Real-time desktop conference system based on integrated group communication protocols

A computer-supported desk-to-desk conference system, which allows a group of users to conduct a meeting from their telephone-attached workstations, is described. Participants can jointly view and manipulate relevant multimedia information distributed through a local area network and simultaneously use voice communication to discuss the information they are sharing. The system is designed on the basis of an integrated group communication architecture that consists of multimedia document interchange protocols containing various types of information, such as text, graphics, images and hand-drawn figures, and convergence coordination protocols involving floor-passing control, convening control and dynamic joining and leaving control. The group communication architecture and an implementation example, including the system configuration, service functions, related control mechanisms and protocols for conference coordination, are described. User experiences, evaluation results and ongoing extensions to integration with other conferencing facilities are briefly discussed