System and method for exchanging connection information for videoconferencing units using e-mails

• US 8,217,986 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nimri, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/556,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 379/93.24, 379/93.25, 379/202.01, 370260-261, 709204-206
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• 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: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence

Abstract

A videoconferencing system includes a first videoconferencing unit coupled to a network and associated with a first e-mail address. The first videoconferencing unit receives a second e-mail address and automatically sends a request e-mail requesting connection information to the second e-mail address. A second videoconferencing unit is coupled to the network and is associated with the second e-mail address. The second videoconferencing unit receives the request e-mail and automatically returns a response e-mail including connection information to the first e-mail address. The first videoconferencing unit receives the response e-mail and automatically obtains the connection information from the response e-mail. Using the connection information, the first videoconferencing unit initiates a videoconference call with the second videoconference unit.

Claims

1. A first videoconferencing unit, comprising:

at least one network interface for communicating e-mails and establishing videoconferencing connections over at least one network; and

at least one component operatively coupled to the at least one network interface and configured to automatically;

send a request e-mail to an e-mail address of a second videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection with the second videoconferencing unit via the at least one network interface,

obtain connection information from a response e-mail received from the second videoconferencing unit via the at least one network interface, and

initiate a videoconferencing connection via the at least one network interface using the obtained connection information.

2. The unit of claim 1, wherein to send the request e-mail, the at least one component obtains the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit via a user interface or from memory storing one or more e-mail addresses.

3. The unit of claim 1, wherein to send the request e-mail, the at least one component automatically constructs the request e-mail in a parseable format to include one or more indications of requested connection information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein to automatically obtain the connection information from the response e-mail, the at least one component is configured to:

parse the response e-mail received from the second videoconferencing unit;

read the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit from the parsed e-mail; and

read the connection information indicated in the parsed e-mail.

5. The unit of claim 1, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

6. The unit of claim 1, wherein in an automated response mode, the at least one component is further configured to automatically:

obtain stored connection information from memory in response to a request e-mail received from another videoconferencing unit;

obtain an e-mail address from the request e-mail;

generate a response e-mail having the stored connection information; and

send the response e-mail to the e-mail address of the other videoconferencing unit.

7. A videoconferencing method, comprising:

obtaining at a first videoconferencing unit an e-mail address associated with a second videoconferencing unit;

automatically sending a request e-mail from the first videoconferencing unit to the second videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection;

receiving a response e-mail at the first videoconferencing unit from the second videoconferencing unit;

automatically obtaining with the first videoconferencing unit the connection information from the response e-mail; and

automatically initiating a videoconferencing connection with the first videoconferencing unit to the second videoconferencing unit using the obtained connection information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein obtaining the e-mail address comprises receiving the e-mail address as user input or accessing a database storing the e-mail address.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically sending the request e-mail comprises automatically constructing the request e-mail in a parseable format to include one or more indications of requested connection information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically obtaining the connection information from the response e-mail comprises:

parsing the response e-mail;

reading the e-mail address for the second videoconferencing unit from the parsed e-mail; and

reading the connection information indicated in the parsed e-mail.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein in an automated response mode, the method further comprises:

obtaining stored connection information from memory in response to a request e-mail from another videoconferencing unit;

obtaining an e-mail address from the request e-mail;

generating a response e-mail having the stored connection information; and

sending the response e-mail to the e-mail address of the other videoconferencing unit.

13. A program storage device having program instructions stored thereon for causing a videoconferencing unit to perform a videoconferencing method, the method comprising:

obtaining at a first videoconferencing unit an e-mail address associated with a second videoconferencing unit;

automatically sending a request e-mail from the first videoconferencing unit to the second videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection;

receiving a response e-mail at the first videoconferencing unit from the second videoconferencing unit;

automatically obtaining with the first videoconferencing unit the connection information from the response e-mail; and

automatically initiating a videoconferencing connection with the first videoconferencing unit to the second videoconferencing unit using the obtained connection information.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein obtaining the e-mail address comprises receiving the e-mail address as user input or accessing a database storing the e-mail address.

15. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein automatically sending the request e-mail comprises automatically constructing the request e-mail in a parseable format to include one or more indications of requested connection information.

16. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein automatically obtaining the connection information from the response e-mail comprises:

parsing the response e-mail;

reading the e-mail address for the second videoconferencing unit from the parsed e-mail; and

reading the connection information indicated in the parsed e-mail.

17. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

18. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein in an automated response mode, the method further comprises:

obtaining stored connection information from memory in response to a request e-mail from another videoconferencing unit;

obtaining an e-mail address from the request e-mail;

generating a response e-mail having the stored connection information; and

sending the response e-mail to the e-mail address of the other videoconferencing unit.

19. A first videoconferencing unit, comprising:

memory storing first connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection with the first videoconferencing unit;

at least one network interface for communicating e-mails and establishing videoconferencing connections over at least one network; and

at least one component operatively coupled to the memory and the at least one network interface, the at least one component configured to automatically;

obtain the first connection information from the memory in response to a request e-mail received from a second videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information,

obtain an e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit from the request e-mail,

generate a response e-mail having the first connection information, and

send the response e-mail to the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit.

20. The unit of claim 19, wherein the at least one component is configured to automatically establish a videoconferencing connection upon detection of an incoming videoconferencing call from the second videoconferencing unit.

21. The unit of claim 19, wherein the response e-mail from the first videoconferencing unit requests second connection information from the second videoconferencing unit.

22. The unit of claim 19, wherein the response e-mail is in a parseable format having an e-mail address of the first videoconferencing unit as a source, the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit as a destination, and one or more indications of the connection information requested by the second videoconferencing unit.

23. The unit of claim 19, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

24. The unit of claim 19, wherein in an automated request mode, the at least one component is configured to automatically:

send a request e-mail to an e-mail address of another videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection;

obtain connection information in a response e-mail from the other videoconferencing unit; and

initiate a videoconferencing connection via the at least one network interface using the obtained connection information.

25. A videoconferencing method, comprising:

receiving at a first videoconferencing unit a request e-mail from a second videoconferencing unit requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection with the first videoconferencing unit;

obtaining the requested connection information;

automatically generating a response e-mail having the obtained connection information;

automatically sending the response e-mail to the e-mail address;

detecting an incoming videoconferencing connection from the second videoconferencing unit; and

connecting with the incoming videoconferencing connection when detected.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the response e-mail from the first videoconferencing unit requests second connection information from the second videoconferencing unit.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein automatically sending the response e-mail comprises automatically constructing the response e-mail in a parseable format to include an e-mail address of the first videoconferencing unit as a source, the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit as a destination, and one or more indications of the connection information requested by the second videoconferencing unit.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

29. The unit method of claim 25, wherein in an automated request mode, the method further comprises:

sending a request e-mail to an e-mail address of another videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection;

obtaining connection information in a response e-mail from the other videoconferencing unit; and

initiating a videoconferencing connection via the at least one network interface using the obtained connection information.

30. A program storage device having program instructions stored thereon for causing a videoconferencing unit to perform a videoconferencing method, the method comprising:

receiving at a first videoconferencing unit a request e-mail from a second videoconferencing unit requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection with the first videoconferencing unit;

obtaining the requested connection information;

automatically generating a response e-mail having the obtained connection information;

automatically sending the response e-mail to the e-mail address;

detecting an incoming videoconferencing connection from the second videoconferencing unit; and

connecting with the incoming videoconferencing connection when detected.

31. The program storage device of claim 30, wherein the response e-mail from the first videoconferencing unit requests second connection information from the second videoconferencing unit.

32. The program storage device of claim 30, wherein automatically sending the response e-mail comprises automatically constructing the response e-mail in a parseable format to include an e-mail address of the first videoconferencing unit as a source, the e-mail address of the second videoconferencing unit as a destination, and one or more indications of the connection information requested by the second videoconferencing unit.

33. The program storage device of claim 30, wherein the connection information comprises one or more of:

an Integrated Services Digital Network address, an Internet Protocol address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, a number for an IP-to-IP Gateway, encryption information for decrypting videoconferencing information, and authentication information for authenticating a videoconferencing connection.

34. The program storage device of claim 30, wherein in an automated request mode, the method further comprises:

sending a request e-mail to an e-mail address of another videoconferencing unit, the request e-mail requesting connection information for establishing a videoconferencing connection;

obtaining connection information in a response e-mail from the other videoconferencing unit; and

initiating a videoconferencing connection via the at least one network interface using the obtained connection information.