System and method for collaborating using instant messaging in multimedia telephony-over-LAN conferences

• US 7,603,412 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2002
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Beyda, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US10/174,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20030233416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,675 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/207, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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 7/006 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

Abstract

A telecommunications system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an instant messaging (IM) server and a VoIP server; and a plurality of system clients having both VoIP and IM sub-clients. The system clients can log on to their respective servers in parallel. The IM server and the VoIP server can communicate lists of common participants and allow for IM conferences among at least subsets of the system clients while an audio or video teleconference is ongoing.

Claims

1. A telecommunications method, comprising:

scheduling a multimedia conference among a plurality of users using a calendar application, scheduling including a scheduled conference time and listing conference participants;

notifying a telephony server of the multimedia conference at said scheduled conference time, said calendar application providing said telephony server with notification, the telephony server selectively initiating the multimedia conference, the multimedia conference being selectively initiated by transmitting a request to an identified host user to begin the multimedia conference;

determining, responsive to said scheduling, which of said listed conference participants has an Instant Messaging capability;

determining a presence of those of said listed conference participants determined to have Instant Messaging capability at a time of a multimedia conference; and

connecting said multimedia conference responsive to the initiating using a multimedia packet protocol via said telephony server calling the listed conference participants and establishing a subsequent parallel Instant Messaging session via an IM server among at least a subset of said listed conference participants determined to have Instant Messaging capabilities and be present based on said determining a presence, said establishing a subsequent parallel Instant Messaging session including communicating one or more lists of common listed conference participants from the telephony server to the IM server.

2. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said scheduling comprises a multimedia conference server communicating with a calendaring server and identifying said listed conference participants to said multimedia conference.

3. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said determining an Instant Messaging capability comprises an Instant Messaging server communicating an Instant Messaging user identification with said multimedia conference server.

4. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said determining an Instant messaging user presence comprises correlating said Instant Messaging user identification with an identification of a multimedia conference participant at a time of said conference.

5. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 4, wherein said multimedia sewer implements a protocol compliant with at least one of the H.323 Recommendation or the Session Initiation Protocol.

6. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said Instant Messaging capabilities are implemented using AOL Instant Messaging.

7. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a packet network;

a plurality of network clients operably coupled to said network, said network clients including a plurality of telephony clients and an associated plurality of Instant Messaging clients and at least one calendar application, at least one network client of said plurality of network clients being one of said plurality of telephony clients and of said associated plurality of Instant Messaging clients and including one said at least one calendar application, all three in communication with one another;

a teleconferencing server operably coupled to said packet network and configured to schedule a teleconference among said plurality of network clients responsive to a scheduling using the calendar application, said scheduling including a scheduled conference time and listing conference participants, the teleconferencing server configured to selectively initiate the teleconference, the teleconference being selectively initiated by transmitting a request to an identified host user to begin the teleconference and calling the telephony clients at the scheduled time responsive to notification from the calendar application of listed teleconference participants and the scheduled time; and

an Instant Messaging server operably coupled to said packet network;

wherein said teleconferencing server and said Instant Messaging server are adapted to interface such that one or more subsequent Instant Messaging sessions are implementable and established in parallel among listed teleconference participant users of said network clients determined to have Instant Messaging capability responsive to said notification and participating in a scheduled teleconference being serviced by said teleconferencing server once the teleconference has begun said establishing said subsequent parallel Instant Messaging sessions including communicating one or more lists of common listed conference participants from the teleconferencing server to the IM.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, said network clients comprising a common interface for implementing said telephony clients and said Instant Messaging clients.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein selectively initiating further comprises automatically initiating the teleconference at the scheduled time, said telecommunications system further comprising a calendaring application for initiating an Instant Messaging session while a telephony session is ongoing.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said calendaring application comprises a calendar server.

11. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, said network clients comprising a telephone operably coupled to a computer, said computer implementing said Instant Messaging client and an interface to said telephone.

12. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, said network clients comprising a personal computer implementing a telephony application, a calendar application and Instant Messaging software, Instant Messaging windows and said calendar application opening within said telephony application.

13. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, said network clients comprising a wireless device implementing said telephony clients and said Instant Messaging clients.

14. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said telephony clients implement at least one or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or H.323.

15. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said Instant Messaging clients implement AOL Instant Messenger.

16. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, further including:

a telephony feature access device coupled to the network; and

a private branch exchange coupled to the telephony feature access device.

17. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein at least one network client of said plurality of network clients comprises:

a multimedia packet network client;

an Instant Messaging client;

a calendar client for scheduling a multimedia conference, said multimedia packet network client, said Instant Messaging client and said calendar client being in communication with one another; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) adapted to schedule, implement and establish a subsequent parallel Instant Messaging (IM) session from a program implementing said multimedia packet client during a scheduled multimedia packet telephony session and make a determination responsive to the scheduling that a conferencing multimedia packet telephony client is Instant Messaging capable, said determination including receiving from an Instant Messaging service a list of Instant Messaging capable clients and receiving a list of telephony clients received from a teleconferencing server;

wherein the device is configured to join the multimedia packet telephony session in response to a call from a teleconferencing server at the scheduled time of the session, joining said multimedia packet telephony session including said multimedia packet network client selectively establishing said subsequent parallel IM session.

18. A telecommunications device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said graphical user interface comprises a plug-in in said program implementing said multimedia packet client.

19. A telecommunications device in accordance with claim 18, wherein said multimedia packet network client implements at least one of H.323 Recommendation protocol or Session Initiation Protocol;

and selectively establishing comprises joining an active IM session and initiating an IM session whenever Instant Messaging is inactive.

20. A telecommunications device in accordance with claim 19, wherein said Instant Messaging client implements AOL Instant Messenger, said Instant Messaging client and said calendar client opening within said multimedia packet network client.