摘要 |
<p>Voice and image telecommunications apparatus (2) which is connectable to an analogue telephone network and which enables at least first and second persons with first and second visual display units at first and second remote locations to have a speech conversation while viewing and being able to manipulate in an interactive manner an image which is simultaneously seen by the first person at the first location and by the second person at the second location. The apparatus (2) has first connection means for the first person, second connection means for the second person, image data compression and decompression means (14), speech digitizing means (6), speech data compression and decompression means (12), combining means (16) for combining the compressed image data and the compressed speech data into a single integrated data stream, convertor means (22) for converting the single integrated data stream into analogue form suitable for transmission over the analogue telephone network, transmit and receive means (28, 30) for the first person; transmit and receive means for the second person; and control means for distributing authority over the apparatus (2) in order to ensure that only one person at a time has the ability to manipulate the dynamically changing shared image on all visual display units in operation.</p> |