US 7,107,312 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for use in a data/conference call system for automatically collecting participant information and providing all participants with that information for use in collaboration services

AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.

InventorsRandy L. Hackbarth, James David Herbsleb, Graham John Wills

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Abstract

A so-called “OpenChannel™” conference is established by separating particular participants of the conference from those participants that are actually currently active in the conference. This establishes a type of virtual conference, i.e., meeting, that can be monitored by participants, i.e., users, without requiring them to be actively a part of the conference call. These particular participants are in a so-called monitor mode. These participants can readily change their state from the monitor mode to a listen mode or active mode, as desired. One advantage of this invention is that a long-term conference of months or even years duration can be set up, only incurring a cost to participants when they are active participants in the conference call.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for use in a conference arrangement comprising the steps of:

enabling a plurality of participants in a group to participate in an ongoing conference;
automatically collecting participation information of each of said participants in said group, by monitoring the states of communication devices associated with said participants and making that information available to all participants;
automatically determining which of said participants in said group are currently active in said conference;
and
dynamically displaying a visual representation indicating which of said participants in said group are active in said conference;
wherein different ones of said participants in said group may be in different participation modes at a given point in time, the participation modes including at least an active mode in which a given participant is currently active in said conference and a monitor mode in which the given participant is monitoring said conference but is not currently active in said conference;
wherein the step of automatically collecting participation information by monitoring the states of communication devices associated with said participants further comprises monitoring the states of communication devices associated with said participants regardless of whether particular ones of said participants are in the active mode or the monitor mode;
and
wherein the step of dynamically displaying a visual representation indicating which of said participants in said group are active in said conference further comprises dynamically displaying a visual representation comprising participation history information indicative of which of the participation modes particular ones of said participants have been in at certain points in time.

6 more elements

Apparatus for use in a conference arrangement comprising:

a set up unit to enable a plurality of participants in a group to participate in an ongoing conference;
a monitor to automatically monitor states of communication devices associated with said participants and make that information available to all participants, and to collect participation information of each of said participants in said group and to automatically determine which of said participants in said group are currently active in said conference;
and
a display unit to dynamically display a visual representation indicating which of said participants in said group are active in said conference;
wherein said set up unit is configured such that different ones of said participants in said group may be in different participation modes at a given point in time, the participation modes including at least an active mode in which a given participant is currently active in said conference and a monitor mode in which the given participant is monitoring said conference but is not currently active in said conference;
wherein said monitor is configured to monitor the states of communication devices associated with said participants regardless of whether particular ones of said participants are in the active mode or the monitor mode;
and
wherein the display unit is configured to dynamically display a visual representation comprising participation history information indicative of which of the participation modes particular ones of said participants have been in at certain points in time.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/886,814Filed 21 Jun 2001 · us provisional application
Priority: 6 Feb 2001
Published: US 2002/0143877 A13 Oct 2002
Granted: 12 Sep 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06Q 10/107
Office automation; Time management: computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
H04L 12/1822
For computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms: conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants,…
H04M 3/42374
Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network…:…
H04M 3/42093
Called party identification service: notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party