APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASYMMETRICAL CONFERENCING BETWEEN LOCAL AND EXTERNAL TRANSCEIVERS

摘要

The invention relates to a multimedia conferencing apparatus and method for managing asymmetrical public and/or private conferences. A conference takes place between an external transceiver and at least a local transceiver; local transceivers may take part to a plurality of conferences simultaneously. The apparatus comprises a communication interface connected to a packet data communication network in order to send and receive multimedia signals to and from the transceivers. A conference managing means is operable to determine, for each transceiver, which of the incoming multimedia signals received from the other transceivers are accessible to said transceiver. A signal generating means generates for each transceiver at least an outgoing multimedia signal by mixing the incoming multimedia signals of the transceivers accessible to said transceiver.