Visualizing conversations across conference calls

• US 10,574,473 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barsoba, Fernando, Britt, David T., Simmering, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US16/207,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 450 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• 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

Abstract

A method can include conducting a plurality of related conference calls and generating a visualization for each conference call. The visualizations can be sent to computing devices of participants of the plurality of conference calls concurrently with the plurality of conference calls.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method within a teleconference computer hardware system that is communicatively linked to a plurality of user hardware devices and conducting a plurality of related conference calls between the plurality of user hardware devices, comprising:

receiving, from a first participant associated with one of the plurality of user hardware devices, a request;

determining, responsive to the request, an identity of the first participant;

determining a type of the request;

selecting, based upon the type of request, between joining a different one of the plurality of related conference calls and creating a breakout conference call; and

implementing the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the creating the breakout conference call includes:

identifying participants for the breakout conference call;

disconnecting the identified participants from current conference calls in which the identified participants are participating; and

joining the identified participants to the breakout conference call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the joining the different one of the plurality of related conference calls includes:

determining a current conference call in which the first participant is participating;

determining a target conference call to which the first participant has selected to join;

disconnecting the one of the plurality of user hardware devices from the current conference call; and

joining the one of the plurality of user hardware devices to the target conference call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

an attribute of the first participant is determined, and

a recommendation is made, to the first participant and based upon the attribute, as to a related conference call to join.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the recommendation is based upon a comparison of the attribute to visualizations for related conference calls.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein

the attribute includes a role of the first participant.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein

the attribute includes an area of expertise of the first participant.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein

an attribute of the first participant is determined, and

the first participant is automatically joined to one of the plurality of related conference calls based upon the attribute.

9. A teleconference computer hardware system that is communicatively linked to a plurality of user hardware devices and conducting a plurality of related conference calls between the plurality of user hardware devices, comprising:

a hardware processor configured to initiate the following executable operations;

receiving, from a first participant associated with one of the plurality of user hardware devices, a request;

determining, responsive to the request, an identity of the first participant;

determining a type of the request;

selecting, based upon the type of request, between joining a different one of the plurality of related conference calls and creating a breakout conference call; and

implementing the selection.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein

the creating the breakout conference call includes:

identifying participants for the breakout conference call;

disconnecting the identified participants from current conference calls in which the identified participants are participating; and

joining the identified participants to the breakout conference call.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein

the joining the different one of the plurality of related conference calls includes:

determining a current conference call in which the first participant is participating;

determining a target conference call to which the first participant has selected to join;

disconnecting the one of the plurality of user hardware devices from the current conference call; and

joining the one of the plurality of user hardware devices to the target conference call.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein

an attribute of the first participant is determined, and

a recommendation is made, to the first participant and based upon the attribute, as to a related conference call to join.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein

the recommendation is based upon a comparison of the attribute to visualizations for related conference calls.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein

the attribute includes a role of the first participant.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein

the attribute includes an area of expertise of the first participant.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein

an attribute of the first participant is determined, and

the first participant is automatically joined to one of the plurality of related conference calls based upon the attribute.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein,

the computer readable program code, which when executed by a teleconference computer hardware system that is communicatively linked to a plurality of user hardware devices and conducting a plurality of related conference calls between the plurality of user hardware devices, causes the teleconference computer hardware system to perform;

receiving, from a first participant associated with one of the plurality of user hardware devices, a request;

determining, responsive to the request, an identity of the first participant;

determining a type of the request;

selecting, based upon the type of request, between joining a different one of the plurality of related conference calls and creating a breakout conference call; and

implementing the selection.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein

the creating the breakout conference call includes:

identifying participants for the breakout conference call;

disconnecting the identified participants from current conference calls in which the identified participants are participating; and

joining the identified participants to the breakout conference call.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein

the joining the different one of the plurality of related conference calls includes:

determining a current conference call in which the first participant is participating;

determining a target conference call to which the first participant has selected to join;

disconnecting the one of the plurality of user hardware devices from the current conference call; and

joining the one of the plurality of user hardware devices to the target conference call.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein

an attribute of the first participant is determined, and

a recommendation is made, to the first participant and based upon the attribute, as to a related conference call to join.