Previewing Conference Participants Prior To Joining A Conference
Patent No. US11824671 (titled "Previewing Conference Participants Prior To Joining A Conference") was filed by Zoom Communications Inc on Sep 10, 2021.
What is this patent about?
’671 is related to the field of unified communications as a service (UCaaS) , specifically enhancing the user experience in conferencing systems. Traditionally, users must join a conference to access features like participant lists or shared documents. This can be problematic when users are running late or want to preview conference details before committing to join, leading to wasted time and potential embarrassment.
The underlying idea behind ’671 is to provide pre-conference access to key information without requiring the user to fully join the meeting. This is achieved by leveraging calendar data and a conference object maintained by the server. The system allows a client device to request and display participant information, access messaging applications, and preview conference items before formally joining the conference.
The claims of ’671 focus on a method, system, and storage device that enable a client device to display conference information. This involves transmitting a first graphical output based on calendar data to a client device for display on a panel interface. Prior to joining the conference, the client device can request and receive participant information, which is then displayed on an expanded portion of the panel interface. The panel interface includes an indicator of the conference status.
In practice, the invention uses a panel interface on the client device that displays basic conference information. When a user expands the panel, a request is sent to the server for participant details. The server, using a conference object that tracks participant status and attendance times, generates a second graphical output displaying this information. This allows users to see who has already joined, their attendance time, and other relevant details before deciding to join themselves.
This approach differentiates itself from prior solutions by eliminating the need for a direct connection to the conference server to access basic conference information. Instead of relying on real-time connections, the system uses calendar data and a conference object to provide a snapshot of the conference status. This allows users to make informed decisions about when and how to join a conference, improving efficiency and reducing wasted time.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2020s when ’671 was filed, unified communication systems were becoming increasingly prevalent, at a time when users expected seamless access to various communication modes (e.g., voice, video, messaging) from different devices and locations. At that time, it was common for such systems to rely on cloud-based architectures to deliver these services, when hardware or software constraints made real-time data synchronization and low-latency communication across diverse networks non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because an updated search did not reveal any prior art, either individually or combined with cited references, that would have anticipated or made obvious the steps disclosed in the amended claims. The examiner found no references that provided the proper motivation to combine the elements as claimed.
Claims
This patent contains 20 claims, with independent claims 1, 9, and 16. The independent claims focus on a method, a system, and a storage device, respectively, all relating to displaying conference information on a client device, including participant information and conference status. The dependent claims generally elaborate on the specifics of the conference information displayed and how participant information is determined.
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Date
Description
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US11824671
- Application Number
- US17472023
- Filing Date
- Sep 10, 2021
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Sep 10, 2041
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents