Patent ID: 8855276

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a gateway node; an interface for coupling the gateway node to a communication network, the gateway node configured to support a conversation between a first communication device and one or more other communication devices over the communication network; a media buffer provided at the gateway node and configured to progressively receive through the interface media of the conversation, the media buffer progressively storing the media of the conversation as the media is progressively received over the communication network; a conversation management element provided at the gateway node and configured to receive conversation control information, the conversation management element managing the rendering of the media of the conversation for the first communication device in response to the received conversation control information so that the media of the conversation is selectively rendered at the first communication device: (i) in near real-time by progressively forwarding the media of the conversation to the first communication device as the media is progressively received over the communication network from the one or more communication devices and progressively stored in the media buffer; and (ii) in a time-shifted mode at a selected point in time after the media was progressively received over the communication network from the one or more communication devices by retrieving from the media buffer and progressively forwarding the media to the first communication device; and a converter configured to perform, as necessary, a translation of the media of the conversation between formats used by the gateway node and on the communication network.