Patent ID: 8615408

Claim:
A medical forum system comprising: audio/video interfaces disposed in residences of subjects, each audio/video interface including a consumer electronics device providing audio/video playback capability and a recording device providing audio/video recording capability; a distributed medical network which includes a processor disposed in each residence, the processor being operatively coupled with the audio/video interface of that residence, the distributed medical network being configured to perform a video conferencing process; the network includes a server which receives an assent or a rejection to be recorded from the processor disposed in the residence of a subject joining a selected video conference and wherein the server is configured for: (i) in response to receiving the assent from the subject, providing the audio/video interface of the subject with a participatory connection to the selected video conference by which the subject views the video conference using the playback capability of the consumer electronics device disposed in the subject's residence and participates in the video conference by being recorded using the recording device disposed in the subject's residence, and (ii) in response to receiving the rejection from the subject, providing the audio/video interface of the subject with a viewing connection to the selected video conference by which the subject views the selected video conference using the playback capability of the consumer electronics device disposed in the subject's residence but is not recorded using the recording device disposed in the subject's residence, such that the subject views the selected video conference anonymously without participating; a moderator audio/video interface including audio/video playback capability, audio/video recording capability, and one or more user inputs providing control of at least the video display content of the selected video conference.