Patent ID: 7256816

Claim:
A method of monitoring a video visit between at least a first participant and a second participant located at distinct endpoints, the method comprising: establishing a first data connection from a data center and the first participant at a scheduled time; establishing a second data connection from the data center and the second participant at the scheduled time, the first and second participants visiting via the first and second data connections; capturing video and audio as original communications data from the first and second participants; transmitting the original communications data to and from the first and second participants across a computer network via the data center; splitting along the first or second data connection either the communications data transmitted from one of the first and second participants to the data center, or the communications data transmitted to the one of the first and second participants from the data center, to create a copy of the video and audio communications data from the original video and audio communications data; and monitoring the video visit by receiving the copy of the communications data at a monitoring station substantially simultaneously with the transmitting of the original communications data to and from the one of the first and second participants.