Patent ID: 8675524
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for allocating one of a plurality of media servers to a multimedia conference, comprising: receiving, by a processor, a request from a potential participant to join the multimedia conference after the multimedia conference is established between a plurality of participants, wherein each one of the plurality of participants is assigned to a feeder conference processed by a respective one of the plurality of media servers, wherein the respective one of the plurality of media servers continues to process data streams from a participant of the plurality of participants that is assigned to the feeder conference hosted by the respective one of the plurality of media servers and forwards the data streams that are processed to the multimedia conference; dynamically assigning, by the processor, the request to join the multimedia conference that is already established to one of a plurality of media servers serving the multimedia conference, wherein the dynamically assigning comprises an ability to assign the request to any one of the plurality of media servers; processing, by the processor, the request using a feeder conference established on the one of the plurality of media servers, wherein the feeder conference is joined to the multimedia conference and a subsequent data stream is forwarded to the multimedia conference via the feeder conference, wherein the feeder conference and the multimedia conference comprise a cascading arrangement; establishing, by the processor, the feeder conference at the one of the plurality of media servers as a new feeder conference, if the feeder conference has not been established yet; and joining, by the processor, the new feeder conference to the multimedia conference, wherein the establishing and the joining are performed prior to the processing.