Audio sequestering and opt-in sequences for a conference session

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8937888-B2
Application number	US-72693307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2007
Priority date	Mar 23, 2007
Publication date	Jan 20, 2015
Grant date	Jan 20, 2015

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes electronically prompting, in response to a triggering event, a participant connected to a conference session via a corresponding endpoint device to enter an affirmative response in order to continue attending the conference session. The participant is disconnected from the conference session in the event that the affirmative response is not received within a predetermined time period. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
sequestering, in response to a triggering event, a participant of a conference session by muting the participant to the conference session, the triggering event comprising the selection of the participant for sequestering;
providing a graphical user interface (GUI) operable to:
display all participants of the conference session; and
permit a moderator to select from the GUI one or more of the participants in order to sequester the selected participants from the conference session;

electronically prompting, in response to the triggering event, the sequestered participant connected to the conference session via a corresponding endpoint device to enter an affirmative response in order to re-join the conference session, the prompting comprising playing instructions via an interactive voice response (IVR) script regarding how the sequestered participant may re-join the conference session that the sequestered participant has previously been muted from; and
disconnecting the participant from the conference session in the event that the affirmative response is not received within a predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodically repeating the prompting of the participant to enter the affirmative response.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein muting the participant to the conference session comprises blocking or discarding audio packets received from the corresponding endpoint device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises inactivity lasting a specified duration from the corresponding endpoint device of the participant.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises non-speech noise from the corresponding endpoint device of the participant.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event comprises input received from an endpoint device associated with an administrator, moderator, or other participant to the conference session.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference session comprises a continuous conference session.

8. A method comprising:
sequestering, in response to a triggering event, a participant of a conference session by muting the participant to the conference session, the triggering event comprising the selection of the participant for sequestering;
providing a graphical user interface (GUI) operable to:
display all participants of the conference session; and
permit a moderator to select from the GUI one or more of the participants in order to sequester the selected participants from the conference session;

electronically prompting, in response to the triggering event, the sequestered participant connected to the conference session via a corresponding endpoint device to enter an affirmative response in order to re-join the conference session, the prompting comprising playing instructions via an interactive voice response (IVR) script regarding how the sequestered participant may re-join the conference session that the sequestered participant has previously been muted from; and
releasing conference resources dedicated to the participant in the event that the affirmative response is not received within a predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising periodically repeating the prompting of the participant to enter the affirmative response.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein muting the participant to the conference session comprises blocking or discarding audio packets received from the corresponding endpoint device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the conference resources comprises video and/or web-sharing resources.

12. A method comprising:
detecting non-speech noise or inactivity of a certain duration from an endpoint device associated with a participant to a conference session;
sequestering, in response to detecting non-speech noise or inactivity of the certain duration from the endpoint device associated with the participant, the participant by muting audio packets received from the endpoint device;
providing a graphical user interface (GUI) operable to:
display all participants of the conference session; and
permit a moderator to select from the GUI one or more of the participants in order to sequester the selected participants from the conference session;

periodically electronically prompting, via playing instructions in an interactive voice response (IVR) script regarding how the sequestered participant may re-join the conference session that the sequestered participant has previously been muted from, the sequestered participant to enter an affirmative response in order to re-join the conference session; and
removing some or all conference resources dedicated to the participant in the event that the affirmative response is not received within a predetermined time period.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the conference resources comprise audio, video and/or web-sharing resources.

14. A method comprising:
periodically sequestering, by a conferencing system, one or more callers to a conference call by placing the callers on hold;
providing a graphical user interface (GUI) operable to:
display all participants of the conference call; and
permit a moderator to select from the GUI one or more of the participants in order to sequester the selected participants from the conference call;

prompting, via playing instructions in an interactive voice response (IVR) script regarding how the sequestered callers may re-join the conference session in which the sequestered callers have previously been placed on hold, each of the one or more callers to enter an affirmative response in order to return to the conference call; and
removing from the conference call individual ones of the callers who fail to provide an affirmative response within a predetermined time period.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising releasing a subset of, or all, conference resources dedicated to each of the individual ones of the callers who fail to provide an affirmative response within the predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the subset of conference resources comprises video and/or web-sharing resources.

17. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is operable when executed by one or more processors to:
sequester, in response to a triggering event, a participant of a conference session by muting the participant to the conference session, the triggering event comprising the selection of the participant for sequestering;
provide a graphical user interface (GUI) operable to:
display all participants of the conference session; and
permit a moderator to select from the GUI one or more of the participants in order to sequester the selected participants from the conference session;

prompt, via playing instructions via an interactive voice response (IVR) script regarding how the sequestered participant may re-join the conference session that the sequestered participant has previously been muted from, the participant connected to the conference session via a corresponding endpoint device to enter an affirmative response in order to re-join the conference session;
remove the participant from the conference session in the event that the affirmative response is not received within a predetermined time period; and
release conference resources dedicated to the removed participant.

18. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media of claim 17 wherein muting the participant to the conference session comprises blocking or

Assignees

• Foo Ian
• Munson Jacqueline
• Baird Randall B
• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Foo Ian
• Munson Jacqueline
• Baird Randall B

Classifications

• H04L12/1822 Primary

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title