Alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call

• US 8,295,462 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Steven Michael, Seacat, Lisa Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): HONG, HARRY S
• Application Number:
  US12/044,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,690 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 370260-270, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 704/270, 704/231, 704/246, 704/247, 709/204, 709/205, 455/416
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/41 using speaker recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call. A participant to a conference call identifies the topics and/or speakers of interest which is stored for future use along with the participant'"'"'s contact information. When a participant'"'"'s identified topic of interest is being discussed and/or a participant'"'"'s identified speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the participant will be alerted to that fact, such as via the means specified in the participant'"'"'s contact information.

Claims

1. A method for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the method comprising:

receiving a list of planned topics and/or speakers for a conference call;

joining a participant to said conference call;

providing an agenda to said participant to select topics and/or speakers of interest;

requesting said participant to identify any topics and/or speakers of interest from said agenda;

obtaining said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest;

alerting, by a controller, said participant when one of said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest is being discussed and/or spoken during said conference call;

monitoring for a noise on each telephone line for each active participant of said conference call; and

detecting a voice on a telephone line for one of said active participants associated with a selected speaker of interest.

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

obtaining contact information from said participant.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

storing said contact information obtained from said participant; and

storing said topics and/or speakers of interest indicated from said participant.

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

receiving indications of progress of said agenda during said conference call.

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

alerting said participant that said selected speaker of interest is speaking during said conference call.

6. A system, comprising:

a memory unit for storing a computer program for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call; and

a processor coupled to said memory unit, wherein said processor, responsive to said computer program, comprises;

circuitry for receiving a list of planned topics and/or speakers for a conference call;

circuitry for joining a participant to said conference call;

circuitry for providing an agenda to said participant to select topics and/or speakers of interest;

circuitry for requesting said participant to identify any topics and/or speakers of interest from said agenda;

circuitry for obtaining said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest;

circuitry for alerting said participant when one of said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest is being discussed and/or spoken during said conference call; and

circuitry for detecting a voice associated with a selected speaker of interest.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry for obtaining contact information from said participant.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry for storing said contact information obtained from said participant; and

circuitry for storing said topics and/or speakers of interest indicated from said participant.

9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry for receiving indications of progress of said agenda during said conference call.

10. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said processor further comprises:

circuitry for alerting said participant that said selected speaker of interest is speaking during said conference call.

11. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium, wherein the medium does not include a propagating signal, for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the computer program product comprising the programming instructions for:

receiving a list of planned topics and/or speakers for a conference call;

joining a participant to said conference call;

providing an agenda to said participant to select topics and/or speakers of interest;

requesting said participant to identify any topics and/or speakers of interest from said agenda;

obtaining said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest;

alerting said participant when one of said participant'"'"'s indicated topics and/or speakers of interest is being discussed and/or spoken during said conference call; and

detecting a voice associated with a selected speaker of interest.

12. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 further comprising the programming instructions for:

obtaining contact information from said participant.

13. The computer program product as recited in claim 12 further comprising the programming instructions for:

storing said contact information obtained from said participant; and

storing said topics and/or speakers of interest indicated from said participant.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 further comprising the programming instructions for:

receiving indications of progress of said agenda during said conference call.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 further comprising the programming instructions for:

alerting said participant that said selected speaker of interest is speaking during said conference call.

16. A method for alerting a participant when a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the method comprising:

receiving an identified speaker of interest from a participant;

detecting a voice on a telephone line of said identified speaker of interest; and

alerting, by a controller, said participant that said identified speaker of interest is speaking.

17. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium, wherein the medium does not include a propagating signal, for alerting a participant when a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the computer program product comprising the programming instructions for:

receiving an identified speaker of interest from a participant;

detecting a voice on a telephone line of said identified speaker of interest; and

alerting said participant that said identified speaker of interest is speaking.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory unit for storing a computer program for alerting a participant when a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call; and

a processor coupled to said memory unit, wherein said processor, responsive to said computer program, comprises;

circuitry for receiving an identified speaker of interest from a participant;

circuitry for detecting a voice on a telephone line of said identified speaker of interest; and

circuitry for alerting said participant that said identified speaker of interest is speaking.