Patent ID: 8830294

Claim:
A method for video conference control, the method comprising: assigning, by a multipoint control unit (MCU), a site identifier to each of a plurality of videoconferencing sites, and constructing a site list to be delivered to each videoconferencing site, wherein a site identifier assigned to a telepresence site of the video conferencing sites is a collective site identifier, the videoconferencing sites including one or more telepresence sites or including one or more telepresence sites and one or more ordinary videoconference sites; receiving, by the MCU, a conference control request sent by one of the videoconferencing sites serving as a hosting videoconferencing site, the conference control request carrying a site identifier and an operation type of a site controlled by the hosting videoconferencing site; performing, by the MCU, a conference control operation corresponding to the operation type on the controlled site corresponding to the site identifier of the controlled site according to the conference control request, the controlled site comprising at least one of a controlled telepresence site and a controlled ordinary videoconference site; wherein the assigning, by the MCU, the site identifier to each of a plurality of video conferencing sites comprises: when the videoconferencing site is an ordinary videoconference site, assigning a terminal identifier to a terminal in the ordinary videoconference site, and applying the terminal identifier as the site identifier; and when the videoconferencing site is a telepresence site, assigning a terminal identifier to a designated terminal in the telepresence site, or assigning terminal identifiers to respective terminals in the telepresence site and taking one of the terminals as a designated terminal; and applying the identifier of the designated terminal as the site identifier, the designated terminal being a terminal performing conference control interaction with the MCU.