Policy based provisioning of web conferences

• US 20050193129A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barlow, William C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• 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 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for the policy driven provisioning of a Web conference. A Web conference provisioning system can include a policy manager coupled to at least two different Web conferencing platforms over a computer communications network. The policy manager can have a configuration for processing a request for a Web conferencing from a communicatively linked end user to select one of the Web conferencing platforms to host the Web conference. Preferably, two of the different Web conferencing platforms can include a CPE based platform and a hosted platform.

Claims

1. A Web conference provisioning system comprising a policy manager coupled to at least two different Web conferencing platforms over a computer communications network, said policy manager having a configuration for processing a request for a Web conferencing from a communicatively linked end user to select one of said Web conferencing platforms to host said Web conference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least two different Web conferencing platforms comprise a platform selected from the group consisting of a customer premises equipment based platform and a hosted platform.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a firewall disposed between said end user and said policy manager.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a demilitarized zone firewall disposed in between said policy manager and end users coupled to said policy manager of a public Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one policy configured for processing in said policy manager.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one policy specifies a platform selection based upon criteria selected from the group consisting of a number of participants to said Web conference, whether said participants are internal or external to a private network of said end user, a set of features desired for use in said Web conference, a security level required for said Web conference, and a priority of said Web conference.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said set of features comprises at least one feature selected from the group consisting of screen sharing, slideshow presentations, streaming audio, voice over IP, audio conferencing, the use of on-premise audio equipment, audio recording, joint Web browsing, chat and instant messaging and streaming video.

8. A Web conference provisioning method comprising the steps of:

establishing criteria for a proposed Web conference; and

,

applying at least one policy to said criteria to identify a platform for hosting said proposed Web conference.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

resolving an address to said identified platform;

imbedding said address in an invitation to participate in said proposed Web conference; and

,

forwarding said invitation to selected participants in said proposed Web conference.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

re-establishing said criteria; and

,

applying said at least one policy to said re-established criteria to identify a different platform for hosting said proposed Web conference.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of performing said establishing and applying steps responsive to a request to schedule said proposed Web conference.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of performing said establishing and applying steps when activating said proposed Web conference.

13. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for Web conference provisioning, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform the steps of:

establishing criteria for a proposed Web conference; and

,

applying at least one policy to said criteria to identify a platform for hosting said proposed Web conference.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

resolving an address to said identified platform;

imbedding said address in an invitation to participate in said proposed Web conference; and

,

forwarding said invitation to selected participants in said proposed Web conference.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

re-establishing said criteria; and

,

applying said at least one policy to said re-established criteria to identify a different platform for hosting said proposed Web conference.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further comprising the step of performing said establishing and applying steps responsive to a request to schedule said proposed Web conference.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further comprising the step of performing said establishing and applying steps when activating said proposed Web conference.