Online-Telephonic Conference Rooms With Shared Question Queues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telephonic and online conferencing platforms lack integration for seamless audio/video communication and efficient participant question screening, particularly in town hall and public-facing meetings, with telephonic participants often unsupported and question management inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An integrated virtual conference platform combining online and telephonic conferencing systems, enabling simultaneous instances of conference rooms on both platforms, with a semi-automated participant question queuing and screening process using a web-based dashboard for filtering and positioning questions, allowing participants to ask questions live regardless of connection method.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If telephonic conferencing systems are used, then audio communication between participants in different locations is enabled, but video chat functionality is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines telephonic conferencing and online video conferencing platforms into a single integrated system. The controller creates conference rooms on both platforms and joins them together, allowing participants to communicate via audio-only (telephonic) or audio-video (online) modes within the same conference, thus resolving the contradiction between audio communication reliability and video communication capability.
2Reliability
If online conferencing platforms are used, then video chat and audiovisual data transfer are enabled, but telephonic participants are not supported seamlessly
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges online conferencing platform capabilities with telephonic conferencing platform capabilities. Telephonic participants can dial in using traditional phone lines and be automatically connected to the integrated conference room, while online participants enjoy full audiovisual functionality. The controller manages both platform instances, ensuring seamless integration and mutual accessibility.
3Reliability
If traditional online conferencing platforms are used, then audiovisual communication is supported, but methodical participant question screening is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a preliminary screening process for participant questions. Before questions are broadcast to all participants, they go through a screening mechanism where moderators can review and approve questions in advance. This preliminary action ensures that only appropriate questions are communicated to the full conference, maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation through structured question management.
4Ease of operation
If telephonic conferencing systems are used, then participant question screening is supported, but parallel out-dialing and automatic redialing functionality is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms for participant connection management. When telephonic participants fail to connect, the controller automatically detects the failure and triggers redialing sequences. The system also supports parallel out-dialing where multiple participants can be dialed simultaneously. This feedback-driven approach maintains ease of operation for question screening while significantly improving productivity through automated connection management.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller of a virtual conferencing system commands an online conference platform to create an online main conference room associated with a meeting, and commands a telephonic conference platform to create a telephonic main conference room associated with the meeting. The controller further commands at least one of the online and telephonic conference platforms to join the online main conference room and the telephonic main conference room together so audio is passed therebetween to form an integrated main conference room. A similar process is used to create an integrated screener room. The controller stores a question queue identifying both online and telephonic attendees who have questions. Attendees who have an unscreened question are moved into either an online or telephonic part of the integrated screener room depending on the way the attendee joined the meeting. Moderators move both telephonic and online attendees with screened questions into the main conference room.