Distributed desktop conferencing system (MERMAID) based on group communication architecture

A distributed multiparty desktop conferencing system called MERMAID is described. This system allows a group of users, seated at their desks, to conduct a meeting from their personal computers (PC). Participants can jointly view and process multimedia conference documents, including text, graphics, scanned images, and handwritten figures they are sharing, and they can simultaneously interchange voice and video images through ISDN (integrated services digital network) and high speed data network, etc. MERMAID is implemented using OS/2-based PCs with electronic writing pads, image scanners, microphone-installed loudspeakers, video cameras, etc. MERMAID is designed based on the group communication architecture, a framework for supporting group cooperative work in a distributed environment. It consists of two models: a function model, which defines hierarchically structured service functions, and a system model, which provides client-server model-based service interfaces and multimedia communication protocols