Conferencing server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11019117-B2
Application number	US-201916505601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Feb 15, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

In a device including a processor and a memory in communication with the processor, the memory includes executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of connecting to a plurality of remote devices, using a network address and a port number that are usable for a plurality of remote devices to access the device; providing a plurality of tokens to a plurality of remote devices, respectively, each token being unique and associated with a different one of the plurality of remote devices; receiving from a first remote device, a first data packet including first media data and a first token associated with the first remote device; and identifying, based on the received first token, the first remote device as a source of the received first data packet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for demultiplexing data packets transmitted from remote devices, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the system to perform:
connecting, via a communication network, to a plurality of remote devices, using a network address and a port number that are usable for the plurality of remote devices to access the system via the communication network, the plurality of remote devices comprising first and second remote devices;
transmitting, via the communication network, a plurality of tokens to the plurality of remote devices, respectively, the plurality of tokens including first and second tokens transmitted to the first and second remote devices, respectively, each token comprising unique identification information;
receiving, from the plurality of remote devices via the communication network, a plurality of data packets transmitted to the network address and port number used by the system, wherein the plurality of data packets comprises:
a first data packet transmitted from the first remote device and including first media data and the first token; and
a second data packet transmitted from the second remote device and including second media data and the second token; and

demultiplexing, based on the first and second tokens included in the received data packets, the first and second data packets from the received data packets.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication network comprises:
a first network including the system; and
a second network external to the first network,
wherein the network address is usable by the system to be accessible via the second network.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first network comprises a private network including the system, and the second network comprises a public network connected between the private network and the plurality of remote devices.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the public network comprises a public internet, and the network address comprises a public internet address.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is a conferencing server configured to host a media conferencing session for the plurality of remote devices.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the system to perform generating the plurality of tokens to be used by the plurality of remote devices, respectively.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the system to perform generating, based on the received first and second media data, a mixed audio stream for transmission to a third remote device connected to the system via the communication network.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first media data includes first audio data and first video data,
the second media data includes second audio data and second video data, and
the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the system to perform selecting, based on the first and second audio data, one of the first and second video data for transmission to a third remote device connected to the system via the communication network.

9. A method of operating a device system for demultiplexing data packets transmitted from remote devices, comprising:
connecting, via a communication network, to a plurality of remote devices, using a network address and a port number that are usable for the plurality of remote devices to access the system via the communication network, the plurality of remote devices comprising first and second remote devices;
transmitting, via the communication network, a plurality of tokens to the plurality of remote devices, respectively, the plurality of tokens including first and second tokens transmitted to the first and second remote devices, respectively, each token comprising unique identification information;
receiving, from the plurality of remote devices via the communication network, a plurality of data packets transmitted to the network address and port number used by the system, wherein the plurality of data packets comprises:
a first data packet transmitted from the first remote device and including first media data and the first token; and
a second data packet transmitted from the second remote device and including second media data and the second token; and

demultiplexing, based on the first and second tokens included in the received data packets, the first and second data packets from the received data packets.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the communication network comprises:
a first network including the system; and
a second network external to the first network,
wherein the network address is usable by the system to be accessible via the second network.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first network comprises a private network including the system, and the second network comprises a public network connected between the private network and the plurality of remote devices.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the public network comprises a public internet, and the network address comprises a public internet address.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the system is a conferencing server configured to host a media conferencing session for the plurality of remote devices.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating the plurality of tokens to be used by the plurality of remote devices, respectively.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating, based on the received first and second media data, a mixed audio stream for transmission to a third remote device connected to the system via the communication network.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the first media data includes first audio data and first video data,
the second media data includes second audio data and second video data, and
the method further comprises selecting, based on the first and second audio data, one of the first and second video data for transmission to a third remote device connected to the system via the communication network.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a device system for demultiplexing data packets transmitted from remote devices to perform:
connecting, via a communication network, to a plurality of remote devices, using a network address and a port number that are usable for the plurality of remote devices to access the system via the communication network, the plurality of remote devices comprising first and second remote devices;
transmitting, via the communication network, a plurality of tokens to the plurality of remote devices, respectively, the plurality of tokens including first and second tokens transmitted to the first and second remote devices, respectively, each token comprising unique identification information;
receiving, from the plurality of remote devices via the communication network, a plurality of data packets transmitted to the network address and port number used by the system, wherein the plurality of data packets comprises:
a first data packet transmitted from the first remote device and including first media data and the first token; and
a second data packet transmitted from the second remote device and including second media data and the second token; and

demultiplexing, based on the first and second token

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Qian Tin
• Gunnalan Rajesh
• Moore Timothy Mark

Classifications

• H04L69/165

  Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor · CPC title

• H04L65/403 Primary

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04L65/1063

  Application servers providing network services (systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04L61/2589

  over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN] · CPC title

• H04L43/0811

  by checking connectivity · CPC title