Sub-Meeting Waiting Queue Notifications for Videoconference Hosts

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In videoconferencing systems, hosts in sub-meetings often miss notifications from waiting queues due to the independent operation of main and sub-meetings, requiring frequent returns to manage participant admissions, which is inefficient and burdensome.

Innovation Solution

A videoconferencing system maintains stored connections for hosts, allowing them to receive waiting queue notifications and manage participant admissions from sub-meetings, ensuring continuity of control inputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the host moves to a sub-meeting, then the host can participate in smaller group discussions, but the host cannot receive waiting queue notifications from the main meeting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehost participation flexibilityVSAvoidnotification reception
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges the notification delivery mechanism with the host's sub-meeting context by routing waiting queue notifications directly to the host's client device even when the host is physically present in a sub-meeting. This combines the main meeting's waiting queue management function with the host's current sub-meeting participation, allowing the host to receive and respond to notifications without leaving the sub-meeting interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary notification routing mechanism that acts as a mediator between the waiting queue system and the host. This intermediary component captures notifications intended for the host and delivers them through the host's current interface context, whether the host is in the main meeting or a sub-meeting, thus bridging the gap between separate meeting contexts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the host returns to the main meeting to manage waiting queue, then the host can admit participants, but the host must interrupt sub-meeting participation frequently

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticipant admission managementVSAvoidhost time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by proactively delivering waiting queue notifications to the host's client device before the host would need to manually check or return to the main meeting. This advance notification mechanism allows the host to manage participant admissions at convenient times without frequent interruptions to sub-meeting participation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing the host to manage waiting queue admissions from within the sub-meeting context. The host can receive notifications and perform admission actions through the same interface used for sub-meeting participation, eliminating the need to switch contexts and making the management process self-contained within the host's current workflow.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If waiting queue notifications are only delivered in the main meeting, then the notification system is simple, but the host management efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification systemVSAvoidhost management efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system achieves universality by delivering waiting queue notifications through a single unified channel that works regardless of the host's current meeting context. The same notification infrastructure serves both main meeting and sub-meeting scenarios, allowing the system to maintain relative simplicity while expanding functionality to support host participation in multiple meeting types simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4331185B1Waiting notifications for videoconferencing sub-meetings
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 ZOOM COMMUNICATIONS INC
  • EP4331185B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4331185B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4331185B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

One example system for providing notifications to videoconferencing sub-meetings includes a processor and at least one memory device. The processor establishes a videoconferencing session associated with a host. The videoconferencing session can include a main meeting, a sub-meeting, and a waiting queue. The processor can move the host from the main meeting to the sub-meeting, and subsequently move a new participant into the waiting queue. The processor can generate a notification that the participant has entered the waiting queue and determine that the host has moved to the sub-meeting. The processor can route, to the host in the sub-meeting using a stored connection of the host to the main meeting, a notification of the participant entering the waiting queue, and subsequently allow the host to admit the new participant.