Auto-dial and connection into conference calls

• US 8,693,660 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhow, Gunjan Dhanesh
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/252,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20100098230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 37926501-26514, 37926601-2661, 379/309, 379/201.01, 379/158
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• 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: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• 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

Methods and systems for dialing into conference calls are presented. A meeting request is received by an attendee, and the dial-in information in the meeting request is stored. A meeting reminder is displayed at the proposed date and time or a predetermined period prior to the proposed date and time, and a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction is received from the attendee. The conference call dial-in number is automatically dialed at the proposed date and time. A network connection is established and the conference call meeting identification number is transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for dialing into a conference call comprising:

receiving at an attendee computing device a meeting request notification message comprising a meeting request, wherein the meeting request includes a proposed date and time, a conference call dial-in number, and a conference call meeting identification number;

receiving an accept meeting instruction or a reject meeting instruction;

placing the meeting request on a calendaring application at the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time;

displaying a meeting reminder on the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time or a predetermined period prior to the proposed date and time;

receiving a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction;

automatically calling the conference call dial-in number at the proposed date and time responsive to receiving the conference call confirmation instruction;

establishing a network connection with a remote device; and

transmitting the conference call meeting identification number over the network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning a contents of a meeting request notification message further comprises identifying a user identification number.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising automatically transmitting the user identification number over the network connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a pre-stored voice signature over the network connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attendee computing device is a personal computer or a smartphone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically calling the conference call dial-in number comprises automatically initiating a call over an Internet Protocol network, a mobile cellular network, or a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting request notification message is an email or SMS message.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the conference call dialing number at the proposed date and time and establishing the network connection with the remote device, wherein the identification number is located in the meeting request notification message.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the meeting reminder on a second attendee computing device comprising a second calendaring application synchronized with the calendaring application on the attendee computing device, wherein the conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction is received at the second attendee computing device, and wherein automatically calling the conference call dial-in number is performed by the second attendee computing device.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction comprises receiving the conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction prior to the proposed date and time.

8. A system for dialing into a conference call comprising:

a landline telephone connected to a public switched telephone network a headset base coupled to the landline telephone; and

a computing device coupled to the headset base and a communications network, the computing device comprising;

a meeting request notification message means for receiving a meeting request notification message comprising a meeting request over the communications network, wherein the meeting request includes a proposed date and time, a conference call dial-in number, and a conference call meeting identification number;

a calendaring means for placing the meeting request on a calendaring application at the computing device at the proposed date and time; and

a dialing means for automatically calling the conference call dial-in number at the proposed date and time though the public switched telephone network, and automatically transmitting the conference call meeting identification number over an established public switched telephone network connection.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the dialing means calls the conference call dial-in number through the headset base and the landline telephone.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the communications network comprises the Internet.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a headset having a don/doff detector, wherein the dialing means automatically calls the conference call dial-in number at the proposed date and time only if it is detected that the headset is donned.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein the dialing means is further configured to transmit an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the conference call dialing number at the proposed date and time, wherein the identification number is located in the meeting request notification message.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for dialing into a conference call comprising:

receiving at an attendee computing device a meeting request notification message comprising a meeting request, wherein the meeting request includes a proposed date and time, a conference call dial-in number, and a conference call meeting identification number;

receiving an accept meeting instruction or a reject meeting instruction;

placing the meeting request on a calendaring application at the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time;

displaying a meeting reminder on the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time or a predetermined period prior to the proposed date and time;

receiving a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction;

automatically calling the conference call dial-in number at the proposed date and time responsive to receiving the conference call confirmation instruction;

establishing a network connection with a remote device; and

transmitting the conference call meeting identification number over the network connection.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein scanning a contents of a meeting request notification message further comprises identifying a user identification number.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, the method further comprising automatically transmitting the user identification number over the network connection.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising transmitting a pre-stored voice signature over the network connection.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the attendee computing device is a personal computer or a smartphone.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein automatically calling the conference call dial-in number comprises automatically initiating a call over an Internet Protocol network, a mobile cellular network, or a public switched telephone network.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the meeting request notification message is an email or SMS message.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method performed further comprises transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the conference call dialing number at the proposed date and time and establishing the network connection with the remote device, wherein the identification number is located in the meeting request notification message.

19. A method for dialing into a conference call comprising:

receiving at an attendee computing device a meeting request notification message comprising a meeting request, wherein the meeting request includes a proposed date and time, a conference call dial-in number, and a conference call meeting identification number;

receiving an accept meeting instruction or a reject meeting instruction;

transmitting the conference call dial-in number and the conference call meeting identification number to a first remote device for storage in a memory of the first remote device;

receiving an attendee call-back number input at the attendee computing device;

transmitting the attendee call-back number to the first remote device for storage in the memory of the first remote device;

placing the meeting request on a calendaring application at the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time;

displaying a meeting reminder on the attendee computing device at the proposed date and time or a predetermined period prior to the proposed date and time;

receiving a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction;

automatically calling the conference call dial-in number using the first remote device at the proposed date and time responsive to receiving the conference call confirmation instruction;

establishing a first network connection between the first remote device and a second remote device;

transmitting the conference call meeting identification number from the first remote device to the second remote device over the first network connection;

automatically calling the attendee call-back number using the first remote device;

establishing a second network connection between the first remote device and an attendee telephone; and

linking the attendee telephone to the second remote device to join a conference call.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein scanning a contents of a meeting request notification message further comprises identifying a user identification number.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising automatically transmitting the user identification number from the first remote device to the second remote device over the first network connection.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising automatically transmitting a pre-stored voice signature from the first remote device to the second remote device over the first network connection.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the attendee telephone is a mobile phone or a landline telephone.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the meeting request notification message is an email or SMS message.

29. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader from the first remote device to the second remote device over the first network connection.

37. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving a conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction comprises receiving the conference call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction prior to the proposed date and time.

30. A headset base for dialing into a conference call comprising:

a computing device interface;

a headset interface configured to communicate with a headset;

a telephone network interface;

a processor; and

a memory storing a telephone call control application configured to receive a call initiation instruction over the computing device interface to automatically call a conference call dial-in number at a calendared date and time, wherein the telephone call control application is further configured to dial the conference call dial-in number over the telephone network interface.

31. The headset base of claim 30, wherein the telephone call control application is further configured to transmit a conference call meeting identification number received over the computing device interface.

32. The headset base of claim 30, wherein the telephone call control application is further configured to transmit an identification number indicating a user is a call leader, the identification number received over the computing device interface.

33. The headset base of claim 30, wherein the computing device interface is a Universal Serial Bus interface to a personal computer.

34. A method for dialing into a conference call comprising:

receiving at an attendee computing device a meeting request notification message comprising a proposed date and time, a conference call dial-in number, and a conference call meeting identification number;

receiving an accept meeting instruction;

receiving information associated with a donned status or a doffed status of a headset;

responsive to determination of a donned status of the headset, automatically calling the conference call dial-in number at the proposed date and time; and

transmitting the conference call meeting identification number.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the conference call dialing number at the proposed date and time.