Device, Method and Computer Program Product for Cluster Based Conferencing

• US 20090177743A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bitar, Akram, Ashour, Gal
• Application Number:
  US11/970,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177743A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A method and computer program product for conferencing, the method includes: electing a cluster leader node out of multiple nodes that participate in a conference; monitoring, by the cluster leader node and at least by one other node, a connectivity status of the nodes; recording conference content during at least a certain disconnection period of a certain node; and sending to the certain node, after the certain disconnection period ended, conference information representative of the recorded conference content.

Claims

1. A method for conferencing, the method comprising:

electing a cluster leader node out of multiple nodes that participate in a conference;

monitoring, by the cluster leader node and at least by one other node, a connectivity status of the nodes;

recording conference content during at least a certain disconnection period of a certain node; and

sending to the certain node, after the certain disconnection period ended, conference information representative of the recorded conference content.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electing comprises electing a replacement cluster leader node;

wherein the replacement cluster leader node is intended to replace the cluster leader node if the cluster leader node disconnected.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising electing a replacement cluster leader node if the cluster leader node has disconnected.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising receiving, by the cluster leader node, a request from a requesting node to obtain a conference content exchanged during at least a portion of the conference;

and provide the conference content to the requesting node.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electing comprises electing a cluster leader node in response to an order of node conference joining events and node conference initiating event.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising generating, by the cluster leader node, conference content recording commands and sending the conference content recording commands to at least two nodes.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the conference is an instant messaging conference.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising sending to the certain node a conference content recoded during a certain recording period;

wherein the certain recording period exceeds the certain disconnection period and marking the conference content recorded during the certain disconnection period.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

elect a cluster leader node out of multiple nodes that participate in a conference;

monitor, by the cluster leader node and at least by one other node, a connectivity status of the nodes;

record conference content during at least a certain disconnection period of a certain node; and

send to the certain node, after the certain disconnection period ended, conference information representative of the recorded conference content.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to elect a replacement cluster leader node;

wherein the replacement cluster leader node is intended to replace the cluster leader node if the cluster leader node disconnected.

11. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to elect a replacement cluster leader node if the cluster leader node has disconnected.

12. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to receive a request from a requesting node to obtain a conference content exchanged during at least a portion of the conference;

and provide the conference content to the requesting node.

13. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to elect a cluster leader node in response to an order of node conference joining events and node conference initiating event.

14. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to generate conference content recording commands and send the conference content recording commands to at least two nodes.

15. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to participate in an instant messaging conference.

16. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to send to the certain node a conference content recoded during a certain recording period;

wherein the certain recording period exceeds the certain disconnection period and marking the conference content recorded during the certain disconnection period.

17. A device for providing an alert indication, the device comprising:

an election unit adapted to participate in an election of a cluster leader node out of multiple nodes that participate in a conference;

a monitor that monitors a connectivity status of the nodes;

a recorder adapted to record conference content during at least a certain disconnection period of a certain node; and

a transmitter adapted to send to the certain node, after the certain disconnection period ended, conference information representative of the recorded conference content.

18. The device according to claim 17 wherein the election unit is adapted to participate in an election of a replacement cluster leader node;

wherein the election of the replacement cluster leader node occurs in response to a disconnection of the cluster leader node or occurs in timing proximity to the election of the cluster leader node.

19. The device according to claim 17 wherein the recorder is responsive to content recording commands sent by the cluster leader node to at least two nodes.

20. The device according to claim 17 wherein the election unit is adapted to participate in an election of a cluster leader node in response to an order of node conference joining events and node conference initiating event.