Patent ID: 7688817

Claim:
A communication method comprising the steps of: establishing a communication session between two endpoints based upon the real-time transport protocol (RTP), wherein for the duration of the communication session a plurality of discrete packets containing digitally encoded audio are exchanged between the two endpoints that results in a continuous audio flow being established in real-time between the two endpoints; during said communication session, at least one of said two endpoints conveying RTP data to a remotely located detachable RTP audio processor, said RTP data including information necessary for the RTP audio processor to establish an audio stream with the one of the two endpoints that did not convey the RTP data to the RTP audio processor; and said RTP audio processor establishing said audio stream without terminating the communication session between the two endpoints; wherein the RTP audio processor performs at least one of the following tasks: performing at least one audio processing task upon the audio stream; switching the audio stream from the conveying endpoint to the RTP audio processor for a period of time; and adding an additional audio flow to the existing audio stream; wherein the established communication session is a full duplex audio communication, and wherein the endpoint that conveys the RTP data is the first endpoint and wherein the endpoint with which the RTP audio processor establishes the audio stream is the second endpoint; the first endpoint sending a stream-switch indicator to the RTP audio processor, where the stream-switch indictor indicates that the first endpoint is to halt an audio flow to the second endpoint and that the RTP audio processor is to initiate said audio stream with the second endpoint while the audio flow is halted; and the first endpoint halting an audio flow directed to the second endpoint for approximately the duration of said audio stream in accordance with the stream-switch indicator; the first endpoint sending a switch-back indicator to the RTP audio processor, where the switch-back indicator indicates that the first endpoint is to resume the halted audio flow and that the RTP audio processor is to discontinue said audio stream; and the RTP audio processor discontinuing said audio stream in accordance with the switch-back indicator; wherein the audio stream comprises silence packets, and wherein the audio flow is halted for a period during which a communication channel from the first endpoint to the second endpoint is relatively silent.