Patents by Inventor Scott S. Firestone

Scott S. Firestone has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8659636
    Abstract: A method for executing a video conference is provided that includes receiving one or more audio streams associated with a video conference from one or more end points and determining an active speaker associated with one of the end points. Audio information associated with the active speaker may be received at one or more media switches. One or more video streams may be suppressed except for a selected video stream associated with the active speaker, the selected video stream propagating to one or more of the media switches during the video conference. The selected video stream may be replicated such that it may be communicated to one or more of the end points associated with a selected one of the media switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott S. Firestone, Walter R. Friedrich, Nermin M. Ismail, Keith A. Lantz, Shantanu Sarkar, Luke K. Surazski, Duanpei Wu
  • Patent number: 8614732
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for performing video conferencing is provided that includes an I-frame injector element operable to intercept I-frame requests from one or more end points and to attempt to service the I-frame requests such that at least a portion of the requests are prevented from propagating back to an originating sender. In more specific embodiments, when a receiver endpoint sends a fast video update (FVU) request upstream, it is intercepted by the I-frame injector element and rather than passing the FVU request to the sender the I-frame injector element replaces a next P-frame from the sender with an I-frame, whereby the I-frame is constructed so that when decoded, it matches the P-frame that it replaced. In still more detailed embodiments, the I-frame injector element operates in one of three modes that are associated with bandwidth parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall B. Baird, Scott S. Firestone, Luke K. Surazski, Duanpei Wu
  • Patent number: 8175242
    Abstract: A method includes determining information regarding a conference among a plurality of participants. The information may include a respective cumulative talk time of each of the plurality of participants. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the respective cumulative talk times of each of the plurality of participants is graphically presented to at least one of the plurality of participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7908480
    Abstract: Authenticating an endpoint using a STUN server includes facilitating a communication session between a first endpoint and a second endpoint over a network. A challenge request is sent to the second endpoint. The challenge request attempts to authenticate the second endpoint and includes an identification. The identification is associated with an expected response identification. A response to the challenge request is received from the second endpoint. The response has an actual response identification. The received response is verified to establish whether the second endpoint is legitimate. The second endpoint is legitimate if the actual response identification includes the expected response identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott S. Firestone, Cullen Jennings, Daniel G. Wing, Dan Touitou
  • Patent number: 7778393
    Abstract: A method for tracing communications includes receiving trace criteria from a first remote element and determining whether a call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method includes attaching a trace tag to the call signaling message, if the call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method further includes transmitting the call signaling message to a second remote element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technlogy, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall P. J. Ethier, Michael P. Hammer, Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7564953
    Abstract: A method for tracing communications includes receiving trace criteria from a first remote element and determining whether a call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method includes attaching a trace tag to the call signaling message, if the call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method further includes transmitting the call signaling message to a second remote element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall P. J. Ethier, Michael P. Hammer, Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7477282
    Abstract: A method for executing a video conference is provided that includes receiving one or more audio streams associated with a video conference from one or more end points and determining an active speaker associated with one of the end points. Audio information associated with the active speaker may be received at one or more media switches. One or more video streams may be suppressed except for a selected video stream associated with the active speaker, the selected video stream propagating to one or more of the media switches during the video conference. The selected video stream may be replicated such that it may be communicated to one or more of the end points associated with a selected one of the media switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott S. Firestone, Walter R. Friedrich, Nermin M. Ismail, Keith A. Lantz, Shantanu Sarkar, Luke K. Surazski, Duanpei Wu
  • Patent number: 7319745
    Abstract: A method for displaying a voice conference historical monitor is provided. A summation of a plurality of voice streams is received at a user's endpoint of a multipoint conference, each voice stream being associated with a respective one of a plurality of speakers' endpoints of the multipoint conference. A record of participants of the multipoint conference and historical tracking data regarding a volume of each speaker that participates in the multipoint conference may also be received. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the record of participants in the historical tracking data are displayed at the user's endpoint. The record of participants and the historical tracking data may be displayed as a cumulative short term response graph. Furthermore, the record of participants and the historical tracking data may be displayed as a historical time line graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott S. Firestone
  • Publication number: 20070286351
    Abstract: A method for adaptive media quality monitoring includes monitoring at least one metric of a call between at least two endpoints and detecting a threshold crossing event via the monitoring of the at least one metric. The method also includes executing a threshold crossing action based on detecting the threshold crossing event. The threshold crossing action comprises monitoring at least one additional metric of the call.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventors: Randall P.J. Ethier, Rajesh Kumar, Robert J. Biskner, Chelliah Sivachelvan, Mohamed S. Mostafa, Scott S. Firestone, Michael A. Ramalho, Kevin J. Connor, James C. Frauenthal, Michael P. Hammer
  • Patent number: 7283619
    Abstract: A method for tracing communications includes receiving trace criteria from a first remote element and determining whether a call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method includes attaching a trace tag to the call signaling message, if the call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method further includes transmitting the call signaling message to a second remote element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall P. J. Ethier, Michael P. Hammer, Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7209548
    Abstract: A method for tracing communications includes receiving trace criteria from a first remote element and determining whether a call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method includes attaching a trace tag to the call signaling message, if the call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method further includes transmitting the call signaling message to a second remote element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall P. J. Ethier, Michael P. Hammer, Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7206385
    Abstract: A method for tracing communications includes receiving trace criteria from a first remote element and determining whether a call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method includes attaching a trace tag to the call signaling message, if the call signaling message matches the trace criteria. The method further includes transmitting the call signaling message to a second remote element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall P. J. Ethier, Michael P. Hammer, Scott S. Firestone
  • Patent number: 7084898
    Abstract: An audio mixer on a first device receives one or more incoming audio streams. Each of the one or more incoming audio streams has an associated timestamp. The audio mixer generates a mixed audio stream from the one or more incoming audio streams. The audio mixer determines differences in the time base of each of the one or more incoming audio streams and the time base for the mixed audio stream. The audio mixer generates mapping parameters associated with the determined differences and transforms the timestamp of each of the one or more incoming audio streams to a corresponding output timestamp associated with the mixed audio stream according to the mapping parameters. the mapping parameters are provided to a video mixer for similar processing and transformation such that the mixed audio stream is in synchronization with a mixed video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott S. Firestone, Walter R. Friedrich, Nermin M. Ismail, Keith A. Lantz, Shantanu Sarkar, Luke K. Surazski, Duanpei Wu
  • Patent number: 6989856
    Abstract: A method for executing a video conference is provided that includes receiving one or more audio streams associated with a video conference from one or more end points and determining an active speaker associated with one of the end points. Audio information associated with the active speaker may be received at one or more media switches. One or more video streams may be suppressed except for a selected video stream associated with the active speaker, the selected video stream propagating to one or more of the media switches during the video conference. The selected video stream may be replicated such that it may be communicated to one or more of the end points associated with a selected one of the media switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott S. Firestone, Walter R. Friedrich, Nermin M. Ismail, Keith A. Lantz, Shantanu Sarkar, Luke K. Surazski, Duanpei Wu
  • Patent number: 6965646
    Abstract: MPEG data is packetized and streamed using a two phase procedure. First, the system parses MPEG data and reformats it into RTP sized packets in preparation for conversion to an RTP stream. This reformatting phase is done prior to streaming and typically only performed once for each MPEG file and network type. After reformatting, the MPEG data is contained in a modified MPEG bitstream that includes annotations that inform a network server that the modified MPEG stream is specially reformatted to facilitate RTP packetization. In the second phase, a network server encapsulates the reformatted MPEG data within RTP packets and streams the data onto the network for real-time playback. As a result of reformatting the MPEG data prior to transmission, the real-time demands of an MPEG to RTP conversion are greatly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott S. Firestone