System and method for single action initiation of a video conference

• US 8,269,814 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Krutarth, Harrell, Randy K., Erion, Kenneth W., Kumar, Rajneesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/463,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20090213207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370260-261, 709/204, 379/202.01, 379/203.01
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• 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: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A method is provided for configuring a video conference endpoint. The method comprises receiving session data that comprises endpoint connection data for remote endpoints associated with scheduled conferences, and receiving a signal from a user interface indicating a user has activated a control associated with a selected conference, identifying the endpoint connection data for the remote endpoint associated with the selected conference, and establishing a media session with the associated remote endpoint. A video conference endpoint system also is provided. The system comprises a controller coupled to a memory, and a user interface coupled to the controller. The user interface includes a command button associated with a conference. The controller periodically receives session data associated with the scheduled conferences, stores the session data in the memory, and establishes the selected conference in response to a user activating the command button.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

retrieving, by a telepresence manager, directory data associated with a group of scheduled telepresence conferences from a group scheduler, the telepresence manager coupled to the group scheduler, a controller, and a user interface, the user interface having a command button associated with a telepresence conference selected from the group of scheduled telepresence conferences;

extracting, by the telepresence manager, conference data from the directory data;

storing, by the telepresence manager, the conference data in a first memory;

extracting, by the telepresence manager, session data from the conference data;

receiving, by the controller, the session data from the telepresence manager periodically;

storing, by the controller, the received session data in a second memory;

accessing, by the controller, the received session data; and

establishing, by the controller, the selected telepresence conference in response to a user activating the command button.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the user interface, display data from the controller; and

displaying, by the user interface, a list of the scheduled telepresence conferences associated with the display data, wherein the display data is limited to session data associated with a configurable time period, and wherein the selected telepresence conference is selected from the list by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled telepresence conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier, and wherein the controller uses the connection data to establish the selected telepresence conference with a remote endpoint associated with the remote endpoint identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the user interface, display data from the controller; and

displaying, by the user interface, a list of the scheduled telepresence conferences associated with the display data, wherein the display data is limited to session data associated with a configurable time period, and wherein the selected telepresence conference is selected from the list by the user, and wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled telepresence conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier, and wherein the controller uses the connection data to establish the selected telepresence conference with a remote endpoint associated with the remote endpoint identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the scheduled conferences is associated with a remote endpoint, and wherein connection data for that one of the scheduled conferences includes a fully qualified number for establishing a communication session with the remote endpoint.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled telepresence conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier, and wherein the connection data comprises an address or a fully qualified number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled telepresence conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier, wherein the connection data comprises authentication data, and wherein establishing the selected telepresence conference comprises receiving security input from a user and authenticating the security input using the authentication data prior to establishing the selected telepresence conference.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the controller, at least one parameter indicative of a secure conference to the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing, by the controller, the selected telepresence conference comprises establishing the selected telepresence conference using administrative data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the administrative data comprises a conference meeting identifier.

11. A video conference endpoint system comprising:

a controller coupled to a memory; and

a user interface coupled to the controller, the user interface having a command button associated with a conference selected from a group of scheduled conferences;

wherein the controller is operable to receive session data associated with the scheduled conferences, to store the session data in the memory, and to use the session data to establish the selected conference in response to a user activating the command button.

12. The video conference endpoint system of claim 11, wherein the session data is limited to data associated with a configurable time period.

13. The video conference endpoint system of claim 11, wherein the user interface is operable to receive display data from the controller and to display a list of the scheduled conferences associated with the received display data, wherein the display data is limited to session data associated with a configurable time period, and wherein the selected conference is selected from the list by the user.

14. The video conference endpoint system of claim 11, wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier;

and

wherein the controller uses the connection data to establish the selected conference with a remote endpoint associated with the remote endpoint identifier.

15. The video conference endpoint system of claim 11, wherein the group of scheduled conferences comprises at least one conference scheduled to overlap at least partially with at least one other conference.

16. The video conference endpoint system of claim 11, wherein the controller operable to receive session data associated with the scheduled conferences comprises the controller being operable to receive session data for new, modified, or deleted conferences from an external group scheduler.

17. A conference endpoint system comprising:

means for providing a command button to a user;

means for receiving a signal indicating the user has selected a conference from a group of scheduled conferences and activated the command button;

means for identifying a remote endpoint associated with the selected conference; and

means for establishing a media session with the remote endpoint responsive to receiving the signal.

18. The conference endpoint system of claim 17, further comprising means for displaying a list of scheduled conferences, and wherein the selected conference is selected from the list of scheduled conferences.

19. The conference endpoint system of claim 17, wherein the group of scheduled conferences comprises at least one conference scheduled to overlap at least partially with at least one other conference.

20. The conference endpoint system of claim 17, wherein the means for identifying a remote endpoint associated with the selected conference comprises a means for searching session data associated with the selected conference, the session data originating from an external group scheduler.

21. A system comprising:

a telepresence manager operable to extract session data from conference data, the session data comprising data associated with a group of scheduled conferences; and

an endpoint coupled to the telepresence manager, the endpoint comprising;

a user interface operable to display the group of scheduled conferences, the user interface having a command button associated with a conference selected from the group of scheduled conferences; and

a controller coupled to the user interface and operable to establish the selected conference in response to a user activating the command button.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user interface is operable to receive display data from the controller, wherein the display data is associated with a group of scheduled conferences associated with a configurable time period.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the session data comprises a remote endpoint identifier associated with each of the scheduled conferences, and connection data associated with each remote endpoint identifier;

and

wherein the controller uses the connection data to establish the selected conference with a remote endpoint associated with the remote endpoint identifier.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the telepresence manager is operable to retrieve directory data associated with the scheduled conferences from a group scheduler, wherein the conference data comprises data extracted from the directory data.