Providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session

• US 20070177528A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.), Cryovac Incorporated (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearce, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

Providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session involves establishing a communication session between at least two endpoints. A request to add an added endpoint to the communication session is received. A procedure to provide an announcement to the endpoints of the communication session is initiated. The announcement is played in response to determining a status of a media path of the added endpoint, and is provided from a rendering of a participant identifier associated with the added endpoint.

Claims

1. A method for providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session, comprising:

establishing a communication session between at least two endpoints;

receiving a request to add an added endpoint to the communication session; and

initiating a procedure to provide an announcement to the endpoints of the communication session, the announcement played in response to determining a status of a media path of the added endpoint, the announcement provided from a rendering of a participant identifier associated with the added endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session further comprises:

instructing the added endpoint to provide the announcement after sending a stream over the media path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session further comprises:

instructing a mixer to provide the announcement after determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an identifier from the request; and

obtaining the rendering of the announcement from a memory in accordance with the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an identifier from the request; and

generating the rendering in accordance with the identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an identifier from the request; and

deriving the participant identifier from the established identifier.

8. A system for providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session, comprising:

an interface operable to communicate with at least two endpoints; and

one or more first processors operable to;

establish a communication session between the at least two endpoints;

receive a request to add an added endpoint to the communication session; and

initiate a procedure to provide an announcement to the endpoints of the communication session, the announcement played in response to determining a status of a media path of the added endpoint, the announcement provided from a rendering of a participant identifier associated with the added endpoint.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more second processors operable to:

determine that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

10. The system of claim 8, the one or more first processors further operable to initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by:

instructing the added endpoint to provide the announcement after sending a stream over the media path.

11. The system of claim 8, the one or more first processors further operable to initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by:

instructing a mixer to provide the announcement after determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more second processors operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

obtain the rendering of the announcement from a memory in accordance with the identifier.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more second processors operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

generate the rendering in accordance with the identifier.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more second processors operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

derive the participant identifier from the established identifier.

15. The system of claim 8, the one or more first processors further operable to:

initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by;

determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator;

instructing the added endpoint to provide the announcement after sending a stream over the media path; and

instructing a mixer to provide the announcement after determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator; and

further comprising one or more second processors operable to;

establish an identifier from the request; and

obtain the rendering of the announcement from a memory in accordance with the identifier;

generate the rendering in accordance with the identifier; and

derive the participant identifier from the identifier.

16. A system for providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session, comprising:

a conference controller operable to;

establish a communication session between the at least two endpoints;

receive a request to add an added endpoint to the communication session; and

initiate a procedure to provide an announcement to the endpoints of the communication session, the announcement played in response to determining a status of a media path of the added endpoint, the announcement provided from a rendering of a participant identifier associated with the added endpoint; and

an announcer in communication with the conference controller and operable to;

play the announcement using the rendering.

17. The system of claim 16, the announcer further operable to:

determine that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

18. The system of claim 16, the conference controller further operable to initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by:

instructing the added endpoint to provide the announcement after sending a stream over the media path.

19. The system of claim 16, the conference controller further operable to initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by:

instructing a mixer to provide the announcement after determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator.

20. The system of claim 16, the announcer further operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

obtain the rendering of the announcement from a memory in accordance with the identifier.

21. The system of claim 16, the announcer further operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

generate the rendering in accordance with the identifier.

22. The system of claim 16, the announcer further operable to:

establish an identifier from the request; and

derive the participant identifier from the established identifier.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the conference controller is further operable to initiate a procedure to provide the announcement to the endpoints of the communication session by;

instructing the added endpoint to provide the announcement after sending a stream over the media path; and

instructing a mixer to provide the announcement after determining that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator; and

the announcer is further operable to;

determine that the media path for the added endpoint is valid according to a valid media path indicator;

establish an identifier from the request;

obtain the rendering of the announcement from a memory in accordance with the identifier;

generate the rendering in accordance with the identifier; and

derive the participant identifier from the identifier.

24. A system for providing an announcement for a multiparty communication session, comprising:

means for establishing a communication session between at least two endpoints;

means for receiving a request to add an added endpoint to the communication session; and

means for initiating a procedure to provide an announcement to the endpoints of the communication session, the announcement played in response to determining a status of a media path of the added endpoint, the announcement provided from a rendering of a participant identifier associated with the added endpoint.