Patent ID: 6972786

Claim:
A system for providing video communication services to one or more premises, at least one premise including a plurality of video communications-services users, the system comprising: (a) a first premises network; (b) a plurality of user workstations interconnected by the first premises network, each of said plurality of user workstations having one of at least video and audio capture and reproduction capabilities, video sink and display capabilities and both at least video and audio capture and reproduction capabilities and video sink and display capabilities; and (c) a multimedia central office being in communication with the first premise network and being adapted for coupling to a public digital network, the multimedia central office, in use, transceiving audio, video and digital data signals for providing at least switching functions originating at or destined for at least one user workstation, to and from the first premises network to provide video communications services, the central office further being coupled to at least one other workstation, not associated with the first premises network, and the central office being configured to combine captured video images, of at least three users including an image from a workstation in the first premises network and an image from a workstation not in the first premises network, into a mosaic image for reproduction at a workstation of at least one user.