Techniques for managing expenses for a conference scheduled using availability data

• US 7,881,232 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ethier, Randall, Bieselin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): King; Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/983,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/14, 705/12, 705/9, 705/10, 708/112, 370/260, 379/202.01, 379/265.09
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8022 Determining tariff or charge band
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8066 According to the number of recipients
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8072 Group, conference or multi-party call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects

Abstract

Techniques for scheduling a conference among multiple persons include receiving quorum data, availability data and cost data. Quorum data indicates a quorum for a particular conference. Availability data indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum. Cost data indicates a cost to be incurred while conducting a conference. A proposed cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum is determined based on the quorum data, the availability data and the cost data. These techniques allow costs of products and services that support a scheduled conference to be estimated, and allow those products and services to be reserved and paid for without additional manual input.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, comprising:

receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference; and

determining, using a conference scheduling system, a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based at least in part on the availability data.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising determining at least one of the time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based at least in part on the financial cost data.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising determining, using the conference scheduling system, based at least in part on the financial cost data, a vendor to provide for the particular conference at least one of a service and a product.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising reserving from the vendor for the particular conference, based on the financial cost data, at least one of the service and the product.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising authorizing payment to the vendor, based on the financial cost data, for at least one of the service and the product.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a vendor for at least one of a product and a service to support a conference.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a financial cost for at least one of:

transportation for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum to a location where the particular conference is conducted;

food for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

lodging for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum in a vicinity of a location where the particular conference is conducted;

a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

equipment in a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

remote conferencing service for the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

pre-conference preparation for a conference room at a locations where the particular conference is conducted;

post-conference housecleaning for a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted; and

network resources among a plurality of locations where the particular conference is conducted.

9. A method for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, comprising:

receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference, wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a financial cost for at least one of

transportation for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum to a location where the particular conference is conducted,

food for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

lodging for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum in a vicinity of a location where the particular conference is conducted,

a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

equipment in a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

remote conferencing service for the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

pre-conference preparation for a conference room at a locations where the particular conference is conducted,

post-conference housecleaning for a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted, and

network resources among a plurality of locations where the particular conference is conducted;

determining a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data;

determining at least one of a time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based on at least one of the availability data and the financial cost data;

determining, based at least in part on the financial cost data, a vendor to provide for the particular conference at least one of a service and a product;

reserving from the vendor for the particular conference, based on the financial cost data, at least one of the service and the product; and

authorizing payment to the vendor, based on the financial cost data, for at least one of the service and the product.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform:

receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference; and

determining a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data.

11. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the determining at least one of a time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based at least in part on the availability data.

12. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the determining at least one of the time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based at least in part on the financial cost data.

13. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the determining, based at least in part on the financial cost data, a vendor to provide for the particular conference at least one of a service and a product.

14. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the reserving from the vendor for the particular conference, based on the financial cost data, at least one of the service and the product.

15. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform the authorizing payment to the vendor, based on the financial cost data, for at least one of the service and the product.

16. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a vendor for at least one of a product and a service to support a conference.

17. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10 wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a financial cost for at least one of:

transportation for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum to a location where the particular conference is conducted;

food for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

lodging for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum in a vicinity of a location where the particular conference is conducted;

a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

equipment in a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted;

remote conferencing service for the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

pre-conference preparation for a conference room at a locations where the particular conference is conducted;

post-conference housecleaning for a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted; and

network resources among a plurality of locations where the particular conference is conducted.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform:

receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference, wherein said financial cost data includes data that indicates a financial cost for at least one of

transportation for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum to a location where the particular conference is conducted,

food for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

lodging for a person of the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum in a vicinity of a location where the particular conference is conducted,

a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

equipment in a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted,

remote conferencing service for the plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

pre-conference preparation for a conference room at a locations where the particular conference is conducted,

post-conference housecleaning for a conference room at a location where the particular conference is conducted, and

network resources among a plurality of locations where the particular conference is conducted;

determining a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data;

determining at least one of a time for the particular conference and at least one location for the particular conference based on at least one of the availability data and the financial cost data;

determining, based at least in part on the financial cost data, a vendor to provide for the particular conference at least one of a service and a product;

reserving from the vendor for the particular conference, based on the financial cost data, at least one of the service and the product; and

authorizing payment to the vendor, based on the financial cost data, for at least one of the service and the product.

19. An apparatus for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, comprising:

means for receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

means for receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

means for receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference; and

means for determining a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data.

20. An apparatus for scheduling a conference among multiple persons, comprising:

a network interface that is coupled to a network for communicating one or more packet flows therewith;

one or more processors; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processor, cause the one or more processors to carry out;

receiving quorum data that indicates a quorum for a particular conference;

receiving from a database availability data that indicates availability of a plurality of persons who satisfy the quorum;

receiving from a database financial cost data that indicates a financial cost to be incurred while conducting a conference; and

determining a proposed financial cost for the particular conference that satisfies the quorum based on the quorum data, the availability data and the financial cost data.