DISTINGUISHING CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

• US 20090319912A1
• Filed: 06/22/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Madsen, Mark Timothy, Straka, Allyson, Serr, Robert, Huddleston, Scott Alan, McClelland, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5072 Multiple active speakers conducting a computer conference, e.g. Admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for distinguishing between conference participants associated with different groups. A communication is received from a participant during a conference. The participant'"'"'s group affiliation is determined and a representation attribute corresponding to the group is used to render the communication within the conference. As a result, the communications from participants of like groups are displayed with like representation attributes to visually distinguish the communications according to group affiliations. An administrator may designate the representation attributes so that all of the communications from participants of the same group are similarly distinguished without action from the participants. Participants may filter the communications as desired according to the groups and corresponding representation attributes.

Claims

1. A method for distinguishing conference participants, the method comprising:

receiving a communication from a participant;

determining a group with which the participant is associated;

determining a representation attribute for identifying all communications associated with the group; and

rendering the communication with the representation attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the group with which the participant is associated and determining the representation attribute for identifying all communications associated with the group comprises:

receiving extended presence data corresponding to the participant, the extended presence data comprising the representation attribute for rendering according to the group with which the participant is associated; and

retrieving the representation attribute from the extended presence data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving extended presence data corresponding to the participant comprises receiving extended presence data corresponding to all participants to which a user has subscribed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation attribute comprises a color associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering the color with the communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation attribute comprises a font associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering at least a portion of the communication in the font associated with the group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation attribute comprises an icon associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering the icon with the communication.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of communications from the conference participants, the conference participants associated with a plurality of groups; and

selectively rendering one or more communications of the plurality of communications according to a filtering rule that defines one or more groups to which corresponding communications are to be rendered or one or more groups to which corresponding communications are to be concealed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a cursor is located proximate to the communication;

in response to determining that the cursor is located proximate to the communication, rendering information associated with participant;

determining that the cursor has moved from a location proximate to the communication; and

in response to determining that the cursor has moved from the location proximate to the communication, concealing the information associated with participant.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the participant comprises one or more groups associated with the participant.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the group with which the participant is associated comprises determining a first group from a plurality of groups with which the participant is associated according to a rendering priority rule.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new representation attribute corresponding to the group; and

modifying all communications from the conference participants according to the new representation attribute.

12. A method for distinguishing conference participants, the method comprising:

determining a group associated with a conference participant;

maintaining extended presence data associated with the conference participant;

storing a representation attribute associated with the group with the extended presence data; and

publishing the extended presence data with the representation attribute for use in rendering with a communication from the conference participant.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein associating the conference participant with the group comprises:

retrieving group membership information for the conference participant from an active directory; and

storing the group membership information with the extended presence data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the representation attribute comprises a color associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering the color with the communication.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the representation attribute comprises a font associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering at least a portion of the communication in the font associated with the group.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the representation attribute comprises an icon associated with the group such that rendering the communication with the representation attribute comprises rendering the icon with the communication.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an updated representation attribute associated with the group;

replacing the representation attribute with the updated representation attribute with the extended presence data; and

republishing the extended presence data with the updated representation attribute for use in rendering with the communication from the conference participant.

18. A computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a communication from a conference participant;

retrieve extended presence data to determine a group with which the conference participant is associated and to determine a representation attribute associated with the group; and

render the communication with the representation attribute.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the representation attribute comprises a visual indication that identifies the group such that when rendered with the representation attribute, the communication is visually distinguished from a plurality of communications not associated with the group.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a plurality of communications from a plurality of conference participants, the plurality of conference participants associated with a plurality of groups; and

selectively render one or more communications of the plurality of communications according to a filtering rule that defines one or more groups to which corresponding communications are to be rendered or one or more groups to which corresponding communications are to be concealed.