Method and system for associating a conference participant with a telephone call

• US 20060245566A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Parker, Cameron J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/41 using speaker recognition speaker recognition per se G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for identifying conference participants who dial in to a telephone conference of an electronic conference that includes a web conference is provided. To identify a conference participant, a conference system displays to a user the names of those conference participants who have not yet been associated with a telephone line of the telephone conference. The conference system plays to the user the identification announcement of a conference participant who is not yet associated with a telephone line. When the user hears the identification announcement, the user recognizes the name of the conference participant and selects the name of that conference participant from the displayed names. The conference system can then associate that conference participant with the telephone line associated with the identification announcement that was played to the user.

Claims

1. A method in a conference system for associating a conference participant with a telephone line, the method comprising:

providing to a user a display of conference participants who have not been associated with a telephone line;

directing a telephone conference system to play to the user a name announcement associated with a telephone line of a telephone conference;

receiving from the user an indication of the conference participant associated with the telephone line; and

associating the telephone line with the indicated conference participant.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user is the leader of the conference.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the announcement is provided by a caller as an identification for other conference participants.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference system is a web-based conference system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a conference participant not associated with a telephone line is a person who joins the telephone conference by dialing in.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user can request that the announcement be repeated.

7. The method of claim 1 including sending to the telephone conference system an indication of the telephone line whose announcement is to be sent to the user.

8. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a web conference system to associate a conference participant with a telephone line of a telephone conference system, by a method comprising:

directing a telephone conference system to provide an identification announcement associated with a telephone line of a telephone conference;

determining the conference participant who corresponds to the provided identification announcement; and

associating that telephone line with the determined conference participant.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the determining is performed using a voice recognition system.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the determining is performed by a user to whom the identification announcement is played.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the user is provided with an indication of conference participants not associated with a telephone line.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the user is the leader of the conference.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the identification announcement is provided by a caller as an identification for other conference participants.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein a conference participant not associated with a telephone line is a person who joins the telephone conference by dialing in.

15. A computer-based conference system for associating a conference participant with a telephone line of a telephone conference system, comprising:

a component that directs a telephone conference system conducting a telephone conference in parallel with a computer-based conference to provide an identification announcement associated with a telephone line of a telephone conference;

a component that determines the conference participant who corresponds to the provided identification announcement; and

a component that associates that telephone line with the determined conference participant.

16. The computer-based conference system of claim 15 including a voice recognition system for recognizing a name of the identification announcement.

17. The computer-based conference system of claim 15 wherein the component that directs the telephone conference system to play the identification announcement to a user and the component that receives an indication of the conference participant from the user.

18. The computer-based conference system of claim 17 wherein the user is provided with an indication of conference participants not associated with a telephone line.

19. The computer-based conference system of claim 15 wherein the user is the leader of the conference.

20. The computer-based conference system of claim 15 wherein a conference participant not associated with a telephone line is a person who joins the telephone conference by dialing in.