Patent ID: 8194116

Claim:
A system for multipoint video teleconferencing via a communication network utilizing a relay communication device, the system comprising: a plurality of video teleconferencing sites adapted to transmit and receive audio and video data via the relay communication device, wherein: the communication network comprises a satellite communication network, the relay communication device comprises a satellite communication device, each video teleconferencing site connects to the satellite communication device in a single satellite hop, the satellite communication device is adapted to relay and replicate data and information transmitted from at least one of the plurality of video teleconferencing sites back into the communication network, and wherein each video teleconferencing site is adapted to transmit audio and video data to the relay communication device with a single hop delay, and wherein each video teleconferencing site is adapted to receive audio and video data from the relay communication device, assemble the received audio and video data from each of the other video teleconferencing sites, and present the assembled audio and video data to one or more viewers via an audio and video interface.