CONFERENCE SERVER SIMPLIFYING MANAGEMENT OF SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS FOR PARTICIPANTS OF A MEETING IN PROGRESS

• US 20120011205A1
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Paulsami, Prabakar, Gill, Bikram Singh
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

A conference server, provided according to an aspect of the present invention, identifies a participant of a meeting in progress and requests scheduling option for a subsequent meeting from the identified participant. On receiving a scheduling option from the participant, the conference server determines the possible participants (“recipients”) of the subsequent meeting and informs the recipients of the received scheduling option. In one embodiment, the conference server requests the scheduling option when a conflict between the meeting in progress and the subsequent meeting is found and sends notifications to the recipients (determines by examining the calendars of users). In another embodiment, the conference server requests the scheduling option for a follow-up meeting for the meeting in progress, and updates the calendars of the recipients (determined as the participants of the meeting in progress and any users invited).

Claims

1. A method of faciliating participants of meetings to manage subsequent meetings, said method being performed in a conference server, said method comprising:

identifying, in said conference server, a participant of a meeting in progress; and

upon said identifying, requesting from said participant a scheduling option for a subsequent meeting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from said participant, a first scheduling option for said subsequent meeting as a response to said requesting;

determining a set of possible participants of said subsequent meeting; and

informing said set of possible participants of said first scheduling option received from said participant.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

finding a conflict between said meeting in progress and said subsequent meeting,

wherein said scheduling option is requested for said subsequent meeting in response to said finding of said conflict.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said finding finds said conflict if said subsequent meeting is scheduled to start within a next duration, whereby said meeting in progress if continued by said next duration results in an overlap between said meeting in progress and said subsequent meeting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said finding comprises:

inspecting a calendar of said participant to identify a set of meetings scheduled for said participant; and

checking whether there is one meeting in said set of meetings having a start time within said next duration from said current time,

wherein said checking determines that said subsequent meeting is said one meeting.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining comprises:

examining a corresponding calendar of a plurality of users to determine said set of possible participants planning to participate in said subsequent meeting.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said informing comprises sending a notification specifying said first scheduling option received from said participant.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising enabling said user to record a voice message in response to finding of said conflict,

wherein said notification comprises said voice message such that each of said set of possible participants can listen to said voice message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said voice message is delivered in the form of one of a voice mail message, an attachment to an email message, and an automated replay on a voice call to a phone system.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a set of scheduling options to said participant, said set of scheduling options comprising said first scheduling option,

wherein said receiving receives said first scheduling option in response to said participant selecting said first scheduling option from said setof scheduling options.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said providing comprises displaying said set of scheduling options on a display unit associated with a system used by said participant.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein said scheduling option is requested for said subsequent meeting in response to an indication that said participant wishes to exit said meeting in progress,

wherein said subsequent meeting comprises a follow-up meeting for said meeting in progress, wherein said first scheduling option specifies the details of said follow-up meeting.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining comprises:

including the participants of said meeting in progress and a set of users invited for said follow-up meeting in said set of possible participants.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said informing comprises:

adding an event for said follow-up meeting to the calendars of each of said set of possible participants, wherein said event corresponds to said first scheduling option received from said participant.

15. A machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing a conference server to faciliate participants of meetings to manage subsequent meetings, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said conference server causes said conference server to perform the actions of:

storing data in a memory indicating a corresponding set of participants for each of a plurality of meetings in progress;

examining said data in said memory to identify a participant of a meeting in progress;

requesting from said participant a scheduling option for a subsequent meeting.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, further comprising one or more instructions for:

receiving, from said participant, a first scheduling option for said subsequent meeting as a response to said requesting;

determining a set of possible participants of said subsequent meeting; and

informing said set of possible participants of said first scheduling option received from said participant.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, further comprising one or more instructions for:

inspecting a calendar of said participant to identify a set of meetings scheduled for said participant; and

checking whether there is one meeting in said set of meetings having a start time within said next duration from said current time, whereby said meeting in progress if continued by said next duration results in an overlap between said meeting in progress and said one meeting,

wherein said scheduling option is requested for said subsequent meeting in response to said checking determining that said subsequent meeting is said one meeting.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein said scheduling option is requested for said subsequent meeting in response to an indication that said participant wishes to exit said meeting in progress,

wherein said subsequent meeting comprises a follow-up meeting for said meeting in progress, wherein said first scheduling option specifies the details of said follow-up meeting.

19. A computing system comprising:

a calendar server to maintain a corresponding calendar for each of a plurality of users; and

a conference server to faciliate participants of meetings to manage subsequent meetings, said conference server operable to;

store data indicating which of said pluarlity of users are participating in which of a plurality of meetings;

examine said data to determine that a first meeting is in progress and a first user is a participant of said first meeting, said plurality of meetings comprising said first meeting and said plurality of users comprising said first user;

send to said calendar server, a request for the subsequent meetings scheduled for said first user;

receive from said calendar server, a set of subsequent meetings scheduled for said first user as a response to said first request;

identify that a second subsequent meeting of said set of subsequent meetings has a start time within a next duration from a current time, whereby said first meeting if continued by said next duration results in an overlap between said first meeting and said second subsequent meeting; and

upon said identifying, request from said first user a scheduling option for said second subsequent meeting.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein said conference server is further operable to:

receive, from said first user, a first scheduling option for said second subsequent meeting as a response to said request; and

send to said calendar server, a scheduling request for said second subsequent meeting, said scheduling request indicating said first scheduling option,

wherein said calendar server is operable to;

determine a set of users who are likely to participate in said second subsequent meeting, said plurality of users comprising said set of users; and

inform said set of users said first scheduling option received from said first user.