Real-time agent for actionable ad-hoc collaboration in an existing collaboration session

• US 9,319,442 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Griffin, Keith, Rosenberg, Jonathan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US14/288,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method is provided for use in connection with a communication session between two or more participants. The communication session may be an online/web-based meeting, voice call, video call, instant messaging session, etc. Interactions between two or more participants of the communication session are monitored in order to identify an additional participant for the communication session based on a topical context of the interactions. A request is sent to the additional participant to join the communication session. Before the request is sent to the additional participant, the participants in the existing communication session may be notified with a prompt inquiring as to whether the additional participant should be contacted to join the existing communication session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring interactions between two or more participants of a communication session to identify an additional participant for the communication session based on a topical context of the interactions;

determining availability of the additional participant;

sending to the additional participant a request to join the communication session when it is determined that the additional participant is available to join the communication session;

accessing calendar information for the two or more participants and the additional participant when it is determined that the additional participant is not available to join the communication session;

determining, based on the calendar information, availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant for a future communication session at a future time that includes the two or more participants and the additional participant; and

scheduling the future communication session for the two or more participants and the additional participant based on the determined availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant at the future time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring comprises monitoring one or more of:

voice audio of the two or more participants, instant messages exchanged between the two or more participants, video of the two or more participants, and content shared by the two or more participants during the communication session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring comprises determining one or more subject matter terms and/or names of one or more other persons in the interactions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring comprises performing voice recognition and natural language processing techniques to determine one or more subject matter terms and/or names of one or more other persons.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising analyzing, based on the one or more subject matter terms and/or names, one or more of:

a personal contacts directory and persons in an enterprise social network community of the participants in the meeting, to identify the additional participant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting to the two or more participants a prompt inquiring as to whether the additional participant should be contacted to join the communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending comprises sending to the additional participant the request which contains an explanation that the additional participant has been automatically identified to join the communication session between the two or more participants.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a response indicating that the additional participant is not available to join the communication session, and determining availability of resources for scheduling the future communication session that includes the additional participant.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising reserving resources for the future communication session at the future time in which the two or more participants and the additional participants are determined to be available.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a response indicating that the additional participant is not available to join the communication session, and identifying another additional participant to be contacted to join the communication session.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface unit configured to enable communications over a network; and

a processor coupled to the network interface unit, wherein the processor is configured to;

monitor interactions between two or more participants of a communication session to identify an additional participant for the communication session based on a topical context of the interactions;

determine availability of the additional participant;

cause to be sent to the additional participant a request to join the communication session when it is determined that the additional participant is available to join the communication session;

access calendar information for the two or more participants and the additional participant when it is determined that the additional participant is not available to join the communication session;

determine, based on the calendar information, availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant for a future communication session at a future time that includes two or more participants and the additional participant; and

schedule the future communication session for the two or more participants and the additional participant based on the determined availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant at the future time.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to monitor one or more of:

voice audio of the two or more participants, instant messages exchanged between the two or more participants, video of the two or more participants, and content shared during the meeting by the two or more participants.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to monitor by determining one or more subject matter terms and/or names of one or more other persons in the interactions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to analyze, based on the one or more subject matter terms and/or names, one or more of:

a personal contacts directory and persons in an enterprise social network community of the participants in the meeting, to identify the additional participant.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to generate for presentation to the two or more participants a prompt inquiring as to whether the additional participant should be contacted to join the communication session.

16. A non-transitory processor readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

monitor interactions between two or more participants of a communication session to identify an additional participant for the communication session based on a topical context of the interactions;

determine availability of the additional participant;

cause to be sent to the additional participant a request to join the communication session when it is determined that the additional participant is available to join the communication session;

access calendar information for the two or more participants and the additional participant when it is determined that the additional participant is not available join the communication session;

determine, based on the calendar information, availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant for a future communication session at a future time that includes two or more participants and the additional participant; and

schedule the future communication session for the two or more participants and the additional participant based on the determined availability of the two or more participants and the additional participant at the future time.

17. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to monitor comprise instructions that cause the processor to monitor one or more of:

voice audio of the two or more participants, instant messages exchanged between the two or more participants, video of the two or more participants, and content shared during the meeting by the two or more participants.

18. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to monitor comprise instructions that cause the processor to determine one or more subject matter terms and/or names of one or more other persons in the interactions.

19. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to analyze, based on the one or more subject matter terms and/or names, one or more of:

a personal contacts directory and persons in an enterprise social network community of the participants in the meeting, to identify the additional participant.

20. The non-transitory processor readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to generate for presentation to the two or more participants a prompt inquiring as to whether the additional participant should be contacted to join the communication session.