Abstract: We describe a method of synchronising a teleconference comprising audio carried on a telephone network and a digital data stream carried on a computer network. Audio at a first node is characterised to determine audio characterising data. A digital data stream for the teleconference is also input at the first node and the audio characterising data is inserted into the digital data stream and forwarded over the network. The audio and digital data streams are received separately at a second node of the system, and the audio characterising data is extracted from the digital data stream and processed in conjunction with the received audio to determine a first-second node time offset. The audio and digital data streams are then synchronising by adjusting, for example, a relative time delay of the received audio and digital streams at the second node responsive to the determined time offset.

Abstract: We describe a system for automatic setup of an audio/computer teleconference. The system comprises node units each having a phone connection, a telephone network connection, at least one computer network connection; and a system control server. The node unit comprises code to: transmit an outgoing audio announce message into a potential conference call via said telephone network audio connection, identifying the node unit; receive via the network audio connection an incoming audio announce message from a conference call to which the node unit is already connected; determine from the incoming message, an identifier for a remote node unit connecting to the conference call; and transmit to the server, via the computer network, identifiers for the local and remote node units. The server comprises code to: receive the node unit identifiers and provide computer equipment connection data to computer equipment at node.