Real-time event notification for collaborative computing sessions

• US 8,250,141 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Xiao, Sihai, Yuan, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): HIGA, BRENDAN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/168,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

In one embodiment, a determination is made that a specified event of a collaborative computing session has occurred. In response to the specified event, a real-time electronic notification is transmitted to a particular set of one or more attendees of the session that the event has occurred, the notification illustratively transmitted via a communication channel other than the session.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining that a specified event, which occurs during an ongoing collaborative computing session conducted between nodes in a network over an in-band communication channel, has occurred, wherein at least one of the nodes is a presenter node that shares content over the in-band communication channel, at least one of the nodes is associated with an attendee and receives and displays the content, wherein the specified event is defined by the attendee and the presenter node determines that the specified event has occurred;

determining, by the presenter node, that each attendee of a particular set of one or more attendees has selected an out-of-band communication channel via which a notification is to be sent; and

transmitting, in response to the specified event and while the collaborative computing session is ongoing, a real-time electronic notification from the presenter node to each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees of the session that the event has occurred, the notification transmitted to each attendee via the out-of-band communication channel selected by the respective attendee.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying the event as a host of the session joining the session.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying the event as a particular attendee of the session joining the session.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying the event as a specified number of attendees of the session joining the session.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying the event as a particular meeting topic occurring during the session.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees specifying the same event.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a plurality of events; and

transmitting a notification in response to occurrence of each specified event.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the notification via a plurality of out-of-band communication channels.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the collaborative computing session utilizes a web browser application as the in-band communication channel, and wherein the out-of-band communication channel is selected from a group consisting of:

short message service (SMS), email, instant messaging (IM), and pop-up message.

10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

inviting attendees to join the session in advance of the session through an electronic invitation communication.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising:

specifying the event as a host of the session joining the session;

determining, in response to the host joining the session, the particular set of one or more attendees as invited attendees that have not joined the session before the host joined the session; and

transmitting the notification to the particular set of invited attendees of the session that have not joined the session before the host joined the session.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

including within the electronic invitation communication a selectable option for an attendee to request inclusion within the particular set of one or more attendees and to receive the real-time electronic notification in response to the specified event.

13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising:

forwarding the electronic invitation communication from a first attendee to a second attendee, wherein the forwarded electronic invitation communication includes the selectable option for the second attendee to request inclusion within the particular set of one or more attendees and to receive the real-time electronic notification in response to the specified event.

14. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

including within the real-time electronic notification a selectable option for an attendee to join the session.

15. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

servicing the collaborative computing session by one or more collaborative computing servers.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein attendees join the collaborative computing session from a join meeting web page serviced by one or more collaborative computing servers, the method further comprising:

responsive to a host of the collaborative computing session having not joined the session;

preventing attendees from joining the session; and

allowing attendees to request inclusion within the particular set of one or more attendees and to receive the notification in response to the host joining the session.

17. The method as in claim 1, wherein attendees join the collaborative computing session from a join meeting web page serviced by one or more collaborative computing servers, the method further comprising:

responsive to a host of the session having not joined the session;

allowing attendees to join the session; and

allowing attendees to request inclusion within the particular set of one or more attendees and to receive the notification in response to the host joining the session.

18. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

servicing a join meeting web page by one or more collaborative computing servers through which attendees join the collaborative computing session; and

including within the join meeting web page a selectable option for an attendee to request inclusion within the particular set of one or more attendees and to receive a notification in response to the specified event.

19. An apparatus comprising a presenter node, the presenter node comprising:

one or more network interfaces adapted to communicate first traffic for a collaborative computing session on an in-band communication channel to one or more attendees and second traffic on an out-of-band communication channel, separate from the in-band communication channel used by the collaborative computing session to a particular set of one or more attendees;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory adapted to store a collaborative computing server process executable by the processor, the server process when executed operable to;

determine by the presenter node that a specified event has occurred while the collaborative computing session is ongoing, wherein the specified event is defined by the one or more attendees;

determine by the presenter node the out-of-band communication channel for each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees, via which a notification should be transmitted; and

transmit by the presenter node, in response to the specified event, a real-time electronic notification to each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees of the session that the event has occurred, the notification transmitted to each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees via second traffic on the out-of-band communication channel, determined for the respective attendee.

20. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the specified event is a host of the session joining the session.

21. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the specified event is a particular meeting topic occurring during the session.

22. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the out-of-band communication channel is selected from the group consisting of:

short message service (SMS), email, instant messaging (IM), and pop-up message.

23. Software encoded in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of a presenter node and when executed operable to:

determine that a specified event, which occurs during an ongoing collaborative computing session conducted between the presenter node and one or more nodes in a network over an in-band communication channel, has occurred, wherein the presenter node shares content over the in-band communication channel and at least one of the one or more nodes is associated with an attendee and receives and displays the content, and wherein the specified event is defined by the attendee;

determining for each of a particular set of one or more attendees of the collaborative computing session, an out-of-band communication channel, that was selected by the respective attendee, via which a notification is to be transmitted; and

transmit, in response to the specified event, a real-time electronic notification to each attendee of the particular set of one or more attendees of the session that the event has occurred, the notification transmitted to each attendee via the out-of-band communication channel selected by the respective attendee.