Air emission avoidance and tracking through the use of online web conferencing

• US 20080313276A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Broadsoft Ilinc Communications Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iLinc Communications, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abrams, Ethan Terry, Prentice, Marie
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]

Abstract

Participants and session leaders (i.e. users) are allowed to join online web conferences, online meetings, or online classes. The methods herein determine, among other variables, the total air emissions saved by being able to forego physical transportation of the users on account of being able to meet by an online web conference. In certain embodiments, the amount of CO₂ air emissions is determined. The air emission savings are then displayed on a user interface for one or more online web conferences. Aggregate air emission savings may also determined for a group of online web conferences. Advantages of the methods of the present invention include, among others, the ability to quantify the air emission savings from the use of online meeting technology and the ability to generate individualized and aggregated air emission reports based on one or more online web conferences or classes and/or company-wide air emission savings.

Claims

1. A method implemented in an information handling system comprising:

allowing a participant and a session leader to join an online meeting wherein the participant joins the online meeting by way of a participant networked computer and wherein the session leader joins the online meeting by way of a session leader networked computer;

determining a participant IP address wherein the participant IP address corresponds to an IP address of the participant networked computer;

determining a session leader IP address wherein the session leader IP address corresponds to an IP address of the session leader networked computer;

determining a participant physical location corresponding to the participant IP address;

determining a session leader physical location corresponding to the session leader IP address;

determining a distance between the participant physical location and the session leader physical location;

determining a quantity of air emission savings corresponding to foregoing a transportation of about twice the distance; and

displaying the quantity of air emission savings on a user interface accessible by at least one participant and the session leader.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of air emission savings comprises a quantity of CO₂ emissions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of air emission savings comprises a quantity of NO_x emissions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of air emission savings comprises a quantity of a plurality of air pollutants.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the round-trip transportation comprises an personal vehicle transportation modality.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the round-trip transportation comprises a commercial aircraft transportation modality.

7. The method of claim 1 allowing the user to specify a modality of the round-trip transportation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining a quantity of air emission savings corresponding to foregoing a transportation of the participant from the participant physical location to the session leader physical location is performed as an automobile emissions calculation when the participant physical location is less than a threshold distance from the session leader physical location and performed as an aircraft emissions calculation when the participant physical location is greater than the threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the threshold distance is between about 100 to about 200 miles.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity is augmented by a running total of air emission savings before being displayed on the user interface.

11. A method implemented in an information handling system comprising:

allowing a plurality of participants and a session leader to join an online meeting wherein each participant joins the online meeting by way of one or more participant networked computers and wherein the session leader joins the online meeting by way of a session leader networked computer;

determining each participant IP address and a session leader IP address wherein each participant IP address corresponds to an IP address of the participant networked computer used by each participant to join the online meeting and wherein the session leader IP address corresponds to an IP address of the session leader networked computer;

determining each participant physical location corresponding to each participant IP address and a session leader physical location corresponding to the session leader IP address;

determining a plurality of participant distances between each participant physical location and the session leader physical location;

determining a plurality of participant emissions quantities wherein each participant emissions quantity corresponds to foregoing a transportation of about twice each participant distance;

determining a total air emission savings corresponding to about the sum of the plurality of participant emissions quantities; and

displaying the total air emission savings on a user interface that is accessible by at least one of the plurality of participants.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining a total saved travel time of the participants and displaying the total saved travel time on the user interface.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a total participant driving distance wherein total participant driving distance is about the sum of each participant distance.

14. A method implemented in an information handling system comprising:

allowing a plurality of participants and a session leader to join an online meeting wherein each participant joins the online meeting by way of one or more participant networked computers and wherein the session leader joins the online meeting by way of a session leader networked computer;

determining each participant IP address and a session leader IP address wherein each participant IP address corresponds to an IP address of the participant networked computer used by each participant to join the online meeting and wherein the session leader IP address corresponds to an IP address of the session leader networked computer;

determining each participant physical location corresponding to each participant IP address and a session leader physical location corresponding to the session leader IP address;

determining a meeting location;

determining a plurality of participant distances between each participant physical location and the meeting location;

determining a session leader distance between the session leader physical location and the meeting location;

determining a plurality of participant emissions quantities wherein each participant emissions quantity corresponds to foregoing a transportation of about twice each participant distance;

determining a session leader emissions quantity wherein the session leader emissions quantity corresponds to foregoing a transportation of about twice the session leader distance;

determining a total air emission meeting savings corresponding to about the sum of all of the participant emissions quantities and the session leader emission quantity; and

displaying the total air emission meeting savings on a user interface accessible by at least the session leader.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising augmenting the total air emission meeting savings by a running total of air emission savings.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying the running total of air emission savings on the user interface.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the meeting location is specified by the session leader.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the meeting location is constrained to occur at a location corresponding to at least one of the plurality of participants and the session leader.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the meeting location is the session leader physical location.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the meeting location is chosen so as to minimize a sum of (1) an overall travel distance of the plurality of participants and (2) a travel distance of the session leader.

21. A networked computer system for online collaborative web meetings, said system comprising:

(a) electronics adapted to (1) calculate a total distance between a host and a plurality of participants based on IP addresses of the participants and (2) determine an air emissions reduction corresponding to foregoing a transportation of the total distance by the participants; and

(b) a user interface adapted to display the air emissions reduction.