Personal web-based teleconferencing method and system

• US 6,563,914 B2
• Filed: 02/26/1997
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2J California, Inc., Advanced Messaging Technologies, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Call Sciences, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sammon, Michael J., Gifford, Warren, Turock, David, Tam, Wai Nam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/806,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20010016038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,267 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/202, 379/203, 379/204, 379/205, 379/206, 379/131, 379/142, 379/245, 379/265, 379/67.1, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.13, 379/93.09, 379/93.21, 379/100.15, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.01, 707/10, 707/104, 345/330, 345/332
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A method and system which utilize a graphical user interface to identify potential participants in a teleconference, specify a user-controlled dial-up/hang-up order, and monitor the status of participants to the teleconference. The method and system receive conference commands from a World Wide Web (WWW) browser and translate the conference commands into commands that control a telephone bridge.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to control a telephone bridge linked to the computer, the computer controlling the telephone bridge based on commands from a graphical user interface of a non-operator, the computer program code mechanism comprising;

first computer code configured to receive a message from the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

second computer code configured to convert the message into a bridge command specific to the telephone bridge;

third computer code configured to send the bridge command to the telephone bridge;

fourth computer code configured to receive a response from the telephone bridge; and

fifth computer code configured to send the response to the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

wherein the fifth computer code comprises sixth computer code configured to transmit a cost per minute of a multiparty teleconference before the multiparty teleconference is established.

2. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first computer code comprises seventh computer code configured to receive a user-command as the message.

3. The computer program product as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second computer code comprises eighth computer code configured to establish a multiparty teleconference between plural teleconferees based on the message and without a reservation made in advance.

4. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eighth computer code comprises ninth computer code configured to establish the multiparty teleconference using a connection message per teleconferees.

5. The computer program product as claimed in claim 2, wherein the eighth computer code further comprises tenth computer code configured to disconnect all of the plural teleconferees from the multiparty teleconference based on a single disconnect message.

6. The computer program product as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first computer code comprises seventh computer code configured to receive a status request the message.

7. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fifth computer code comprises eighth computer code configured to transmit at least one of an icon and an icon identifier as part of the response to the status request such that at least one of the icon and an icon identified by the icon identifier is displayed by the graphical user interface as a status of a corresponding connection to one of the plural teleconferees.

8. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first computer code comprises seventh computer code configured to receive a secure HTML request as the message.

9. An apparatus for controlling a telephone bridge based on commands from a graphical user interface of a non-operator, the apparatus comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a message from the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

a converter for converting the message into the bridge command specific to the telephone bridge;

a first transmitter for transmitting the bridge command to the telephone bridge;

a second receiver for receiving a response from the telephone bridge; and

a second transmitter for transmitting the response to the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

wherein the second transmitter comprises a cost transmitting unit configured to transmit a cost per minute of a multiparty teleconference before the multiparty teleconference is established.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first receiver is a receiver configured to receive a user-command as the message.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the converter comprises a teleconference establishing unit configured to establish a multiparty teleconference between plural teleconferees without a reservation made in advance.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the teleconference establishing unit comprises a connecting unit configured to establish the multiparty teleconference using a connection message per teleconferee.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the teleconference establishing unit further comprises a disconnecting unit configured to disconnect all of the plural teleconferees from the multiparty teleconference based on a single disconnect message.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first receiver is a receiver configured to receive a status request as the message.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second transmitter comprises an icon transmitter configured to transmit at least one of an icon and an icon identifier as part of the response to the status request such that at least one of the icon and an icon identified by the icon identifier is displayed by the graphical user interface as a status of a corresponding connection to one of the plural teleconferees.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first receiver is a receiver configured to receive a secure HTML request as the message.

17. A computer-implemented method for causing a computer to control a telephone bridge linked to the computer, the computer controlling the telephone bridge based on commands from a graphical user interface of a non-operator, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a message from the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

converting the message into a bridge command specific to the telephone bridge;

transmitting the bridge command to the telephone bridge;

receiving a response from the telephone bridge; and

transmitting the response to the graphical user interface of the non-operator;

wherein the step of transmitting comprises transmitting a cost per minute of a multiparty teleconference before the multiparty teleconference is established.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first step of receiving a message comprises receiving a user-command as the message.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the converting step comprises establishing a multiparty teleconference between plural teleconferees based on the message and without a reservation made in advance.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the establishing step comprises establishing the multiparty teleconference using a connection message per teleconferee.

21. The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the step of disconnecting all plural teleconferees from the multiparty teleconference based on a single disconnect message.

22. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first step of receiving a message comprises receiving a status request as the message.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of transmitting the response comprises transmitting at least one of an icon and an icon identifier as part of the response to the status request such that at least one of the icon and an icon identified by the icon identifier is displayed by the graphical user interface as a status of a corresponding connection to one of the plural teleconferees.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the first step of receiving comprises receiving a secure HTML request as the message.