Patent ID: 6094213
Filing Date: 2000-07-25
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A computer conference system for establishing two way audio and video conferencing between a computer, connected to a video phone, and a remote conference system over a communication network, the computer conference system comprising:a main control system for storing audio/video information of a visitor supplied from the video phone and for automatically connecting the computer to the remote conference system at a remote location over a communication network in response to a bell signal input by the visitor via the video phone; anda subsystem for supplying audio/video information of the visitor to the main control system and for receiving audio/video information transmitted from the remote conference system over said communication network to the visitor via the video phone;wherein said main control system detects a bell signal generated by the video phone when a visitor presses a bell button of the video phone, and checks whether the computer system is in use;when the computer system is in use, said main control system causes the computer system to enter a remote conference mode;when the computer system is not in use, said main control system wakes up the computer system, and determines whether the computer system is set to the remote conference mode;when the computer system is set to the remote conference mode, said main control system enters a predetermined remote connection routine for automatically establishing video and audio conferencing with the remote conference system over said communication network; andwhen the computer system is not set in the remote conference mode, said main control system stores the video/audio information of the visitor supplied from the video phone system in a memory.