Cisco Technology, Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

Selsius Systems Inc.

Paul S Hahn

Richard B Platt

Richard A Dunlap

Michael H McClung

James Rodgers Tighe

Robert David Corley

Christopher Edwin Pearce

Robert T Bell

Luke K Surazski

Michael E Knappe

Rowan L McFarland

Henry Chen

Jeffery A Sanders

Mark R Nelson

William C Forsythe

Tom Desjardins

Darrick Deel

Kelly N Stearns

James R Tighe

Rowan L Mc Farland

Darrick A Deel

A method for supporting communications includes establishing a packet-based audio communication link with a remote device and informing a local computing device of the audio communication link. A message requesting identification of enhanced media capabilities associated with the remote device is received from the local computing device and tunneled in the audio communication link to the remote device. A tunneled response in the audio communication link is received from the remote device and forwarded to the local computing device. The response identifies the enhanced media capabilities associated with the remote device.

Supporting enhanced media communications using a packet-based communication link

A system for, and method for, performing state-based signaling on behalf of a stateless client. In one embodiment, the system includes a controller, couplable to a state-based terminal, that translates at least one stateless signaling message received from the stateless client to at least one state-based signaling message for presentation to the state-based terminal thereby facilitating a media stream communications session between the stateless client and the state-based terminal over an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network.

System and method for performing signaling on behalf of a stateless client

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for managing time-sensitive packetized data streams at a receiver includes receiving a time-sensitive packet of a data stream, analyzing an energy level of a payload signal of the packet, and determining whether to drop the packet based on the energy level of the payload signal.

Method and system for managing time-sensitive packetized data streams at a receiver

Idle DSP channels of an IP phone can be used to respond to a request to transcode a codec of an incoming call in a distributed IP phone system but only if sufficient idle channels remain available to the phone to handle basic call functions and a possible non-basic call feature (such as conferencing) of the phone.

Distributed transcoding on IP phones with idle DSP channels

A method for supporting communications involves establishing a communications conference that includes multiple conference participants that each provide an audio stream. Audio data packets in the audio streams are identified, and audio information from selected audio data packets is mixed to generate a conference audio stream that is communicated to the conference participants. Enhanced media packets in at least one of the audio streams are identified, and the enhanced media packets are communicated to selected conference participants.

Supporting enhanced media communications in communications conferences

Various aspects of an interactive multimedia system and associated methods. In general, the multimedia system employs central and peripheral hubs that function to provide services to a plurality of clients of a call manager server, or manager subsystem. The hubs and subsystem cooperate to serve requests originating in the plurality of clients. The client-server-client architecture allows for distributed processing and resource management. Redundant connections between the various network subsystems and hubs provide survivability. Each subsystem or hub is provided with the ability to initialize or recover from systemic errors, thereby distributing initialization and recovery. Certain of the distributed resources are capable of being managed from other subsystems, thereby allowing sharing of the resources. An open numbering plan allows efficient call treatment of dialed numbers. Call processing is sharable between multiple manager subsystems. Finally, an iterative process is employed to ensure that calls routed through the network travel the shortest possible path.

Distributed interactive multimedia system architecture

An apparatus for interactive communications is provided that includes an interactive element, which includes a plurality of keys. One or more of the keys are operable to trigger an audible message to be communicated to an end-user when the end-user depresses and holds a selected one of the keys. The audible message provides descriptive information associated with the selected key.

System and method for interactive communications with an end-user

A system ( ) includes a packet-switched network ( ). A plurality of telephones ( ) are each coupled to the network. A call manager server ( ) is also coupled to the network, in order to interact with the telephones to implement telephony functions. Each of the telephones has the capability to act as an independent network client, by using Internet-compatible protocols to communicate directly with a resource server, without the participation or even the awareness of the call manager server. The resource server may be a local server ( ) coupled directly to the network, or a remote server ( ) coupled to the network through some other network, such as the Internet ( ).

Method and apparatus for operating a telephone as an independent network client

For use in a communications network capable of establishing a bonded call between first and second endpoints using at least two bonded communication channels, a subsystem for preserving a relative latency of the at least two bonded communication channels to allow the bonded call to be transferred to a third endpoint. The subsystem includes: (1) a buffer depth index detection circuit that detects learned values of buffer depth indices associated with the bonded call and stored at a first location and (2) a buffer depth index transmission circuit, coupled to the buffer depth index detection circuit, that transmits the learned values to a second location accessible by the third endpoint to allow the bonded call to be transferred to the third endpoint without requiring the third endpoint to relearn the values.

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Paul S Hahn