Integrated voice and video conferencing management

• US 7,870,192 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mullins, Renee Christine, Martin, James A. Jr., Greenlee, Gordan G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Divecha; Kamal B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daftuar; Saket K
• Application Number:
  US11/014,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20060147009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/217, 709226-227
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A method and system for coordinating a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) teleconference. A teleconference operator drags the name of invited attendees into a hot window, which connects the invited attendees to a channel for the teleconference. Each invited attendee'"'"'s name has a status icon associated with it, indicating if the invited attendee is active in the teleconference. Each invited attendee has access to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that permits the attendee to toggle back and forth between different teleconferences.

Claims

1. A method to implement a teleconference, comprising:

displaying on an administrator computer a teleconferencing application which displays a client list including client'"'"'s names and respective status icons showing a list of all persons authorized to attend and participate in one or more teleconferences hosted by a teleconference administrator of the administrator computer, wherein the status icons indicates a respective persons'"'"' status corresponding to the one or more teleconferences;

selecting, from the client list displayed on the teleconferencing application, potential attendees in regard to first teleconference being held on a first conference-wide multi-media channel communicatively connected to a respective client computer for each of said selected potential attendees and notifying by the teleconference administrator using the administrator computer, said potential attendees in regard to the first teleconference being held on a first conference-wide multi-media channel communicatively connected to a respective client computer for each of said selected potential attendees, wherein the first teleconference is conducted via the administrator computer and the respective client computers of conference attendees, and wherein the teleconference provides transmission and display of multimedia content comprising audio, video, text and shared data files;

detecting and indicating on said teleconferencing application on the administrator computer which of said selected potential attendees has joined and become an attendee of said first teleconference such that each of said respective client computers of attendees of said first teleconference are communicatively connected to each other via said first conference-wide multi-media channel and to said administrator computer; and

placing a second teleconference on a second conference-wide multi-media channel by said teleconference administrator using the teleconferencing application on said administrator computer such that said second conference-wide multi-media channel, which is a separate communication channel from the first conference-wide multi-media channel, is communicatively connected to said administrator computer and to at least a plurality of said client computers of attendees of said first teleconference and allows each of said attendees of said first teleconference who have access to said second conference-wide multi-media channel to become an attendee of said second teleconference and to communicate with other attendees of said second teleconference and with said administrator computer and be able to switch between being an attendee of said first teleconference and an attendee of said second teleconference using their respective client computer;

wherein a potential attendee of at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference is selected to be an attendee of said first teleconference or second teleconference by said teleconference administrator dragging and dropping, into an active window displayed on said teleconferencing application of said administrator computer for said respective first teleconference or second teleconference, a client name from the client'"'"'s names in the client list displayed on said teleconferencing application on the administrator computer and representing said potential attendee that is not attending said respective first teleconference or second, wherein said active window includes icons representing all attendees of said respective first teleconference or second teleconference;

wherein said dragging and dropping of said client name into said active window by said teleconference administrator automatically generates said notifying and displays a popup invitation based on the notifying on said respective client computer of said selected potential attendee who has not joined said respective first teleconference or second teleconference to accept said invitation to said respective first teleconference or second teleconference and to loin said respective first teleconference or second teleconference, wherein the popup invitation includes information which enables the client to immediately join the teleconference.

2. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting a file icon by said attendees displayed on the respective client computer of the attendees for said first or second teleconference to share contents of a file associated with said file icon among attendees accepting said file icon who are participating in the same first or second teleconference for which the file icon is displayed.

3. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 2, further comprising:

recording spoken content during said first or second teleconference by at least one of said attendees of said first or second teleconference using the respective client computer of the at least one of said attendees.

4. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, further comprising:

contacting an attendee of said first or second teleconference by said teleconference administrator using said administrator computer via an override channel that is accessible to only said teleconference administrator and an attendee of said first or second teleconference that has muted said first or second teleconference on said attendee'"'"'s respective client computer, such that said teleconference administrator initiates said contacting of said attendee using said administrator computer and said teleconference administrator is able to override a local mute button activated by said muted attendee to communicate exclusively with said muted attendee via said override channel, which is a third communication channel separate from the first and second conference-wide multi-media channel.

5. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a respective status icon, on a display connected to said administrator computer, for each of said selected potential attendees that have joined said first or second teleconference as well as potential attendees of said first or second teleconference that have been invited to join but have not joined said first or second teleconference, such that said respective status icon indicates for each said selected potential attendee an indication that said selected potential attendee is;

attending and in two-way communication in said first or second teleconference,

attending said first or second teleconference and having a local microphone muted on said attendee'"'"'s respective client computer,

attending said first or second teleconference and having incoming audio from said first or second teleconference muted on said attendee'"'"'s respective client computer, or

not joined to at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference.

6. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying a status icon indicating that an attendee of said first or second teleconference is attending a private communication.

7. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 6, wherein said private communication is with another attendee of said respective first or second teleconference.

8. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 5, wherein said respective status icon is color coded.

9. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference is conducted using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication.

10. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a file icon displayed on said client computer of an attendee of said first or second teleconference, wherein selecting said file icon by said attendee using said respective client computer of said attendee creates a local copy of a file associated with said file icon on said respective client computer of said attendee.

11. The method to implement a teleconference of claim 1, further comprising:

audio recording said first or second teleconference by an attendee of said respective first or second teleconference.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage media having encoded thereon computer instructions that when executed by a computer perform a method of implementing a teleconference system, comprising:

displaying on an administrator computer a teleconferencing application which displays a client list including client'"'"'s names and respective status icons showing a list of all persons authorized to attend and participate in one or more teleconferences hosted by a teleconference administrator of the administrator computer, wherein the status icons indicates a respective persons'"'"' status corresponding to the one or more teleconferences;

selecting, from the client list displayed on the teleconferencing application, potential attendees in regard to first teleconference being held on a first conference-wide multi-media channel communicatively connected to a respective client computer for each of said selected potential attendees and notifying by the teleconference administrator using the administrator computer, said potential attendees in regard to the first teleconference being held on a first conference-wide multi-media channel communicatively connected to a respective client computer for each of said selected potential attendees, wherein the first teleconference is conducted via the administrator computer and the respective client computers of conference attendees, and wherein the teleconference provides transmission and display of multimedia content comprising audio, video, text and shared data files;

detecting and indicating on said teleconferencing application on the administrator computer which of said selected potential attendees has joined and become an attendee of said first teleconference such that each of said respective client computers of attendees of said first teleconference are communicatively connected to each other via said first conference-wide multi-media channel and to said administrator computer; and

placing a second teleconference on a second conference-wide multi-media channel by said teleconference administrator using the teleconferencing application on said administrator computer such that said second conference-wide multi-media channel, which is a separate communication channel from the first conference-wide multi-media channel, is communicatively connected to said administrator computer and to at least a plurality of said client computers of attendees of said first teleconference and allows each of said attendees of said first teleconference who have access to said second conference-wide multi-media channel to become an attendee of said second teleconference and to communicate with other attendees of said second teleconference and with said administrator computer and be able to switch between being an attendee of said first teleconference and an attendee of said second teleconference using their respective client computer;

wherein a potential attendee of at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference is selected to be an attendee of said first teleconference or second teleconference by said teleconference administrator dragging and dropping, into an active window displayed on said teleconferencing application of said administrator computer for said respective first teleconference or second teleconference, a client name from the client'"'"'s names in the client list displayed on said teleconferencing application on the administrator computer and representing said potential attendee that is not attending said respective first teleconference or second, wherein said active window includes icons representing all attendees of said respective first teleconference or second teleconference;

wherein said dragging and dropping of said client name into said active window by said teleconference administrator automatically generates said notifying and displays a popup invitation based on the notifying on said respective client computer of said selected potential attendee who has not joined said respective first teleconference or second teleconference to accept said invitation to said respective first teleconference or second teleconference and to join said respective first teleconference or second teleconference, wherein the popup invitation includes information which enables the client to immediately join the teleconference.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, the method further comprising:

displaying on each of said respective client computer of said attendees of said first or second teleconference a file icon associated with one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference to be accepted by said attendee of said respective first or second teleconference to share contents of a file associated with said displayed file icon between attendees of said respective first or second teleconference for which said file icon is displayed.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein spoken content for said first or second teleconference is recorded by an attendee of said respective first or second teleconference on said respective client computer of said attendee of said respective first or second teleconference.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein an attendee of said first or second teleconference is contacted by said teleconference administrator using said administrator computer via an override channel that is accessible to only said teleconference administrator and said attendee of said first or second teleconference that has muted said first or second teleconference on said conference-wide multi-media channel on said respective client computer of said attendee of said first or second teleconference, such that said override channel allows said teleconference administrator to initiate said contacting of said attendee of said first or second teleconference using said administrator computer and to override a local mute button activated by said muted attendee and to communicate exclusively with said muted attendee of said first or second teleconference via said override channel.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a display connected to said administrator computer displays a respective status icon for each of said selected potential attendees of said first or second teleconference such that said selected potential attendees include selected potential attendees that have joined said first or second teleconference as well as selected potential attendees that have been invited to attend but have not joined said first or second teleconference, such that said respective status icon indicates that each respective selected potential attendee is:

attending and in two-way communication in said first or second teleconference,

attending said first or second teleconference and having a local microphone muted on said respective client computer,

attending said first or second teleconference and having incoming audio from said first or second teleconference muted on said respective client computer, or

not attending at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said administrator computer display displays a status icon indicating that an attendee of said first or second teleconference is attending a private communication.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said private communication is with another attendee of said respective first or second teleconference.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said respective status icon is color coded.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of said first teleconference and said second teleconference is conducted using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication.

21. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein, a file icon is displayed on a respective client computer of an attendee of said first or second teleconference, and wherein selecting said file icon by said attendee of said respective first or second teleconference using said respective client computer of said attendee creates a local copy of a file associated with said file icon for said attendee.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein, an audio recording of any portion of said first or second teleconference is made by an attendee of said respective first or second teleconference using said respective client computer of said attendee.