Service control framework for seamless transfer of a multimedia conference over different media

• US 7,734,793 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Bowman-Amuah, Michel K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Chirag R
• Application Number:
  US10/307,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/204, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided for seamless transfer of a conference over different media. Initially, a conference is initiated on a first medium with a first set of associated capabilities utilizing a network. During use, a request to transfer the conference to a second medium is received utilizing the network. A second set of capabilities associated with the second medium is then determined in response to the request. Aspects of the conference requiring the first set of capabilities associated with the first medium are then disabled in response to the request. In a similar manner, aspects of the conference supported by the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium are enabled in response to the request. The conference is thus seamlessly continued on the second medium.

Claims

1. A method for transferring a multimedia conference over different media for a participant of the conference, comprising:

initiating a multimedia conference on a first medium device using a network, the network configured for;

tracking capabilities associated with the first medium device and a second medium device,

tracking settings associated with the first medium device and the second medium device, and

tracking a user profile associated with the participant;

configuring the conference according to a first set of settings associated with the first medium device and the user profile;

enabling features associated with the conference, wherein the features are supported by a first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device;

reconfiguring the conference according to a second set of settings associated with the second medium device and the user profile, in response to a request for transferring the conference to a second medium device;

disabling features that are supported by the first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device and not supported by a second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device;

enabling features that are supported by the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device; and

transferring and continuing the conference on the second medium device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second medium device are selected from a group consisting of a desk top computer, a personal digital assistant, a palm computer, a lap top computer, and a cellular phone.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first medium device includes a desk top computer and the second medium device is selected from a group consisting of a personal digital assistant, a palm computer, a lap top computer, and a cellular phone.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the capabilities of the first medium device are greater than the capabilities of the second medium device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising matching a plurality of settings on the second medium device with a plurality of settings on the first medium device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the settings include device settings.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the settings include user settings.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the settings include network settings.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the aspects include performance.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the aspects include features.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the aspects include format.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is carried out utilizing the service control architecture.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the service control architecture further includes an application module, a network resource module, a presentation module, and a policy server.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the service control architecture includes at least one of an application module, a network resource module, a presentation module, and a policy server.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the service control architecture further includes an application module coupled to the database and including a plurality of application program interfaces for interfacing with a plurality of applications, the application module adapted for allocating application resources to the applications based on the profile information stored in the database;

a network resource module coupled to the database and a plurality of network routers, the network resource module adapted for configuring the network routers based on the profile information stored in the database and the application resources allocated to the applications;

a presentation module coupled to the database, the presentation module adapted for tailoring an output of the applications based on the profile information; and

a policy server coupled to the database, the application module, the network resource module, and the presentation module for controlling the operation thereof in accordance with policies identified utilizing the profile information.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request to transfer the conference to the second medium device may be sent from the first medium device and may be sent from the second medium device.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device may be retrieved either by identifying capabilities associated with the second medium device tracked by the network, or by receiving the second set of capabilities directly from the second medium device.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the features associated with the conference comprise at least one of a group consisting of:

a shared whiteboard, a real-time textual communication, a text-to-voice capability, and a conference note-taking capability.

19. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium for causing a processing device to execute a set of computer codes for transferring a multimedia conference over different media for a participant of the conference, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for initiating a multimedia conference on a first medium device using a network, the network configured for;

tracking capabilities associated with the first medium device and a second medium device,

tracking settings associated with the first medium device and the second medium device, and

tracking a user profile associated with the participant;

computer code for configuring the conference according to a first set of settings associated with the first medium device and the user profile;

computer code for enabling features associated with the conference, wherein the features are supported by a first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device;

computer code for reconfiguring the conference according to a second set of settings associated with the second medium device and the user profile, in response to a request for transferring the conference to a second medium device;

computer code for disabling features that are supported by the first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device and not supported by a second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device;

computer code for enabling features that are supported by the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device; and

computer code for transferring and continuing the conference on the second medium device.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the first and second medium devices are selected from a group consisting of a desk top computer, a personal digital assistant, a palm computer, a lap top computer, and a cellular phone.

21. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the first medium device includes a desk top computer and the second medium device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant, a palm computer, a lap top computer, and a cellular phone.

22. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the capabilities of the first medium device are greater than the capabilities of the second medium device.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, and further comprising computer code for matching a plurality of settings on the second medium device with a plurality of settings on the first medium device.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the settings include device settings.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the settings include user settings.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the settings include network settings.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the aspects include performance.

28. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the computer program product is executed utilizing the service control architecture including at least one of an application module, a network resource module, a presentation module, and a policy server.

29. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the aspects include features.

30. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the aspects include format.

31. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the computer program product is executed utilizing the service control architecture.

32. The computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein the service control architecture further includes an application module, a network resource module, a presentation module, and a policy server.

33. The computer program product as recited in claim 32, wherein the service control architecture further includes an application module coupled to the database and including a plurality of application program interfaces for interfacing with a plurality of applications, the application module adapted for allocating application resources to the applications based on the profile information stored in the database;

a network resource module coupled to the database and a plurality of network routers, the network resource module adapted for configuring the network routers based on the profile information stored in the database and the application resources allocated to the applications;

a presentation module coupled to the database, the presentation module adapted for tailoring an output of the applications based on the profile information; and

a policy server coupled to the database, the application module, the network resource module, and the presentation module for controlling the operation thereof in accordance with policies identified utilizing the profile information.

34. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the request to transfer the conference to the second medium device may be sent from the first medium device and may be sent from the second medium device.

35. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device may be retrieved either by identifying capabilities associated with the second medium device tracked by the network, or by receiving the second set of capabilities directly from the second medium device.

36. A system for transferring a multimedia conference over different media for a participant of the conference, the system comprising:

a first medium device;

a network configured to;

track capabilities associated with the first medium device and a second medium device,

track settings associated with the first medium device and the second medium device, and

track a user profile associated with the participant; and

service control logic in communication with the first medium device and the second medium device, the service control logic configured to

configure the conference according to a first set of settings associated with the first medium device and the user profile,

enable features associated with the conference, wherein the features are supported by a first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device,

reconfigure the conference according to a second set of settings associated with the second medium device and the user profile, in response to a request for transferring the conference to a second medium device,

disable features that are supported by the first set of capabilities associated with the first medium device and not supported by a second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device,

enable features that are supported by the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device, and

transfer and continue the conference on the second medium device.

37. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein the request to transfer the conference from the first medium device to the second medium device may be sent from the first medium device and may be sent from the second medium device.

38. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device may be retrieved either by identifying capabilities associated with the second medium device tracked by the network, or by receiving the second set of capabilities directly from the second medium device.

39. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the request to transfer the conference to the second medium device may be sent from the first medium device and may be sent from the second medium device.

40. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the second set of capabilities associated with the second medium device may be retrieved either by identifying capabilities associated with the second medium device tracked by the network, or by receiving the second set of capabilities directly from the second medium device.