Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5802294 | Teleconferencing system in which location video mosaic generator sends combined local participants images to second location video mosaic generator for displaying combined images A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks--the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data--in a manner that is interoperable across di... | 09/01/1998 |
| 5796424 | System and method for providing videoconferencing services A broadband system includes a broadband switch network, a broadband session controller, and a broadband service control point. The broadband network provides connections between information sender/receivers in response to instructions from a broadband ser... | 08/18/1998 |
| 5787162 | Apparatus and method for scheduling urgent communication sessions Communication systems, terminals and methods are provided which are capable of supporting, and/or being used in conjunction with, communication session scheduling. The communication systems include a plurality of terminals, ones of which are operative to ... | 07/28/1998 |
| 5781727 | Collaborative system for allowing user to draw annotation images on the user display and replicating the annotation images on the displays of all other computers The invention concerns using multiple computers to hold a conference. Under the invention, an application program can run on a single computer, yet remote participants can issue commands to the program. Remote participants can watch the program operate, b... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5774457 | Multi-point video conference control apparatus In a multi-point video conference control apparatus, a chairman demultiplexer separates video and speech signals from a multiplexed signal from a chairman CODEC. A talker demultiplexer separates video and speech signals from a selected multiplexed signal.... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5774674 | System for negotiating at least two sets of video capabilities between two nodes to perform video conferencing between the nodes according to the selected set Nodes of a computer-based teleconferencing network may be able to encode and decode video signals using different video compression/decompression algorithms with different parameters. In order to conduct a video teleconference between two (or more) such n... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5764902 | Conditional insert or merge in a data conference A method, data conferencing system, and storage medium for inserting an annotation made by a node of a data conferencing system having a plurality of nodes, wherein only one node at a time is an arbiter node. According to a preferred embodiment, the node ... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5757781 | Dynamic insertion and removal of multi-media call-handling resources into/from video calls to provide calling features A switching system (100) inserts H.320 multi-media protocol-terminating resources (156) into an existing call dynamically, only when the resources are needed, and also removes the resources from an ongoing call dynamically, when the resources are no longe... | 05/26/1998 |
| 5751338 | Methods and systems for multimedia communications via public telephone networks Methods and systems for providing multimedia telecommunication services to multimedia workstations communicating with a multimedia central office which includes a digital switch complex coupled to a public digital telephone network, and at least one twist... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5748618 | Multilevel arbitration in a data conference A method data conferencing system, and storage medium for arbitrating among requests for services affecting objects of a distributed data conference supported by the data conferencing system, the requests for services originating from a plurality of nodes... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5740161 | Method and apparatus for synchronizing viewed information in a conferencing environment A method and apparatus for synchronizing viewed information between a first endpoint and a second endpoint of a conferencing environment so that the first and second endpoints display the same location of the viewed information includes one of the endpoin... | 04/14/1998 |
| 5724416 | Normalization of calling party sound levels on a conference bridge A conference call sound level balancing method and system for selectively muting a conferee whose sound environment is loud enough to dominate other conferees of a conference call. The method is operable on a system that includes a network-based conferenc... | 03/03/1998 |
| 5717856 | Method of operating multiple computers by identical software running on every computer with the exception of the host computer which runs shared program in addition The invention concerns using multiple computers to hold a conference. Under the invention, an application program can run on a single computer, yet remote participants can issue commands to the program. Remote participants can watch the program operate, b... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5717857 | System for switching data connection to use first channel and second channel without substantial interruption of transfer of audio signals and image data between computers The invention concerns placing an exploratory telephone call to a party, using a first telephone channel, in order to inquire whether the party wishes to hold a video conference. If the party does, the caller then actuates the invention, which establishes... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5701340 | AD-HOC conferencing method An improved conferencing protocol is disclosed wherein users telephone a predetermined number and enter any conference identifier arranged among themselves. Users entering a common conference identifier are connected with one another.... | 12/23/1997 |
| 5694544 | Conference support system which associates a shared object with data relating to said shared object A conference support system includes a plurality of computers provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) system and connected by a communication network. Each computer includes a storage section having an area in which a drawing object, such as graphi... | 12/02/1997 |
| 5689553 | Multimedia telecommunications network and service A multimedia telecommunications network provides telephone service which may involve one or more of audio, video, and data communications. In one example of the invention, the multimedia telecommunications network contains a virtual meeting services compl... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5689641 | Multimedia collaboration system arrangement for routing compressed AV signal through a participant site without decompressing the AV signal A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks--the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data--in a manner that is interoperable across di... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5687177 | Tone blocking using variable delay buffer A tone blocking system and method for use preferably in conferencing systems in order to prevent control tones from being transmitted to other conferees is disclosed. The buffer length used to process the signal and detect tones is varied, being increased... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5684527 | Adaptively controlled multipoint videoconferencing system In a multipoint videoconferencing system including a plurality of visual telephone terminals and a multipoint control unit (MCU) connected thereto, shares of the respective visual telephone terminals are determined in the MCU, based on determination of a ... | 11/04/1997 |
| 5673393 | Managing bandwidth over a computer network having a management computer that allocates bandwidth to client computers upon request Management computers of a packet-switched computer network allocate transmission bandwidth for transmissions such as those for conferences between client computers of the network. Callers and callees request bandwidth from their associated managers for tr... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5663951 | Delayed transmission of data packets over networks Signals (e.g., for audio/video conferencing) are divided into data packets for transmission from a local node to a remote node. The transmission of the data packets is delayed to transmit then at intervals to avoid overloading the remote node with data pa... | 09/02/1997 |
| 5640540 | Method and apparatus for translating key codes between servers over a conference networking system A conference-enabled X application gets distributed to many different X servers, each of which may have different keyboard configurations. Each X server may have a unique range of key codes and a unique keysym to key code mapping. X protocol contains keyb... | 06/17/1997 |
| 5638434 | Conference system for dial-out telephone calls A conference system provides dial-out conference calls to participants who use various virtual private network dialing plans as well as place non-plan calls, such as Direct Distance Dialing and International Direct Distance Dialing. The conference system ... | 06/10/1997 |
| 5636218 | Gateway system that relays data via a PBX to a computer connected to a pots and a computer connected to an extension telephone and a lanand a method for controlling same Disclosed is a gateway system and method for controlling same which allows a video conference to be held with a participant (node) being on a plain old telephone system by using a conventional private telephone system and a LAN. The gateway system relays ... | 06/03/1997 |
| 5633891 | Portable integrated satellite communications unit A high speed teleconferencing apparatus and method, the apparatus including interface means for receiving a first analog signal and outputting a first digital signal, encoding means for encoding and compressing the first digital signal to produce a first ... | 05/27/1997 |
| 5631953 | Circuit arrangement for integration of EDP systems in the utilization of telephone systems The invention relates to a circuit arrangement for the integration of EDP stems in the use of telephone installations which are connected to the public ISDN or Euro ISDN telephone systems. The aim is to connect a telephone installations to an EDP installa... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5627825 | Video communication apparatus In a video conference between N parties, each video conferencing terminal produces a respective video signal comprising, in the case of the National Television Standard Committee (NTSC) standard, sixty fields per second. The input video signals are input ... | 05/06/1997 |
| 5625407 | Seamless multimedia conferencing system using an enhanced multipoint control unit and enhanced endpoint devices Techniques are disclosed for controlling the communication of multimedia electronic signals representing audio, video, and/or data. These techniques operate in conjunction with a system including a network, a multimedia server (MMS) connected to the netwo... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5619528 | High speed teleconference system A transmission and receiving system, includes a transmit interface unit, a transmit signal processing unit, a transmit signal converting unit and a microwave transmitting unit all a first location. The system further includes a microwave receiving unit, a... | 04/08/1997 |
| 5617539 | Multimedia collaboration system with separate data network and A/V network controlled by information transmitting on the data network A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks--the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data--in a manner that is interoperable across di... | 04/01/1997 |
| 5610920 | Coupling of voice and computer resources over networks Radio and workstation nodes are operated together in a network which may be either a LAN or a WAN network. The audio is sampled from up to 16 voice sources (radios or intercoms) at a 125 micro second rate and converted into a 16-bit representation by the ... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5606554 | Teleconference terminal equipment and teleconference module A teleconference terminal equipment adapted to construct an AV meeting system as an intended use, comprising a network interface and communications network control unit, a multimedia multiplexing/demultiplexing and interterminal signal control unit which ... | 02/25/1997 |
| 5600797 | System for identifying new client and allocating bandwidth thereto by monitoring transmission of message received periodically from client computers informing of their current status Client computers on a computer network send messages informing their management computer on the network of the status of transmissions such as those for conferences involving the client computers. Managers use the messages to maintain records of active tr... | 02/04/1997 |
| 5594725 | Process and system for video rate control in a multipoint video conference A multipoint video conference system (8) is provided that has video rate control and allows communication of audio, video and data information between end-point units (16). The multipoint video conference system comprises a multipoint control unit (10, 20... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5592478 | Broadband conference system A broadband conference system for having a video conference between a number of subscribers (S1, . . . , S3) includes a switching unit (SU) to which those subscribers are coupled and a conference control unit (CCU) also coupled to that switching unit. To ... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5590127 | Multimedia conference call providing adjustable bandwidth for individual communication terminals Providing multimedia conference calls with communication type conversion for changing types of communication terminals on one multimedia conference call. In addition, users of communication terminals can change communication types during the multimedia co... | 12/31/1996 |
| 5590128 | Dial lists for computer-based conferencing systems The user of a local computer node (i.e., a caller) selects a remote computer node (i.e., a callee) for a computer conference call from a display containing a directory of possible callees. In one embodiment, the directory is an alphabetical combination of... | 12/31/1996 |
| 5570363 | Transform based scalable audio compression algorithms and low cost audio multi-point conferencing systems A transform based compression mechanism to establish a single compression technique which is applicable for all audio compression ranging from very low bit rate speech to CD/Audio quality music. Additionally, a multiconferencing unit (multi-point bridge) ... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5563882 | Process for converting a point-to-point multimedia call to a bridged multimedia call A process for converting a point-to-point multimedia call into a bridged multimedia call for accommodating multi-party conferencing. The process utilizes the bearer channel configuration of the standard BRI format to disconnect, one at a time, each bearer... | 10/08/1996 |
