Escalation from a conversation to a conference

• US 7,760,865 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Awan, Muhammad Aatif, Elumalai, Arulkumar, Deshpande, Vinit C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUNG HOANG JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/561,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/296, 370/352, 370/356, 370/62, 370/202, 370/200, 709/204, 348 15- 16, 379/202.01, 379/212.01
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Conversations between two parties are seamlessly and transparently escalated into a conversation between multi-parties with minimal user interaction. If the two initial parties are joined to a central focus and a media, a third or more participant is invited to join the conversation. If either of the two initial parties fails to join the focus or media, the original conversation is restored and the attempt to escalate to a conference is abandoned.

Claims

1. A system configured to facilitate escalating a peer-to-peer conversation to a conference between more than two parties, the system comprising:

an interface component that receives information about at least one new participant to add to the peer-to-peer conversation, wherein the interface component displays a list of contacts that can be added to the peer-to-peer conversation as the at least one new participant;

a communication component that communicates to a central focus a request that at least two existing parties of the peer-to-peer conversation be added to the central focus, the request being communicated in response to a decision by at least one of the at least two existing parties to escalate the peer-to-peer conversation to the conference, the central focus allowing the at least two existing parties to connect to a central conference manager that controls the conference; and

a verification component that;

verifies whether the at least two existing parties are joined to the central focus and verifies that the at least two existing parties are joined to at least one media through the central focus; and

cancels the conference and reinstates the at least two existing parties to the peer-to-peer conversation, in response to the verification component determining that the at least two existing parties are not joined to the central focus,

wherein the communication component also;

outputs from the system to the at least one new participant an invitation to join the central focus in response to the verification component determining that the at least two existing parties are joined to the central focus;

receives an acceptance from the at least one new participant in response to the at least one new participant joining the central focus; and

sends a request to cancel adding the at least one new participant in response to the verification component determining that either of the at least two existing parties are not joined to the central focus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface component is updated with a status of the at least one new participant.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the status includes at least one of an invitation status or a join status.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one media is Audio-visual Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) that controls Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or video conferencing.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one media is an instant messenger Multipoint Control Unit (MCU).

6. A method for moving from a two-party conversation to a multi-party conference, wherein the two-party conversation is held between an initiator and an existing party, the method comprising:

employing a processor to execute computer-executable instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a message from the initiator to send an invitation to a new party to join a focus and a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), the focus allowing the initiator and the existing party to connect to the MCU;

create the multi-party conference in response to receiving the message;

send an invitation to the existing party to join the focus and the MCU;

verify whether the initiator and the existing party joined the focus and the MCU;

cancel the multi-party conference in response to the existing party or the initiator not joining the focus or the MCU;

in response to the initiator and the existing party joining the focus and the MCU, send an invitation to the new party to join the focus and the MCU;

in response to the new party joining the focus and the MCU, send a status update that the new party joined the focus and the MCU, the status update including at least one of a status of the invitation to the new party or a status of the new party joining the focus and the MCU;

in response to determining that either the existing party or the initiator are not joined to the focus and the MCU, send a request to cancel adding the new party; and

in response to the initiator, the existing party or the new party failing to join the focus and the MCU, return the initiator and the existing party to the two-party conversation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein canceling the multi-party conference includes:

tracking an interval of time after sending the existing party an invitation to join the focus and the MCU; and

canceling the multi-party conference in response to the interval of time expiring before the existing party joins the focus and the MCU.

8. A computer-implemented system configured to provide a seamless escalation from a peer-to-peer conversation to a conference, the computer-implemented system comprising:

a server comprising a focus component and a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) component, wherein the server;

identifies an initiator and an existing participant in the peer-to-peer conversation; and

receives information regarding at least one new participant to add to the conversation, to escalate the peer-to-peer conversation to the conference, and

wherein the focus component;

joins the initiator and the existing participant to a central conference manager that controls the conference;

initiates the initiator and the existing participant joining the MCU component;

detects whether either the initiator or the existing participant failed to join either the conference or the MCU component; and

cancels the conference and reverts to the peer-to-peer conversation in response to either the initiator or the existing participant failing to join either the conference or the MCU, and

wherein the initiator;

sends an invitation to the at least one new participant to join the MCU component in response to a determination by the focus component that the initiator and the existing participant are joined to the conference and the MCU; and

sends a request to the focus component to cancel adding the at least one new participant in response to a determination by the focus component that either the initiator or the existing participant is not joined to the conference or the MCU component.

9. The computer-implemented system of claim 8, wherein the focus component also sends one or more updates to the initiator about the existing participant and the at least one new participant.