Systems, methods, and products for conducting conferences

• US 7,730,133 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin; Yemane
• Application Number:
  US12/126,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are discussed for conducting a conference. The conference is established amongst a host communications device, an intermediate host communications device, and a participant communications device. A command is communicated from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device that instructs the intermediate host communications device to retrieve an object from memory during the conference. The object is communicated from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a conference, comprising:

establishing the conference amongst a host communications device, an intermediate host communications device, and a participant communications device;

communicating a command from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device that instructs the intermediate host communications device to retrieve an object from memory during the conference;

communicating the object from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device during the conference;

delaying execution of a subsequent command to retrieve another object from the intermediate host communications device until a synchronization acknowledgment is received at the intermediate host communications device;

sending the synchronization acknowledgment to the host communications device; and

receiving, at the intermediate host communications device, the synchronization acknowledgment that confirms the object was successfully presented at the participant communications device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving presentation instructions for the object from the intermediate host communications device.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising communicating the presentation instructions for the object from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating the object from the participant communications device to another participant communications device.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

retrieving presentation instructions for the object from the intermediate host communications device;

communicating the presentation instructions for the object from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device; and

communicating the presentation instructions from the participant communications device to the another participant communications device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating a library of digital objects from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising communicating the library of digital objects from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising communicating the library of digital objects from the participant communications device to another participant communications device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization acknowledgment comprises a request to cease sending the synchronization acknowledgement from the participant communications device.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization acknowledgment comprises a request to distribute the object to a non-participant of the conference.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization acknowledgment comprises a request to access to different object during the conference.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the intermediate host communications device, a failure message that indicates the object was unsuccessfully presented at the participant communications device.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the participant communications device to have the intermediate host communications device retrieve another object from the memory during the conference.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending a list of participant communications devices from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising sending the list of participant communications devices from the intermediate host communications device to each of the participant communications devices.

16. A system for conducting a conference, comprising:

a processor executing code stored in memory that causes the processor to;

establish the conference amongst a host communications device, an intermediate host communications device, and a participant communications device;

communicate a command from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device that instructs the intermediate host communications device to retrieve an object from memory during the conference;

communicate the object from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device during the conference;

delay execution of a subsequent command to retrieve another object from the intermediate host communications device until a synchronization acknowledgment is received at the intermediate host communications device;

send the synchronization acknowledgment to the host communications device; and

receive a synchronization acknowledgment at the intermediate host communications device that confirms the object was successfully presented at the participant communications device.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

establishing the conference amongst a host communications device, an intermediate host communications device, and a participant communications device;

communicating a command from the host communications device to the intermediate host communications device that instructs the intermediate host communications device to retrieve an object from memory during the conference;

communicating the object from the intermediate host communications device to the participant communications device during the conference;

delaying execution of a subsequent command to retrieve another object from the intermediate host communications device until a synchronization acknowledgment is received at the intermediate host communications device;

sending the synchronization acknowledgment to the host communications device; and

receiving a synchronization acknowledgment at the intermediate host communications device that confirms the object was successfully presented at the participant communications device.