Abstract: Video conference system connecting a plurality of remotely located conference rooms, each containing a group of conferees. It comprises in each room a plurality of videotelephones respectively assigned to the conferees, each including a camera and an image receiver and a plurality of microphones respectively associated with these videotelephones. Means are provided for comparing the levels of the speech signals generated by said microphones in each room and registering an address signal defining the videotelephone associated with the microphone generating the loudest speech signal. Means are further provided for adding all the signals generated by the microphones in each room and thereby obtaining room cumulated microphone signals, the levels of which are compared and an address signal defining the room whose microphones generate the loudest cumulated signal is registered. The rooms are connected through transmitting and receiving video facilities.

Abstract: Improvement to video-telephone systems allowing a called subscriber to have at his disposal on his television receiver screen, before he takes off his handset, information about the person who has initiated the call. Each subscriber station has a handset, a television camera, a television receiver and a character generator and is connected to a switching network by a telephone line, an incoming video line and an outgoing video line. Means are provided in the calling station for connecting to the outgoing video line the character generator when the calling subscriber takes down the handset and the television camera when video signals are detected on the incoming video line and in the called station for supplying with current the television receiver when ringing tone signals are detected on the telephone line.