Methods and apparatuses for automatically reconnecting a participant to a conference

• US 7,672,996 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farshchi, Shawn, Montoya, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean Gilles; Jude J
• Application Number:
  US11/626,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-205, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect a conference; detect a connection between a participant and the conference; and automatically reconnect the participant with the conference after participant is accidentally disconnected from the conference.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a conference;

detecting a connection between a participant and the conference, the connection having corresponding connection information;

detecting an accidental disconnection between the participant and the conference; and

automatically reconnecting the participant with the conference over a backup connection different from the connection used prior to the accidental disconnection, after the participant is accidentally disconnected from the conference, using connection information contained within a profile associated with the participant, the connection information contained within the profile to differ from the connection information corresponding to the connection used prior to the accidental disconnection from the conference.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the conference is a data collaboration session.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the conference is an audio collaboration session.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising verifying with the participant that automatically reconnecting the connection is desired.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein automatically reconnecting the participant further comprises calling the participant at a predetermined telephone identifier.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the telephone identifier is a telephone number.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein automatically reconnecting the participant further comprises directing a window on a device utilized by the participant to a predetermined location.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the predetermined location is represented by a Uniform resource Locator (URL) address.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising confirming a contact identifier to automatically reconnect the participant.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the contact identifier is within the profile associated with the participant.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the contact identifier is a telephone number associated with the participant.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein the contact identifier is an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the participant.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein the contact identifier is a device identifier that corresponds with a device utilized with the participant.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to execute an application having a plurality of modules;

a participant detection module configured to detect a participant within a conference;

a connection module configured to detect an accidental disconnection between the participant and the conference, the connection module further configured to automatically reconnect the participant to the conference, over a backup connection different from a connection used prior to the accidental disconnection, after the participant is accidentally disconnected from the conference, using contact information associated with the participant, the contact information associated with the participant to differ from contact information used immediately prior to the accidental disconnection from the conference; and

a storage module configured to store the contact information associated with the participant in a profile for use with automatically reconnecting the participant to the conference.

15. The system according to claim 14 further comprising a profile module configured to store information related to the participant within the profile.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein the contact information associated with the participant is confirmed by the participant and related to the conference.

17. The system according to claim 14 wherein the contact information is based on a past connection between the participant and the conference.

18. The system according to claim 14 wherein the contact information associated with the participant is a telephone number.

19. The system according to claim 14 wherein the contact information associated with the participant is an IP address.

20. The system according to claim 14 wherein the contact information associated with the participant is a serial number for a device utilized by the participant.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

means for detecting a conference;

means for detecting a connection between a participant and the conference, the connection having corresponding connection information;

means for detecting an accidental disconnection between the participant and the conference; and

means for automatically reconnecting the participant with the conference over a backup connection different from the connection used prior to the accidental disconnection after the participant is accidentally disconnected from the conference, using connection information contained within a profile associated with the participant, the connection information contained within the profile to differ from the connection information corresponding to the connection used prior to the accidental disconnection from the conference.