Private Group Call Channels With Host-Controlled Participant Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional web conferencing systems lack the ability to facilitate private communication channels between participants, requiring individuals to use separate communication methods, which is time-consuming and disrupts the group experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing private communication channels that can be created and removed as needed between select participants, allowing for tunable communication paths and controlled by a host, while ensuring participants are not added to multiple channels simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If private communication channels are implemented between participants, then communication efficacy is improved and information transfer is enhanced, but device complexity and system management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into multiple independent communication channels: a shared communication channel for group-wide communication and multiple private communication channels for one-on-one or small group private exchanges. This segmentation allows participants to simultaneously engage in public group discussion while maintaining private side conversations, thereby improving communication efficacy without requiring complete system redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages communication channels by allowing hosts to create, modify, and remove private communication channels based on real-time meeting needs. Participants can be dynamically added or removed from private channels during the group call, and the system automatically tracks participant availability across multiple channels, adapting the communication topology as the meeting progresses.
2Adaptability or versatility
If participants can join multiple private communication channels simultaneously, then communication flexibility is improved, but system reliability and participant experience deteriorate due to information overload and confusion
Solution Approach 1:
Before adding a participant to a private communication channel, the system performs preliminary checks to evaluate the participant's current status across all communication channels. The system proactively prevents adding participants who are already engaged in other private channels or are in the process of being added, thereby avoiding information overload and confusion before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback mechanisms by monitoring participant status in real-time and providing feedback to the host about which participants are available to join private channels. The system tracks whether participants are already in private channels or being added to them, and uses this feedback information to control and regulate the creation and management of private communication channels, ensuring system reliability.
3Ease of operation
If private communication channels are made available to all participants, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of information increases due to unintended participants receiving private communications
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides universal access to private communication channel functionality for all participants in the group call, allowing any participant to initiate or join private channels as needed. This multi-functional capability enables both one-on-one private conversations and small group private discussions within the same system framework, improving ease of operation while maintaining privacy through controlled access mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system acts as an intermediary by implementing a host-controlled approval mechanism. When a participant requests to join a private communication channel, the system mediates the request by checking with the host and verifying the participant's current status. This intermediary control ensures that only appropriate participants are added to private channels, preventing unintended recipients from receiving private communications while maintaining system-wide accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method, according to one approach, includes: receiving a request to add a subset of participants on a group call to a private communication channel. The group call includes a shared communication channel extending between the participants, the shared communication channel being configured to exchange information between the participants. The method further includes evaluating statuses of the participants in the subset. Moreover, in response to determining that the participants in the subset are not already included on a different private communication channel, and that the participants in the subset are not actively being added to a different private communication channel, the subset of participants are added to the private communication channel.