Systems and methods for videoconference and/or data collaboration initiation

• US 7,283,154 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ClearOne Communications Hong Kong, Ltd. (Clearone Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Emblaze-VCON Ltd. (Clearone Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shachar, Yair, Winter, Isac, Menczel, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US10/801,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20040239754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1409, 348/14.1, 348 1412- 1413, 379/202.01, 370/260, 370/261, 709/204
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Systems and methods to accept information regarding audio communication sessions (e.g., telephone calls) and, in response, initiate a videoconference and/or data collaboration session via for example data collaboration terminals associated with the audio terminals used for the audio communication sessions. The videoconferences and/or data collaboration sessions may be initiated using for example a voice call or session, for example, by using DTMF, SMS, SVD etc. The information required for the initiation of a videoconference or data collaboration session may for example be transmitted between user terminals, a centralized database may be used, or other methods may be used.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an SMS server;

a server; and

an Internet location server in communication with the SMS server and the server;

wherein upon receiving an SMS by the SMS server, the Internet location server receives signals from the SMS server indicating that an audio session is taking place among a plurality of endpoints, the Internet location server transmits a signal to the server, and the server, upon receipt of the signal, initiates a data collaboration session between the plurality of endpoints.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a database including data collaboration session enabled endpoints.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the server transmits a data collaboration request to a data collaboration terminal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the signals indicating that an audio session is taking place include at least the address of an audio communication terminal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the signals indicating that an audio session is taking place include at least a telephone number.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is a videoconference server.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the endpoints include audio communication terminals which communicate via a PBX.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the endpoints include data collaboration terminals which communicate via an IP network.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the audio information for the data collaboration session is transmitted by the audio session.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the audio information is transmitted by DTMF.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the audio information is transmitted by SMS.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating a data collaboration session includes at least the step of altering an answer mode of the relevant endpoints.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the audio communication detection accepts a user request for a data collaboration session.

14. A method comprising:

during an audio session between a plurality of users, associated with a unique ID data received from an audio communication terminal;

initiating a data collaboration session by a user participating in the audio session, using SMS;

sending an SMS to an Internet location server;

sending an indication to an audio communication terminal to initiate a data collaboration session; and

remotely activating a data collaboration session.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising initiating a registration application, thereby associating the user'"'"'s data collaboration terminal and audio communication terminal.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising putting the audio session on hold to initiate a communication session with an SMS server.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising terminating the communication session and liberating the audio session.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising determining if there is a correlation between said ID data contained in the SMS message and the data collaboration terminal associated with the ID data.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising checking whether the data collaboration terminals are on line and ready for data communication.