Methods and systems for organizing meetings

• US 8,312,091 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobile-Plan-It LLC
• Original Assignee: Jens U. Horstmann
• Inventors: Horstmann, Jens, Katajamaki, Matti, Zarea, Saeed, Potter, Susan, Wiesner, Miroslav Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US13/135,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/213
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A conference organizer uses conference software to define a conference and to store conference information on the organizer'"'"'s computer system. The stored conference information includes a list of attendees, and a personal proxy mailbox for each attendee. Each attendee has a wireless device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). The organizer'"'"'s computer system includes a wireless communication station that can communicate in wireless fashion with the wireless devices of the attendees at the conference. During the conference, an attendee uses his/her wireless device to access the conference information, select another attendee or a group of attendee from the list of attendees, and send the selected attendee or attendees a message. The message can be conveyed to and stored in the personal proxy mailbox or mailboxes of the selected attendee or attendees. The use of personal proxy mailboxes allows attendees to send messages to one another and to receive messages from one another without divulging their primary email addresses.

Claims

1. A method for organizing a meeting, occurring at a physical meeting location, using software executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

storing meeting information associated with the meeting, the meeting information including a database listing the physical meeting location and attendees of the meeting, the attendees registered to attend the meeting at the physical meeting location and including a first attendee and a second attendee;

associating first and second ones of the attendees with respective first and second primary electronic addresses;

assigning a first personal proxy to the first one of the attendees and a second personal proxy to the second one of the attendees, the first personal proxy having a first personal proxy mailbox and first personal storage space and the second personal proxy having a second personal proxy mailbox and second personal storage space;

wherein the first and second personal proxy mailboxes allow the first and second ones of the attendees to send messages to one another and to receive messages from one another without divulging their respective first and second primary electronic addresses;

communicating with a first wireless device of the first attendee and a second wireless device of the second attendee to convey updated meeting information, the updated meeting information including an updated attendee list;

receiving, from the first attendee, a message directed to the second personal proxy mailbox; and

directing the message to the second attendee using the second primary electronic address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the message to the second attendee at the second personal proxy mailbox.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the first attendee with first sharing information to be shared during the meeting, wherein the first sharing information includes a picture of the first attendee.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, responsive to a download request from the second attendee, sending the picture of the first attendee to the second wireless device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising updating the first sharing information to include video information.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first attendee sharing information specifies a second location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second location is within the meeting location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices are telephones.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising communicating with the first and second wireless devices using a wireless communication station at the meeting location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a meeting organizer is one of the attendees, the meeting organizer attending the meeting at the meeting location with the first and second attendees, and wherein the meeting organizer utilize a wireless access point at the location to communicate with the first and second wireless devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a meeting organizer defines the meeting by selecting the attendees, and by entering the meeting location, a start date, and an end date.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing digital pictures in the first and second personal storage spaces.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the digital pictures include a picture of the first attendee.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving links from the first attendee to selected information stored on a computer other than the computer system and updating the meeting information to include the links.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining an attendee group from a subset of the attendees of the meeting.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising directing a notification to the attendee group.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving an announcement from a third of the attendees in the attendee group; and

sending the announcement to others of the attendees in the group without sending the announcement to all the attendees.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein defining the attendee group includes specifying a group location.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the meeting is a conference.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending requests to register for the meeting to the first and second wireless devices.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to a request from the first wireless device, sending information from the personal storage space of the first attendee to the first wireless device.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to a request from the second wireless device, sending information from the personal storage space of the first attendee to the second wireless device.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a forwarding option from the second attendee, wherein directing the message to the second attendee is based on the forwarding option.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving a forwarding option from the first attendee;

and receiving, from the second attendee, a second message directed to the first attending using the first personal proxy mailbox, and storing the second message in the first personal proxy mailbox without directing the second message to the first primary electronic address based on the forwarding option from the first attendee.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second attendees have respective first and second attendee names, the method further comprising generating first and second attendee identifiers for the first and second personal proxy mailboxes, each of the first and second attendee identifiers having a one part indicative of the respective attendee name and another part common to the identifiers.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second message from the first wireless device and posting the second message to the attendees.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein posting the second message comprises sending the message to first and second personal proxy mailboxes.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising maintaining a message board, wherein posting the message comprises depicting the message on the message board.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein posting the message includes examining first and second forwarding options associated with the first and second attendees and sending the message to at least one of the first and second primary electronic addresses based on the forwarding options.

30. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a map of the meeting location to the first and second wireless devices.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising organizing the attendees into attendee groupings.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the attendee groupings include a company grouping.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the attendee groupings include a buddies grouping.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising including the first attendee in a buddy group that is a subset of the attendees, receiving an invitation, notification, or announcement from the first attendee directed to the buddy group, and directing the invitation, notification, or announcement to the attendees in the buddy group.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the organizing is based on attendee sign-up information.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the organizing is based on enrollment in the meeting.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a subset of that list of attendees as present at the meeting.

38. A computer system for communicating information about a meeting, held at a physical meeting location, with a plurality of wireless devices, the computer system comprising:

server-side storage storing an address specifying the meeting location and a list of attendees to attend the meeting at the meeting location, the server-side storage correlating first and second ones of the wireless devices with respective first and second ones of the attendees in the list of attendees; and

maintaining first and second personal proxies, first and second primary email addresses, and first and second forwarding options for the respective first and second attendees on the list of attendees; and

an interface to communicate with the first and second wireless devices to allow the first and second attendees to convey respective first and second sharing information from their respective first and second wireless devices to their respective first and second personal proxies;

wherein the interface further allows the first attendee, using the first wireless device, to select the second attendee from the list of attendees, compose a message to the second attendee, and send the message to the second personal proxy without knowing the primary email address of the second attendee; and

wherein the interface selectively forwards the message to the second primary email address based on the second forwarding option.

39. The computer system of claim 38, further comprising first and second client software executing on the first and second wireless devices to communicate with the interface.