Conferencing and meeting implementations with advanced features

• US 9,401,994 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Narayanaswamy, Ramprakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/666,576
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• 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 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0042 where the data service is a text-based messaging service H04M7/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

Meeting and conferencing systems and methods are implemented in a variety of manners. Consistent with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for operating an audio conference system that includes at least one logic circuit and a caller interface involves receiving incoming telephony calls at the caller interface. A logic circuit is used to authenticate incoming telephony calls. Menu options are provided to authenticated, incoming telephony calls. In response to a selection of the menu options, an incoming telephony call is prompted to select a callback number. The logic circuit monitors for a trigger event. A participant is called back using the selected call back number in response to detecting the trigger event. The called-back participant is then placed into a conference.

Claims

1. An audio conference system comprising:

a caller interface circuit configured to receive incoming telephony calls; and

a computer processor circuit configured to

identify, for an incoming message, a particular audio conference;

notify participants of the particular audio conference that the incoming message is available;

provide, to participants of the particular audio conference, menu options for accepting the message; and

play, in response to selection of an option from the menu options, the incoming message in the particular audio conference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor circuit is further configured to identify the particular audio conference based upon a destination telephone number specified by the incoming message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the incoming message is a text-based message and wherein the computer processor circuit is configured to apply a text-to-speech conversion of the text based message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the menu options include an option to add a provider of the message to the particular audio conference.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer processor circuit is further configured to call, in response to selection of the option to add the provider of the message to the particular audio conference, the provider of the message, and connect the provider of the message to the particular audio conference.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the incoming message is a text-based message and the computer processor circuit is further configured to authenticate the incoming message using a passcode contained within text content of the incoming message.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer processor circuit is further configured to disable the authentication in response to the particular audio conference being open to any callers that use a particular call-in number.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor circuit is further configured to provide menu options for accepting the message with an audio interrupt stating that a message has arrived.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a caller interface circuit, incoming telephone calls;

establishing, using a computer processor circuit, audio conferences for the incoming telephone calls;

identifying, using the computer processor circuit and for an incoming message, a particular audio conference from the audio conferences;

notifying, using the computer processor circuit, participants of the particular audio conference that the incoming message is available;

providing, using the computer processor circuit and to participants of the particular audio conference process, menu options for accepting the message; and

playing, using the computer processor circuit and in response to selection of an option from the menu options, the incoming message in the particular audio conference.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identifying the particular audio conference is based upon a destination telephone number specified by the incoming message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the incoming message is a text-based message and further comprising performing a text-to-speech conversion of the text based message.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the menu options include an option to add a provider of the message to the particular audio conference.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, calling, using the computer processor circuit and in response to selection of the option to add the provider of the message to the particular audio conference, the provider of the message, and connecting the provider of the message to the particular audio conference.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the incoming message is a text-based message and further comprising, authentication, using the computer processor circuit, the incoming message using a passcode contained within text content of the incoming message.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing menu options for accepting the message includes an audio interrupt stating that a message has arrived.