Method and apparatus for storing, searching and playback of items of information of a multimedia electronic mail system

Claim 3

Apparatus for storing, search and playback of highly compressed audiovisual items of information and data files of an electronic multimedia mail system, using a protocol for multimedia multiplexing and multimedia control, comprising: an information stream controller for controlling the multimedia information streams in a separate virtual control channel according to ITU-T H.245, in order to enable flexible allocation and the simultaneous processing of several audio/speech channels, video channels and data channels for multimedia communication; a multiplexer and demultiplexer for multiplexing or, respectively, demultiplexing of video items of information and/or audio/speech items of information and/or data items of information and/or control information according to ITU-T H.223, in order to enable a flexible allocation of channel capacities corresponding to the current needs of the channels allocated by the named controller; a video compression and coding means for the compressing and coding of video signals, and with a video decompression and decoding means for the decompressing and decoding of video signals, preferably according to ITU-T H.263; an audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means for the compression or, respectively, decompression of audio signals or, respectively, speech signals with a high-compression speech compression algorithm; a system control for controlling the electronic multimedia mail system via a second separate virtual control channel; and at least one communication network access.

Claim 4

Apparatus for storing, search and playback of highly compressed audiovisual items of information and data files of an electronic multimedia mail system, using a protocol for multimedia multiplexing and multimedia control, comprising: an information stream controller for controlling the multimedia information streams in a separate virtual control channel according to ITU-T H.245, in order to enable flexible allocation and the simultaneous processing of several audio/speech channels, video channels and data channels for multimedia communication; a multiplexer and demultiplexer for multiplexing or, respectively, demultiplexing of video items of information and/or audio/speech items of information and/or data items of information and/or control information according to ITU-T H.223, in order to enable a flexible allocation of channel capacities corresponding to the current needs of the channels allocated by the named controller; a video compression and coding means for the compressing and coding of video signals, and with a video decompression and decoding means for the decompressing and decoding of video signals, preferably according to ITU-T H.263; an audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means for the compression or, respectively, decompression of audio signals or, respectively, speech signals with a high-compression speech compression algorithm; a system control for controlling the electronic multimedia mail system via a second separate virtual control channel; and at least one communication network access.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is an additionally opened virtual data channel according to ITU-T H.245.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by a network access for an analog telephone network with ITU-T V.34 and ITU-T V. 8bis.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by at least one network access for a mobile radiotelephone network.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by at least one network access for a service-integrating digital network.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by a network access for an analog telephone network with ITU-T V.34 and ITU-T V.8bis.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by a network access for an analog telephone network with ITU-T V.34 and ITU-T V.8bis.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by at least one network access for a mobile radiotelephone network.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by at least one network access for a mobile radiotelephone network.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by at least one network access for a mobile radiotelephone network.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by at least one network access for a service-integrating digital network.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by at least one network access for a service-integrating digital network.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by at least one network access for a service-integrating digital network.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized by at least one network access for a service-integrating digital network.

Claim 22

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 23

An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 24

An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 25

An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 26

An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the second separate virtual control channel is realized using multifrequency tone signals in the audio channel.

Claim 27

An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 28

An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 30

An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 31

An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.

Claim 32

An apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the audio/speech compression and audio/speech decompression means can be operated at least with a speech compression algorithm according to a standard selected from the group consisting of ITU-T G.723.1, ITU-T G.729, ITU-T G.728, ITU-T G.722, ISO/IEC 11172-3 and ITU-T G.4 kbit/s.