Device Orchestration

• US 20080183820A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Golovchinsky, Gene, Back, Maribeth Joy, Boreczky, John Steven, Qvarfordt, Pernilla, van Melle, William J., Dunnigan, Anthony Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• 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 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system is provided that coordinates the operation of hardware devices and software applications in support of specific tasks such as holding a meeting. The system includes one or more computers connected by a network, at least one configuration repository component, at least one room control component, and one or more devices and applications for each room control component. Meeting presenters can configure a meeting, or they may use a default configuration. A meeting includes one or more presenters'"'"' configurations of devices and applications to accommodate multiple presenters simultaneously. The meeting configurations are stored by the configuration repository component. Each presenter'"'"'s configuration comprises a subset of the one or more devices and applications. The operation of devices and applications in the meeting is coordinated by the room control component based on the presenters'"'"' configurations for the meeting.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for coordinating the operation of hardware devices and software applications in support of specific tasks such as holding a meeting, the method comprising:

providing one or more computers connected by a network;

providing at least one configuration repository component, each configuration repository component residing on any of the one or more computers;

providing at least one room control component, each room control component residing on any of the one or more computers;

providing one or more devices and applications for each room control component;

enabling one or more presenters to create a meeting, each meeting representation comprising one or more presenters'"'"' configurations of devices and applications to accommodate multiple presenters, the meeting representation stored by the configuration repository component, and each presenter'"'"'s configuration comprising a subset of the one or more devices and applications; and

coordinating the operation of the devices and applications in the meeting by the room control component based on the one or more presenters'"'"' configurations for the meeting.

2. A computer-based method according to claim 1, further comprising adding additional devices and applications to the system while the system is running.

3. A computer-based method according to claim 1, wherein coordinating the operation of the devices and applications comprises one of autonomously running the coordination by the room control component and running the coordination through a presenter interface by the presenter.

4. A computer-based method according to claim 1, further comprising providing at least one display machine for each room control component.

5. A computer-based method according to claim 1, wherein coordinating the operation of the devices and applications comprises presenting by the multiple presenters one of simultaneously, sequentially, and a combination of simultaneously and sequentially.

6. A computer-based method according to claim 1, wherein enabling one or more presenters to configure a meeting and coordinating the operation of devices and applications both comprise first authenticating one of the one or more presenters with an authentication device.

7. A computer-based method according to claim 1, further comprising storing meeting information in one or more databases including meeting, room, presenter, configuration, device, device state, and attribute information.

8. A computer-based method according to claim 7, further comprising storing device-specific information in the one or more databases.

9. A computer-based method according to claim 7, wherein:

the one or more databases comprise one of existing commercial databases, custom databases, and open source software;

the applications comprise existing commercial software; and

the devices comprise one or more of projectors, electronic white boards, video switchers, audio switchers, and video conference devices, lights, audio devices, and air conditioning.

10. A computer-based method according to claim 7, further comprising providing system independence from the choice of database by using a database abstraction layer.

11. A computer-based method according to claim 1, wherein the meeting representation comprises one or more of location, meeting type, user preferences, and the presence of remote participants.

12. A system for coordinating the operation of hardware devices and software applications in support of specific tasks such as holding a meeting, the system comprising:

one or more computers connected by a network;

at least one configuration repository component, each configuration repository component residing on any of the one or more computers;

at least one room control component, each room control component residing on any of the one or more computers;

one or more devices and applications for each room control component;

a meeting created by one or more presenters, the meeting representation comprising one or more presenters'"'"' configurations of devices and applications to accommodate multiple presenters, the meeting representation stored by the configuration repository component, and each presenter'"'"'s configuration comprising a subset of the one or more devices and applications; and

a coordination of the operation of the devices and applications in the meeting by the room control component based on the one or more presenters'"'"' configurations for the meeting.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein additional devices and applications are added to the system while the system is running by using software wrappers to isolate differences specific to the devices and applications.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein the coordination of the operation of the devices and applications comprises one of autonomous coordination by the room control component and coordination through a presenter interface by the presenter.

15. A system according to claim 12, further comprising at least one display machine for each room control component.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein the coordination of the operation of the devices and applications comprises presentations by the multiple presenters one of simultaneously, sequentially, and a combination of simultaneously and sequentially.

17. A system according to claim 12, wherein a meeting configured by one or more presenters and coordination of the operation of devices and applications both comprise an authentication of one of the one or more presenters with an authentication device.

18. A system according to claim 12, further comprising databases that store meeting information including meeting, room, presenter, configuration, device, device state, and attribute information.

19. A system according to claim 18, further comprising storage of device-specific information in the one or more databases.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein:

the databases comprise one of existing commercial databases, custom databases, and open source software;

the applications comprise existing commercial software; and

the devices comprise one or more of projectors, electronic white boards, video switchers, audio switchers, and video conference devices.

21. A system according to claim 18, further comprising system independence from the choice of database by using a database abstraction layer.

22. A system according to claim 12, wherein the meeting representation comprises one or more of location, meeting type, user preferences, and the presence of remote participants.

23. A program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a function for coordinating the operation of hardware devices and software applications in support of specific tasks such as holding a meeting, the function comprising the steps of:

providing one or more computers connected by a network;

providing at least one configuration repository component, each configuration repository component residing on any of the one or more computers;

providing at least one room control component, each room control component residing on any of the one or more computers;

providing one or more devices and applications for each room control component;

enabling one or more presenters to create a meeting, each meeting representation comprising one or more presenters'"'"' configurations of devices and applications to accommodate multiple presenters simultaneously, the meeting representation stored by the configuration repository component, and each presenter'"'"'s configuration comprising a subset of the one or more devices and applications; and

coordinating the operation of the devices and applications in the meeting by the room control component based on the one or more presenters'"'"' configurations for the meeting.