Auto-dial and connection into conference calls

• US 9,094,522 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhow, Gunjan
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US14/194,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/158, 37926501-26514, 37926601-2661, 379/309, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 and a dial-in 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 call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction; and

automatically calling the dial-in number at a later time responsive to receiving the call confirmation instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the later time is the proposed date and time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting request further comprises a conference call meeting identification number and the method further comprises:

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

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

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the dial-in number at the later time, wherein the identification number is located in the meeting request notification message.

6. 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 call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction is received at the second attendee computing device, and wherein automatically calling the dial-in number is performed by the second attendee computing device.

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

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one more computers to perform operations 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 and a dial-in 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 call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction; and

automatically calling the dial-in number at a later time responsive to receiving the call confirmation instruction.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the later time is the proposed date and time.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the meeting request further comprises a conference call meeting identification number and the method further comprises:

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

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein automatically calling the dial-in number comprises automatically initiating a call over an Internet Protocol network, a mobile cellular network, or a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting an identification number indicating a user is a call leader after automatically calling the dial-in number at the later time, wherein the identification number is located in the meeting request notification message.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise 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 call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction is received at the second attendee computing device, and wherein automatically calling the dial-in number is performed by the second attendee computing device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein receiving a call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction comprises receiving the call confirmation instruction or cancellation instruction prior to the proposed date and time.

15. 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 a later 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.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the later time is the proposed date and time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein scanning a contents of a meeting request notification message further comprises identifying a user identification number.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising automatically transmitting the user identification number from the first remote device to the second remote device over the first network connection.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the meeting request notification message is an email or SMS message.

20. The method of claim 15, 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.