Apparatus and method for use in a data/conference call system to provide collaboration services

• US 20020143877A1
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wills, Graham John, Herbsleb, James David, Hackbarth, Randy L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server

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.

Claims

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

enabling a plurality of participants in a group to participant in an ongoing conference;

automatically collecting participation information of each of said participants in said group;

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.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further including a step of enabling participants of said group not currently active in said conference to monitor said conference.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 further including a step of enabling said participants monitoring said conference to become active in said conference.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 further including a step of enabling said participants monitoring said conference to listen to said conference.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 further including a step of automatically collecting information on devices connecting to participants to said conference and wherein said step of dynamically displaying displays said device information to all of said participants.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further including a step of automatically collecting information on whether said active participants have spoken in said conference.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 further including a step of automatically collecting information regarding prior conference participation of each of said participants.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein said prior participation information includes at least whether a participant was active in the conference.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein said prior participation information further includes whether a participant spoke in the conference.

10. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein said step of collecting participation information includes a step of collecting information on whether a participant has been active and/or an actual speaker in the conference during the conference.

11. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein said step of collecting participation information further includes a step of collecting said participation information for prescribed intervals of said conference.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein said prescribed intervals include at least each day of the conference interval, each hour of each said day, each minute of each of said hours and each second of each of said minutes.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein said set up unit further enables participants of said group not currently active in said conference to monitor said conference.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said set up unit further enables said participants monitoring said conference to become active in said conference.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said set up unit further enables said participants monitoring said conference to listen to said conference.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein said information collection unit further automatically collects information on devices connecting to participants to said conference and wherein said step of dynamically displaying displays said device information to all of said participants.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein said information collection unit further automatically collects information on whether said active participants have spoken in said conference.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein said information collection unit further automatically collects information regarding prior conference participation of each of said participants.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein said prior participation information includes at least whether a participant was active in the conference.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein said prior participation information further includes whether a participant spoke in the conference.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 21 wherein said information collection unit further automatically collects information on whether a participant has been active and/or an actual speaker in the conference during the conference.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said information collection unit further automatically collects said participation information for prescribed intervals of said conference.

24. The apparatus as defined in claim 22 wherein said prescribed intervals include at least each day of the conference interval, each hour of each said day, each minute of each of said hours and each second of each of said minutes.

26. The apparatus as defined in claim 25 further including means for enabling participants of said group not currently active in said conference to monitor said conference.

27. The apparatus as defined in claim 25 further including means for automatically collecting information regarding prior conference participation of each of said participants.

28. The apparatus as defined in claim 27 wherein said means for collecting participation information includes a means for collecting information on whether a participant has been active and/or an actual speaker in the conference during the conference.

29. The apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein said means for collecting participation information further includes means for collecting said participation information for prescribed intervals of said conference.

13. Apparatus for use in a conference arrangement comprising:

a set up unit to enable a plurality of participants in a group to participant in an ongoing conference;

an information collection unit to automatically 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.

25. Apparatus for use in a conference arrangement comprising:

means for enabling a plurality of participants in a group to participant in an ongoing conference;

means for automatically collecting participation information of each of said participants in said group;

means for automatically determining which of said participants in said group are currently active in said conference; and

means for dynamically displaying a visual representation indicating which of said participants in said group are active in said conference.