Camping on a conference or telephony port

• US 20080063174A1
• Filed: 08/21/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khourl, Joseph F., Jain, Mukul, Kumar, Sanjeev, Pearce, Christopher E., Patel, Labhesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,358,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• 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: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects

Abstract

In one embodiment, a scheduling/conferencing system provides a user with the ability to set up a camp-on request for a person invited to attend a conference session in response to one or more selections made by the user via a user interface, which may include a name of the person and a specified action to be taken when the person leaves the conference session. During the conference session, a conference port of the person is camped-on. When the person leaves the conference session and his conference port becomes free, the specified action, which includes an attempt to communicate with the person by the user, is executed. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in advance of a scheduled conference session, input from a user identifying a person invited to participate in the scheduled conference session;

camping-on a conference port of the person when a call from the person is placed into the scheduled conference session;

executing a specified action in response to the conference port becoming free, the specified action including at least an attempt to establish communications between the person and the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action comprises:

initiating a call from a first telephone device associated with the user to a second telephone device associated with the person.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the specified action in advance of the scheduled conference session, the specified action being one of a plurality of actions presented to the user via a graphical user interface.

4. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a user, in advance of a scheduled conference session, to camp-on a conference port of a person invited to attend the scheduled conference session;

notifying the person of the request when the person calls into the scheduled conference session;

prompting the person either for an affirmative response to allow the request, or a negative response denying the request;

in the event of the affirmative response, executing a specified action when the conference port becoming free, the specified action including at least an attempt to establish communications between the person and the user.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

fetching from a database a set of registered telephone numbers of the person;

in response to an incoming call to the scheduled conference session from a telephone device having a certain number, attempting to match the certain number of the incoming call to one of the set of registered telephone numbers; and

in the event of a match, camping-on the conference port of the incoming call.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising, in the event that there is no match after a predetermined time has elapsed following commencement of the scheduled conference session:

notifying the user that the request to camp-on the conference port of the person has failed.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined time is selectable.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the specified action comprises:

initiating a call from a first telephone device associated with the user to a second telephone device associated with the person.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving the specified action in advance of the scheduled conference session, the specified action being one of a plurality of actions presented to the user.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the specified action comprises:

sending an email message from a first address associated with the user to a second address associated with the person.

11. The method of claim 4 further comprising, in the event of the negative response:

alerting the user that the person has denied the request by the user.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a display; and

a program that runs on a telephone device to produce a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the user interface providing a user of the telephone phone with a list of persons invited to attend a scheduled conference session, selection of a person from the list comprising a request to camp-on a conference port of the person during the scheduled conference session, selection of the person from the list causing the GUI to provide the user with an option to select, from a list of executable actions, an action to be taken by an Internet protocol private branch exchange (IP PBX) system in response to the person leaving the scheduled conference session and the conference port becoming free, wherein the action includes at least an attempt to communicate with the person by the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the action comprises a message sent from the user to the person.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the message comprises an instant message.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the message comprises an email message.

13. The apparatus wherein the action comprises an outbound call placed from a first telephone device associated with the user to a second telephone device associated with the person.

17. Logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed is operable to:

prior to the conference session, set up a camp-on request for a person invited to attend the conference session in response to one or more selection input received from a user interface, the one or more selection input including a name of the person and a specified action to be taken when the person leaves the conference session, the specified action including at least an attempt to establish electronic communications between the person and a user of the user interface;

during the conference session, camp-on a conference port of the person; and

when the person leaves the conference session and the conference port becomes free, execute the specified action.

18. The logic of claim 17 wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface.

19. The logic of claim 17 wherein the media, when executed, is further operable to:

notify the person of the camp-on request when the person calls into the conference session;

provide the person with an option of allowing or denying the camp-on request, wherein the specified action is executed only if the person allows the camp-on request.

20. The logic of claim 17 wherein the specified action comprises initiating an outbound call from a first telephone device associated with the user to a second telephone device associated with the person.

21. Logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed is operable to:

set-up a deferred camp-on of a first telephone device associated with a person in response to one or more inputs;

the one or more inputs including a scheduled date/time;

initiate a call from a second telephone device associated with a user to the first telephone device associated with the person at the scheduled date/time;

in the event that the first telephone device is busy with a different call at the scheduled date/time, camp-on the first telephone device;

when the different call ends, immediately initiate a new call from the first telephone device to the second telephone device.

22. The logic of claim 21 wherein the one or more inputs are generated by a user interface at a time when the first telephone device is busy.