Management of missing conference invitees

• US 20060239212A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jennings, Cullen F., Pirzada, Shamim S.
• Application Number:
  US11/112,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20060239212A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• 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: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call

Abstract

A system for managing an ongoing conference provides a conference management system that enables contact with missing conference invitees during a conference. The system can identify one or more missing conference invitees, identify communication addresses for the missing conference invitees, and contact the missing conference invitees during a conference.

Claims

1. A system for managing a conference comprising:

a database maintaining a plurality of conference profiles, each scheduled conference profile identifying schedule information, a plurality of conference invitees and, for each of the conference invitees, at least one communication address;

a processing module operable to;

select one of the conference profiles;

identify the conference invitees for a selected conference profile;

monitor a communication session established for the selected conference profile;

identify one or more missing ones of the conference invitees not participating in the communication session;

determine, for each of the missing conference invitees, the communication address indicated in the conference profile;

present, for each of the missing conference invitees, at least one contact option linked to the communication address; and

receive a notification selection indicating one or more selected ones of the identified communication addresses; and

a network interface operable to send an ongoing conference notification to the selected communication addresses.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further operable to present a graphical user interface displaying, for each of the missing conference invitees, the contact options linked to the one or more identified communication addresses.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein displaying comprises visually presenting a plurality of icons each linked to a selected one of the contact options.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operable to determine a presence status for each of the missing conference invitees, wherein each presence status indicates an availability of a network device associated with the communication address for the missing conference invitee, and present the presence status for each of the missing conference invitees.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further operable, for each of the missing conference attendees, to access scheduling software for the missing conference invitee, to determine schedule information indicating scheduled activities for the conference invitee, and to present the schedule information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the schedule information comprises calendar entries from a commercially available software application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the processing module is further operable to present an option to contact all of the missing conference invitees and to receive a selection of the option to contact all of the missing conference invitees; and

the network interface is further operable to send an ongoing conference notification to at least one of the communication addresses for each of the missing conference invitees.

8. A method for managing an ongoing conference comprising:

identifying a plurality of conference invitees for a scheduled conference;

monitoring a communication session established for the scheduled conference;

identifying one or more missing ones of the conference invitees not participating in the communication session;

determining, for each of the missing conference invitees, one or more associated communication addresses;

presenting, for each of the missing conference invitees, at least one contact option linked to the communication addresses;

receiving a notification selection indicating one or more selected ones of the contact options; and

sending an ongoing conference notification to the communication addresses linked to the selected contact options.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising presenting a graphical user interface displaying, for each of the missing conference invitees, the contact options linked to the one or more identified communication addresses.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein presenting comprises visually displaying icons representing each of the contact options.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a presence status for each of the missing conference invitees, wherein each presence status indicates an availability of a network device associated with the communication address for the missing conference invitee, and presenting the presence status for each of the missing conference invitees.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising, for each of the missing conference attendees, accessing scheduling software for the missing conference invitee, determining schedule information indicating scheduled activities for the conference invitee, and presenting the schedule information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the schedule information comprises calendar entries from a commercially available software application.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising;

presenting an option to contact all of the missing conference invitees;

receiving a selection of the option to contact all of the missing conference invitees; and

sending an ongoing conference notification to at least one of the communication addresses for each of the missing conference invitees.

15. Software for managing an ongoing conference, the software embodied in computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

identify a plurality of conference invitees for a scheduled conference;

monitor a communication session established for the scheduled conference;

identify one or more missing ones of the conference invitees not participating in the communication session;

determine, for each of the missing conference invitees, one or more associated communication addresses;

present, for each of the missing conference invitees, at least one contact option linked to the communication addresses;

receive a notification selection indicating one or more selected ones of the contact options; and

send an ongoing conference notification to the communication addresses linked to the selected contact options.

16. The software of claim 15, further operable when executed to present a graphical user interface displaying, for each of the missing conference invitees, the contact options linked to the one or more identified communication addresses.

17. The software of claim 15, wherein presenting comprises visually displaying icons representing each of the contact options.

18. The software of claim 15, further operable when executed to determine a presence status for each of the missing conference invitees, wherein each presence status indicates an availability of a network device associated with the communication address for the missing conference invitee, and to present the presence status for each of the missing conference invitees.

19. The software of claim 15, further operable when executed, for each of the missing conference attendees, to access scheduling software for the missing conference invitee, to determine schedule information indicating scheduled activities for the conference invitee, and to present the schedule information.

20. The software of claim 19, wherein the schedule information comprises calendar entries from a commercially available software application.

21. The software of claim 15, further operable when executed to:

present an option to contact all of the missing conference invitees;

receive a selection of the option to contact all of the missing conference invitees; and

send an ongoing conference notification to at least one of the communication addresses for each of the missing conference invitees.

22. A system for managing an ongoing conference comprising:

means for identifying a plurality of conference invitees for a scheduled conference;

means for monitoring a communication session established for the scheduled conference;

means for identifying one or more missing ones of the conference invitees not participating in the communication session;

means for determining, for each of the missing conference invitees, one or more associated communication addresses;

means for presenting, for each of the missing conference invitees, at least one contact option linked to the communication addresses;

means for receiving a notification selection indicating one or more selected ones of the contact options; and

means for sending an ongoing conference notification to the communication addresses linked to the selected contact options.