CN107666396B

CN107666396B - Multi-terminal conference processing method and device

Info

Publication number: CN107666396B
Application number: CN201610617065.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢飞; 陈步真
Original assignee: Hangzhou Huawei Enterprises Communications Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Huawei Enterprises Communications Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-07-29
Filing date: 2016-07-29
Publication date: 2021-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2036-07-29
Also published as: CN107666396A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a multi-terminal conference processing method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and solves the problems that in the prior art, a conference server is high in conference resource pressure and high in conference cascade failure probability. The method comprises the following steps: the conference management server determines that the first terminal has conference capability; the first terminal is a terminal which is added to a multi-terminal conference; the conference management server sends first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to create a local conference, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with a main conference created by the conference management server.

Description

Multi-terminal conference processing method and device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for processing a multi-terminal conference.

Background

With the development of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications, Voice conferencing has become one of the most common services in enterprise unified communication services, and is widely applied to multiple fields such as enterprise departments and government agencies. The system plays a role difficult to replace in daily office scenes such as scheme research, group meetings, teaching and training and the like, communication efficiency is improved to a great extent, and meanwhile, high dependence on fixed meeting rooms is reduced. With the wide application of voice conferences, the demand of ultra-large voice conferences is increasing.

Currently, very large voice conferences are implemented by the cascade of conference sites among a plurality of servers, for example, as shown in fig. 1, the servers may include a Media Gateway Controller (MGC) for providing signaling and a Media Resource Server (MRS) for providing Media capability for the voice conference. The servers are in relay butt joint through an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), after each server establishes a meeting place, a first server initiatively initiates a cascade request to a second server according to a preset agreement so as to establish a cascade channel between the servers, and users respectively join the meeting places of the servers where the users are located when the users join the meeting through a terminal, so that the users between different servers can communicate with each other through the established cascade channel.

However, the ultra-large voice conference actually has a plurality of conference sites, the states of the conference sites are independent, and the unified management is difficult, the establishment process of the cascade channel between the conference sites is actively initiated by the servers, the time synchronization between the servers needs to be ensured, and the butt joint configuration between the servers needs to be planned and reserved in advance, so that the cascade failure probability is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a multi-terminal conference processing method and device, and solves the problems that in the prior art, a conference server is high in conference resource pressure and high in conference cascade failure probability.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a method for processing a multi-terminal conference is provided, where the method includes: the conference management server determines that a first terminal which has joined the multi-terminal conference has conference capability; the conference management server sends first indication information for indicating the first terminal to create the local conference to the first terminal, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference created by the conference management server, the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server is reduced, and the success rate of conference cascading is improved.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a second terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference; and the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal. Optionally, the location of the first terminal and the location of the second terminal belong to the same area.

In one possible implementation manner, before the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability, the method further includes: receiving a conference joining request sent by a second terminal to be joined in a multi-terminal conference, wherein the position of a first terminal and the position of the second terminal belong to the same region; if the meeting meets the first preset condition, the meeting management server executes and determines that the first terminal has meeting capacity and sends first indication information to the first terminal; adding the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal; wherein the first preset condition is one of the following: determining that a local conference created by any terminal does not exist in the area where the position of the second terminal is located; or, the local conferences created by the terminals in the area where the second terminal is located are all in a saturated state.

In a possible implementation manner, after the conference management server sends the indication information to the first terminal, the method further includes: receiving a conference joining request sent by a second terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference; and if the position of the first terminal and the position of the second terminal belong to the same region and the local conference of the first terminal is in an unsaturated state, adding the second terminal into the local conference of the first terminal, so that the second terminal is added into the local conference of the first terminal which is added into the multi-terminal conference nearby, the nearby transmission of conference data is realized, and the purpose of saving network bandwidth is achieved.

In a possible implementation manner, after the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal, the method further includes: if the second terminal is determined to have the conference capability, the conference management server sends second indication information for indicating the second terminal to create the local conference to the second terminal, so that direct cascade connection between the local conference of the first terminal and the local conference of the second terminal is realized, and then the conference data can be transmitted to the second terminal by the first terminal during transmission, so that nearby transmission of the conference data is realized, and the network bandwidth is saved.

In one possible implementation manner, before the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability, the method further includes: receiving a conference joining request sent by a first terminal; if the second preset condition is met, adding the second terminal into the main conference of the server; wherein the second preset condition is one of the following: determining that a local conference created by any terminal does not exist in an area where the position of the first terminal is located; or local conferences created by the terminals in the area where the first terminal is located are all in a saturated state; or, the local conference created by the terminal in the area where the position of the first terminal is located is in a saturated state, and the terminals which join the multi-terminal conference and do not create the local conference in the area where the position of the first terminal is located have no conference capability.

In one possible implementation manner, the determining, by the conference management server, that the first terminal has the conference capability includes: if the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, when the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability, wherein the registration information comprises information whether the first terminal has the conference capability; or if the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server, sending a query request to the first terminal, and when a response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a conference exit request sent by a third terminal which has joined the multi-terminal conference; and if the third terminal does not create the local conference, determining that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference.

In a possible implementation manner, after receiving the conference exit request sent by the third terminal, the method further includes: if the third terminal has established the local conference, adding at least one terminal added to the local conference of the third terminal into the main conference; or, if the third terminal has created the local conference, sending third indication information to a fourth terminal with conference capability in at least one terminal, and adding other terminals except the fourth terminal in at least one terminal to the local conference of the fourth terminal, so that the local conference of the fourth terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference, and further, in the multi-terminal conference process, if the third terminal exits from the conference, the third terminal can exit from the multi-terminal conference sequentially without affecting other terminals already entering the conference.

In a second aspect, a method for processing a multi-terminal conference is provided, where the method includes: the method comprises the steps that a first terminal receives first indication information which is sent by a conference management server and used for indicating the first terminal to establish a local conference; the first terminal is a terminal which is added into the multi-terminal conference and has conference capability; the first terminal establishes a local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly cascaded with a previous conference, the previous conference is a main conference or other local conferences, the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server is reduced, and the success rate of conference cascading is improved.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the method comprises the steps that a first terminal receives conference data sent by a creator of a previous-level conference, wherein the creator of the previous-level conference is a conference management server or a terminal; the first terminal sends the conference data to each terminal in the local conference added to the first terminal, so that the near transmission of the conference data from the upper-level conference to the lower-level conference can be realized, and the purpose of saving network bandwidth is achieved.

In a possible implementation manner, before the first terminal receives the first indication information sent by the conference management server, the method further includes: the first terminal sends registration information to the conference management server, wherein the registration information comprises information whether the first terminal has conference capability.

In a possible implementation manner, before the first terminal receives the first indication information sent by the conference management server, the method further includes: a first terminal receives a query request sent by a conference management server; and the first terminal sends a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, wherein the response message contains information whether the first terminal has the conference capability.

In a third aspect, a conference management server is provided, which includes: the device comprises a determining unit, a judging unit and a judging unit, wherein the determining unit is used for determining that a first terminal which is added to the multi-terminal conference has conference capability; and the sending unit is used for sending first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to establish a local conference, so that the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference established by the conference management server is realized.

In one possible implementation manner, the conference management server further includes: the receiving unit is used for receiving a conference joining request sent by a second terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference; and the adding unit is used for adding the second terminal in the local conference of the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining unit is specifically configured to: if the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, when the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability, wherein the registration information comprises information whether the first terminal has the conference capability; or, the sending unit is further configured to send a query request to the first terminal if the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server; a determination unit, specifically configured to: and when the response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a first terminal comprising: the conference management server is used for establishing a local conference according to the first indication information; the first terminal is a terminal which is added into the multi-terminal conference and has conference capability; the establishing unit is used for establishing a local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information so as to realize direct cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and a previous-stage conference; the upper-level conference is a main conference or other local conferences.

In one possible implementation manner, the first terminal further includes: the receiving unit is also used for receiving conference data sent by a creator of the previous conference, wherein the creator of the previous conference is a conference management server or a terminal; and the sending unit is used for sending the conference data to each terminal in the local conference added to the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is further configured to send registration information to the conference management server, where the registration information includes information on whether the first terminal has a conference capability; or, the receiving unit is further configured to receive an inquiry request sent by the conference management server; and the sending unit is also used for sending a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, wherein the response message contains information whether the first terminal has the conference capability.

In a fifth aspect, a cascading conference system is provided, which includes: the conference management server, the first terminal with conference capability and the second terminal; the conference management server is used for determining that the first terminal has conference capability and sending indication information to the first terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to establish a local conference; the first terminal is used for receiving the indication information sent by the conference management server and creating a local conference of the first terminal according to the indication information, so that the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server is realized; the second terminal is used for sending a conference joining request to the conference management server; and the conference management server is also used for receiving the conference joining request sent by the second terminal and adding the second terminal in the local conference of the first terminal.

In a possible implementation manner, the first terminal is further configured to send registration information to the conference management server, where the registration information includes information on whether the first terminal has a conference capability; the conference management server is specifically configured to: when the registration information indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability; or, the conference management server is further configured to send a query request to the first terminal; the first terminal is also used for sending a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, wherein the response message contains information whether the first terminal has conference capability or not; the conference management server is specifically configured to: when the response message indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, it is determined whether the first terminal has the conference capability.

According to the multi-terminal conference processing method and device provided by the embodiment of the invention, the conference management server determines that the first terminal which has joined the multi-terminal conference has the conference capability, and sends the first indication information to the first terminal, so that the first terminal creates the local conference of the first terminal when receiving the first indication information, and the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server is realized, thereby reducing the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server, and establishing a low-cost ultra-large conference.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cascading conference system provided in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a system architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a conference management server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a multi-terminal conference processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-terminal conference provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic flowchart of another multi-terminal conference processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic flowchart of another multi-terminal conference processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another multi-terminal conference provided in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic flowchart of another multi-terminal conference processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another multi-terminal conference provided in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another multi-terminal conference provided in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a conference management server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of another conference management server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of another conference management server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a first terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another first terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of another first terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a cascading conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Before the present invention is described, a brief description will be given of an application scenario of the present invention. Some traditional conferences often need a fixed conference room, and users who participate in the conference need to be reserved or notified, so that a large amount of communication cost of repeated confirmation is needed before the conference starts, and meanwhile, the dependence on the fixed conference room is high. When the users participating in the conference are not at the same place, especially not in the same city or the same country, the users are often required to go to the meeting place, so that a large amount of time is wasted due to the journey, the working efficiency is reduced, the problems cannot be solved in time, the travelling cost is a small burden for enterprises, and modern communication modes such as telephone, Email, fax and the like sometimes cannot achieve ideal communication effects. The multi-terminal conference processing method provided by the embodiment of the invention can be applied to various conferences, such as reservation conferences, grouping conferences, instant conferences, daily routine meetings, emergency processing communication, internal and external project communication and the like in different fields of enterprise departments, government institutions, education institutions, scientific research discussions and the like, is particularly suitable for ultra-large conferences with more conference personnel, and can save a large amount of travelling expenses for users who are not in the same place. The multi-terminal conference processing method provided by the embodiment of the invention can improve the communication efficiency among users to a great extent, save a great amount of communication cost for repeated confirmation, and simultaneously reduce the high dependence on a fixed conference room.

Fig. 2 is a system architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 2, the communication system includes a conference management server 101 and a terminal 102. The conference management server 101 can support a multi-party conference call function, realize remote holding of a multi-party conference, guarantee normal conference and conference fluency, and realize setting and management of the conference.

The conference management server 101 may be used to implement a reservation conference, a packet conference, an instant conference, and the like. Referring to fig. 3, the conference management server 101 includes a memory 1011, a processor 1012, a system bus 1013, a power supply component 1014, an input/output interface 1015, a communication component 1016, and the like. The memory 1011 may be used to store data, software programs, and modules, and mainly includes a storage program area and a storage data area, the storage program area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function, and the like, and the storage data area may store data created by the use of the server 101, and the like. The processor 1012 performs various functions of the server 101 and processes data by running or executing software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 1011 and calling data stored in the memory 1011. The system bus 1013 includes an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus, and is used for transmitting data and instructions; the power supply component 1014 is used for supplying power to the components of the conference management server 101; input/output interface 1015 provides an interface between processor 1012 and peripheral interface modules; the communication component 1016 is used for wired or wireless communication between the conference management server 101 and other devices.

The terminal 102 may be a plurality of objects managed by a service in the communication system, and the terminal 102 may be a mobile phone, an IP phone, an analog phone, a tablet computer, a computer, or the like. Referring to fig. 4, the terminal 102 may include one or more of the following components: memory 1021, processor 1022, multimedia component 1023, audio component 1024, input/output (I/O) interface 1025, and communications component 1026. The multimedia component 1023 includes a screen providing an output interface between the terminal 102 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive an input signal from a user. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1023 includes a front camera and/or a rear camera. The front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the terminal 102 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. The audio component 1024 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 1024 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the terminal 1024 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may further be stored in memory 1021 or transmitted via communications component 1026. In some embodiments, audio component 1024 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structures of the conference management server and the terminal shown in fig. 3 to 4 do not constitute a limitation to the structures thereof. In practical applications, the conference management server or terminal may also comprise more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

The basic principle of the technical scheme provided by the invention is that when a multi-terminal conference is established, the local conference of the terminal is established by utilizing the conference capability of the terminal, so that other parts of terminals to be added into the conference can be added into the local conference established by the terminal, the pressure of conference resources of a conference management server is reduced, and a low-cost ultra-large conference is established. In addition, the conference management server can be used for controlling the terminal position information, when a terminal to be added into the multi-terminal conference requests to add into the conference, the terminal can be added into a local conference created by the terminal added into the multi-terminal conference nearby according to the terminal position information, and therefore nearby transmission of conference data can be achieved, and the purpose of saving network bandwidth is achieved.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a multi-terminal conference processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and referring to fig. 5, the method includes the following steps.

Step 201: the conference management server determines that the first terminal has conference capability; the first terminal is a terminal which is added to the multi-terminal conference.

The first terminal having the conference capability means that the first terminal has an Audio Mixing (Audio Mixing) capability, that is, the first terminal can integrate the sound from multiple sources into one stereo track or mono track, and the sources of the original sound signals can be from different people, different environments, and the like. In the process of mixing sound, the frequency, dynamics, tone quality, localization, etc. of each original sound signal can be adjusted to optimize each audio track, and then all the sounds are superposed to obtain final voice data.

When a multi-terminal conference needs to be established, if a first terminal is a terminal which is first added into the multi-terminal conference, and a main conference may not be established by a conference management server at this time, and a local conference established by other terminals does not exist at the same time, the first terminal may send a conference establishment request to the conference management server, where the conference establishment request is used to request to establish the multi-terminal conference, and when the conference management server receives the conference establishment request sent by the first terminal, the conference management server may establish a main conference first and add the first terminal in the main conference; or the conference management server already actively creates a main conference of the multi-terminal conference, the first terminal sends a conference joining request to the conference management server, and the conference management server adds the first terminal in the main conference when receiving the conference joining request. The conference management server may then determine whether the first terminal has conference capabilities.

When a multi-terminal conference needs to be established, if the first terminal is not the first terminal to join the multi-terminal conference, the conference management server already creates a main conference at this time, and there may be a local conference created by other terminals, the first terminal may send a conference joining request to the conference management server. When the conference management server receives the conference joining request sent by the first terminal, the conference management server may add the first terminal to the main conference, or add the first terminal to the local conference created by the other terminal when there is a local conference created by the other terminal. Thereafter, the conference management server determines whether the first terminal has a conference capability.

Specifically, when the conference management server determines whether the first terminal has the conference capability, two different determination methods may be used according to whether the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, which are described in detail below.

Firstly, if the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, the conference management server can judge whether the first terminal has the conference capability according to the registration information of the first terminal; the registration information includes information whether the first terminal has conference capability. When the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability; when the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal does not have the conference management capability, the conference management server determines that the first terminal does not have the conference capability.

Second, if the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server, the conference management server may send an inquiry request to the first terminal, and when the first terminal receives the inquiry request, the first terminal may send a response message to the conference management server, where the response message includes information on whether the first terminal has conference capability. When the response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability; when the response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal does not have the conference capability, the conference management server determines that the first terminal does not have the conference capability.

Alternatively, when the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server, the conference management server may directly determine that the first terminal does not have the conference management capability.

Step 202: the conference management server sends first indication information to the first terminal, and the first indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to create a local conference.

In order to reduce the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server by using the conference capability of the terminal, when the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability, the conference management server may send first indication information to the first terminal, so that the first terminal creates a local conference according to the first indication information, and thereby, other terminals to be subsequently added to the multi-terminal conference are added to the local conference of the first terminal.

Step 203: when the first terminal receives first indication information sent by the conference management server, the first terminal creates a local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information, so that the direct cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and a previous-stage conference is realized; the upper-level conference is a main conference or other local conferences.

Specifically, when the first terminal receives first indication information sent by the conference management server, the first terminal may create a local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information, and when the conference where the first terminal is located is a main conference, as shown in (a) in fig. 6, direct cascade connection between the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference may be implemented; when the conference in which the first terminal is located is a local conference of another terminal, as shown in (b) in fig. 6, indirect concatenation between the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference can be achieved.

Further, referring to fig. 7, the method further includes: step 204 and step 205.

Step 204: and the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is a terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference.

Step 204 may be before step 201 to step 203, or after step 201 to step 203, that is, when the second terminal requests to join the multi-terminal conference, the first terminal may not create the local conference of the first terminal, or may have created the local conference of the first terminal, which is explained below separately.

If step 204 is before step 201-step 203, that is, the second terminal requests to join the multi-terminal conference, the first terminal does not create the local conference. Specifically, the second terminal sends a conference join request to the conference management server, and when the conference management server receives the conference join request sent by the second terminal, the conference management server may send the first indication information to the first terminal according to the above steps 201 to 202, so that the first terminal creates the local conference of the first terminal according to step 203, and then the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal according to step 205.

If step 204 is after step 201-step 203, that is, the second terminal requests to join the multi-terminal conference, the first terminal has already created the local conference. Specifically, the second terminal sends a conference join request to the conference management server, and when the conference management server receives the conference join request sent by the second terminal, the conference management server directly adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal according to step 205.

Step 205: and the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal.

After the local conference of the first terminal is established, the conference management server can add the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal, so that the conference capability of the terminals is fully utilized in the process of establishing the multi-terminal conference, and the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server is reduced.

Further, optionally, in the above steps 204 to 205, the position of the first terminal and the position of the second terminal belong to the same area. That is, when the second terminal requests to access the multi-terminal conference, the second terminal is added nearby to the local conference of the first terminal in the same area as the second terminal.

Correspondingly, if step 204 is located before step 201 to step 203, step 204 specifically includes: the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a second terminal, the second terminal is a terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference, and the position of the first terminal and the position of the second terminal belong to the same area. If the first preset condition is satisfied, the step 201-203 is executed, wherein the first preset condition is one of the following: determining that a local conference created by any terminal does not exist in the area where the position of the second terminal is located; or, the local conferences created by the terminals in the area where the second terminal is located are all in a saturated state. Thereafter, the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal according to step 205.

It should be noted that, the local conference created by the terminal is in a saturated state, which means that the number of terminals that can be accommodated in the local conference of the terminal is limited, and when the number of terminals added in the local conference of the terminal reaches the maximum, the local conference of the terminal is in a saturated state. For example, the local conference created by the terminal 1 can accommodate 4 terminals at most, and when 4 terminals have been added to the local conference of the terminal 1, the local conference of the terminal 1 reaches a saturated state, and a terminal to be added to the multi-terminal conference cannot be added to the local conference of the terminal 1.

Correspondingly, if step 204 is located after steps 201 to 203, step 204 specifically includes: and the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is a terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference. Step 205 specifically comprises: and if the position of the first terminal and the position of the second terminal belong to the same area and the local conference of the first terminal is in an unsaturated state, adding the second terminal into the local conference of the first terminal.

It should be noted that the process of the first terminal joining the multi-terminal conference may be similar to the process of the second terminal joining the multi-terminal conference, that is, when the conference management server adds the first terminal to the main conference or the local conference created by other terminals, the conference management server may also add the first terminal to the corresponding conference according to the location information of the first terminal.

Optionally, a process of adding the first terminal to the created local conference of the other terminal by the conference management server is similar to a process of adding the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal by the conference management server, which specifically refers to the description of adding the second terminal to the multi-terminal conference, and the embodiment of the present invention is not described herein again.

Optionally, the process of adding the first terminal to the main conference by the conference management server may specifically be: the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a first terminal; if the second preset condition is met, the conference management server adds the first terminal to a main conference of the server; wherein the second preset condition is one of the following: determining that a local conference created by any terminal does not exist in an area where the position of the first terminal is located; or local conferences created by the terminals in the area where the first terminal is located are all in a saturated state; or, the local conference created by the terminal in the area where the position of the first terminal is located is in a saturated state, and the terminals which join the multi-terminal conference and do not create the local conference in the area where the position of the first terminal is located have no conference capability.

Further, referring to fig. 8, the method further includes: step 206 and step 207.

Step 206: and if the conference management server determines that the second terminal has the conference capability, sending second indication information to the second terminal, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating the second terminal to establish the local conference.

The process of determining that the first terminal has the conference capability by the conference management server in step 201 is similar to the process of determining that the first terminal has the conference capability by the conference management server in step 201, which is referred to for the description that the conference management server determines that the first terminal has the conference capability, and the embodiment of the present invention is not described herein again.

Step 207: and when the second terminal receives the second indication information, the second terminal establishes a local conference of the second terminal according to the second indication information.

After the second terminal is added to the local conference of the first terminal, the conference management server may further send second indication information to the second terminal under the condition that it is determined that the second terminal has the conference capability, and when the second terminal receives the second indication information, the second terminal may create the local conference of the second terminal according to the second indication information, as shown in fig. 9, thereby implementing direct cascade of the local conference of the second terminal and the local conference of the first terminal, and indirect cascade of the local conference of the second terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server.

It should be noted that, in the multi-terminal conference according to the embodiment of the present invention, the number of cascaded stages between the main conference of the conference management server in the multi-terminal conference and the local conference created by other terminals that have joined in the multi-terminal conference may be N, where N is a positive integer, for example, N is 5, 10, 100, and the like, and this is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Further, a specific process of transmitting the conference data of the multi-terminal conference to each terminal that has joined the multi-terminal conference by the conference management server may be: the conference management server can send the conference data to each terminal which is directly cascaded with the main conference; for each terminal directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference, taking the first terminal as an example for explanation, the first terminal receives conference data sent by a creator of a previous conference, and the creator of the previous conference is a conference management server or a terminal; if the first terminal has established the local conference and other added terminals exist in the local conference, the first terminal sends conference data to each terminal in the local conference added with the first terminal, so that the next-stage terminal transmits the conference data according to the same method; in practical application, if the first terminal is the last stage terminal and a local conference is not created, the transmission of conference data on the cascade path where the first terminal is located is finished.

That is, conference data is sent to each terminal corresponding to the next level by a creator of the previous level conference according to the cascade structure of the main conference and the local conference, if a terminal for creating the local conference exists in the terminal of the next level, the conference data is transmitted to the terminal of the next level according to the same method, and if the maximum cascade frequency included in the cascade structure is N, the conference data needs to be transmitted to the nth cascade terminal until the conference data is transmitted to each terminal added with the multi-terminal conference.

Further, referring to fig. 10, the method further includes: step 208-step 209 c.

Step 208: and the conference management server receives a conference exit request sent by a third terminal, wherein the third terminal is a terminal which is added into the multi-terminal conference.

In the multi-terminal conference processing procedure, when there is a third terminal that has joined the multi-terminal conference and desires to quit the multi-terminal conference, the third terminal may send a conference quit request to the conference management server, so that when the conference management server receives the conference quit request sent by the third terminal, the conference management server performs subsequent processing on the multi-terminal conference according to whether the third terminal creates a local conference, specifically, as described in steps 209a to 209 c.

Step 209 a: and if the third terminal does not create the local conference, the conference management server determines that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference.

When the third terminal does not create the local conference, the conference management server may determine that the exit of the third terminal does not affect other terminals that have joined the multi-terminal conference, so that the conference management server may directly determine that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference.

For example, in the multi-terminal conference as shown in (a) of fig. 11, when the third terminal requests to exit the conference and a local conference is not created, the conference management server may determine that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference, and the exited multi-terminal conference is as shown in (b) of fig. 11.

Step 209 b: and if the third terminal has established the local conference, the conference management server adds at least one terminal added into the local conference of the third terminal into the main conference.

When the third terminal has created the local conference, the conference management server may add at least one terminal that has joined the local conference of the third terminal to the main conference in order to ensure that the terminal added in the local conference of the third terminal is not affected by the exit of the third terminal.

For example, as shown in (a) of fig. 12, when the third terminal requests to exit the conference and a local conference is created, if the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 are already added to the local conference of the third terminal, the conference management server may add both the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 to the main conference, and the multi-terminal conference after the third terminal exits is shown in (b) of fig. 12.

Step 209 c: if the third terminal has established the local conference, the conference management server sends indication information to a fourth terminal with conference capability in at least one terminal; and adding other terminals except the fourth terminal in at least one terminal into the local conference of the fourth terminal, so that the local conference of the fourth terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference.

When the third terminal has created the local conference, in order to ensure that the terminal added to the local conference of the third terminal is not affected by the exit of the third terminal, the conference management server may send third indication information to a fourth terminal having conference capability in at least one terminal, so that the fourth terminal creates the local conference according to the third terminal. After the fourth terminal creates the local conference, the conference management server may add other terminals except the fourth terminal to the local conference of the fourth terminal, so that the local conference of the fourth terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference.

For example, as shown in (a) of fig. 12, when a third terminal requests to exit the conference and a local conference is created, if a terminal 1 and a terminal 2 are added to the local conference of the third terminal, the conference management server may send third indication information to the terminal 1 having conference capability in the local conference that has joined the third terminal, and after the terminal 1 creates the local conference according to the third indication information, the conference management server adds the terminal 2 to the local conference of the terminal 1, and the multi-terminal conference after the third terminal exits is shown in (c) of fig. 12.

It should be noted that, step 209b and step 209c are different processing methods performed on at least one terminal in the local conference joined to the third terminal when the third terminal has created the local conference, and the two different processing methods may be optional, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

According to the multi-terminal conference processing method provided by the embodiment of the invention, the conference management server determines that the first terminal which has joined the multi-terminal conference has the conference capability, and sends the first indication information to the first terminal, so that the first terminal creates the local conference of the first terminal when receiving the first indication information, and the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server is realized, thereby reducing the pressure of conference resources of the conference management server and creating a low-cost ultra-large conference. Meanwhile, the terminal can be added into the local conference created by the terminal added with the multi-terminal conference nearby according to the position information of the terminal to be added with the multi-terminal conference, so that the nearby transmission of conference data can be realized, and the aim of saving network bandwidth is fulfilled.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present invention is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It is to be understood that each network element, for example, the conference management server, the first terminal, the second terminal, the third terminal, the fourth terminal, etc., contains a hardware structure and/or a software module corresponding to each function for realizing the above functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software for performing the exemplary network elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the conference management server, the first terminal, and the like may be divided into the functional modules according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

In the case of dividing each functional module by corresponding functions, fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the conference management server according to the above embodiment, and the conference management server 300 includes: a determining unit 301, a transmitting unit 302, a receiving unit 303 and an adding unit 304. Wherein the determining unit 301 is configured to support the conference management server to execute the process 201 in fig. 5 and 7, the process of determining that the second terminal has the conference capability in the processes 201 and 206 in fig. 8, the process of determining that the second terminal has the conference capability in the processes 201 and 206 in fig. 10, and the process 209 a; the sending unit 302 is configured to support the conference management server to execute the process 202 in fig. 5 and 7, the process 202 in fig. 8, and the process 206 of sending the second indication information to the second terminal, the process 202 and 206 of fig. 10 of sending the second indication information to the second terminal, and the process 209c of sending the third indication information to the fourth terminal; the receiving module 303 is configured to support the conference management server to execute the process 204 in fig. 7 and 8, and the processes 204 and 208 in fig. 10; the adding unit 304 is configured to support the conference management server to perform the process 205 in fig. 7 and 8, and the processes 205, 209b, and 209c in fig. 10, and add other terminals except the fourth terminal in at least one terminal to the local conference of the fourth terminal. All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 14 shows a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the conference management server involved in the above-described embodiment. The conference management server 310 includes: a processing module 312 and a communication module 313. The processing module 312 is configured to control and manage actions of the conference management server, for example, the processing module 312 is configured to support the conference management server to execute the process 201 in fig. 5, the processes 201 and 205 in fig. 7 and 8, the processes 201, 205, 209a, 209b, and 209c in fig. 10, add another terminal of at least one terminal except for the fourth terminal to the local conference of the fourth terminal, and/or perform other processes of the technology described herein. The communication module 302 is used to support communication between the conference management server and other network entities, for example, the functional modules or network entities shown in fig. 5, fig. 7, fig. 8, or fig. 10. The conference management server may further comprise a storage module 311 for storing program codes and data of the conference management server.

The Processing module 312 may be a Processor or a controller, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general-purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication module 313 may be a transceiver, a transceiving circuit or a communication interface, etc. The storage module 311 may be a memory.

When the processing module 312 is a processor, the communication module 313 is a communication interface, and the storage module 311 is a memory, the conference management server according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the conference management server shown in fig. 15.

Referring to fig. 15, the conference management server 320 includes: a processor 322, a communication interface 323, a memory 321, and a bus 324. Wherein, the communication interface 323, the processor 322 and the memory 321 are connected to each other by a bus 324; the bus 324 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 15, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

In the case of dividing the functional modules by corresponding functions, fig. 16 shows a possible structural diagram of the first terminal according to the above embodiment, and the first terminal 400 includes: a receiving unit 401, a creating unit 402, a transmitting unit 403. The receiving unit 401 is configured to support the first terminal to perform a process of receiving the first indication information and a process of receiving the conference data sent by the previous stage in the process 202 in fig. 5, 7, 8, and 10; creating unit 402 is configured to support the first terminal to perform process 203 in fig. 5, 7, 8 and 10; the sending unit 403 is configured to support the first terminal to perform a process of sending conference data to each terminal in the local conference of the first terminal. All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 17 shows a possible structural diagram of the first terminal referred to in the above-described embodiment. The first terminal 410 includes: a processing module 412 and a communication module 413. Processing module 412 is used to control and manage the actions of the first terminal, e.g., processing module 412 is used to support the first terminal in performing process 203 in fig. 5, 7, 8, and 10, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 413 is configured to support communication between the first terminal and other network entities, for example, the functional modules or the network entities shown in fig. 5, fig. 7, fig. 8, or fig. 10. The first terminal may further include a storage module 411 for storing program codes and data of the first terminal.

The Processing module 412 may be a Processor or a controller, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication module 413 may be a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 411 may be a memory.

When the processing module 412 is a processor, the communication module 413 is a transceiver, and the storage module 411 is a memory, the first terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the first terminal shown in fig. 17.

Referring to fig. 17, the first terminal 420 includes: processor 422, transceiver 423, memory 421, and bus 424. Wherein the transceiver 423, the processor 422 and the memory 421 are connected to each other by a bus 424; the bus 424 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 17, but this does not mean only one bus or one type of bus.

Fig. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a cascading conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the cascading conference system includes: a conference management server 501, a first terminal 502 having conference capabilities, and a second terminal 503; wherein,

a conference management server 501, configured to determine that the first terminal has a conference capability, and send instruction information to the first terminal, where the instruction information is used to instruct the first terminal to create a local conference;

the first terminal 502 is configured to receive the indication information sent by the conference management server, and create a local conference of the first terminal according to the indication information, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference created by the conference management server;

the second terminal 503 is configured to send a conference join request to the conference management server;

the conference management server 501 is further configured to receive a conference join request sent by the second terminal, and add the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal.

Optionally, the position of the first terminal 501 and the position of the second terminal 502 belong to the same area.

Optionally, the conference management server 501 is further configured to send second indication information to the second terminal if it is determined that the second terminal has the conference capability, where the second indication information is used to indicate the second terminal to create the local conference.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first terminal 501 is further configured to receive conference data sent by a creator of a previous conference, where the creator of the previous conference is a conference management server or a terminal, and send the conference data to each terminal in the local conference that has joined the first terminal.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the conference management server 501 is further configured to receive a conference exit request sent by a third terminal, where the third terminal is a terminal that has joined the multi-terminal conference, and determine that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference if the third terminal does not create the local conference.

Optionally, the conference management server 501 is further configured to add, if the third terminal has created the local conference, at least one terminal in the local conference added to the third terminal to the main conference; or,

the conference management server 501 is further configured to send third indication information to a fourth terminal having a conference capability in the at least one terminal if the third terminal has created the local conference, and add other terminals in the at least one terminal except the fourth terminal to the local conference of the fourth terminal, so that the local conference of the fourth terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, the first terminal 502 is further configured to send registration information to the conference management server, where the registration information includes information about whether the first terminal has a conference capability; the conference management server 501 is specifically configured to: when the registration information indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability; or,

the conference management server 501 is further configured to send a query request to the first terminal; the first terminal 502 is further configured to send a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, where the response message includes information about whether the first terminal has a conference capability; the conference management server 501 is specifically configured to: when the response message indicates that the first terminal has conference capabilities, it is determined whether the first terminal has conference capabilities.

In the cascade conference system provided by the embodiment of the invention, the conference management server determines that the first terminal which is added into the multi-terminal conference has conference capacity, and sends the indication information to the first terminal, so that the first terminal creates the local conference of the first terminal when receiving the indication information, thereby realizing the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server, further reducing the conference resource pressure of the conference management server, creating a low-cost ultra-large conference, and simultaneously adding the second terminal into the local conference created by the first terminal nearby according to the position information of the second terminal to be added into the multi-terminal conference, thereby realizing the nearby transmission of conference data and achieving the purpose of saving network bandwidth.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure herein may be embodied in hardware or in software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may be comprised of corresponding software modules that may be stored in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash Memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a core network interface device.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described in this invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The above-mentioned embodiments, objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention are further described in detail, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-terminal conference processing method, the method comprising:

the conference management server determines that the first terminal has conference capability; the first terminal is a terminal which is added to a multi-terminal conference;

the conference management server sends first indication information to the first terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to create a local conference, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with a main conference created by the conference management server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the conference management server receives a conference joining request sent by a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is a terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference;

and the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location of the first terminal and the location of the second terminal belong to the same area.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein after the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal, the method further comprises:

and if the second terminal is determined to have the conference capability, the conference management server sends second indication information to the second terminal, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating the second terminal to create the local conference.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein after the conference management server adds the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal, the method further comprises:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference management server determining that the first terminal has conference capabilities comprises:

if the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, when the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability; wherein the registration information includes information whether the first terminal has a conference capability;

or,

if the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server, sending a query request to the first terminal; and when the response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, further comprising:

the conference management server receives a conference exit request sent by a third terminal, wherein the third terminal is a terminal which has joined the multi-terminal conference;

and if the third terminal does not create the local conference, the conference management server determines that the third terminal exits from the multi-terminal conference.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after the conference management server receives the conference exit request sent by the third terminal, the method further comprises:

if the third terminal has established a local conference, the conference management server adds at least one terminal which has joined the local conference of the third terminal to the main conference; or,

if the third terminal has established the local conference, the conference management server sends third indication information to a fourth terminal with conference capability in the at least one terminal; and adding other terminals except the fourth terminal in the at least one terminal into the local conference of the fourth terminal, so that the local conference of the fourth terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with the main conference.

9. A multi-terminal conference processing method, the method comprising:

a first terminal receives first indication information sent by a conference management server, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to create a local conference; the first terminal is a terminal which is added into a multi-terminal conference and has conference capacity;

and the first terminal establishes the local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information, so that the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference established by the conference management server is realized.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the first terminal receives conference data sent by a creator of a previous conference, wherein the creator of the previous conference is the conference management server or the terminal;

and the first terminal sends the conference data to each terminal which is added into the local conference of the first terminal.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein before the first terminal receives the first indication information sent by the conference management server, the method further comprises:

and the first terminal sends registration information to the conference management server, wherein the registration information comprises information whether the first terminal has conference capability.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein before the first terminal receives the first indication information sent by the conference management server, the method further comprises:

the first terminal receives a query request sent by the conference management server;

and the first terminal sends a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, wherein the response message contains information whether the first terminal has conference capability.

13. A conference management server, characterized in that the conference management server comprises:

a determining unit, configured to determine that the first terminal has a conference capability; the first terminal is a terminal which is added to a multi-terminal conference;

a sending unit, configured to send first indication information to the first terminal, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first terminal to create a local conference, so as to implement direct or indirect cascade connection between the local conference of the first terminal and a main conference created by the conference management server.

14. The conference management server of claim 13, wherein said conference management server further comprises:

the receiving unit is used for receiving a conference joining request sent by a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is a terminal to be joined in the multi-terminal conference;

and the adding unit is used for adding the second terminal in the local conference of the first terminal.

15. The conference management server of claim 13,

the determining unit is specifically configured to: if the first terminal is registered in the conference management server, when the registration information of the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability; wherein the registration information includes information whether the first terminal has a conference capability;

or,

the sending unit is further configured to send a query request to the first terminal if the first terminal is not registered in the conference management server;

the determining unit is specifically configured to: and when the response message returned by the first terminal indicates that the first terminal has the conference capability, determining that the first terminal has the conference capability.

16. A first terminal, characterized in that the first terminal comprises:

a receiving unit, configured to receive first indication information sent by a conference management server, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first terminal to create a local conference; the first terminal is a terminal which is added into a multi-terminal conference and has conference capacity;

and the creating unit is used for creating the local conference of the first terminal according to the first indication information, so that the direct or indirect cascade connection of the local conference of the first terminal and the main conference created by the conference management server is realized.

17. The first terminal of claim 16, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive conference data sent by a creator of a previous conference, where the creator of the previous conference is the conference management server or the terminal;

and the sending unit is used for sending the conference data to each terminal which is added into the local conference of the first terminal.

18. The first terminal according to claim 16 or 17,

the sending unit is further configured to send registration information to the conference management server, where the registration information includes information on whether the first terminal has a conference capability;

or,

the receiving unit is further configured to receive an inquiry request sent by the conference management server;

the sending unit is further configured to send a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, where the response message includes information about whether the first terminal has a conference capability.

19. A cascading conferencing system, comprising: the conference management server, the first terminal with conference capability and the second terminal; wherein,

the conference management server is used for determining that the first terminal has conference capability and sending indication information to the first terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the first terminal to establish a local conference;

the first terminal is configured to receive the indication information sent by the conference management server, and create a local conference of the first terminal according to the indication information, so that the local conference of the first terminal is directly or indirectly cascaded with a main conference created by the conference management server;

the second terminal is used for sending a conference joining request to the conference management server;

the conference management server is further configured to receive a conference join request sent by the second terminal, and add the second terminal to the local conference of the first terminal.

20. The cascading conferencing system of claim 19,

the first terminal is further configured to send registration information to the conference management server, where the registration information includes information about whether the first terminal has a conference capability;

the conference management server is specifically configured to: when the registration information indicates that the first terminal has conference capability, determining that the first terminal has conference capability;

or,

the conference management server is also used for sending a query request to the first terminal;

the first terminal is further configured to send a response message to the conference management server according to the query request, where the response message includes information about whether the first terminal has conference capability;

the conference management server is specifically configured to: when the response message indicates that the first terminal has conference capability, determining whether the first terminal has conference capability.