Conferencing method

• US 20020091769A1
• Filed: 01/09/2002
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Drozdzewicz, Piotr Jozef, Ernstrom, William Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/043,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091769A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

The method of the present invention establishes a conference among a plurality of participants and a subscriber. The subscriber is assigned a unique URL by a conferencing system. When the subscriber sets up a conference, the subscriber delivers the unique URL to each of a plurality of participants prior to the conference such as by email distribution. Upon activating the delivered URL, each end-user (i.e. the subscriber and participants) provides the necessary endpoint (i.e., a telephone number) identity information to enable it to participate in the upcoming conference. The conferencing system then sets up the conference based upon all of the entered endpoint identification submitted.

Claims

1. A method for providing a conference for a subscriber and a plurality of participants at a set time using a conferencing system in a telecommunication system, the telecommunication system incorporating an Internet, the method comprising:

assigning in a web server of the conferencing system a unique URL for the conference of the subscriber,

providing the unique URL through the Internet to a web browser of the subscriber,

delivering the unique URL and the set time through the Internet from the web browser of the subscriber to each of the plurality of participants, the subscriber and the plurality of participants comprising end-users in the conference,

each of the end-users clicking on the delivered URL at the set time to access the web server of the conferencing system through the Internet,

each of the end-users providing endpoint identification information corresponding to an endpoint to the accessed web page,

connecting each endpoint of the end-users to the conference in the conferencing system through the telecommunications system in response to the provided endpoint identification information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the unique URL occurs by emailing the unique URL through the Internet to the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the unique URL comprises:

placing the unique URL on a web page of the web server,

copying of the placed URL by the subscriber from the web page of the web server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering comprises emailing the unique URL through the Internet to the web browser of each of the plurality of participants.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering comprises:

placing the unique URL on a web page of the subscriber,

copying of the placed URL by the participants from the web page of the subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique URL is a graphical icon.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the endpoint is a telephone and wherein the endpoint information is a telephone number for the telephone.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein connecting comprises:

calling the telephone for the telephone number provided in the endpoint identification information,

adding the telephone to the conference when it goes off-hook.

9. A method for providing a conference for a subscriber and a plurality of participants using a conferencing system in a telecommunication system, the telecommunication system incorporating an Internet, the method comprising:

assigning in a database of a web server of the conferencing system a unique URL for the conference of the subscriber,

providing the unique URL through the Internet to a web browser of the subscriber,

delivering the unique URL from the subscriber to each of the plurality of participants, the subscriber and the plurality of participants comprising end-users in the conference,

activating the conference in the conferencing system when the delivered URLs are clicked on by the end-users.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein delivering comprises emailing the unique URL through the Internet to the web browser of each of the plurality of participants.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein delivery comprises:

placing the unique URL on a web page. The web page could be anywhere, owned and operated by anyone.

copying of the placed URL by the participants from the web page of the subscriber.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

each of the end-users clicking on the delivered URL at the set time to access the web server of the conferencing system through the Internet,

each of the end-users providing endpoint identification information corresponding to an endpoint to the accessed web page,

connecting each endpoint of the end-users to the conference in the conferencing system through the telecommunications system in response to the provided endpoint identification information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein activating comprises:

receiving endpoint information from the subscriber and from each participant accessing the URL of the subscriber,

connecting each endpoint for each received endpoint information to the conference.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein an endpoint is a telephone and the endpoint information is a telephone number for the telephone.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein connecting comprises calling the telephone number.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one URL has an associated icon.

13. A method for providing a conference for a subscriber and a plurality of participants at a set time using a conferencing system in a telecommunication system, the telecommunication system implemented with an Internet, the method comprising:

assigning in a web server of the conferencing system a unique URL for the conference of the subscriber,

providing the unique URL through the Internet to a web browser of the subscriber,

delivering the unique URL and the set time through the Internet from the web browser of the subscriber to each of the plurality of participants, the subscriber and the plurality of participants comprising end-users in the conference,

an end-user clicking on the delivered URL at the set time to access the web server of the conferencing system through the Internet,

the end-user providing a telephone number corresponding to a telephone to the accessed web page,

calling the telephone from the conferencing system through the telecommunications system in response to providing the telephone number,

connecting the end-user to the conference when the called telephone goes off-hook.

14. A method for providing conferences in a telecommunication system for a plurality of subscribers, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of URLs in a web server at a conferencing system in the telecommunication system,

assigning in the web server at least one of the plurality of URLs to each of said plurality of subscribers,

activating a conference in the conferencing system when the URL of a subscriber accesses the web server of the conferencing system over the Internet from a web browser of the aforesaid subscriber or of a participant to the conference.