Systems and methods for implementing a single-number follow me service for videoconferencing

• US 20070100940A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Glowpoint, Inc. (Oblong, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Glowpoint, Inc. (Oblong, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eriksson, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US11/509,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100940A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A conferencing system and method having, a conferencing unit to initiate a remote conference, wherein the remote conference is initiated by inputting a conferencing identifier into the conferencing unit; more than one client associated with the conferencing identifier; and a conference network device to determine which of the clients has an active connection to the conferencing system; wherein the remote conference is established between the conferencing unit and one of the clients based on the determination of the conference network device.

Claims

1. A conferencing system, comprising:

a conferencing unit to initiate a remote conference, wherein the remote conference is initiated by inputting a conferencing identifier into the conferencing unit;

a plurality of clients associated with the conferencing identifier; and

a conference network device to determine which of the plurality of clients has an active connection to the conferencing system;

wherein the remote conference is established between the conferencing unit and one of the plurality of clients based on the determination of the conference network device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the conferencing identifier is a phone number.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the clients is a room system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the clients is a laptop computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference network device comprises a registry having a rule-set to determine which of the plurality of clients the conference is established with if more than one client has an active connection to the conference system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the clients is a mobile telephone.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference is established via the internet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference is established via an H.323 backbone.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the registry is an SQL database.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference is a video conference.

11. A method of establishing a conference, comprising:

inputting a conference identifier into a conferencing device;

determining which of a plurality of clients associated with the conferencing identifier has an active connection to a conferencing network;

establishing a conference with one of the plurality of clients which has an active connection to a conferencing network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining which of the plurality of clients a conference is to be established with based on a rule-set of a registry when more than one client has an active connection to the conferencing network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the conferencing identifier is a telephone number.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the clients is a room system.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the clients is a laptop computer.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the clients is a mobile telephone.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the conference is established via the internet.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the conference is established via an H.323 backbone.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the registry is an SQL database.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the conference is a video conference.