Distributed conference bridge

• US 20040210637A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Loveland, Shawn D.
• Application Number:
  US10/847,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210637A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13282 Call forward, follow-me, call diversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 for connecting to private branch exchanges

Abstract

A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc.

The electronic personal assistant enables a user to transmit voice commands to a voice-based resource server to provide information accessible to the resource server. In accordance with an aspect of an embodiment of the invention, a user is authenticated by receiving vocal responses by a user to one or more requests variably selected and issued by a speaker recognition-based authentication facility. Thereafter, an application proxy is created. The application proxy acts on behalf of the authenticated authorized user.

In accordance with particular aspects of the specific embodiments of the invention, a set of remotely accessed voice applications are provided. One such application comprises a personal interactive multimedia response (IMR). Each user configures a personal IMR system. In a converged network environment, the user is provided access to the IMR through a personal computer interface, web interface, instant message, e-mail, as well as a voice user interface over a telephone connection.

A configurable distributed conference bridge is another potential application incorporated within the converged network architecture model of the present invention. The distributed conference bridge enables local conference resources to be utilized and incorporates external service bureau conference bridge resources when needed to supplement the internal conference bridge resources of a system.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A configurable conference bridge including:

a programmable connection engine for managing allocation of conference bridge lines in accordance with a designated connection scheme for a configurable distributed conference identifying a threshold number of connections to be established on a local conference bridge, and designating an external conference bridge; and

a central office redirection component for commanding a central office switch to redirect incoming calls identifying the configurable extensible conference bridge to the external conference bridge.

9. The configurable extensible conference bridge of claim 8 further comprising:

a bridge linking component for linking the local conference bridge to the external conference bridge thereby rendering a distributed conference including participants connected to both the local and external conference bridges.

10. The configurable extensible conference bridge of claim 8 further comprising a terminal abstraction, interposed between functional resources of a conference bridge application and end-devices, to provide the functional resources in a manner tailored to individual ones of a variety of user interfaces, including graphical and voice user interfaces, the terminal abstraction comprising:

a graphical user interface terminal abstraction component interposed between the functional resources and a first end-device supporting a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface terminal abstraction component transforming messages from the first end-device to a generic format expected by the functional resources, the graphical user interface terminal abstraction component further transforming messages from the functional resources to a first end-device format expected by the first end-device; and

a voice user interface terminal abstraction component interposed between the functional resources and a second end-device supporting a voice user interface, the voice user interface terminal abstraction component transforming messages from the second end-device to a generic format expected by the functional resources, the graphical user interface terminal abstraction component further transforming messages from the functional resources to a second end-device format expected by the second end-device.

11. The configurable extensible conference bridge of claim 10 wherein the functional resources comprise a configuration editor.