Patent ID: 6668288
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
A data conferencing platform for providing a data conference between participants, said data conferencing platform having first and second zones, said data conferencing platform comprising:a reservation system located in the first zone; a data server located in the second zone and arranged to be connected to a communications network; and an interface between the first and second zones, the reservation system being connected through the interface to the data server; the reservation system being arranged to make conference reservations; the data server being arranged to receive details of a data conference from the reservation system and to pass conference data between communications terminals used by participants to a data conference; the interface between the first and second zone being arranged to restrict the passage of messages from the second zone to the first zone to messages which originate directly in the second zone but allow the passage of conference data; a master data server located in the first zone and connected to the reservation system and the interface between the first and second zones, the data server in the second zone being a slave data server, the master data server being arranged to receive details of a conference from the reservation system and to pass the details to the slave data server; and at least one other data server in the second zone, each data server in the second zone being a slave data server, the master data server being further arranged to pass conferencing data between the at least two slave data servers.