# US 11,444,989 B1 · Self-select sub-meetings in videoconferencing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,444,989 B1 - Document ID: US11444989B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/237,639 - Filed: 2021-04-22 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-04-22 - Assignees: Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - Applicants: Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - Inventors: Lin Han; Nitasha Walia - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444989B1 ## CPC - H04L 65/4015: {where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference} - H04N 7/152: {Multipoint control units therefor} - H04L 12/1818: {Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties} - H04L 12/1822: {Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission} - H04N 7/15: Conference systems - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract One disclosed example method includes a video conference provider establishing a main meeting of a video conference and multiple associated sub-meetings at the request of a host client device associated with a host of the meeting. The method further includes the video conference provider determining that a self-selection mode for the sub-meetings is enabled and transmitting notifications to participant client devices associated with the participants of the meeting. Each notification identifies a list of sub-meetings from which a participant can select a sub-meeting to join. The method further includes the video conference provider receiving and forwarding a request from a participant client device to connect to a selected sub-meeting, and receiving an automatic approval from the host client device. The video conference provider further connects the participant client device to the selected sub-meeting. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method in which one or more processing devices perform operations comprising: establishing, responsive to a first instruction from a host client device to start a main meeting of a video conference, the main meeting by connecting the host client device to the main meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the host client device for the main meeting; joining a plurality of participants to the main meeting in response to requests from each of the participants to join the video conference; receiving, from the host client device, a second instruction to start a plurality of sub-meetings for the main meeting; establishing the plurality of sub-meetings; and in response to determining that a self-selection mode for the plurality of sub-meetings is enabled, transmitting one or more notifications to participant client devices associated with the plurality of participants, the one or more notifications identifying one or more lists of sub-meetings available to the participant client devices; receiving, from a participant client device, a request to connect to a particular sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the request to the host client device and receiving approval of the request from the host client device; responsive to receiving the approval of the request from the host client device, connecting the participant client device to the particular sub-meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the participant client device for the particular sub-meeting; receiving a second request from the participant client device to connect to a second sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the second request to the host client device and receiving approval of the second request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the second sub-meeting. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a third request from the participant client device to exit the particular sub-meeting; forwarding the third request to the host client device and receiving approval of the third request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the main meeting. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the second instruction to start the plurality of sub-meetings comprises a sub-meeting assignment; and connecting the participant client devices to respective sub-meetings according to the sub-meeting assignment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated based on an assignment received via a user interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated prior to establishing the main meeting. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated automatically when the plurality of sub-meetings are established. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining capacities of the participant client devices; identifying a participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; transmitting, to the host client device, an indication that the participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; receiving, from the host client device, an assignment of the participant client device to one of the plurality of sub-meetings; and connecting the participant client device to the one sub-meeting according to the assignment. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to one or more processors and storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: establishing, responsive to a first instruction from a host client device to start a main meeting of a video conference, the main meeting by connecting the host client device to the main meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the host client device for the main meeting; joining a plurality of participants to the main meeting in response to requests from each of the participants to join the video conference; receiving, from the host client device, a second instruction to start a plurality of sub-meetings for the main meeting; establishing the plurality of sub-meetings; in response to determining that a self-selection mode for the plurality of sub-meetings is enabled, transmitting one or more notifications to participant client devices associated with the plurality of participants, the one or more notifications identifying a list of sub-meetings available to the participant client devices; receiving, from a participant client device, a request to connect to a particular sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the request to connect to the particular sub-meeting to the host client device and receiving approval of the request from the host client device; in response to receiving the approval of the request from the host client device, connecting the participant client device to the particular sub-meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the participant client device for the particular sub-meeting; receiving a second request from the participant client device to connect to a second sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the second request to the host client device and receiving approval of the second request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the second sub-meeting. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a third request from the participant client device to exit the particular sub-meeting; forwarding the third request to the host client device and receiving approval of the third request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the main meeting. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the second instruction to start the plurality of sub-meetings comprises a sub-meeting assignment; and connecting the participant client devices to respective sub-meetings according to the sub-meeting assignment. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated one or more of based on an assignment received via a user interface, prior to establishing the main meeting, or automatically when the plurality of sub-meetings are established. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: determining capacities of the participant client devices; identifying a participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; transmitting, to the host client device, an indication that the participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; receiving, from the host client device, an assignment of the participant client device to one of the plurality of sub-meetings; and connecting the participant client device to the one sub-meeting according to the assignment. ### Claim 13 A system comprising: a processor; and a memory device including instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising: establishing, responsive to a first instruction from a host client device to start a main meeting of a video conference, the main meeting by connecting the host client device to the main meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the host client device for the main meeting; joining a plurality of participants to the main meeting in response to requests from each of the participants to join the video conference; receiving, from the host client device, a second instruction to start a plurality of sub-meetings for the main meeting; establishing the plurality of sub-meetings; and in response to determining that a self-selection mode for the plurality of sub-meetings is enabled, transmitting one or more notifications to participant client devices associated with the plurality of participants, the one or more notifications identifying one or more lists of sub-meetings available to the participant client devices; receiving, from a participant client device, a request to connect to a particular sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the request to the host client device and receiving approval of the request from the host client device; responsive to receiving the approval of the request from the host client device, connecting the participant client device to the particular sub-meeting and processing multimedia streams to and from the participant client device for the particular sub-meeting; receiving a second request from the participant client device to connect to a second sub-meeting of the plurality of sub-meetings; forwarding the second request to the host client device and receiving approval of the second request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the second sub-meeting. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a third request from the participant client device to exit the particular sub-meeting; forwarding the third request to the host client device and receiving approval of the third request from the host client device; and disconnecting the participant client device from the particular sub-meeting and connecting the participant client device to the main meeting. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the second instruction to start the plurality of sub-meetings comprises a sub-meeting assignment; and connecting the participant client devices to respective sub-meetings according to the sub-meeting assignment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated based on an assignment received via a user interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated prior to establishing the main meeting. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the sub-meeting assignment is generated automatically when the plurality of sub-meetings are established. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: determining capacities of the participant client devices; identifying a participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; transmitting, to the host client device, an indication that the participant client device that does not support the self-selection mode; receiving, from the host client device, an assignment of the participant client device to one of the plurality of sub-meetings; and connecting the participant client device to the one sub-meeting according to the assignment.