System and method of monitoring video and/or audio conferencing through a rapid-update web site

• US 6,760,750 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polycom Israel Limited (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Israel Limited (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rotkovitch, Rivka, Biby, Danny, Boneh, Rami Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US09/675,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/255, 709/204-205, 709/218, 709/224, 709/217, 348/14-20, 395/200.34, 395/200-7-2, 379/202.01, 379/204.01
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

The operation and status of a system, such as a video/audio conferencing system, is monitored through the use of a web-based system. The system includes multiple client computer devices that interconnect with a web server. The web server is able to access the system to determine status changes, as well as to control the operation of the system. For operability across multiple platforms and technologies, the interface between the web server and the system is performed using a Microsoft Component Object Model (“COM”) application. The web server also includes an ASP page constructed with a server script and one or more client scripts embedded or invoked from the server script. The server script is set up to operate in a looped configuration. Each pass through the loop of the server script, the system is queried to determine if a status change has occurred. If no change has occurred, the server script delays and then restarts the loop. If a change in status has occurred, the client script is updated to reflect the status change and the client script is downloaded to the client computer device. The client computer device includes a web browser that loads a split pane web site from the web server—one pane being visible and the other pane being invisible. The client script runs within the invisible pane and is generally constructed to update the visible pane to reflect the status change. Thus, the visible pane on the client computer system can be updated automatically and rapidly without requiring a user to perform any functions, such as actuating a refresh button.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the operation of a conference via a network, the conference being provided by a conference system that includes a conference system controller, the system comprising:

a web server including a conference system controller interface to provide control information to the conference system controller and a network interface;

a client computer device having a display and being communicatively connected to the web server through the network interface; and

a web browser running on the client computer device and being operative to receive a monitoring web page from the web server, the monitoring web page defining at least one control element which when actuated causes the web browser to request the web server to send a control action to the conference system controller over the conference system controller interface, the control action being associated with the actuated control element,

wherein web server includes a COM application and the web browser requests the web server to send a control action to the conference system controller by requesting the download of a command ASP page from the web server, the command ASP page including a server script with a call to the COM application, and the COM application, in response to receiving the call from the server script being operative to interface to the conference system controller over the conference system controller interface.

2. A system for controlling the operation of a conference via a network, the conference being provided by a conference system that includes a conference system controller, the system comprising:

a web server including a conference system controller interface to provide control information to the conference system controller and a network interface;

a client computer device having a display and being communicatively connected to the web server through the network interface; and

a web browser running on the client computer device and being operative to receive a monitoring web page from the web server, the monitoring web page defining at least one control element which when actuated causes the web browser to request the web server to send a control action to the conference system controller over the conference system controller interface, the control action being associated with the actuated control element,

wherein the monitoring web page from the web server defines a visible pane and an invisible pane, the visible pane receiving content from a first site and the invisible pane receiving content from a second site, whereby using different sites the operator can interact with the visible pane during operation.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the monitoring web page automatically monitors the conference for conference information and upon a detection of a change in the conference information down loads script to the web browser that updates only aspects displayed by the web browser related to the change.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the network is the Internet.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication between the web server and the client computer is based on HTTP protocol.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the display is updated without the client manually sending a refresh request to the web server.

7. A system for monitoring the status of a conference via a network, the conference being provisioned by a conferencing system that includes a conference system controller, the system comprising:

a web server including a conference system controller interface to receive status information from the conference system controller, and a network interface;

a client computer device having a display and being communicatively connected to the web server through the network interface;

a looped server script running on the web server, the server script being operative to receive status information from conference system controller interface and when the status information is new, to generate a client script based, at least in part, on the status information, and download the client script to the client computer device; and

a web browser running on the client computer device and enabling the client computer device to interfere with the web server via the network interface, the web browser being operative to receive the client script from the web server and run the client script, whereby the display of the client computer device is updated to display the status information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the web server includes a COM application and the server script is operative to receive status information from the conference system controller in response to placing a call to the COM application.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the web browser running on the client computer device, in response to receiving a particular URL, downloads a monitoring web page from the web server, the monitoring web page defining a visible pane and an invisible pane.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the web browser running on the client computer device, in response to receiving a particular URL, downloads a monitoring web page from the web server, the monitoring web page defining a visible pane and an invisible pane, the invisible pane receiving the client script, the visible pane being visible on the display of the client computing device and being updated when the client script is run.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the network is selected from a group consisting of the Internet and intranet.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the web server includes a COM application and the client computer device includes a control interface and, in response to receiving a control command on the control interface of the client computer device, the web browser requests the download of a command web page, the command web page including a command server script which when executed, places a call to a COM application running on the web server, the COM application being operative to perform the control command.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein if the COM application is successful to perform the control command, an empty web page is downloaded to the client computer device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein if the COM application is not successful to perform the control command, an error web page is downloaded to the client computer device.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the web browser via the looped script of the web server automatically monitors the conference for conference information and upon a detection of a change in the conference information down loads script to the web browser that updates only aspects displayed by the web browser related to the change.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the network is the Internet.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication between the web server and the client computer is based on HTTP protocol.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein the display is updated without the client manually sending a refresh request to the web server.

19. A system for monitoring the status of a conference via a network, the conference being provisioned by a conferencing system that includes a conference system controller, the system comprising:

a web server having a split web page comprising a visible pane and an invisible pane, the web server including a conference system controller interface to receive status information from the conference system controller and a network interface;

a client computer device having a display and being communicatively connected to the web server through the network interface, the client computer being operative to request an initial download of the split web page and to continually receive updated information from the split web page; and

a looped server script running on the web server in the invisible pane, the server script being operative to request and receive status information from the conference system controller interface and when the status information is new, to generate a client script based, at least in part, on the new status information, and automatically download the client script to the invisible pane of the split web page in the client computer device; and

a web browser running on the client computer device and enabling the client computer device to interface with the web server via the network interface, the web browser being operative to receive the client script from the web server and run the client script, wherein the display of the client computer device is updated to display the new status information.