Patent ID: 7185098

Claim:
In a network environment that includes a conferencing client and a conferencing server, the conferencing client having a conferencing application that is configured to communicate with the conferencing server using a conferencing protocol, the conferencing protocol requiring communication over a required conferencing connection port, a method for the conferencing client conferencing with the conferencing server without using a connection over the required conferencing connection port, the method comprising the following: an act of a software module executing on the conferencing client receiving a function call from the conferencing application; an act of determining whether the required conferencing connection port is available; an act of the software module, when it is determined that the required conferencing connection port is not available, causing a connection to be established with the conferencing server over a connection port other than the required conferencing connection port, the connection port other than the required conferencing connection port having a protocol other than the conferencing protocol; an act of structuring conferencing information in accordance with the conferencing protocol, the structured conferencing information being further structured in accordance with the protocol other than the conferencing protocol to allow for communication of the conferencing information over the connection port other than the required conferencing connection port; and an act of the software module fulfilling the function call using the connection port other than the required conferencing connection port.