A method and system provides a face-to-face video conference. The method
and apparatus comprise a conferencing system consisting of a conferencing
station defining a predetermined motif, an image system for generating a
substantially full scale image of a person at the conferencing station so
that participants at the conferencing station feel that any images of
persons displayed by the imager at the conferencing station are present
and face-to-face. The method comprises the steps of receiving image data
at a teleconferencing station, the image data including data
corresponding to at least one person, and displaying an image
corresponding to the image data at the teleconferencing station so that
at least one participant at the teleconferencing station views an image
of said at least one person, thereby providing a face-to-face presence
environment whereat the image of at least one person appears
substantially life size. The teleconferencing method may further include
the steps of generating image data corresponding to an image,
transmitting at least a portion of the image data corresponding to at
least a portion of the image to a teleconferencing station and displaying
the portion of the image data at the teleconferencing station during a
teleconference.