Patent ID: 7058689

Claim:
A method of sharing still images between first and second computers connected to an internetwork for exchanging network packets therebetween, wherein each of said computers has a respective private IP address within said internetwork, said method comprising the steps of: maintaining a central server coupled to said internetwork and containing a database of IP addresses of registered computers; running first and second call clients in said first and second computers, respectively, for establishing a data call between said first and second computers using said IP addresses in said database of IP addresses, said data call comprising live video exchanged from at least one video camera coupled to one of said first and second computers and comprising a network session between said first and second call clients; establishing a voice telephone call via a public telephone network between first and second users of said first and second computers, respectively, at least one of said first and second users being seen in said live video exchange; said first user initiating a first image viewer subclient under control of said first call client; said first image viewer subclient loading and displaying still image data specified by said first user on said first computer; said first image viewer subclient transmitting said still image data to said second computer using said network session; said second call in said second computer receiving said still image data, running a second image viewer subclient, and loading said still image data into said second image viewer subclient; and said second image viewer subclient displaying said still image data on said second computer; wherein said live video exchange is maintained simultaneously with display of said still image data by said image viewer subclients; and wherein said still image data is comprised of an array of pictures displayed in succession by said first and second image viewer subclients substantially simultaneously, a progression through said array being controlled in response to manual control signals generated by either said first user or said second user.