System and method for automatically managing participation at a meeting

• US 8,121,269 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockstar Bidco LP (Rockstar Consortium Inc.)
• Inventors: McGuire, Frank, Costello, John, McCormack, Tony, Hession, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US11/395,110
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1408, 709/204
• US Class Current: 379/93.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• 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

Abstract

A participant managing system which identifies potential invitees to a conference. A storage means maintains storing records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords. During the preparation of the conference the system responds to the user'"'"'s input of key words by identifying persons. The user is not obliged to make any selection of persons, only a selection of subjects by key words.

Claims

1. A participant managing system comprising:

a means for storing records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords;

a means for inputting keywords;

a means for selecting from the storing means persons associated with the input keywords;

a means for outputting the selection; and

a monitor for monitoring which persons are actively linked into an active conference and for maintaining a list of those actively linked into the active conference session;

wherein the means for selecting is further operable to select from persons not in the list of active participants during an active conference session in accordance with further keywords.

2. A participant managing system as in claim 1 wherein the keywords may comprise any one or a combination of subjects, classifications or professional expertise.

3. A participant managing system as in claim 1 wherein the selecting means selects persons based on a search for the key words in the storing means.

4. A participant managing system as in claim 1 wherein the selecting means selects persons based on searches in external information sources and/or internet search engines.

5. A participant managing system as in claim 1, wherein the input means is further operable to receive person data and wherein the output means outputs a list of candidate participants, this being a list of persons corresponding to either the persons identified by the selecting means or to person data directly input into the input means.

6. A participant managing system as in claim 5, wherein the input means is operable to receive an operator selection of participants from the list of candidate participants, to form a participant list.

7. A participant managing system as in claim 6 further comprising an invitation dispatching means, which, on activation, automatically submits details of a future conference to persons on the participant list.

8. A participant managing system as in claim 1 wherein the selecting means selects persons based on a search for the key words in the storing means.

9. A participant managing system as in claim 1 wherein the input means is operable to receive names of persons not in the list of active participants.

10. A participant managing system as in claim 9 further comprising an invitation dispatching means which dispatches invitations automatically either to those persons selected or input by an operator.

11. A participant managing system as in claim 1, further comprising a conference scanning means which identifies the words used by each participant during an active conference session.

12. A participant managing system as in claim 11, wherein the scanning means comprises speech recognition means and wherein the system further comprises identification means for identifying a current topic of the conference, based on the keywords identified by the scanning means.

13. A participant managing system as in claim 12 wherein the identifying means identifies persons associated with the current topic, which do not correspond to the list of active participants and the output means outputs these persons as a list of potential additional participants.

14. A participant managing system as in claim 13 further comprising an invitation dispatching means which is operable to dispatch invitations to the persons in the list of potential additional participants or to dispatch invitations to those persons selected by an operator from the list of potential additional participants.

15. A participant managing system as in claim 1, wherein at the conclusion of a conference new keywords and new participants are identified and a storing means update is prepared accordingly.

16. A participant managing system as in claim 1, wherein at the conclusion of a conference new associations of topics to persons and a storing means update is prepared accordingly.

17. A participant managing system as in claim 15 wherein the update is communicated to an operator via the output means in the form of a prompt, wherein the input means is operable to receive the response of the operator on whether to update the storing means.

18. A participant managing system as in claim 17, wherein if the storing means is updated, the updated storing means is matched to any scheduled subsequent conferences.

19. A method for managing participants, comprising the steps of:

maintaining records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords in a storing means;

receiving input key words;

selecting from the maintained records persons associated with the input key words;

outputting the selection;

monitoring which persons are actively linked into an active conference and maintaining a list of those actively linked into the active conference session;

receiving further key words;

further selecting from persons not in the list of active participants during an active conference session in accordance with the received further key words; and

outputting the further selection.

20. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 wherein the keywords may comprise any one or a combination of subjects, classifications or professional expertise.

21. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 wherein persons are selected based on a search for the key words in the storing means.

22. A method for managing participants as in claim 19, wherein the selecting step further comprises searching in external information sources and/or internet search engines and identifying persons associated with the keywords input.

23. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 wherein invitations are automatically dispatched to those persons selected or input.

24. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 further comprising receiving input person data and wherein the outputting step further comprises outputting a list of candidate participants, this being a list of persons corresponding to the persons either identified by the selecting step or to persons directly input into the input means.

25. A method for managing participants as in claim 24 further comprising an additional inputting step wherein a selection is made from the list of candidate participants, thereby forming a participant list.

26. A method for managing participants as in claim 25 further comprising, if authorised by an operator, the step of dispatching an invitation, which automatically submits details of a future conference to persons on the participant list.

27. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 further comprising the step of scanning the words used by each participant during an active conference session.

28. A method for managing participants as in claim 27, wherein the step of scanning comprises using speech recognition, and further comprising the step of identifying the current topic of the conference, based on the words identified by the scanning step.

29. A method for managing participants as in claim 28 wherein the identifying step further comprises identifying persons associated with a current topic which do not correspond to the list of active participants and outputting these persons as a list of potential additional participants.

30. A method for managing participants as in claim 29 wherein the outputting step further comprises alerting an operator to dispatch invitations to the persons in the list of potential additional participants.

31. A method for managing participants as in claim 30 wherein the outputting step further comprises automatically dispatching invitations to the persons in the list of potential additional participants.

32. A method for managing participants as in claim 19 wherein, at the conclusion of a conference, the method further comprises the step of identifying new topics and new participants and updating the storing means accordingly.

33. A method for managing participants as in claim 32 wherein the step of updating further comprises updating the storing means with new associations of topics to persons.

34. A method for managing participants as in claim 32 wherein the update is communicated to an operator in the form of a prompt, wherein the storing means is updated accordingly if the operator inputs his authorisation.

35. A method for managing participants as in claim 34, wherein if the storing means is updated, the updated storing means is matched to any scheduled subsequent conferences.

36. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium for storing instruction code for implementing the method of claim 19.

37. A participant managing system comprising:

a means for storing records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords;

a means for inputting keywords;

a means for selecting from the storing means persons associated with the input keywords; and

a means for outputting the selection;

a means for monitoring which persons are actively linked into an active conference and for maintaining a list of those actively linked into the active conference session;

a conference scanning means which identifies the words used by each participant during an active conference session and comprises speech recognition means; and

an identification means for identifying a current topic of the conference, based on the keywords identified by the scanning means;

wherein the identifying means identifies persons associated with the current topic, which do not correspond to the list of active participants and the output outputs these persons as a list of potential additional participants.

38. A method for managing participants, comprising the steps of:

maintaining records of associations of persons at least to one or more keywords in a storing means;

receiving input keywords;

selecting from the maintained records persons associated with the input keywords;

outputting the selection;

monitoring which persons are actively linked into an active conference and maintaining a list of those actively linked into the active conference session;

scanning the words used by each participant during an active conference session;

identifying the current topic of the conference, based on the words identified by the scanning; and

identifying persons associated with the current topic which do not correspond to the list of active participants and outputting these persons as a list of potential additional participants.