system uses one of its own participants' machines to provide focus functionality, eliminating the need for dedicated server infrastructure and making the system self-sufficient
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes participant computers universal by enabling them to function both as regular participants and as focus computers. This multi-functionality allows any participant's computer to serve as the central distribution point, eliminating the need for specialized server hardware
3Power
If focus point architecture is used, then one participant's computer acts as central distributor reducing individual processing loads, but the focus computer becomes a bottleneck determining maximum conference capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic focus computer selection where any participant can become the focus computer based on current system conditions. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to varying participant capabilities and network conditions, preventing a single weak connection from permanently limiting the entire conference
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide an architecture for establishing a multi-participant conference. This architecture has one participant's computer in the conference act as a central content distributor for the conference. The central distributor receives data (e.g., video and/or audio streams) from the computer of each other participant, and distributes the received data to the computers of all participants. In some embodiments, the central distributor receives A/V data from the computers of the other participants. From such received data, the central distributor of some embodiments generates composite data (e.g., composite image data and/or composite audio data) that the central distributor distributes back to the participants.