Automatically establishing conferences from desktop applications over the Internet

• US 6,798,753 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tantawi, Asser Nasreldin, Mourad, Magda M., Krantz, A. Steven, Doganata, Yurdaer, Operowsky, Howard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US09/417,632
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260-263, 370/271, 379/157, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.03, 709/204-207
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• 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 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects

Abstract

A system and method for providing automatic scheduling and establishment of telephone conferences over a network such as the Internet. A user inputs conference information to a desktop application, and the scheduling, the contacting of participants, and the control of the conference are conducted automatically. If the conference is scheduled to dial out to the participants and is marked as a calendar entry, the desktop application stores the conference information, including the start/end time of a conference, the telephone numbers of the participants, the choice of service provider, and an account id. Once a teleconference calendar entry is created, the process starts and the conference is established automatically. At the scheduled time, the desktop application warns the user by running an alarm function to remind them of the time of the conference. Thereafter, a secondary application is invoked and the conference information is passed to the secondary application for automatic establishment of the conference. When the secondary application is invoked, it establishes an Internet connection with the service provider and exchanges data messages to start and monitor the audio conference. The status of the participants and of the conference are reported to the user by the secondary application via a user interface. The conference service provider receives the telephone numbers of the participants over the established data connection and starts dialing out to the participants. When the participants answer, they are all connected to an audio bridge. In one modification of the invention, the service provider returns a dial-in number and a password, upon request, to be distributed to the participants, so that any users who are unable to provide a dial-out number in advance may dial in to the scheduled conference.

Claims

1. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a desktop calendar application at a user computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a user'"'"'s appointment calendar page generated by the desktop calendar application;

said desktop calendar application automatically invoking a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary conference application with the conference information;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary conference application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary conference application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the service provider; and

providing notification from said secondary application to the desktop calendar application of receipt of the conference confirmation information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computer maintains a user appointment calendar, further comprising the desktop application updating the appointment calendar with the conference confirmation information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computer has an alarm function, further comprising the desktop application invoking the alarm function based on the conference confirmation information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein invoking the alarm function comprises setting the alarm to a preset time and further comprising the secondary application automatically dialing in to the service provider at the preset time.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the desktop calendar application generating e-mail notifications to conference participants based on the conference confirmation information.

6. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a desktop calendar application at a user computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a user'"'"'s appointment calendar page generated by the desktop calendar application;

said desktop calendar application automatically invoking a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary application with the conference information;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application; and

receiving conference confirmation information from the service provider;

wherein the conference request includes a request for an immediate conference and further comprising said service provider establishing the conference across an audio bridge and wherein receiving conference confirmation information comprises being connected to the audio bridge.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the secondary application monitoring the status of the conference and reporting the status to the user computer.

8. Apparatus for automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a user computer comprising:

a desktop calendar application;

at least one user input interface for receiving user input of conference information at a user'"'"'s appointment calendar page generated by said desktop calendar application;

an application interface for said desktop calendar application to automatically invoke a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary application with the conference information;

a secondary conference application for receiving conference information, for automatically dialing a conference service provider, for communicating a conference request to the conference service provider, for receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider, and for providing notification of receipt of the conference confirmation information; and

wherein said desktop calendar application is adapted for receiving the user input from the user input interface, for processing the conference information, and for receiving notification of receipt of the conference confirmation information from the secondary application.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the desktop calendar application additionally comprises the application interface to the secondary application.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the desktop calendar application additionally comprises a calendar component for updating a user appointment calendar based on conference confirmation information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the desktop calendar application additionally comprises an alarm component for the desktop calendar application to invoke an alarm function based on the conference confirmation information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the alarm component includes a clock and wherein invoking the alarm function comprises setting the clock to a preset time based on the conference confirmation information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the desktop calendar application additionally comprises a notification component for generating e-mail notifications based on the conference confirmation information.

14. A desktop calendar application for a user computer to automatically establish a conference from said desktop application over the Internet comprising:

at least one user input interface for receiving user input of conference information to a user appointment calendar page generated by said desktop calendar application;

an application interface for automatically invoking a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary application with the conference information and for receiving conference confirmation information from the secondary application; and

a calendar update component for updating the user appointment calendar based on conference confirmation information.

15. The desktop application of claim 14 additionally comprising a notification component for generating e-mail notifications based on the conference confirmation information.

16. A desktop calendar application for a user computer to automatically establish a conference from said desktop application over the Internet comprising:

at least one user input interface for receiving user input of conference information to a user appointment calendar page generated by said desktop application;

an application interface for automatically invoking a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary application with the conference information and for receiving conference confirmation information from the secondary application; and

an alarm component for the desktop application to invoke an alarm function based on the conference confirmation information.

17. The desktop application of claim 16, wherein the alarm component includes a clock and wherein invoking the alarm function comprises setting the clock to a preset time based on the conference confirmation information.

18. A platform independent secondary conference application at a user computer for automatically establishing a conference from the user computer over the Internet comprising:

an interface component for receiving user input conference information to a user appointment calendar page generated by a desktop calendar application;

a dialer component for automatically dialing over the Internet to a conference service provider and for communicating conference information to the conference service provider;

a receiver for receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

a conference monitoring component for monitoring a conference established based on the conference confirmation information.

19. The secondary application of claim 18 wherein the conference monitoring component additionally comprises means for communicating conference change information over the Internet to the service provider.

20. The secondary application of claim 18 further comprising user interface component for communicating conference monitoring information to the user.

21. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a user computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a platform independent secondary conference application from a user appointment calendar page generated by a desktop calendar application;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

providing notification from said secondary application of receipt of the conference confirmation information.

22. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a user computer, wherein the user computer maintains a user appointment calendar, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a platform independent secondary conference application from a user appointment calendar page generated by a desktop calendar application;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

updating the appointment calendar with the conference confirmation information.

23. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a user computer, wherein the user computer has an alarm function, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a platform independent secondary conference application from a user appointment calendar page of a desktop calendar application;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

invoking the alarm function based on the conference confirmation information and automatically dialing in from the secondary conference application to the conference service provider at the preset time.

24. A method of automatically establishing a conference over the Internet from a user computer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input of conference information at a platform independent secondary conference application from a user appointment calendar page of a desktop calendar application;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application; and

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider;

wherein the conference request includes a request for an immediate conference and further comprising said conference service provider establishing the conference across an audio bridge and wherein receiving conference confirmation information comprises being connected to the audio bridge.

25. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for automatically establishing a conference from a desktop calendar application at a user computer over the Internet, said method steps comprising:

receiving user input of conference information at a user appointment calendar page generated by the desktop calendar application;

automatically invoking a platform independent secondary conference application and providing the secondary application with the conference information;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

providing notification from said secondary application to the desktop application of receipt of the conference confirmation information.

26. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for automatically establishing a conference from a user computer over the Internet, said method steps comprising:

receiving user input of conference information at a platform independent secondary conference application from a user appointment calendar page of a user desktop calendar application;

automatically dialing a conference service provider from the secondary application;

communicating a conference request to the conference service provider from the secondary application;

receiving conference confirmation information from the conference service provider; and

providing notification from said secondary application of receipt of the conference confirmation information.