Conference Call Access Control via Dynamic Policy Enforcement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional conference call management systems lack dynamic control and efficiency, with moderators having limited capabilities to manage participants and costs, and often result in unnecessary expenses due to uncontrolled distribution of conference codes.

Innovation Solution

Implementing application controls and time-based access policies to manage conference calls, allowing moderators to dynamically manage participants, costs, and automate conference call initiation through calendaring software, enabling features like automatic dialing and participant management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If traditional conference call management is used with predefined conference codes, then participants can easily join conference calls, but moderators lose control over who joins and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of joining conference callVSAvoidcontrol over participants

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes access policies and participant permissions before the conference call begins. Moderators configure who can join, what actions they can perform, and under what conditions, allowing easy participant joining while maintaining control through pre-defined rules

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts participant permissions and access control during the conference call based on pre-configured policies. Participants can join easily through automated processes, but their capabilities are dynamically managed according to their assigned roles and the current call state

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If conference codes are distributed widely for easy access, then more participants can join, but unnecessary expenses increase due to uncontrolled access

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to conference callVSAvoidcost of conference call

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms that monitor participant joining, call duration, and usage patterns. Access policies are enforced based on real-time conditions, and the system provides feedback to moderators about cost implications, enabling controlled access that prevents unnecessary expenses while maintaining ease of legitimate participation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes access parameters dynamically based on cost considerations. Different participant types have different permission levels and cost allocations. The system automatically manages conference code distribution and participant admission based on pre-configured cost parameters and usage rules

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If moderators manually manage each participant individually, then control over participants is maintained, but time and efficiency are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol over participantsVSAvoidefficiency of participant management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments participant management into distinct permission categories and role-based groups. Moderators define access policies for groups of participants with similar needs, rather than managing each individual separately. This maintains granular control over participant capabilities while dramatically improving efficiency through automated policy enforcement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service participant management through automated access control. Participants are automatically admitted, authenticated, and assigned permissions based on pre-configured policies without requiring manual moderator intervention for each participant, thereby maintaining control while improving productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Productivity

If automated access control is implemented, then participant management efficiency improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of participant managementVSAvoidcomplexity of access control system

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal access control framework that handles multiple participant types, permission levels, and conference scenarios through a single policy-based architecture. This automated system manages authentication, authorization, and cost control across diverse situations, improving productivity while containing complexity through standardized multi-functional processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8576750B1Managed conference calling

Publication Date: 2013.11.05 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

The subject matter of this disclosure can be implemented in, among other things, a method. In these examples, the method includes receiving a request to join a conference call from a user, and determining whether the user is allowed to join the conference call based on an access policy configurable by a moderator of the conference call. The method may also include upon determining that the user is allowed to join the conference call, connecting the user to the conference all, determining a set of permissions granted to the user for participating on the conference call based on the access policy, and outputting a user interface to the user or sending a message to another computing device to cause the other computing device to output the user interface to the user, wherein the user interface includes a set of conference call management options based upon the set of permissions granted to the user.