Integrated Public/Private Online Conference

• US 20130198657A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Teleconferencing Services Limited (Premiere Global Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Teleconferencing Services Limited (Premiere Global Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jones, Boland T., Guthrie, David Michael, Sjurseth, Mark A., Keane, John P.
• Application Number:
  US13/802,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198657A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

Various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs are disclosed for providing an integrated public/private online conference. One embodiment is computer program embodied in a computer readable medium and executable by a processor for providing an online conference. One such computer program comprises: logic configured to establish an audio conference between a plurality of participants operating corresponding computing devices connected via a communication network; logic configured to designate at least one of the participants as a private participant that participates in the audio conference in a private mode and a remaining portion of the participants that participant in the audio conference in a public mode; and logic configured to present the audio conference to the public participants via a public conference interface that visually identifies only the public participants.

Claims

1. A method for providing an online conference, the method comprising:

a conferencing system establishing an audio conference between a plurality of participants accessing the conferencing system via a communication network;

the conferencing system electronically designating at least one of the participants as a private participant and a remaining portion as public participants; and

the conferencing system presenting to the public participants the audio conference and a public conference interface, the public conference interface displaying a participant object identifying each of the public participants without identifying the private participant to the public participants.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the conferencing system presenting to the private participant the audio conference and a private conference interface, the private conference interface displaying the participant objects identifying each of the public participants, and displaying further participant objects identifying the at least one private participants.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the conferencing system presenting the audio conference comprises disabling an audio stream corresponding to the at least one private participant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the disabling the audio stream comprises muting the audio stream.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one private participant comprises two or more private participants, and further comprising:

the conferencing system enabling the two or more private participants to privately interact with each other via the private conference interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the two or more private participants privately interact via one or more of a chat application, a messaging application, a collaboration application, or a document sharing application.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the private interaction between the two or more private participants comprises one or more of sending a chat message, sending a social networking message, and sharing a document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one private participant is designated by a host.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one private participant is designated by the corresponding participant.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the conferencing system receiving a request from the at least one private participant to join the audio conference as a new public participant.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the conferencing system electronically designating the at least one private participant as a new public participant; and

the conferencing system displaying in the public conference interface a further participant object to identify the new public participant.

12. A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium and executable by a processor for providing an online conference, the computer program comprising:

logic configured to establish an audio conference between a plurality of participants operating corresponding computing devices connected via a communication network;

logic configured to designate at least one of the participants as a private participant that participates in the audio conference in a private mode and a remaining portion of the participants that participant in the audio conference in a public mode; and

logic configured to present the audio conference to the public participants via a public conference interface that visually identifies only the public participants.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the public conference interface displays on the corresponding computing devices a participant object identifying each of the public participants.

14. The computer program of claim 12, further comprising:

logic configured to present the audio conference to the private participants via a private conference interface that visually identifies the public participants and the private participants.

15. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the at least one private participant is designated by one of a host or the corresponding participant.

16. The computer program of claim 12, further comprising:

logic configured to enable the private participant to switch from the private mode to the public mode via the private conference interface.

17. The computer program of claim 12, further comprising:

logic configured to enable the private participants to privately interact with each other via the private conference interface without notifying the public participants via the public conference interface.

18. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the private conference interface enables the private participants to send messages or share documents with each other.

19. A computer system comprising:

a conferencing system for establishing an audio conference between a plurality of participants operating computing devices connected via a communication network; and

a server configured to communicate with the conferencing system and the plurality of computing devices via the communication network, the server comprising one or more processors and a private participant control module, which is stored in a computer readable medium and executed by the processors, the private participant control module comprising;

logic configured to designate at least one of the participants as a private participant that participates in the audio conference in a private mode and a remaining portion of the participants that participant in the audio conference in a public mode; and

logic configured to present the audio conference to the public participants via a public conference interface that visually identifies only the public participants; and

logic configured to present the audio conference to the private participants via a private conference interface that visually identifies the public participants and the private participants.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the private participant control module further comprises:

logic configured to enable the private participants to privately interact with each via the private conference interface without notifying the public participants.