System and method for providing reservationless conferencing

• US 8,411,595 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Decker, Eran, Boneh, Rami
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): KASSIM, KHALED M
• Application Number:
  US11/945,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 370 351-356, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A video teleconferencing system and method for providing reservationless conferencing is disclosed. The method involves creating a conference profile identifying selected connection parameters; allocating a dial-in number; notifying participants of the dial-in number; detecting a call from a requesting participant; determining if sufficient resources for the participant are available; and connecting the requesting participant into the reservationless conference. Additionally, the video teleconferencing method allows the conference time to be automatically extended. This is done using timers and reallocating available resources when the original end of conference time arrives. The method also enables the conference to automatically terminate after all conference participants leave the conference.

Claims

1. A system for providing reservationless conferencing, comprising:

a conference control entity for controlling a conference among a plurality of participants at a plurality of multimedia terminals; and

a web server communicatively coupled to the conference control entity through a first connection and communicatively coupled to a customer administrator terminal through a second connection, the customer administrator terminal including a communication program and being communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of terminals;

the web server being operative to;

receive a request from the customer administrator terminal for defining a reservationless conference associated with a conference profile;

respond to the request for defining the reservationless conference by allocating a dial in number for calling the conference control entity wherein the dial in number indicates the conference profile to the conference control entity; and

distribute the dial in number,

wherein the conference control entity is operative to;

receive a call from a multimedia terminal calling the dial-in number;

initiate the conference based on the profile that is indicated by the dial in number; and

initiate an auto termination process that is capable of auto terminating the conference session when only one conferee is connected to the session, based on a first timing parameter of the indicated profile, and when no conferees are connected to the session, based on a second timing parameter of the indicated profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dial in number is distributed to a participant or a moderator of the reservationless conference.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dial in number is distributed to the conference control entity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server is further operative to:

receive a request to initiate a reservationless conference;

determine if sufficient resources for the participant are available; and

instruct the conference control entity to start the reservationless conference.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server is communicatively coupled to the conference control entity through the Internet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server is communicatively coupled to the conference control entity through an intranet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference control entity is a multipoint control unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of multimedia terminals conform to the H.320 standard.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of multimedia terminals conform to the H.323 standard.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the conference control entity initiates the conference if resources for the multimedia terminal are available and the conference is not active, wherein the conference control entity connects the multimedia terminal to the conference if resources for the multimedia terminal are available and the conference is active, and wherein the conference control entity disconnects the multimedia terminal if resources for the multimedia terminal are not available.

11. A system for providing reservationless conferencing, comprising:

a conference control entity for controlling a conference among a plurality of multimedia terminals and configured to respond to an order for a reservationless conference by a customer administrator; and

a server communicatively coupled to a storage device and communicatively coupled to the conference control entity;

the server being operative to;

receive and store a plurality of profiles of reservationless conferences, each profile associated with a dial-in number for calling the conference control entity;

receive a request from the conference control entity for a conference profile associated with a particular dial-in number;

search the storage device for a matched profile; and

deliver the requested profile to the conference control entity,

wherein the conference control entity is operative to;

receive a call from a multimedia terminal calling the dial-in number;

initiate the conference based on the profile that is indicated by the dial in number; and

initiate an auto termination process that is capable of auto terminating the conference session when only one conferee is connected to the session, based on a first timing parameter of the indicated profile, and when no conferees are connected to the session, based on a second timing parameter of the indicated profile.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the conference control entity initiates the conference if resources for the multimedia terminal are available and the conference is not active, wherein the conference control entity connects the multimedia terminal to the conference if resources for the multimedia terminal are available and the conference is active, and wherein the conference control entity disconnects the multimedia terminal if resources for the multimedia terminal are not available.