Method and system for conference call scheduling via E-mail

• US 8,948,363 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Yap, Shen-Yuan Michael, Gisby, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US13/920,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20130287197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 370/261, 709/204, 709/227
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• 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 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A method and system for conference call scheduling using e-mail. The method and system can receive and parse an e-mail received from a conference moderator, containing scheduling and participant information and schedule a conference call with minimal further user intervention. In essence, the method and system can operate as a virtual administrative assistant to identify and collect telephone contact information for each of the proposed conference call participants, using a customizable hierarchy of internal and external sources of contact information. In this manner, the conference moderator does not need know telephone contact information for each conference call participant.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling a conference call using a conference call communication comprising scheduling information for one or more identified participants, the method comprising:

determining, by a conference call server after receiving the conference call communication, telephone contact information for one or more identified participants by querying a first source of contact information provided by an enterprise network and, if the telephone contact information is not available from the first source of contact information, querying a second source of contact information outside of the enterprise network; and

scheduling, by the conference call server, the conference call using the conference call communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference call communication is one of an email, an SMS, and an MMS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference call communication further specifies identity information of a moderator.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending a confirmation communication to the moderator after scheduling the conference call.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending a confirmation to the moderator when a source of telephone contact information of a participant is identified as untrusted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a sender of the conference call communication is automatically assigned as a moderator of the conference call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the conference call is based on the telephone contact information being determined.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first source of contact information is one or more internal sources of contact information located on an enterprise network, the second source of contact information is one or more external sources of contact information located outside of the enterprise network, and wherein the first and second sources are part of a customizable hierarchy of sources of contact information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more internal sources of contact information are selected from the group consisting of:

contact information contained in the conference call communication, an address book client, a corporate directory, a customer relationship management system, and a global address list.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more external sources of contact information are selected from the group consisting of:

an externally-hosted contact management system and a customized Internet search protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the conference call modifies a previously scheduled conference call using identity information of one or more identified participants in the conference call communication.

12. A conference call scheduling system configured to schedule a conference using a conference call communication comprising schedule information for one or more identified participants, the system comprising:

a conference call server configured to;

determine, after receiving the conference call communication, telephone contact information for one or more identified participants by querying a first source of contact information provided by an enterprise network and, if the telephone contact information is not available from the first source of contact information, querying a second source of contact information outside of the enterprise network; and

schedule the conference call using the conference call communication, wherein a conference bridge connects one or more identified participants to the conference call according to the telephone contact information determined by the conference call server and the scheduling information of the conference call communication.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the conference call server manages resources of the conference bridge.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the schedule information of the conference call communication comprises at least a requested date and time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein when scheduling information is parsed by the conference call server, the conference call server is configured to determine if the resources of the conference bridge are available at the requested date and time.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first source of contact information is one or more internal sources of contact information located on an enterprise network, the second source of contact information is one or more external sources of contact information located outside of the enterprise network, and wherein the first and second sources are part of a customizable hierarchy of sources of contact information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more internal sources of contact information are selected from the group consisting of:

contact information contained in the conference call communication, an address book client, a corporate directory, a customer relationship management system, and a global address list.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more external sources of contact information are selected from the group consisting of:

an externally-hosted contact management system and a customized Internet search protocol.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the conference call scheduling system is further configured to determine if the telephone contact information provided for one or more identified participants is a preferred telephone contact information.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the conference call communication is one of an email, an MMS, and an SMS.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein scheduling the conference call is based on the telephone contact information being determined for one or more identified participants.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the conference call server is configured to schedule the conference call by modifying a previously scheduled conference call using identity information of one or more identified participants in the conference call communication.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions that are executable by at least one processor of a device to cause the device to perform a method of scheduling a conference call using a conference call communication comprising scheduling information for one or more identified participants, the method comprising:

determining, after the conference call communication has been acquired, telephone contact information for one or more identified participants by querying a first source of contact information provided by an enterprise network and, if the telephone contact information is not available from the first source of contact information, querying a second source of contact information outside of the enterprise network; and

scheduling the conference call using the conference call communication.