US 6,275,575 B1 · Method and system for coordinating and initiating cross-platform telephone conferences

Abstract

A method and system for remotely accessing a multi-point cross-platform telephone conferencing system for the purpose of coordinating and initiating multi-point telephone conference meetings utilizing intelligent agents and network based software application modules (i.e., contact lists, email, calendars, etc.) to facilitate the setup and initiation of telephone conference calls from locations remote to the cross-platform teleconferencing system. A coordinator, with the assistance of software agents resident on a coordinating server device and menu screens resident on the networked terminal device selects subscribers for inclusion in the telephone conference (with or without information modification), inputs attribute data and contact information for non-subscribers to be included in the telephone conference and inputs descriptive information including an identifier, proposed times and duration for the proposed telephone conference. The software agents analyze the conference information, the subscriber and non-subscriber attribute data (which may include information relating to the various terminal devices associated with particular subscribers/non-subscribers) and the available schedule information and generates/forwards appropriately formatted invitations to those invited. Subscriber/non-subscriber responses to the invitations are forwarded to the coordinating server device and the coordinating server.

Claims24

Dependent claims

In a multi-point telephone conferencing system including storage areas for storing contact information and schedule information for a plurality of participants, a multi-point telephone conference server and access to wireless and wired communication networks, a method for setting up a multi-point telephone conference between a plurality of participants, the method comprising:

receiving scheduling information for a multi-point telephone conference including identification information for a plurality of selected participants and timing information from a coordination terminal device;
matching the received identification information for the plurality of selected participants with the contact information and schedule information storage areas for the selected plurality of participants;
retrieving contact information corresponding to the timing information received for the multi-point telephone conference from the selected participant contact information and schedule information storage areas;
generating and storing a control script for the multi-point telephone conference server;
and
forwarding the stored control script to the multi-point telephone conference server.

3 more elements

A server system providing a coordinator with remote access to a multi-point telephone conferencing system including storage areas for storing contact information and schedule information for a plurality of participants, a multi-point telephone conference server and access to wireless and wired communication networks, the system comprising:

a storage means for storing scheduling information for a multi-point telephone conference including identification information for a plurality of selected participants and timing information received from the coordinator;
a memory means for storing a set of program instructions for matching the identification information for the plurality of selected participants with information contained in contact information and schedule information storage areas for the plurality of selected participants;
a processing means connected to the memory means and the storage means and responsive to input received from the coordinator through a communications network, whereby the scheduling information and timing information is used to retrieve time sensitive contact information stored in the contact information and schedule information storage areas for the plurality of selected participants which is then used to generate a script which may be used to control the activities of the multi-point telephone conference server.

A computer readable medium on which is encoded computer program code for providing a coordinator with remote access to a multi-point telephone conferencing system including storage areas for storing contact information and schedule information for a plurality of participants, a multi-point telephone conference server and access to wireless and wired communication networks, the system comprising:

computer program code for receiving scheduling information for a multi-point telephone conference including identification information for a plurality of selected participants and timing information from a coordination terminal device;
computer program code for matching the received identification information for the plurality of selected participants with the contact information and schedule information storage areas for the selected plurality of participants;
computer program code for retrieving contact information corresponding to the timing information received for the multi-point telephone conference from the selected participant contact information and schedule information storage areas;
computer program code for generating and storing a control script for the multi-point telephone conference server;
and
computer program code for forwarding the stored control script to the multi-point telephone conference server.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for coordinating and initiating cross-platform telephone conferences

Life of this patent

Method and system for coordinating and initiating cross-platform telephone conferences

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24