Protecting scheduled meeting in physical room

• US 10,706,391 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yang, Mingfeng, Xie, DeLei
• Primary Examiner(s): Feacher, Renae
• Application Number:
  US15/648,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20190019162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for securing a meeting in a physical conference room with multiple meetings scheduled therein. A list of scheduled meetings for the physical conference room is received from a videoconference server that is configured to host a multi-endpoint conference meeting between a local endpoint associated with the physical conference room and at least one remote endpoint. A first meeting within the list of scheduled meetings is designated as a locked meeting. The list of scheduled meetings that do not have the locked designation associated with the physical conference room for display are displayed, whereas for the first meeting, display of meeting information is suppressed. The presence of a device associated with an entity invited to the first meeting is detected, and at least one resource in the physical conference room is unlocked for use in the first meeting when a received meeting identifier is verified.

Claims

1. A method for securing a videoconference in a physical conference room through a control panel that controls the videoconference, the method comprising:

receiving at least one scheduled videoconference meeting for the physical conference room from a videoconference server, the videoconference server configured to host a multi-endpoint videoconference meeting between a local endpoint associated with the physical conference room and a remote endpoint;

determining that a first videoconference meeting within the at least one scheduled videoconference meeting has been designated as a locked meeting;

in response to the determining;

suppressing display on the control panel of meeting information for the first videoconference meeting;

lock out access to the first videoconference meeting through the control panel, such that the first videoconference meeting cannot be joined from within the physical conference room while the lock out is maintained;

detecting within the physical conference room a device associated with an entity invited to the first videoconference meeting;

suspending, in response to the detecting, the suppressing display such that the meeting information for the first videoconference meeting is displayed on the control panel;

suspending the lock out of the control panel to permit joining of the first videoconference meeting in response to the detecting and subsequent verification of a received meeting identifier;

joining the first videoconference meeting during the suspending; and

resuming the lock out after failing to detect the device for a predetermined period of time;

wherein the suppressing display and the lock out do not apply to a videoconference that is designated as unlocked.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the suspending the suppressing display includes displaying the first videoconference meeting on the control panel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the device associated with the first videoconference meeting includes receiving the meeting identifier identifying a calendar invitation specific to the first videoconference meeting from the device.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

periodically receiving a present message from the device; and

the resuming of the lock out is in response to failure to receive the present message from the device within a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the detecting, presenting an option on the device to unlock the first videoconference meeting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting identifier is received from the control panel in communication with the local endpoint associated with the physical conference room.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an authorized participant of the first videoconference meeting designates the first videoconference meeting as unlocked, wherein meeting information for the first videoconference meeting is displayed, and a second videoconference meeting designated as locked remains locked and suppressed from display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authorized participant is a host of the first videoconference meeting.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting an option to designate the first videoconference meeting as a locked meeting; and

upon an affirmative response to the option, prompting for input of a meeting identifier configured to unlocking at least one resource in the physical conference room for use in the first videoconference meeting when the received meeting identifier is received during a subsequent period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing one or more participants located in the physical conference room once the first videoconference meeting has started, and wherein identifying information of the one or more participants are displayed on each device of the participant connected to the first videoconference meeting.

11. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed cause at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving at least one scheduled videoconference meeting for a physical conference room from a videoconference server, the videoconference server configured to host a multi-endpoint videoconference meeting between a local endpoint associated with the physical conference room and a remote endpoint the physical conference room having a control panel that controls the videoconference meeting;

determining whether a first videoconference meeting within the at least one scheduled videoconference meeting has been designated as a locked meeting;

in response to the determining;

suppress display on the control panel of meeting information for the first videoconference meeting;

lock out access to the first videoconference meeting through the control panel within the physical conference room, such that the first videoconference meeting cannot be joined from within the physical conference room while the lock out is maintained;

detecting within the physical conference room a device associated with an entity invited to a first videoconference meeting;

suspending, in response to the detecting, the suppressing display such that the meeting information for the first videoconference meeting is displayed on the control panel;

suspending the lock out of the control panel to permit joining of the first videoconference meeting in response to the detecting and subsequent verification of a received meeting identifier;

joining the first videoconference meeting during suspending of the lock out; and

resuming the lock out after failing to detect the device for a predetermined period of time;

wherein the suppressing display and the lock out do not apply to a video conference that is designated as unlocked.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the suspending the suppressing display includes displaying the first videoconference meeting on the control panel.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the detecting the device associated with the first videoconference meeting includes receiving the meeting identifier identifying a calendar invitation specific to the first videoconference meeting from the device.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

periodically receiving a present message from the device; and

the resuming of the lock out is in response to failure to receive the present message from the device within a predetermined period of time.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one computing device to:

determining that a device of the participant has entered the physical conference room; and

generating a notification for display on the device that presents an option to unlock the first videoconference meeting.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the meeting identifier is received from the control panel in communication with the local endpoint associated with the physical conference room.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein an authorized participant of the first videoconference meeting re-designates the first videoconference meeting as unlocked, and a second videoconference meeting designated as locked remains locked and suppressed from display.

18. A system comprising:

a videoconference server configured to host a multi-endpoint conference meeting; and

a local endpoint associated with a physical conference room in communication with the videoconference server, the local endpoint configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving at least one scheduled videoconference meeting for a physical conference room from a videoconference server, the videoconference server configured to host a multi-endpoint video conference meeting between a local endpoint associated with the physical conference room and a remote endpoint;

determining whether a first videoconference meeting within the at least one scheduled videoconference meeting has been designated as a locked meeting;

in response to the determining;

suppressing display on a control panel of meeting information for the first videoconference meeting;

lock out access to the first videoconference meeting through the control panel within the physical conference room, such that the first videoconference meeting cannot be joined from within the physical conference room while the lock out is maintained;

detecting within the physical conference room a device associated with an entity invited to the first videoconference meeting;

suspending, in response to the detecting, the suppressing display such that the meeting information for the first videoconference meeting is displayed on the control panel;

suspending the lock out of the control panel to permit joining of the first videoconference meeting in response to the detecting and subsequent verification of a received meeting identifier;

joining the first videoconference meeting during suspending of the lock out; and

resuming the lock out after failing to detect the device for a predetermined period of time;

wherein the suppressing display and the lock out do not apply to a video conference that is designated as unlocked.