Claims
- 1. A videoconference system, comprising:
a client component having a monitoring agent configured to detect events within a video display window of the client component; a server component configured to distribute video and audio data streams to participants of a conference session; a conference channel communication connection over which the video and audio data streams are carried between the client component and the server component; and a back-channel communication connection over which events captured by the monitoring agent are transmitted to the server component, wherein the back-channel communication connection enables each of the participants to define a video layout of the video display window.
- 2. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the back-channel communication connection enables each of the participants to communicate with other participants without disturbing the conference session.
- 3. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the back-channel communication connection enables each of the participants to communicate with a non-participant without disturbing the conference session.
- 4. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the back-channel communication connection is configured to accommodate a private audio link between two of the participants, the private audio link being established in response to the monitoring agent detecting an event.
- 5. The videoconference system of claim 4, wherein the event is maintaining a mouse button in a down position while a mouse pointer associated with the mouse button is within a region of the video display window.
- 6. The videoconference system of claim 5, wherein the region is one of a video image of a participant or a GUI element.
- 7. The videoconference system of claim 1, wherein the events include one of a mouse activity and a keyboard activity, both the mouse activity and the keyboard activity occurring while a pointer associated with the mouse activity or the keyboard activity is over a region of the video display window.
- 8. A back-channel communication network for a videoconferencing system for a conference between a plurality of participants, comprising:
a monitoring agent associated with a client, the client configured to execute a peer-to-peer videoconferencing application, the monitoring agent monitoring a video display window controlled by the peer-to-peer conferencing application; a back-channel controller in communication with the monitoring agent over a back-channel connection, the back-channel controller configured to enable communication between the client and a plurality of conference clients over a back-channel controller communication link; and an event handler configured to enable insertion of server user interface data into an outbound video stream image for the client.
- 9. The back-channel communication network of claim 8, wherein the back-channel controller and the event handler are associated with a server component.
- 10. The back-channel communication network of claim 8, wherein the back-channel controller enables distribution of files between the plurality of participants during a conference session.
- 11. The back-channel communication network of claim 8, wherein the event handler maintains state information for each of the plurality of participants.
- 12. The back-channel communication network of claim 11, wherein the event handler provides the state information to a media mixer for construction of a user-interface of the client.
- 13. The back-channel communication network of claim 12, wherein the user-interface of the client includes a server user-interface region, the server user-interface region being video inserted to appear as an interface.
- 14. The back-channel communication network of claim 8, wherein the event handler defines a video layout of the video display window of the client.
- 15. The back-channel communication network of claim 12, wherein the user interface of the client is defined within the video display window.
- 16. A method for enhancing conference content delivery for a videoconference session between multiple participants, comprising
monitoring a video display window associated with a client; establishing a conference channel connection for transmitting a video stream and an audio stream between the client and a server; detecting the establishment of the conference channel connection; in response to detecting the conference channel connection, the method includes, establishing a back-channel connection between the client and the server; displaying the video stream in the video display window of the client; detecting an active selection in an active region of the video display window; communicating the active selection to the server over the back-channel connection; modifying a configuration of one of the video stream and the audio stream at the server; and providing the modified configuration to the client over the conference channel connection.
- 17. The method of claim 16, further including,
inserting a server user-interface into the video stream;
- 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method operation of establishing a back-channel connection between the client and the server is transparent to a participant.
- 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the active selection is one of a mouse action and a keyboard modifier.
- 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method operation of inserting a server user-interface into the video stream is enabled by an event handler providing data to a media mixer over a back-channel network that includes the back-channel connection.
- 21. A method for providing participant customizable video and audio streams for a videoconference session between a plurality of participants, comprising:
providing a plurality of clients, each of the plurality of clients associated with a participant; providing a server in communication with the plurality of clients; establishing a first communication channel and second communication channel between the server and each of the plurality of clients, the first communication channel providing audio/video data, the second communication channel providing system information; monitoring a video display window of a client; and providing feedback from the monitoring of the video display window over the second communication channel to modify the audio/video data being supplied over the first communication channel.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the server includes a media hub server component.
- 23. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of clients participates in the videoconference session through a peer-to-peer videoconference application.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the server provides a conference connection for each of the plurality of clients, the conference connection configured to emulate a peer.
- 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the method operation of monitoring a video display window of a client is performed through an external client monitor.
- 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the feedback includes configuration preferences for a video layout for a participant associated with the client.
- 27. The method of claim 21, wherein the feedback is provided through an external client monitor configured to watch the video display window of the client.
- 28. A computer readable media having program instructions for providing participant customizable video and audio streams for a videoconference session between a plurality of participants, comprising:
program instructions for providing a plurality of clients, each of the plurality of clients associated with a participant; program instructions for providing a server in communication with the plurality of clients; program instructions for establishing a first communication channel and second communication channel between the server and each of the plurality of clients, the first communication channel providing audio/video data, the second communication channel providing system information; program instructions for monitoring a video display window of a client; and program instructions for providing feedback from the monitoring of the display window over the second communication channel to modify the audio/video data being supplied over the first communication channel.
- 29. The computer readable media of claim 28, wherein the server includes a media hub server component.
- 30. The computer readable media of claim 28, wherein the second communication channel is between an external client monitor and a back-channel controller of the server.
- 31. The computer readable media of claim 30, wherein the external client monitor is configured to monitor the video display window of the client.
- 32. The computer readable media of claim 28, further including:
program instructions for enabling a private audio link over the second communication channel, the private audio link defined between two participants during a videoconference session.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. AP132HO), filed on the same day as the instant application and entitled “MULTI-PARTICIPANT CONFERENCE SYSTEM WITH CONTROLLABLE CONTENT DELIVERY USING A CLIENT MONITOR BACK-CHANNEL.” This application is hereby incorporated by reference.